Junior Davis

How can the poor benefit from the growing markets for high value agricultural products

This paper aims to identify critical areas for trade, marketing, capital market development and regulatory reforms that can facilitate the integration of small-scale farmers (small-scale farmers) in domestic, regional and global markets for high-value agricultural (HVA) products in particular high value crops, livestock, fish and non timber forest products in a sustainable manner and to increase and diversify the incomes of small-scale farmers in the long-run. The paper places particular emphasis on the issues that may need to be addressed through research and development undertaken by the international, regional and national research communities.

Livelihoods and farm efficiency in rural Georgia

This study contributes to the literature on the role of livelihood strategies in rural growth and poverty reduction. It distinguishes between livelihood diversity strategies that contribute to sustainable growth in household incomes, and those that mainly have a ‘coping’ function. It suggests that typically, the contribution of livelihood diversity to growing household income is through relaxing dependence on credit for access to capital. In this scenario, livelihood diversity would lead to higher technical efficiency in agriculture via investment and thereby to higher household incomes. Survey data from Georgia are introduced and used to test these hypotheses using a Bayesian stochastic frontier approach. The findings are relevant to defining more clearly the scope and aims of policies to stimulate the rural non-farm economy in developing and transition countries.

Rural Finance and Private Farming in Romania

OUR RESEARCH WAS BASED LARGELY on two detailed surveys on the development of rural financial markets and private farming in Romania conducted during 1996-97 in response to an urgent need for greater agricultural finance on a more efficient and market-oriented basis in Romania. The analysis focused on the private farm and its relation to the financial market. Based on land title differences and organisational form of the farm, three private farming systems were distinguished. These are:

Non-Farm Employment in Small-Scale Enterprises in Romania: Policy and development Issues

The aim of this paper is to summarise the results of a non-farm micro- enterprise survey in rural and peri-urban Romania and to examine their impact on the development of sustainable rural livelihoods. As these firms operate in fixed locations and are therefore more easily located and observed, most of the data presented s based on our survey of firms in Brasov and Dolj counties of Romania. This data is complemented with information about unregistered gathering, hawking, and handicraft activities collected through our qualitative social development studies in the same counties. Both categories of information document the situation at a particular point in time and can provide insights into the functioning of enterprises, but not on the dynamics of change. There are however, some initial complications in understanding the operation of small non-farm firms. On the one hand, for many of those involved in rural non-farm enterprise activities, there is no difference between activities to meet their subsistence needs and producing for the market. Thus, they sell what is surplus to their needs or in response to the opportunity selling provides to generate additional cash income. On the other hand, many of the registered rural non-farm firms are commercially oriented and operate in a competitive market. We consider the nature and extent of rural non-farm enterprises and outline their main characteristics.

The Rural Non-farm Economy in Romania: Overview of Findings

The literature on transition economies devotes relatively attention to agriculture and the rural non-farm economy, despite the importance of the sector and its importance to the livelihoods of the majority of the worlds poor. This paper is part of growing volume of valuable empirical work on agriculture in transition countries and especially on the topic of the rural non-farm economy and livelihood diversification among the poor. The focus of this paper is on rural non-farm livelihoods in Romania. The main aim of this paper is to improve understanding of the dynamics of the RNFE in providing employment and income diversification opportunities in Romania.

Patterns of Rural Non-farm Diversification and Employment in Romania: A County Level Analysis

The radical changes that have occurred in the Romanian economy during the last decade have created new pressures on the country’s rural areas. Increasing industrial unemployment generated an urban-rural migratory flow of the population. The collapse of the agri-industrial processing and industrial sector increased rural unemployment. Since 1991, land reform has also generated new relationships in rural areas, and a massive redistribution of land. However, agriculture continues to function inefficiently, and is unable to provide a decent and sustainable standard of living for most rural inhabitants. Therefore, many donors and multilateral agencies are focusing on the potential of the rural non-farm economy (RNFE) and more specifically, Non-Farm Diversification (henceforth NFD) to reduce rural underemployment. NFD through the development of the RNFE may also provide means of increasing rural incomes, assist the improved utilisation of locally available resources and promote a better standard of living for rural population through enhanced non-farm employment opportunities and growth. There are several reasons underlying the rural poor’ decision to diversify: low on-farm incomes or returns on labour, the existence of a surplus of resources (land, capital, labour or knowledge), as a strategy to spread risk, or to smooth the impact of the fluctuations in a unique source of income (e.g. agriculture). The present paper relies on community-level data from a survey conducted in two Romanian Counties, Dolj and Brasov, to analyse the main determinants of NFD in rural areas. The main findings are placed in a national context and policy proposals are advanced.

Evaluating and Disseminating Experiences in Local Economic Development: Observations on Integrated Development Programmes of the Free State, Republic of South Africa

The aim of this paper is to assess the degree to which the components of the Rural Economic and Enterprise Development (REED) framework have been incorporated into integrated development planning (IDP) or into strategic local economic development (LED) plans. The paper also provides an evaluation of two local municipal level IDPs in the Free State, Republic of South Africa. The evaluation is considered on an ex-ante basis in terms of contemporary LED and REED approaches. We also consider IDP efficacy and potential impact in terms of achieving enterprise development, poverty reduction and growth.

The Rural Non-farm Economy in Georgia: Overview of Findings

The literature on transition economies devotes relatively attention to agriculture and the rural non-farm economy, despite the importance of the sector and its importance to the livelihoods of the majority of the worlds poor. This paper is part of growing volume of valuable empirical work on agriculture in transition countries and especially on the topic of the rural non-farm economy and livelihood diversification among the poor. The focus of this paper is on rural non-farm livelihoods in Georgia. The main aim of this paper is to improve understanding of the dynamics of the RNFE in providing employment and income diversification opportunities in Georgia.

The Rural Non-farm Economy in Armenia: Overview of Findings

The literature on transition economies devotes relatively attention to agriculture and the rural non-farm economy, despite the importance of the sector and its importance to the livelihoods of the majority of the worlds poor. This paper is part of growing volume of valuable empirical work on agriculture in transition countries and especially on the topic of the rural non-farm economy and livelihood diversification among the poor. The focus of this paper is on rural non-farm livelihoods in Armenia. The main aim of this paper is to improve understanding of the dynamics of the RNFE in providing employment and income diversification opportunities in Armenia.

The Rural Non-farm Economy and Poverty Alleviation in Armenia, Georgia and Romania: A Synthesis of Findings

The aims of this study are to improve understanding of the dynamics of the rural non-farm economy in providing employment and income diversification opportunities in Armenia, Georgia and Romania. The study aims to focus on improving the well-being and livelihoods of the rural population, through developing their capacity to access resources and actively participate in non-farm rural enterprise and employment opportunities. We place emphasis on the diversity and diversification of income sources in the face of vulnerability to shocks and stresses - particularly on the part of the poorest members of society; and provide an in-depth analysis of the context (socio-cultural, economic, agronomic) in which non-farm rural livelihood options are currently pursued and in which new options can be developed.