Reports
Discussion Papers
No.117 Gambling with Liberalization: Smallholder Livelihoods in Contemporary Rural Malawi
by TAKANE Tsutomu
August 2007
ABSTRACT
This
paper
examines
the
livelihoods
of
smallholder
households
in
Malawi
based
on
information
derived
from
six
villages
in
various
parts
of
the
country.
Through
detailed
analysis
of
own-farm
production
and
off-farm
economic
activities,
the
study
explores
similarities,
diversities,
and
disparities
in
rural
livelihoods.
Liberalization
policies
and
the
high
risk
of
crop
failure
have
produced
large
disparities
between
those
who
achieve
high
income
from
own-farm
production
and
those
who
do
not.
Off-farm
income
can
help
to
reduce
the
risk
of
own-farm
production,
but
is
also
a
source
of
income
disparity
and
provides
little
opportunity
for
upward
economic
mobility
to
escape
poverty.
Keywords:
Livelihoods,
rural
development,
agriculture,
nonfarm
income,
Malawi,
Africa
Please note that discussion papers are works in various stages of progress and most have not been edited and proofread and may contain errors of fact or judgment. Revised versions of these papers may subsequently appear in more formal publication series. The views expressed in this publication are those of the author(s). The IDE does not guarantee the accuracy of the data included and accepts no responsibility for any consequences arising from its use.