Income Diversification Patterns in Rural Sub-Saharan Africa : Reassessing the Evidence

Is Africa's rural economy transforming as its economies grow? This paper uses comparable income aggregates from 41 national household surveys from 22 countries to explore the extent of income diversification among rural households in Sub-Sahar...

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Main Authors: Davis, Benjamin, Di Giuseppe, Stefania, Zezza, Alberto
Format: Publications & Research
Language:English
en_US
Published: World Bank Group, Washington, DC 2014
Subjects:
GDP
Online Access:http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2014/11/20378029/income-diversification-patterns-rural-sub-saharan-africa-reassessing-evidence
http://hdl.handle.net/10986/20657
id okr-10986-20657
recordtype oai_dc
repository_type Digital Repository
institution_category Foreign Institution
institution Digital Repositories
building World Bank Open Knowledge Repository
collection World Bank
language English
en_US
topic AGRICULTURAL ACTIVITIES
AGRICULTURAL DEVELOPMENT
AGRICULTURAL GROWTH
AGRICULTURAL LAND
AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION
AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS
AGRICULTURAL SECTOR
AGRICULTURAL SELF-EMPLOYMENT
AGRICULTURAL WAGE
AGRICULTURAL WAGE EMPLOYMENT
AGRICULTURAL WAGE LABOR
AGRICULTURAL WAGES
AGRICULTURE
BARRIERS TO ENTRY
BASIC INFRASTRUCTURE
BENEFICIAL EFFECTS
CASH CROPS
CASH TRANSFER PROGRAMS
COMPARATIVE ADVANTAGE
CONSUMERS
CONSUMPTION SMOOTHING
CREDIT MARKETS
CROP INCOME
CROP PRODUCTION
DEVELOPING REGIONS
DEVELOPMENT ECONOMICS
DEVELOPMENT POLICIES
DEVELOPMENT POLICY
DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY
DIVERSIFIED INCOME PORTFOLIO
DIVISION OF LABOUR
ECONOMIC GEOGRAPHY
EMPLOYMENT DYNAMICS
EMPLOYMENT INCOME
EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES
FACTOR MARKETS
FARM ACTIVITIES
FARM ACTIVITY
FARM EMPLOYMENT
FARM GROWTH
FARM INCOME
FARM INCOMES
FARM SELF-EMPLOYMENT
FARMING ACTIVITIES
FOOD POLICY
FOOD PRICES
FOOD PRODUCTION
FOOD SECURITY
GDP
GDP PER CAPITA
HOUSEHOLD BUDGET
HOUSEHOLD HEAD
HOUSEHOLD HEAD AGE
HOUSEHOLD INCOME
HOUSEHOLD INCOME DIVERSIFICATION
HOUSEHOLD PARTICIPATION
HOUSEHOLD SIZE
HOUSEHOLD SURVEY
HOUSEHOLD SURVEYS
HUMAN CAPITAL
INCOME
INCOME DISTRIBUTION
INCOME GENERATION
INCOME INEQUALITY
INCOME LEVELS
INCOME SHARES
INCOME-GENERATING ACTIVITIES
INDUSTRIALIZATION
INEQUALITY
INSUFFICIENT INCOME
INSURANCE
INSURANCE MARKETS
LABOUR
LABOUR FORCE
LIQUIDITY
LIVELIHOOD STRATEGIES
LIVESTOCK ACTIVITIES
LIVESTOCK INCOME
LIVESTOCK PRODUCTION
LIVING STANDARDS
MARKET ECONOMIES
MARKET FAILURES
NONFARM INCOME
NUTRITION
OCCUPATIONS
OUTPUTS
POOR
POOR HOUSEHOLDS
POORER HOUSEHOLDS
POVERTY IMPACT
POVERTY REDUCTION
PRIVATE TRANSFERS
PRODUCTIVE ASSETS
PRODUCTIVITY
REGRESSION ANALYSIS
RESIDUAL INCOME
RURAL
RURAL AREAS
RURAL COMMUNITIES
RURAL DEVELOPMENT
RURAL ECONOMY
RURAL HOUSEHOLD
RURAL HOUSEHOLD INCOME
RURAL HOUSEHOLDS
RURAL INCOME
RURAL INCOMES
RURAL LIVELIHOODS
RURAL POOR
RURAL POVERTY
RURAL POVERTY ALLEVIATION
SAVINGS
SOCIAL PROGRAMS
SOCIAL PROTECTION
SPATIAL ANALYSIS
SPATIAL DISPERSION
STRUCTURAL TRANSFORMATION
SUBSISTENCE
VULNERABILITY ASSESSMENT
WEALTH
spellingShingle AGRICULTURAL ACTIVITIES
AGRICULTURAL DEVELOPMENT
