Revue des arts et des sciences sociales

Determinants of Rural Poverty in Ethiopia: A Household Level Analysis in the Case of Dejen Woreda

Abstract

Ermiyas AM, Batu MM and Teka E

This study examines the main determinants of rural household poverty in the district of Dejen Amhara regional state using primary data collected through questionnaire. Through multi-stage sampling technique the data was collected from a total of 204 sample households from rural area of Dejen district in the year 2016. The FGT poverty index (Foster, Greer and Thorbecke) was employed to examine the extent and severity of rural poverty in Dejen. Accordingly, nearly 49% of the sampled rural households’ lives below poverty line with an average poverty gap of 0.083 and poverty severity gap of 0.065. The probit model used to analyze the main determinants of rural poverty. Based on the probit model analysis output, household size, sex of households, dependency ratio and livestock ownership are found to be the key determinants of rural poverty. Poverty status is negatively correlated with total number of livestock a household owned and sex of household heads (male dummy). On one hand, family size and dependency ratio are positively related to poverty status of households. So, as parts of policy implication this study suggests that promoting and giving awareness about family planning and putting the existing policy in effect and integrated health service with appropriate access would result in curbing the degree of poverty among rural households. Technical advice and training, how to use their cattle’s, should offer from the concerned body in order to strengthen their benefits for the rural poor and help them to exit from poverty. There should also be a need to encourage and give awareness to the population that females are productive and means of development and a way to combat poverty and gender basis development policy measures targeting anti-poverty involvements are useful to curb poverty in rural areas of Dejen.