Not All About Farming: Understanding Aspirations Can Challenge Assumptions About Rural Development

Mausch, K and Harris, D and Dilley, L and Crossland, M and Pagella, T and Yim, J and Jones, E (2021) Not All About Farming: Understanding Aspirations Can Challenge Assumptions About Rural Development. The European Journal of Development Research (TSI). ISSN 0957-8811

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Abstract

Rural development is a political topic in which debate has been more focussed on externally identified needs than on demands or aspirations of the rural population and polarised between the attractions of urban income earning opportunities and the importance of rural farming communities for national food provision. The heterogeneity of local aspirations and their implications for development have barely been considered. We explore the aspirations of residents of three contrasting regions in Kenya that vary in their agricultural and off-farm potential. We argue that opportunities are a major framing influence on aspirations but there is important, and routinely overlooked, diversity within the communities which could inform future options for effective development. We outline how development initiatives could be redesigned to align more closely with aspirations. However, aspirations are a complex concept and, while our approach offered novel insights, these would be enriched when combined with household survey data.

Item Type:	Article
Divisions:	Research Program : East & Southern Africa
CRP:	CGIAR Research Program on Grain Legumes and Dryland Cereals (GLDC)
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Livelihoods, Kenya, Project design, Diversity, Farming, Off-farm employment, Incomes
Subjects:	Others > Livelihoods Others > Agriculture-Farming, Production, Technology, Economics Others > Kenya
Depositing User:	Mr Arun S
Date Deposited:	29 May 2021 08:10
Last Modified:	29 May 2021 08:10
URI:	http://oar.icrisat.org/id/eprint/11827
Official URL:	https://doi.org/10.1057/s41287-021-00398-w
Projects:	UNSPECIFIED
Funders:	UNSPECIFIED
Acknowledgement:	This work was undertaken as part of, and funded by, the CGIAR Research Program on Grain Legumes and Dryland Cereals (GLDC); initial parts of this work were undertaken as part of, and funded by, the CGIAR Research Program on Policy, Markets and Institutions (PIM) and supported by CGIAR Fund Donors.
Links:	Google Scholar

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