CAUSES AND CONSEQUENCES OF POVERTY IN THE RURAL HOUSEHOLD IN KWARA-NORTH SENATORIAL DISTRICT OF KWARA STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

This paper examined the causes and consequences of poverty in the rural household in Kwara-North senatorial district of Kwara state. The study employed P-alpha class measures of poverty to determine the incidence of poverty. The households were classified into poor and non-poor groups, using relative poverty line of two-third of mean per capita expenditure. The results show that the rural households in the study areas were poor in terms of basic facilities and not money-wise. The results also revealed a significant impact of incidence of poverty on human capital. The study concluded that government should embark on policies that would improve the state of existing human resources. This could be achieved through policies that would promote access to quality education, good health care services, apprenticeship training and nutrition in order to reduce poverty level and improve standard of living in rural areas.