Determinants of agricultural household poverty in agroecological zones: Highlands vs. lowlands in East Java

There are notable differences in poverty between the lowland and highland agroecological zones in East Javan agricultural households. Geographic isolation, land fragmentation, and unequal access to infrastructure and technology all play a role in worsening poverty. This study uses raw data from the 2023 Agricultural Census and applies binary logistic regression to explore what factors contribute to poverty among farming households. The results show that poverty is more likely to occur in households led by someone under 40 years old (OR: 1.822), with low levels of education (OR: 1.378), with five or more family members (OR: 5.378), those working in informal jobs, owning little or no land, and not using modern technology. The impact is especially strong in certain areas: in the highland regions of Batu, Malang, Magetan, Bondowoso, and Lumajang, poverty risk is over seven times higher (OR: 7.052) due to a combination of these challenges and population pressure. On the other hand, technology adoption lowers poverty by 78 % (OR: 0.221) in the lowland regions of Lamongan, Bojonegoro, Sidoarjo, Probolinggo, and Pasuruan. Interestingly, while extended working hours significantly reduce poverty in lowland areas supported by better infrastructure, they fail to mitigate poverty in mountainous regions due to land degradation. Targeted interventions, highland infrastructure rehabilitation, and lowland areas' accelerated agricultural digitalization are the main policy implications. • Significant poverty disparities exist between farming households in East Java's high and lowlands. • Young heads, low education, large families, limited land, and low tech worsen poverty in both regions. • Highland poverty is 7x higher due to demographics, while tech use reduces lowland poverty by 78%. • Extending work hours fails to reduce highland poverty, unlike in infrastructure-supported lowlands.