Agrarian vista or vortex: African rural livelihood policies
This article explores the concepts of livelihoods, sustainability and poverty alleviation with reference to recent rural economy survey findings in sub-Saharan Africa, policies in the international development policy arena during the last 20 years, and South Africa's rural history. It is argued...
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| Format: | Journal article |
| Language: | English |
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Routledge
2004
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| _version_ | 1797057432109711360 |
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| author | Bryceson, D |
| author2 | ROAPE Publications Ltd. |
| author_facet | ROAPE Publications Ltd. Bryceson, D |
| author_sort | Bryceson, D |
| collection | OXFORD |
| description | This article explores the concepts of livelihoods, sustainability and poverty alleviation with reference to recent rural economy survey findings in sub-Saharan Africa, policies in the international development policy arena during the last 20 years, and South Africa's rural history. It is argued that processes of deagrarianisation and depeasantisation have accelerated in association with the implementation of structural adjustment policies. Village case-study evidence from various African countries indicates a decline in peasant commodity production, a surge in non-agricultural income diversification, the proliferation of multi-occupational households, accelerating rural class stratification and growing poverty ('non-agricultural' activities are those that do not directly involve plant or animal husbandry). International financial institutions, specifically the World Bank, have become increasingly alert to rural poverty over the last few years but tend to ignore the policy influence in this field. The sustainable rural livelihoods approach acknowledges structural change in rural areas but has not yet fully analysed the depth of ongoing change and the policy scope needed to deflect rural poverty. A schematic look at deagrarianisation in South Africa and the effect of past and present policy interventions in South African rural areas illustrates the potential continental dimensions of agricultural labour displacement. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-06T19:36:16Z |
| format | Journal article |
| id | oxford-uuid:1f26b3b6-38e9-43f1-994f-dd90619220aa |
| institution | University of Oxford |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-06T19:36:16Z |
| publishDate | 2004 |
| publisher | Routledge |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | oxford-uuid:1f26b3b6-38e9-43f1-994f-dd90619220aa2022-03-26T11:20:16ZAgrarian vista or vortex: African rural livelihood policiesJournal articlehttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_dcae04bcuuid:1f26b3b6-38e9-43f1-994f-dd90619220aaDevelopment and Refugees (see also Sociology)AfricaAgrarian changeEnglishOxford University Research Archive - ValetRoutledge2004Bryceson, DROAPE Publications Ltd.This article explores the concepts of livelihoods, sustainability and poverty alleviation with reference to recent rural economy survey findings in sub-Saharan Africa, policies in the international development policy arena during the last 20 years, and South Africa's rural history. It is argued that processes of deagrarianisation and depeasantisation have accelerated in association with the implementation of structural adjustment policies. Village case-study evidence from various African countries indicates a decline in peasant commodity production, a surge in non-agricultural income diversification, the proliferation of multi-occupational households, accelerating rural class stratification and growing poverty ('non-agricultural' activities are those that do not directly involve plant or animal husbandry). International financial institutions, specifically the World Bank, have become increasingly alert to rural poverty over the last few years but tend to ignore the policy influence in this field. The sustainable rural livelihoods approach acknowledges structural change in rural areas but has not yet fully analysed the depth of ongoing change and the policy scope needed to deflect rural poverty. A schematic look at deagrarianisation in South Africa and the effect of past and present policy interventions in South African rural areas illustrates the potential continental dimensions of agricultural labour displacement. |
| spellingShingle | Development and Refugees (see also Sociology) Africa Agrarian change Bryceson, D Agrarian vista or vortex: African rural livelihood policies |
| title | Agrarian vista or vortex: African rural livelihood policies |
| title_full | Agrarian vista or vortex: African rural livelihood policies |
| title_fullStr | Agrarian vista or vortex: African rural livelihood policies |
| title_full_unstemmed | Agrarian vista or vortex: African rural livelihood policies |
| title_short | Agrarian vista or vortex: African rural livelihood policies |
| title_sort | agrarian vista or vortex african rural livelihood policies |
| topic | Development and Refugees (see also Sociology) Africa Agrarian change |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT brycesond agrarianvistaorvortexafricanrurallivelihoodpolicies |