Agriculture and Rural Development Group

Finding ways to strengthen farming and cut rural poverty

Cities may be growing fast but most poor people in low-income countries still live in rural areas. Although rural economies are diversifying, agriculture still makes up a large share of household income.

Facts about agriculture-based countries

• Most are located in Sub-Saharan Africa
• 65 percent of the workforce work on the land
• Agriculture generates an average 32% of GDP growth.
• Most women in rural areas depend on farm work for their livelihood and food security.

Why we need to develop farming and rural economies

Farming-based countries need to develop agriculture and rural economies if they are to reduce poverty and to grow their economy as a whole. And farming and rural life are important in other low-income countries too. Yet governments and international donors have neglected these sectors for the past 20 years. We aim to help change that.

What this study group will do

We will bring together academics, policy makers and development practitioners to share information and debate pressing issues.

We are planning a programme of seminars and conference sessions for 2010. The themes we will tackle include:

• Pro-poor market development, economics and growth
• Climate change and agriculture
• Rural livelihood diversification, including migration
• Health, inequality and well-being
• Addressing vulnerability and food insecurity (including livestock production/animal health management)
• Enhancing/ managing agricultural innovation, adaptation and social change.

Forthcoming events:

1. Multi-thematic workshops on emerging hot topics on Agriculture and Rural Development.

Members with fresh ideas or interested in hosting a collaborative event are invited welcome to contact the conveners to discuss such plans

1. Special panel session at 2010 DSA conference.

Getting involved:

•           Are you holding an event related to this topic? We would love to talk about running the event with you, or collaborating on projects.

•           Got an idea for a topic or issue? Let us know – we’re keen to hear more.

•           Want to hear about our events? Get in touch and we’ll add you to our mailing list.

Contact our convenors

Dr Joseph Assan – University of Liverpool; Email: joeassan@liv.ac.uk

Dr Czech Conroy- NRI, University of Greenwich; Email: M.A.Conroy@greenwich.ac.uk

Our recent events:

1. Workshop on the topic: ‘Sustainable Livelihoods and Pro-poor Market Development’.

When: 21 July 2009

Where: University of Bath

Partner: the ESRC Sustainable Livelihoods Seminar Series

2. Conference panel session on “Climate Change and Agriculture/rural development”

When: Four sessions at the 2009 DSA conference

Where: 2009DSA Conference at Colerain, Northern Ireland

Partner: Climate Change Study Group