Not all about farming: Understanding aspirations can challenge assumptions about rural development

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...

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Autores principales: Mausch, Kai, Harris, Dave, Dilley, Luke, Crossland, Mary, Pagella, Tim, Yim, Jules, Jones, Emma
Formato: Journal Article
Lenguaje:Inglés
Publicado: Springer 2021
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/171350
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author Mausch, Kai
Harris, Dave
Dilley, Luke
Crossland, Mary
Pagella, Tim
Yim, Jules
Jones, Emma
author_browse Crossland, Mary
Dilley, Luke
Harris, Dave
Jones, Emma
Mausch, Kai
Pagella, Tim
Yim, Jules
author_facet Mausch, Kai
Harris, Dave
Dilley, Luke
Crossland, Mary
Pagella, Tim
Yim, Jules
Jones, Emma
author_sort Mausch, Kai
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description 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.
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spelling CGSpace1713502025-02-19T14:36:30Z Not all about farming: Understanding aspirations can challenge assumptions about rural development Mausch, Kai Harris, Dave Dilley, Luke Crossland, Mary Pagella, Tim Yim, Jules Jones, Emma rural development farming systems livelihoods biodiversity off-farm employment farms employment project design income 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. 2021-08 2025-01-29T12:58:03Z 2025-01-29T12:58:03Z Journal Article https://hdl.handle.net/10568/171350 en Open Access Springer Mausch, Kai; Harris, Dave; Dilley, Luke; Crossland, Mary; Pagella, Tim; Yim, Jules; and Jones, Emma. 2021. Not all about farming: Understanding aspirations can challenge assumptions about rural development. European Journal of Development Research 33: 861–884. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41287-021-00398-w
spellingShingle rural development
farming systems
livelihoods
biodiversity
off-farm employment
farms
employment
project design
income
Mausch, Kai
Harris, Dave
Dilley, Luke
Crossland, Mary
Pagella, Tim
Yim, Jules
Jones, Emma
Not all about farming: Understanding aspirations can challenge assumptions about rural development
title Not all about farming: Understanding aspirations can challenge assumptions about rural development
title_full Not all about farming: Understanding aspirations can challenge assumptions about rural development
title_fullStr Not all about farming: Understanding aspirations can challenge assumptions about rural development
title_full_unstemmed Not all about farming: Understanding aspirations can challenge assumptions about rural development
title_short Not all about farming: Understanding aspirations can challenge assumptions about rural development
title_sort not all about farming understanding aspirations can challenge assumptions about rural development
topic rural development
farming systems
livelihoods
biodiversity
off-farm employment
farms
employment
project design
income
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/171350
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