Browsing by Author "Bryceson, Deborah Fahy"

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  • African peasant's centrality and marginality: Rural labour transformations
    Bryceson, Deborah Fahy (London, England: London Intermediate Technology Publications, 2000)
    This chapter provides historical background to the pre-colonial period. It then traces the emergence of African peasantries under European colonialism, their consolidation amidst decolonization and early independent government, and finally the circumstances undermining their existence form the mid-1970s onwards.
  • African rural labour, income diversification & livelihood approaches: A long-term development perspective
    Bryceson, Deborah Fahy (ROAPE Publications Ltd, 1999)
    The implementation of SAP and economic liberalization throughout sub-Saharan Africa during the last fifteen years has coincided with the rapid expansion of rural income diversification. Many analysts see income diversification as a vital coping strategy for the rural people, while recognizing that its growing incidence amongst all sections of the African rural population can serve as a mechanism for increasing wealth differentiation. The current income diversification and livelihoods literature primarily restricts itself to situational analysis underpinned by assumptions of economic optimization on the part of decision-making households, while ignoring the broader process of depeasantization. Early agrarian change took the form of urban migration, funneling labour from rural areas and creating an array of stimuli that acted indirectly upon village life. Rural income diversification adds a new, more immediate dimension. Villagers are now actively part of in situ occupational change that has far-reaching implications for the coherence of rural households and the political balance of local communities and nation-states. Such profound transformation calls into question the "sustainability" of rural livelihood strategies now being advocated by donor agencies as well as the relevance of delineating formal, informal, and peasant sectors of the national economy.
  • Chance, change and choice in Africa's drylands: A new perspective on policy priorities?
    Anderson, J.; Bryceson, Deborah Fahy; Campbell, B.; Chitundu, D.; Clarke, J.; Drinkwater, M.; Fakir, S.; Frost, P.; Gambiza, J.; Grundy, I.; Hagmann, J.; Jones, B.; Jones, G. W.; Kowero, G.; Luckert, Marty; Mortimore, M.; Phiri, A. D. K.; Potgieter, P.; Shackleton, S.; Williams, Timothy O. (Bogor, Indonesia: CIFOR, 2004)
    This paper focuses on policy dimensions in improving the livelihoods of the inhabitants of Africa's drylands, who account for an estimated 40 percent of the continent's population. It draws attention to the fact that past policies have failed because they focused on the presumed limitations of the natural resource base rather than on the dryland people themselves, their knowledge, skills and capacity. The paper details the contribution of dryland people to the local and national economies, stating that their activities are characterized by innovation and experimentation, both in the use of natural resources and in exploiting livelihood opportunities elsewhere. The author advocates a shift away from policies that view the drylands as unproductive or low potential wastelands, to recognize their contribution and supporting opportunities for sustaining livelihoods.
  • Disappearing Peasantries? Rural Labour in Africa, Asia and Latin America
    Bryceson, Deborah Fahy; Kay, C. (ed.); Mooij, J. (ed.) (London, UK: Intermediate Technology Publications, 2000)
    This book explores rural producers in Africa, Asia and Latin, and shows through case studies the pressures and opportunities that have caused many peasants to 'diversify' into a number of occupations and non-agricultural income-earning avenues. Political, social and economic factors of peasant livelihood are examined and how peasant labour redundancy can undermine rural welfare and political stability.
  • Disappearing peasantries? Rural labour redundancy in the neo-liberal era and beyond
    Bryceson, Deborah Fahy (London Intermediate Technology Publications, 2000)
    This chapter ventures to summarize the case-study findings through a schematic examination of the changing nature of peasant negotiating complexes. It then turns to the most salient challenge facing peasantries today, namely their growing labour redundancy in the world market. Peasant responses are outlined before considering the current policy environment and viable policy options. The conclusion returns to the issue of academic bias and the ambiguity of western attitudes more generally towards peasants and their legacy to the world.
  • Peasant theories and smallholder policies: Past and present
    Bryceson, Deborah Fahy (London Intermediate Technology Publications, 2000)
    This introductory chapter provides some definitional parameters before outlining the contours of peasant discourse over the past two centuries, asking why western social science enquiry has embraced the topic of peasant transformation in some periods and ignored it in others. Concentration is placed on the post-World War II literature, which is bifurcated into a comparative rural sociological 'peasant' perspective and an economic development approach focused on 'smallholders'.