Rural Livelihood Structure and Poverty in Tanzania: A Case Study of Mkinga District, Tanga Region

Abstract

This paper explores factors that have linkage between livelihood structure and poverty in Mkinga District, Tanga region. The study uses the data of household heads from selected study area. Chi square test were used to assess the associations of the factors that have significant linkage between poverty and livelihood structure. The results indicates that gender of household heads, marital status, access to finance, dependency ratio and household size were significant factors. Furthermore, rural livelihoods should not be viewed as being directly tied to agriculture and access to land and the solution to rural poverty should not solely be associated with the invigoration of agriculture and the redistribution of land.  Instead, it should be viewed in light of a wider conception of access to a range of resources which rural people require to make a living.

Keywords: livelihood structure, poverty, inequality, Mkinga district