What do people in rural agricultural communities really want their lives to look like? What are the drivers that matter to those who farm? Understanding the aspirations of all members of smallholder households – particularly women, youth and marginalized groups – is key to avoiding bias and ensuring the success and sustainability of development initiatives.
This timeline highlights milestones in efforts to better understand the aspirations of rural farming households in Africa. It features unique perspectives, lessons learned and insights drawn from multiple research projects and initiatives through an ongoing long-term cross-disciplinary collaboration.
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For those that didn't manage to join the Roundtable discussion, here the link to the recording
Building on the results and the breadth of the contributions within the Special Issue speakers will highlight research directions and gaps, then proceed to start a discussion on what development stakeholders can learn for their daily activities and project design. Speakers will outline the difference that emerges within common approaches
Rural aspirations – livelihood decisions and rural development trajectories Read More
Looking into the aspirations of rural people provides insights into how they earn, invest, make decisions within the household, hold government accountable, make technology choices, and engage in other future-oriented behaviors. While aspirations-based theories in economics have largely focused on people’s ‘capacity to aspire’, or rather their level of ambition relative to those around them, we use the
Abstract/Summary In this editorial introduction to the Special Issue “Rural aspirations in Africa – Livelihood decisions and rural development trajectories” we outline current views on aspirations and their relevance for development research, projects, and approaches. Using several examples from Africa, we outline how the combination of the different theoretical perspectives, case studies and
Abstract/Summary Another Special Issue contribution online: 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
Since early 2021 the aspirations framework has been used under a project that aims to to ensure smallholder families have year-round access to nutritious foods while simultaneously diversifying income generating opportunities. Here we are using an aspirational assessment tool to enable the project to improve the matching of the portfolios
Abstract/Summary Another Special Issue contribution online: In the limited research on farming aspirations, little attention has been paid to the narratives which frame and shape them, and the ways in which the aspirations of those who farm intersect with the goals of extension services. Drawing on multimethod research conducted in Meru county, Kenya, we
Abstract/Summary Another Special Issue contribution online: In Makueni County, Kenya, an area experiencing intensifying migration lows, we investigate the aspired futures of rural men and women using a novel methodology combining a narrative-based survey tool, focus group discussions and semistructured interviews. Our indings indicate that, in the absence of men and presence of norms restricting women’s
Every year, 12 million young people enter the labour market across the African continent. Economists and policy makers differ about how they should be absorbed into the labour market. Some experts believe that only agriculture can create enough jobs. Others argue for a focus on the agricultural sector and industrialisation especially with increasing urbanisation.
Abstract/Summary While there is a consensus that rural poverty has to be reduced, there are two opposing views on the role that agriculture can play in this regard: a “farm-based” and an “off-farm led” development paradigm where the respective other sector is merely a complementary income source during a transition
Virtual Special Issue / Special Collection in Outlook on Agriculture https://journals.sagepub.com/topic/collections-oag/oag-1-technology_adoption_in-agriculture/oaga Read More
Biography I am Luzia Deißler, a PhD student at the Leibniz University Hannover and a research fellow with World Agroforestry since 2021. My PhD research is supported by the research scholarship by ATSAF, ACINAR (Academy for International Agricultural Research) which aims to connect new university researchers with CGIAR centers. I
The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted everything everywhere causing delays, changes of plans and cancelation of plans. Adjustments had to be made for the special issue too. Despite this, 10 contributions have since been submitted and are under review. While we are waiting for the first papers to come online, a few
Especially for young people, diverse portfolios for rural populations should be the core part of a well-thought out rural investment strategy, say researchers. The first results of the Kenyan census conducted in 2019 reveal a gradual demographic transition towards smaller families coupled with a growing urban population. Still, even for this dynamic
Understanding rural household aspirations and taking them seriously in development planning could offer great potential in shaping the future of rural spaces. - A short recap of what we have been working on in the past. More updates to follow soon
The European Journal of Development Research just accepted our proposal for a Special Issue on rural aspirations entitled 'Rural aspirations in Africa – Livelihood decisions and rural development trajectories'. Teaming up with the DFG funded research group 'Future Rural Africa' we will provide a wide-ranging overview of research into the aspirations of rural
Gathering stories from more than 600 households is easy, analysing the content takes much longer. Here is a word cloud preview of what stories have been shared.
