Higher incomes, better lives? Effects of agricultural change in Nepal and Rwanda
26.06.2020
Commercialisation of agriculture has effects on multiple dimensions of human life in Nepal and Rwanda. Research shows that its is necessary to go beyond income when analysing the impact of development processes.
The r4d projectFeminisation, Agricultural Transition and Rural Employmentis set up to assess how moves towards commercial agriculture are affecting workers, especially women, in Rwanda as well as Bolivia, Laos and Nepal – places where rising demand for high-value commodities like quinoa and cardamom have also motivated a push away from small-scale agriculture. The analysis of multidimensional panel data in combination with in-depth interviews with women and men, farmers and agricultural labourers in Nepal and Rwanda, showed that although income is important, rural people prioritise another dimension of human life. Watch the video on YouTubeto find out more.
This video-clip was produced in reply to a Call for Three-minute pitches by the r4d programme. PhD students working in r4d projects could attend an e-learning course on storytelling and be coached by a communication expert. Marie-Luise Matthys is working on her PhD thesis onCommercialization and the ‘good life’. An emic/etic gender analysis of agricultural change in rural Nepal and Rwandaat the University of Bern, Switzerland.
