THE STATUS AND DETERMINANTS OF MULTIDIMENSIONAL RURAL POVERTY AT HOUSEHOLD LEVEL:THE CASE OF BORICHA WOREDA, SIDAMA REGION, ETHIOPIA

Abstract

Poverty is a complex and multifaceted social problem around the world, especially in developing countries. Governments and national and international development agencies have sought to understand the multidimensional nature of poverty and the mechanisms to alleviate it. This study was conducted in Boricha Woreda, Sidama Regional State, Ethiopia, specifically to assess the status of multidimensional poverty of rural households and to find its determinants. The study selected 364 households using systematic random sampling technique. The data were collected from primary and secondary sources. The multidimensional poor and non-poor households were identified using the Alkire-Foster method of multidimensional poverty, and determinants of poverty were investigated using logistic regression models. Findings show that 40 percent of households are multidimensionally poor. The econometric results of the binary logit model showed that education, cultivated land, agricultural income, livestock ownership, and frequency of contact with the population were statistically significant, which was theoretically expected to be associated with the multidimensional poverty status of rural households, showed a negative association at 1% and 5%. Promoting adult education, appropriate family planning, and quality healthcare are therefore important policy tools to adequately address multidimensional rural poverty.