Poverty is a serious problem in many countries. Consequently the alleviation of poverty and hunger has become a principal objective of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The Central Agency of Statistics of Indonesia defined poverty as 'an inability to meet basic needs'. From an economic point of view, poverty is the inability to meet basic need for food and non-food items such as clothing and housing. Poor people therefore live below the poverty line, defined as the minimum expenditure requiredto meet basic needs for food and non-food items (BPS, 2003 and 2004). The World Bank considers poverty as: the condition of hunger, not having proper shelter, inability to access medical care and proper education, illiteracy, not having a permanent job,fear of the future, powerlessness, not being represented, and having no independence in society (World Bank, 2005).
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