GLOBAL POVERTY METRICS AND THE PROBLEM OF MISSING CONTEXT

This study employs a mixed conceptual and secondary data analysis approach to investigate the povertyenvironment nexus in Sub-Saharan Africa. Drawing on the Alkire-Foster Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) and World Bank data from 41 Sub-Saharan African countries, it challenges the overreliance on standardized global indices for contextual understanding of poverty and environmental sustainability. Grounded in a tripartite theoretical framework integrating behavioral, structural, and political theories of poverty, the study demonstrates how aggregated MPI metrics conceal localized deprivation patterns and how variation in survey recency across countries introduces significant methodological bias. Critically, the six countries showing MPI improvement (Benin, Comoros, Kenya, Eswatini, Mozambique, and Tanzania) are also those with the most recent data (2021–2023), raising questions about whether observed gains reflect genuine progress. The analysis also reveals there is a disconnection between the numbers of national agro-environmental policies and their implementation effectiveness, underscoring the fact that policies alone do not result in poverty reduction or environmental sustainability. To address these gaps, the study recommends the adoption of disaggregated local data, community-based poverty indicators, and more frequent dataset updates. The findings advance understanding of context-specific poverty measurement and offer a framework for evaluating the applicability of global indices across diverse national settings.