The poor peasant: One label, different lives. The dynamics of rural livelihood strategies in the Gia-Kajelo community, Northern Ghana

Yaro, Joseph Awetori

doi:10.1080/002919502317325731

Cited by 20 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 10 publications

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“…The adaptation of livelihoods among peasants is not only geared towards meeting shortfalls in food security, but rather the urge to balance the totality of their livelihood needs. Food security is only a sub-system of needs, neither independent of nor necessarily more important than other aspects of subsistence and survival within households (Davies, 1996;De Waal, 1989;Yaro, 2002).…”

Section: The Livelihoods-food Security Nexusmentioning

confidence: 99%

An assessment of the extent and causes of food insecurity in northern Ghana using a livelihood vulnerability framework

Hesselberg

Yaro

2006

GeoJournal

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The article describes the food insecurity situation in three villages in northern Ghana. A livelihood approach is used emphasising the vulnerability of the peasants' adaptation to a marginal and remote area. The peasant households are grouped according to level of food insecurity. It is argued that multiple income sources including non-farm activities are necessary to reduce food insecurity for all but a small part of the peasant households.

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Section: The Livelihoods-food Security Nexusmentioning

confidence: 99%

An assessment of the extent and causes of food insecurity in northern Ghana using a livelihood vulnerability framework

Hesselberg

Yaro

2006

GeoJournal

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“…Understanding the livelihood implications of environmental and climatic variability and the options that could be available to smallholder peasant farmers although has been identified as urgent, continues to be a challenge for policy experts and scientist (Yaro, 2002). This paper aims at contributing empirically to this policy gap by examining the livelihood options of poor farm households in Northern Ghana who are experiencing climactic/environmental variability and livelihood insecurity.…”

Section: Environmental Variability and Rural Livelihoodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This survey also found that farmers intensify their engagement in non-farm economic activities in years that record poor rainfall with 56 per cent indicating that they undertake non-farm activities' in poor rainfall years 4 . Poor rainfall often results in low crop yields, thus, exposing the household to food insecurity (Yaro, 2004a(Yaro, , 2002. To make up for the food deficit, farmers undertake non-farm economic activities to enable them generate some income to meet household and personal needs.…”

Section: Non-farm Economic Activitiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Environmental variability and vulnerable livelihoods: Minimising risks and optimising opportunities for poverty alleviation

Assan

Caminade

Obeng

2009

J of Intl Development

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This paper presents an analysis that explores theoretical and policy debates on environmental variability, sustainable livelihood strategies, household well-being and development policy. The paper focuses on communities in vulnerable environments with limited well-being and poor assets. The study examines the changing livelihood strategies and livelihood options of households located within ecosystems perceived to be experiencing environmental change in Northeastern Ghana. Livelihood diversification as a poverty reduction strategy has been argued to result in improved well-being or perpetuates a cycle of impoverishment. On-farm and non-farm diversification and migration as livelihood strategies are considered as survival strategies in environments experiencing rising temperatures and erratic rainfall patterns. It is argued that diversified livelihoods are operated within a cycle of impoverishment. The paper calls for geographically and locally sensitive policy intervention approaches that can sustainably expand the livelihood options of the poor in changing environments. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

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“…Increasing diversity and heterogeneity of the peasantry mediated by capitalism's expansionary forces in an age of globalisation imposes a limitation to the use of the category 'the poor peasant' (Yaro, 2002). Poverty is differentiated among socio-politico-economic groups within a nation, region, village and household, making it difficult to simplify any links between the concept and others.…”

Section: A 'People In Places' Paradigm: a Liveli-hood Frameworkmentioning

confidence: 99%

An Examination of Theories on Savannasation and the Peasant-Environment Debate

Yaro¹

2008

West African Journal of Applied Ecology

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The paper examines man-environment relations in the African savanna. It argues that it is important to look at the relationship in a wider dimension involving conceptual frameworks that incorporate the dynamics of rural livelihoods, institutional factors, resource diversity, environmental variability and global influences on local socio-politico-economic landscapes. Land management decisions and investment patterns of diverse peasant representations are reflected in land use changes. Investigating these relationship has moved from the biased technocratic objective assessment of virgin lands and so-called mapping of human impacts to studies identifying the environment as an arena for synergistic interaction between 'man' economics and 'nature'. A conceptual shift to a 'people in places' paradigm allowing the experiences of people in differentiated environments to influence the analyses of social phenomena in savanna landscapes is underway. These shifts in thinking have multiple implications for designing policies for both rural development and environmental sustainability in the Ghanaian savanna. Ensuring sustainable livelihoods through institutions that grant secure and regulated access to resources, provide skills, capital and appropriate technology is key to environmental health and prosperity.

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The poor peasant: One label, different lives. The dynamics of rural livelihood strategies in the Gia-Kajelo community, Northern Ghana

Cited by 20 publications

References 10 publications

An assessment of the extent and causes of food insecurity in northern Ghana using a livelihood vulnerability framework

An assessment of the extent and causes of food insecurity in northern Ghana using a livelihood vulnerability framework

Environmental variability and vulnerable livelihoods: Minimising risks and optimising opportunities for poverty alleviation

An Examination of Theories on Savannasation and the Peasant-Environment Debate

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