Investigating spatial patterns and contributing factors of rural poverty and vulnerability to environmental threats in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan

The primary goal of this study was to investigate rural households' multidimensional poverty profiles and vulnerability to environmental risks in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. The Pakistan Social and Living Standard Measurement survey (2019) data set was used for this purpose, which included 3035 rural households from seven administrative divisions located in three different geo-climate zones (northern, central and southern zones). The Multidimensional Poverty Index for Rural Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was 0.253 (25.3 percent) at a cutoff threshold of 0.30 (30 percent). The derived deprivation for 'living standard' and 'vulnerability to environmental threats' was much higher. The northern and southern divisions had the most multifaceted poor households, showing uneven regional development. As poverty differed greatly across divisions, antipoverty activities should be customized to the local context. The currently underway Naya Pakistan Housing Program is appropriately targeted and should be expanded to rural areas where impoverished people lack adequate housing. The provincial government's Billion Trees Tsunami Reforestation project for environmental conservation may aid in improving the resilience of the socio-ecological system to floods. The Sehat Insaaf Program of health insurance is highly encouraging; on the other hand, it should be authorized to cover a wider variety of health treatments and to be valid in private hospitals.