Determinants of Poverty among Rural Households in Selected Local Government Areas of Kwara State

Poverty is a global menace that threatens the standard of living of the people across various countries of the world. This study therefore, focused on the determinants of poverty among rural household in selected Local Government Area of Kwara State, Nigeria. Multistage sampling techniques were used for sampling of respondents. The first stage was the purposive sampling of Kwara State. The second stage involved purposive sampling of Agricultural Development Programme (ADP) zone C. The third stage was purposive sampling of two (2) Local Government Area from the Zone. The fourth stage was random selection of two (2) villages from each in the Local Government Area. The fourth stage was the systematic sampling of household heads. A total number of 150 respondents were interviewed. Data collected were analyzed using descriptive statistics and ordinary least square regression. Data were analyzed to determine the relationship between independent variables (age of household head, years of schooling of household head, non-working, access to water, power abuse, poor housing quality) and the dependent variable (per capita income in N). The mean age of the household heads was 42 years. This shows that majority of the respondent were still within their productive age. However, the unemployed household heads were 31.33 % of the respondents. Households who had no access to portable drinking water were 13.33 % and those who were abuse by those in position of authority were 40 %. About 69 % were non-poor while 31.33 % were below poverty line. Therefore, government should provide job for teaming unemployed youths by engaging them in skill acquisition programmes which are engineered towards enhancing food security and eradication of poverty.