Poverty and Poverty Correlates of the Marginalised Social Groups in the Rural Belts of Wayanad, Kerala: Role of Policy Aspects for Inclusive Development

Abstract

Wayanad in Kerala is the hottest of the hotspots of the Western Ghats ecology. Agro-biodiversity is important in terms of the poor people’s livelihood and agricultural activities. Outside intrusion in the pretext of development has led to large scale environmental degradation which is posing severe livelihood threats to the poor, forest-dependent communities. Their immiseration has culminated in a vicious circle of poverty, which in turn has contemporaneous characteristics The study espouses the linkage between poverty and historical factors with high prominence on material assets as well as socio-cultural advantages. Data for the study is amassed from a primary survey of 300 households based on multi-stage proportionate random sampling method. The study uses Foster-Greer-Thorbecke )FGT) to work out poverty depth and severity based on expenditure patterns. Factor Analysis is used to understand the inter-temporal dynamics of the asset holdings. The study also employs Binary Logistic Regression to estimate the probability of social groups falling into povertyDuring the 20 years span, it is an indisputable fact that some of households have indeed escaped the poverty trap. The pertinent risk factors associated with the households going back to poverty needs to be identified and analyzed in tandem with the role and relevance of these policy factors in poverty eradication. For this reason inter-temporal poverty analysis presents a wide range of challenges for policy.