Introduction My name is Katie LaRue and I am currently pursuing a Master Degree at Hohenheim University in Stuttgart, Germany. My studies revolve around environmental protection and agricultural food production, which seeks to answer the pressing problem of feeding a growing population sustainably. In culmination of my program, I wanted
Biography Master Student, Hohenheim University Katie LaRue is a master's student at Hohenheim University and a research fellow with the World Agroforestry Center, Nairobi. Her research delves into rural livelihood strategies and the puzzling questions surrounding the slow adoption rates of agricultural technologies amongst these households. Her current work explores
The enumerator training phase of the project, led by Jules Yim and Emma Jones, kicked off with a 3-day event at the World Agroforestry Centre in Nairobi, Kenya. Quote: Kai: “I have run many enumerator training sessions and the enumerators had been part of several surveys as well. However, they
The design phase of the survey instrument (link to the survey tool) for this project, led by Jules Yim and Emma Jones, kicked off with a 2-day workshop at Bangor University, UK. Ellie Snowden, a researcher at Cynefin Centre, provided remote support via video conference. Kai: “I was fascinated by
Biography PhD student, Bangor University Mary Crossland is a PhD student at Bangor University and a research fellow with the World Agroforestry Centre, Nairobi. Her research explores how agricultural interventions to restore degraded lands can and cannot influence the livelihood trajectories of rural households in the drylands of Kenya and
After an initial chat with Prof. Regina Birner from the University of Hohenheim, we agreed to look for an MSc student to work on the aspirations project and started advertising the opportunity.
The Cynefin Centre for Applied Complexity was officially launched in April 2016 with an inaugural lecture by Professor Dave Snowden at Pontio in Bangor University. Dave Harris, who was present, decided to get in touch with the Cynefin Centre team soon after to arrange a meeting. Understanding the aspirations of
Biography Senior Consultant, Cognitive Edge In her role as a Senior Consultant with Cognitive Edge and a qualified SenseMaker® practitioner, Jules is involved in the design, capture and analysis of client projects. She has worked with public, private and third sector clients in Asia-Pacific, Europe, the Americas and Africa. She
Biography Emma is a Research Officer at the Cynefin Centre and has been working with SenseMaker®, in various research contexts, for over 2 years. Within the Cynefin Centre, Emma co-leads ‘The Making of Meaning’ programme: an international, collaborative project exploring how we find meaning and purpose in our lives in the 21st
With the approval of the activity under CRP PIM, we reached out to the Department of Psychology at Bangor University, UK. This partnership was aimed at ensuring that the psychology of these very complex life choices could be accounted for. Eleanor Heather joined the team and the work gained momentum.
Our colleague Simone Verkaart has been working on the link between diversified incomes and adoption of agricultural technologies for her PhD, so we were happy to bring her on board for this activity and expand the scope. Simone “When Dave and Kai approached me with the option of joining the
Biography Senior Economist Kai Mausch has been working on rural development for more than 10 years, exploring solutions to rural poverty from both the agricultural as well as the non-agricultural perspective. Before joining ICRAF he worked for ICRISAT from 2010-2018 where he planned, coordinated and implemented economic projects and program
Donors
atsaf via ACINAR (Academy for International Agricultural Research)
Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, Germany
Project Team
Dr Kai Mausch
Senior Economist (CIFOR-ICRAF)
Dr Dave Harris
Senior Associate (CIFOR-ICRAF)
Jules Yim
Cynefin Centre
Emma Jones, MSc
Cynefin Centre
Dr Tim Pagella
Lecturer in Forestry (Bangor University)
Dr Mary Crossland
Associate Scientist, CIFOR-ICRAF
Katie LaRue
Masters Student, University of Hohenheim and ICRAF
Dr Luke Dilley
Akita International University (Japan), Research Associate (ICRAF)
Luzia Deissler, MSc
PhD candidate, University of Hannover and CIFOR-ICRAF
About Project
Start Date: Jan, 2014
Due Date: Dec, 2025
Project Status:
Institutions Involved
