This study assesses the rural poverty with various dimensions such as
income/consumption, health, education, and empowerment in the Dry Zone of Myanmar.
A household survey, covering 220 male and female-headed households has been
conducted in six sample villages. The income/consumption approach to poverty reveals
that the female-headed households are poorer than male-headed households in terms of
food deficiency and overall poverty with adjustment of household size equivalent to
calorie consumption of one adult. The multivariate analysis indicates that gender of head,
family size, land holding size, productive labour force (both paid and unpaid), number of
crops grown, frequency of visiting the doctor, frequency of trainings attendance, debt
amount, and procuring electricity service are extremely important to explain the rural
poverty situation. The findings based on the Participatory Assessment method confirm
relatively higher poverty estimates of the rural households. Poverty assessment and
working out poverty alleviation programmes should be carefully thought of taking into
account of multi-dimensions of poverty that would potentially increase income and
consumption levels, improve access to rural social services, and empowerment of rural
households especially headed by the female.