Analysis of multidimensional poverty in rural Adamawa state, Nigeria

This study assessed multidimensional poverty in rural parts of Adamawa State, Nigeria. Specifically, the study objectives were to: describe the respondents’ socio-demographic characteristics, determine their multidimensional poverty status, and identify the determinants of multidimensional poverty in the communities sampled. A multi-stage cluster sampling technique was used to collect primary data from 480 household heads selected from 16 villages across the study area. Data collected was analyzed using descriptive statistics, the Multidimensional Poverty Analytical Tool (MPAT) and a binary logistic regression model. The respondents’ sociodemographic characteristics described in the study showed that their mean age was 46.3 years while the average household size was 7 persons. The study indicated that the majority (86.7%) of respondents were male, mostly married (91.7%) and educated (74%). The distribution of the respondents’ multidimensional poverty status revealed that majority (61.7%) of the households were poor. The study revealed that multidimensional poverty in the study area is influenced negatively by age, marital status and household size. Similarly, gender, educational level, livelihood activities, farm size, livestock ownership, remittance, membership of group, and access to credit have a positive effect on multidimensional poverty. Key among the recommendations of this study is the provision of adequate basic infrastructure in the area.