Assessment of the Status and Severity of Multidimensional Poverty in Cash-Crop Based Rural Settings: The case Khat producing Haramaya District in Ethiopia

Abstract

Shifting rural areas from subsistence to cash-crop production has got emphasis from different state and no-state development actors as plausible step to generate better income. However, there is lack of empirical researches showing the facet of multidimensional poverty in the cash-crop producing areas. Hence, this study asses multidimensional poverty in the khat and vegetable producing rural settings of Haramaya district in Eastern Ethiopia. The research used a cross-sectional household survey data gathered from 381 rural households and applied Alkire-Fosters of Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) to measure the household poverty. The research finding shows that the proportion and intensity of multidimensional poverty in the study area a is much profound compared to the national and regional average as well as most parts of the country. Deprivation in the living standard indicators such as improved sanitation facilities, energy sources, safe drinking water and electricity are the major contributors for the severe poverty. The deprivations in those important indicators are dominantly shaped by economic, attitudinal and locational factors. Therefore, the government and other development actors are highly recommended to wedge joint efforts on projects such as rural electrification, developing drinking-water and road infrastructures as well as wellbeing education which can hit multiple targets in curbing the poverty.