The pattern of driving forces affecting the poverty trap in rural areas (Study case: rural area of Birjand in the east of Iran)

One of the main issues facing rural development planners is eradicating poverty in rural communities. From 2011-2021  due to various factors, Iran's poverty and deprivation trap has grown more significant in recent years, ensnaring a sizable portion of both the rural and urban populations. The effective causes and motivators of the poverty trap in each area must be understood to plan the transition out of poverty and deprivation; this research attempted to do so in the rural communities of Birjand County.

The research uses a survey approach and a descriptive-analytical methodology. 12,854 households in 61 villages surrounding Birjand City made up the statistical population for the study, and 372 homes were chosen using Cochran's method as the size of the sample population. SPSS and PLS software were used to analyze statistical data.

88% of households in the rural areas under study are caught in the poverty trap. The critical point is that not all of the trap's elements play the same part; as a result, the literacy factor has the highest average (approaching the ideal level), while the savings index has the lowest average (toward the unfavorable level). The economic aspect, with an impact factor of 0.31, the geographical aspect, with an impact factor of 0.29, and the individual aspect, with an impact factor of 0.25, were investigated, and they all significantly impacted the poverty trap in the rural area under study.

Economic remedies and the restoration of indicators, such as bettering employment prospects, promoting agricultural products, raising the productivity of manufacturing and human resources, and boosting access to affordable financing, are the ways to end poverty in rural areas.