13 DETERMINANTS OF POVERTY AMONG RURAL ARTISANAL FISHERY HOUSEHOLDS IN KWARA STATE, NIGERIA Y. U. Oladimeji; Z. Abdulsalam; M. A. Damisa and D. F. Omokore Ahmadu Bello University, P.M.B. 1044, Zaria, Nigeria ABSTRACT The capacity of artisanal fisheries to upturn nutritional imbalance, create employment and alleviate poverty depends on the adoption of appropriate management strategies that ensure fishery sustainability to avoid wanton exploitation which prone the renewable resources to intense fishing pressure and depletion. Therefore, it is necessary to examine the determinants of poverty among rural artisanal fishery households in Kwara State, Nigeria to suggests plausible measures towards align fishery practices (rural poverty) and sustainable fishery development. Primary data were collected from 306 artisanal fishing households with the aid of structured questionnaire and interview schedule. Tobit regression model was employed to analyze the data. Evidence from regression estimates showed that eight of the nine variables included in the model had expected a priori expectations and were statistically significant (0.001>p<0.01). Fishermen should be educated to comprehend occupational diversifications, adopt technology capable of improving the life of rural households, and sustain fishing resources within acceptable levels of global resource depletion and environmental pollution. Keywords: Poverty, Artisanal Household, Multistage, Tobit model, Nigeria. Journal of Sustainable Development in Africa (Volume 16, No.3, 2014) ISSN: 1520-5509 Clarion University of Pennsylvania, Clarion, Pennsylvania