IFAD Multidimensional Poverty Assessment Tool User’s Guide

About this manual

This guide provides step-by-step instructions for using the Multidimensional Poverty Assessment Tool (MPAT) to measure rural poverty. It covers survey preparation, random sampling, enumerator training, data collection, quality control, and indicator calculation. The tool is designed for practitioners, project staff, and researchers working in rural development. It includes detailed appendices with templates, training materials, and technical specifications for customized use.

The guide also explains how to use MPAT data for project planning, monitoring, evaluation, and impact assessment, with case studies from countries like India, Bangladesh, Kenya, and Mozambique illustrating practical applications.

What's inside

• MPAT – an introduction
• Using MPAT to support rural development projects
• Preparing for MPAT
• Random sampling to select MPAT villages and households
• Training MPAT enumerators
• MPAT implementation
• Data entry and quality control
• Calculating standardized MPAT indicators/results
• Optional – how to customize MPAT
• MPAT data analysis and reporting

Frequently asked questions

Where can I download the MPAT User’s Guide?

It can be downloaded at www.ifad.org/mpat, along with the MPAT Book and supporting materials.

What is the purpose of MPAT?

MPAT is an innovative tool for assessing, understanding and addressing rural poverty through multidimensional indicators.