the condition of being or becoming very poor, or the act of making someone very poor

The drought reduced many farmers to impoverishment. 旱灾害得许多农民变成穷人。

Progress has meant continued impoverishment and a growing contrast between the wealth of the few and the poverty of the many. 进步意味着持续的贫困化，造成了愈演愈烈的反差，一边是少数人的富裕，另一边是多数人的贫穷。