AGRICULTURAL GROWTH
AGRICULTURAL LAND
AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION
AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS
AGRICULTURAL SECTOR
AGRICULTURAL SELF-EMPLOYMENT
AGRICULTURAL WAGE
AGRICULTURAL WAGE EMPLOYMENT
AGRICULTURAL WAGE LABOR
AGRICULTURAL WAGES
AGRICULTURE
BARRIERS TO ENTRY
BASIC INFRASTRUCTURE
BENEFICIAL EFFECTS
CASH CROPS
CASH TRANSFER PROGRAMS
COMPARATIVE ADVANTAGE
CONSUMERS
CONSUMPTION SMOOTHING
CREDIT MARKETS
CROP INCOME
CROP PRODUCTION
DEVELOPING REGIONS
DEVELOPMENT ECONOMICS
DEVELOPMENT POLICIES
DEVELOPMENT POLICY
DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY
DIVERSIFIED INCOME PORTFOLIO
DIVISION OF LABOUR
ECONOMIC GEOGRAPHY
EMPLOYMENT DYNAMICS
EMPLOYMENT INCOME
EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES
FACTOR MARKETS
FARM ACTIVITIES
FARM ACTIVITY
FARM EMPLOYMENT
FARM GROWTH
FARM INCOME
FARM INCOMES
FARM SELF-EMPLOYMENT
FARMING ACTIVITIES
FOOD POLICY
FOOD PRICES
FOOD PRODUCTION
FOOD SECURITY
GDP
GDP PER CAPITA
HOUSEHOLD BUDGET
HOUSEHOLD HEAD
HOUSEHOLD HEAD AGE
HOUSEHOLD INCOME
HOUSEHOLD INCOME DIVERSIFICATION
HOUSEHOLD PARTICIPATION
HOUSEHOLD SIZE
HOUSEHOLD SURVEY
HOUSEHOLD SURVEYS
HUMAN CAPITAL
INCOME
INCOME DISTRIBUTION
INCOME GENERATION
INCOME INEQUALITY
INCOME LEVELS
INCOME SHARES
INCOME-GENERATING ACTIVITIES
INDUSTRIALIZATION
INEQUALITY
INSUFFICIENT INCOME
INSURANCE
INSURANCE MARKETS
LABOUR
LABOUR FORCE
LIQUIDITY
LIVELIHOOD STRATEGIES
LIVESTOCK ACTIVITIES
LIVESTOCK INCOME
LIVESTOCK PRODUCTION
LIVING STANDARDS
MARKET ECONOMIES
MARKET FAILURES
NONFARM INCOME
NUTRITION
OCCUPATIONS
OUTPUTS
POOR
POOR HOUSEHOLDS
POORER HOUSEHOLDS
POVERTY IMPACT
POVERTY REDUCTION
PRIVATE TRANSFERS
PRODUCTIVE ASSETS
PRODUCTIVITY
REGRESSION ANALYSIS
RESIDUAL INCOME
RURAL
RURAL AREAS
RURAL COMMUNITIES
RURAL DEVELOPMENT
RURAL ECONOMY
RURAL HOUSEHOLD
RURAL HOUSEHOLD INCOME
RURAL HOUSEHOLDS
RURAL INCOME
RURAL INCOMES
RURAL LIVELIHOODS
RURAL POOR
RURAL POVERTY
RURAL POVERTY ALLEVIATION
SAVINGS
SOCIAL PROGRAMS
SOCIAL PROTECTION
SPATIAL ANALYSIS
SPATIAL DISPERSION
STRUCTURAL TRANSFORMATION
SUBSISTENCE
VULNERABILITY ASSESSMENT
WEALTH
Davis, Benjamin
Di Giuseppe, Stefania
Zezza, Alberto
Income Diversification Patterns in Rural Sub-Saharan Africa : Reassessing the Evidence
geographic_facet Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa
Malawi
Niger
Tanzania
Uganda
relation Policy Research Working Paper;No. 7108
description Is Africa's rural economy transforming as its economies grow? This paper uses comparable income aggregates from 41 national household surveys from 22 countries to explore the extent of income diversification among rural households in Sub-Saharan Africa, and to look at how income diversification in Sub-Saharan Africa compares with other regions, taking into account differences in levels of development. The paper also seeks to understand how geography drives income diversification, focusing on the role of agricultural potential and distance to urban areas. The countries in the African sample have higher shares of on-farm income (63 versus 33 percent) and lower shares on nonagricultural wage income (8 and 21 percent) compared with countries of other regions. Specialization in on-farm activities continues to be the norm in rural Africa (52 percent of households, 21 percent in other regions). In terms of welfare, specialization in nonagricultural income-generating activities stochastically dominates farm-based strategies in all of the countries in our African sample. Crop income is still important for welfare, however, and even at higher levels of household income, crop activities continue to play an important complementary role. Regardless of distance and integration in the urban context, when agro-climatic conditions are favorable, farming remains the occupation of choice for most households in the African countries for which the study has geographically explicit information. When urban integration is low and agricultural conditions more difficult, the picture is mixed, with households more likely to engage more fully in nonfarm activities in Niger and Malawi, but less likely to do so in Uganda and Tanzania.
format Publications & Research
author Davis, Benjamin
Di Giuseppe, Stefania
Zezza, Alberto
author_facet Davis, Benjamin
Di Giuseppe, Stefania
Zezza, Alberto
author_sort Davis, Benjamin
title Income Diversification Patterns in Rural Sub-Saharan Africa : Reassessing the Evidence
title_short Income Diversification Patterns in Rural Sub-Saharan Africa : Reassessing the Evidence
title_full Income Diversification Patterns in Rural Sub-Saharan Africa : Reassessing the Evidence
title_fullStr Income Diversification Patterns in Rural Sub-Saharan Africa : Reassessing the Evidence
title_full_unstemmed Income Diversification Patterns in Rural Sub-Saharan Africa : Reassessing the Evidence
title_sort income diversification patterns in rural sub-saharan africa : reassessing the evidence
publisher World Bank Group, Washington, DC
publishDate 2014
url http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2014/11/20378029/income-diversification-patterns-rural-sub-saharan-africa-reassessing-evidence
http://hdl.handle.net/10986/20657
_version_ 1764446970409123840
spelling okr-10986-206572021-04-23T14:03:59Z Income Diversification Patterns in Rural Sub-Saharan Africa : Reassessing the Evidence Davis, Benjamin Di Giuseppe, Stefania Zezza, Alberto AGRICULTURAL ACTIVITIES AGRICULTURAL DEVELOPMENT AGRICULTURAL GROWTH AGRICULTURAL LAND AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS AGRICULTURAL SECTOR AGRICULTURAL SELF-EMPLOYMENT AGRICULTURAL WAGE AGRICULTURAL WAGE EMPLOYMENT AGRICULTURAL WAGE LABOR AGRICULTURAL WAGES AGRICULTURE BARRIERS TO ENTRY BASIC INFRASTRUCTURE BENEFICIAL EFFECTS CASH CROPS CASH TRANSFER PROGRAMS COMPARATIVE ADVANTAGE CONSUMERS CONSUMPTION SMOOTHING CREDIT MARKETS CROP INCOME CROP PRODUCTION DEVELOPING REGIONS DEVELOPMENT ECONOMICS DEVELOPMENT POLICIES DEVELOPMENT POLICY DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY DIVERSIFIED INCOME PORTFOLIO DIVISION OF LABOUR ECONOMIC GEOGRAPHY EMPLOYMENT DYNAMICS EMPLOYMENT INCOME EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES FACTOR MARKETS FARM ACTIVITIES FARM ACTIVITY FARM EMPLOYMENT FARM GROWTH FARM INCOME FARM INCOMES FARM SELF-EMPLOYMENT FARMING ACTIVITIES FOOD POLICY FOOD PRICES FOOD PRODUCTION FOOD SECURITY GDP GDP PER CAPITA HOUSEHOLD BUDGET HOUSEHOLD HEAD HOUSEHOLD HEAD AGE HOUSEHOLD INCOME HOUSEHOLD INCOME DIVERSIFICATION HOUSEHOLD PARTICIPATION