Determinants of Rural Poverty in Tanzania: Evidence from Mkinga District, Tanga Region

Abstract

Identification of factors that are strongly linked to poverty is an important aspect in developing successful strategies intended for poverty reduction. This study aimed at assessing the determinants of poverty in Mkinga district in rural Tanzania. Ordinal regression model was used to model events of observing scores of livelihood status in the area of study. The study revealed that nearly 93% of respondents in the area were poor. Gender, size of land the household owns, the size of farm used in farming, Household size and the dependency ratio were found to be related to poverty, hence influencing poverty in the area of study. While the government is responsible in providing proper infrastructural settings, this paper recommends that, people especially women in this area should be empowered to have positive attitudes towards participating into economic activities using resources around them.

Keywords: Rural poverty, Economic growth, Poverty determinants, and Mkinga district