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They typically have just a few acres of land and depend on rain to grow their crops. This makes them extremely vulnerable to changes in the weather.
Many already struggle. They also have poor access to basic services, such as electricity and sanitation. Food insecurity is still widespread and crop yields in farmer fields remain much lower than their potential. We asked them about their current income sources, investment plans and what they would like their children to do in the future.
We found that only a few households specialised in farming and yet, many self-identified as farmers and said they aspired to increase their agricultural income. This was surprising as the majority of their income often came from sources other than farming.
We also found that few aspired for their children to become farmers. The rural economy is not only about agriculture. While many rural Kenyan families have their shamba plot and have a strong attachment to the land, not all households are farmers in the traditional understanding.
Our results showed that only a quarter of the families in rural Kenya are full-time farmers. When asked about their future, two-thirds aspired to increasing their farm incomes through irrigation access, small livestock or high-value crops like fruits and vegetables.
Just a third looked outside the farming sector with suggestions of transport, hair salons, shops or other rural business ventures. This means that escaping poverty purely based on farming is not possible. A well thought out rural investment strategy should provide a more diverse portfolio to the rural population. Very few parents hope for a future in farming for their children. This is in stark contrast to their personal aspirations and investment plans, which mostly involve expansion or intensification of farming.
This finding raises several pertinent questions that should be explored in future research. For example, what is the implication for agricultural innovations now and in the future? If most households foresee their children stepping out, does this mean that they are focused on short-term investments with quick wins?
Though all poor households are probably looking for quick wins, this may mean that even wealthier households might not have the long-term horizons needed to consider investments in practices with delayed benefits such as agroforestry or soil fertility management. There are also implications for changes in land use patterns, currently characterised by high levels of land fragmentation in densely populated areas. If households increasingly step out of farming, would this reverse the trend and enable consolidation of land for the next generation, for example, through people selling or renting out their land?
Or is land still perceived as a necessary insurance or for retirement? Capturing what drives the decision-making and aspirations of rural households will help design more effective policies and development initiatives that trigger positive, lasting change within the community.
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. Farmers are the individual household members most engaged in farming activities. Households consist of a collection of members linked by kinship, and are involved in a variety of economic activities, including farming, formal and informal work in towns and cities, marketing, civil service, and childcare, among other work. Income is transferred and shared across household members in villages and towns.
Rural customary land has been in the hands of households for generations. Land, typically secured through customary arrangements as a social right, is often the most secure economic asset families hold. Many, perhaps most, will expect that their land will remain in the family for many generations to come. The authors are asking good questions about the future of land and agriculture.
On balance, policy should protect customary land rights, for the reasons cited above. Customary rights often sanction renting to neighbors, but not sales. Expectations of passing land to more technologically-minded full-time farmers are probably not realistic or appropriate. Technology can improve productivity and incomes but households are in the best position to judge how their overall economic interests are served by various technological options.
Their range of choices will be better when their land rights are protected. Our contention is that they need to do so because of the limited land available per household and the inevitable consequence that income from a small farm is small. Our article was written from the perspective of agricultural development and our conclusion was that such a focus on its own will not take large numbers of rural households out of poverty.
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This is a new communications project for British agriculture. Our aim is to build confidence among farmers and growers about talking to the media; while helping journalists and programme makers find independent, authentic voices at the grassroots of farming. We are constantly searching for volunteers from all walks of farming life. We want farmers who believe in the importance of open communication, and will always have an open door to the media - even on a bad news day. Just Farmers is about connecting you with knowledgeable, independent case studies willing to share their experiences, and answer all your questions.
They typically have just a few acres of land and depend on rain to grow their crops.
Kai Mausch received funding from multiple organisations that fund international agricultural research. David Harris has received funding from various public institutions that support international agricultural research. About 8.