HOUSEHOLD SIZE HOUSEHOLD SURVEY HOUSEHOLD SURVEYS HUMAN CAPITAL INCOME INCOME DISTRIBUTION INCOME GENERATION INCOME INEQUALITY INCOME LEVELS INCOME SHARES INCOME-GENERATING ACTIVITIES INDUSTRIALIZATION INEQUALITY INSUFFICIENT INCOME INSURANCE INSURANCE MARKETS LABOUR LABOUR FORCE LIQUIDITY LIVELIHOOD STRATEGIES LIVESTOCK ACTIVITIES LIVESTOCK INCOME LIVESTOCK PRODUCTION LIVING STANDARDS MARKET ECONOMIES MARKET FAILURES NONFARM INCOME NUTRITION OCCUPATIONS OUTPUTS POOR POOR HOUSEHOLDS POORER HOUSEHOLDS POVERTY IMPACT POVERTY REDUCTION PRIVATE TRANSFERS PRODUCTIVE ASSETS PRODUCTIVITY REGRESSION ANALYSIS RESIDUAL INCOME RURAL RURAL AREAS RURAL COMMUNITIES RURAL DEVELOPMENT RURAL ECONOMY RURAL HOUSEHOLD RURAL HOUSEHOLD INCOME RURAL HOUSEHOLDS RURAL INCOME RURAL INCOMES RURAL LIVELIHOODS RURAL POOR RURAL POVERTY RURAL POVERTY ALLEVIATION SAVINGS SOCIAL PROGRAMS SOCIAL PROTECTION SPATIAL ANALYSIS SPATIAL DISPERSION STRUCTURAL TRANSFORMATION SUBSISTENCE VULNERABILITY ASSESSMENT WEALTH Is Africa's rural economy transforming as its economies grow? This paper uses comparable income aggregates from 41 national household surveys from 22 countries to explore the extent of income diversification among rural households in Sub-Saharan Africa, and to look at how income diversification in Sub-Saharan Africa compares with other regions, taking into account differences in levels of development. The paper also seeks to understand how geography drives income diversification, focusing on the role of agricultural potential and distance to urban areas. The countries in the African sample have higher shares of on-farm income (63 versus 33 percent) and lower shares on nonagricultural wage income (8 and 21 percent) compared with countries of other regions. Specialization in on-farm activities continues to be the norm in rural Africa (52 percent of households, 21 percent in other regions). In terms of welfare, specialization in nonagricultural income-generating activities stochastically dominates farm-based strategies in all of the countries in our African sample. Crop income is still important for welfare, however, and even at higher levels of household income, crop activities continue to play an important complementary role. Regardless of distance and integration in the urban context, when agro-climatic conditions are favorable, farming remains the occupation of choice for most households in the African countries for which the study has geographically explicit information. When urban integration is low and agricultural conditions more difficult, the picture is mixed, with households more likely to engage more fully in nonfarm activities in Niger and Malawi, but less likely to do so in Uganda and Tanzania. 2014-12-04T00:13:15Z 2014-12-04T00:13:15Z 2014-11 http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2014/11/20378029/income-diversification-patterns-rural-sub-saharan-africa-reassessing-evidence http://hdl.handle.net/10986/20657 English en_US Policy Research Working Paper;No. 7108 CC BY 3.0 IGO http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/igo/ World Bank Group, Washington, DC Publications & Research Publications & Research :: Policy Research Working Paper Africa Sub-Saharan Africa Malawi Niger Tanzania Uganda