Dimensions and Determinants of Agro-Pastoral Households’ Poverty in Dembel District of Somali Regional State, Ethiopia

Abstract

Poverty reduction strategy is one of the top priority agenda of developing countries like Ethiopia. Hence, this study investigates the dimensions and determinants of agro-pastoral households’ poverty in Shinille zone of Somali regional state. It is based on information gathered from 240 randomly selected households in Dembel district. The Foster, Greer and Thorbecke (FGT) Poverty Indices are employed to examine the extent and severity of the agro-pastoralists’ poverty in the study area. The survey outcome revealed that 67% of the sample households in the district live below the poverty line. In identifying the determinants of poverty, a binary logistic regression model was employed. Results show that access to irrigation, distance from market center, farm land size, non-farm activities, educational status, livestock holding, and herd diversification had a significant effect on the probability of a household to be poor.