This study applied censored regression model approach to analyse the determinants of poverty severity among
rural farmers in Nigeria using data from randomly sampled 233 rural farmers in Benue State. The study showed
that 87.63% variation in poverty severity was explained by variations in the specified explanatory variables.
Furthermore, at 5% level of significance, the critical determinants of poverty severity among the respondents
were economic efficiency, household income, dependency ratio, ratio of food expenditure to total household
expenditure, farm size, access to credit, household production enterprise structure, extent of household
production diversification, extent of production commercialization, expenditure on education, access to
agricultural extension services, membership of cooperative societies or other farmers’ associations, market
access, total value of household assets, household size and formal education. Measures that promote both
household enterprise diversification and agricultural production commercialization are highly desirable.
Measures should be put in place to encourage the formation of effective farmers’ cooperatives and other farmers’
organizations for the purpose of knowledge transfer, input and output marketing and distribution, savings
mobilization, and farm credit sourcing and supply.