Factors Affecting the Poverty of Rural Households in North Khorasan Province

The poor and deprived population density in rural areas necessitates high attention to these areas in development and poverty alleviation plans. This study aims at investigating those properties of the rural households in North Khorasan province which seem influence the possibility of household's poverty. Required data of 679 household samples are extracted from the household budget report of Iran’s Statistic Center in 2010. Tobit model is used to survey the effects of certain variables (ie dependency ratio, gender, age, health and educational expenditures, and being farmer or non-farmer) on the poverty possibility of the households. As assumed in the dependant variable, the real amounts of household incomes are for the households with incomes higher than the poverty line and the amount of zero is for the households under poverty line. The results indicate a direct relation of poverty possibility with the variables of dependency ratio, age and gender while its reverse relation with the other variables. Finally, to increase productivity of rural jobs, the study suggests generating the educational opportunities and holding the various courses related to the rural jobs in educational institutes, expanding the use of new technology, and controlling the burden ratio.