Browsing by Author "Goldsmith, Paul"

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    Land and agricultural commercialisation in Meru County, Kenya: evidence from three models
    (Taylor & Francis, 2017) Hakizimana, Cyriaque; Goldsmith, Paul; Nunow, Abdi Aralle; Roba, Adano Wario; Biashara, Jane Kathure
    What are the relative pros and cons of different pathways of agricultural commercialisation in Africa? This paper examines aspects of three commercial farming cases, each of which represents one of the three most dominant models of commercial agriculture – small-scale outgrowers, medium-size commercial farms and a large estate – in the high-potential area of Meru County in Kenya. The paper provides a comparative perspective across the cases, examining their outcomes in terms of land relations, labour, livelihoods and local economic linkages. The study used a mixed-methods approach, including a household survey and a range of qualitative methods including detailed life histories. We find diverse dynamics across our cases: increasing land consolidation spurred by the rising class of commercial coffee farmers, but also land fragmentation as a result of population pressure and prevalence of inheritance as a pathway to land acquisition in the case of horticultural outgrowers. The plantation generates relatively better paid employment for permanent skilled workers, while the commercial farms create employment for casualised, insecure and poorly paid seasonal labour. These labour regimes are highly gendered. The outgrowers combine family and hired labour. Across the three cases, farmers diversify income between on-farm and off-farm sources. The commercial and outgrower farms are dynamically integrated into the local economy, while the estate is less so. These features of the three models generate processes of social differentiation, which are reshaping the agrarian structure and rural economy in Meru County.
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    Research findings: Models of commercial agriculture in Kenya
    (Institute for Poverty Land and Agrarian Studies (PLAAS), 2016) Goldsmith, Paul
    Kenya provides a compelling case study of market driven agricultural evolution over the past century. Agriculture played a singular role in the development of the modern Kenyan economy, and while Kenyan agriculture was commonly regarded as a positive exemplar at a time when agriculture in many regions of Africa remained stagnant, the sector faces new challenges. This is the backdrop to this study, which investigated the impacts of three models of commercial agriculture on economic development and rural livelihoods in an area dominated by small-scale producers. A new policy cycle outlined in government documents includes the programmatic Vision 2030 strategy, which emphasises agriculture’s role in transforming Kenya into an emerging economy. This new policy frame further underscores the significance of how different models of agricultural commercialisation benefit rural inhabitants while supporting new pathways of capital accumulation.
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    Research findings: Models of commercial agriculture in Kenya
    (Institute for Poverty, Land and Agrarian Studies, University of the Western Cape, 2016) Goldsmith, Paul
    Kenya provides a compelling case study of market driven agricultural evolution over the past century. Agriculture played a singular role in the development of the modern Kenyan economy, and while Kenyan agriculture was commonly regarded as a positive exemplar at a time when agriculture in many regions of Africa remained stagnant,1 the sector faces new challenges. This is the backdrop to this study, which investigated the impacts of three models of commercial agriculture on economic development and rural livelihoods in an area dominated by small-scale producers.