Determinants of Multidimensional Poverty among Rural Households in Northern Ethiopia

Abstract

The study was aimed at investigating the socioeconomic correlates of households’ multidimensional poverty in northern Ethiopia, focusing on the Degua Tembien District of Tigray. Cross-sectional data, gathered using a household survey of 420 randomly selected households, were used to realize the objective of the study. The multidimensional poor and non-poor households were identified using the AlkireFoster method of multidimensional poverty, and determinants of poverty were investigated using logistic regression models. Findings show that 60 percent of households are multidimensionally poor. Households’ multidimensional poverty is significantly and negatively associated with contact with extension agents, education level of the household head, household size, number of plots, household’s annual income, and access to hired non-household labor. Human capital development, introducing a wide range of extension services, increasing agricultural productivity through intensification, effective utilization of local reciprocal labor engagements, and improving income through diversifying livelihood activities is recommended to reduce the high multidimensional poverty in the study district. Keywords: multidimensional poverty, deprivation, Alkire and Foster, determinants, households