Dimensions and determinants of rural poverty
Civil armed conflict in the 1980s has had a severe negative effect on the economy and rural areas causing neglect of the agricultural sector. Displacement of large numbers of rural people, refugees, recruitment of males into the armed forces of both sides, and male migration to urban areas and abroad, have had the result that 40 to 60% of the rural households are headed by women. As a consequence of the economic crisis, employment and incomes have fallen and more than 80% of the rural population lives below the absolute poverty line. About 45% of the children in rural areas work in agricultural activities. Structural adjustment and economic stabilization programmes have required cuts in social spending. The Government has tried to compensate for this by directing its social strategy to the neediest and by better planning and coordination of resources. Lack of access to land, credit, agricultural and marketing information and services are serious constraints on the rural population, and especially on women.
