Rural nonfarm employment and farming: household‐level linkages

Abstract

This article introduces the articles in "Agricultural Economics", vol. 40 no. 2 (March 2009). First, we introduce their objectives in a brief review of existing literature on developing country trends in rural income diversification, in particular rural nonfarm employment (RNFE) and its impact on farm technology choice in crops and livestock, and thus on agricultural modernization and diversification. Then we preview the key points of the articles, which use distinctive primary datasets from Albania, Bulgaria, China, India, Mexico, Nigeria, the Philippines, Senegal, and Vietnam to document the impacts of RNFE and their implications for farm technology and farm activity. Copyright (c) 2009 International Association of Agricultural Economists.

Emerging Class Relations in the Mekong River Delta of Vietnam: A Network Analysis

“…These data seem to corroborate the hypothesis that an initial control over land can facilitate access to RNF services and businesses. This concentration of capital within a class of rich farmers can raise concerns about the possible future development trajectories of the region (Fort 2007; Davis et al. 2009; Lanjouw and Murgai 2009).…”

Artisanal Mining, Smallholder Farming and Livelihood Diversification in Rural Sub‐saharan Africa: An Introduction

“…In a study by Reardon et al (1988), it is reported that in villages visited, 'local non-farm income is derived almost entirely from artisanal manufacture of mats, baskets, and tools, and services (primarily sorghum beer-making)', despite the fact that for decades, Burkina Faso has harboured one of the largest small-scale gold mining workforces in sub-Saharan Africa. Subsequent studies (Reardon, 1997;Davis et al, 2009) fail to address this shortcoming. Similarly, Bryceson (1996Bryceson ( , 2002, whose work provides a timely review of the region's 'rural livelihoods in transition' phenomenon, has also overlooked the importance of the ASM sector.…”

Agricultural input credit in Sub-Saharan Africa: Telling myth from facts

“…Indeed, Haggblade et al (2010) note that rural nonfarm income (RNFI) is a main cash source of rural households in SSA, and Reardon et al, 1994, Davis et al, 2009 hypothesize that RNFI is a key cash source and determinant for input purchases, especially in the face of idiosyncratic failure of credit markets. Yet the empirical literature rarely compares household own-cash sources with credit as potential liquidity sources for farmers to buy inputs.…”