Evolving Themes in Rural Development 1950s‐2000s

TLDR

The article reviews major shifts in rural development thinking over the past half‑century and questions whether sustainable livelihoods approaches offer a new direction for future rural development. The authors identify dominant and subsidiary themes and note the coexistence of parallel narratives in rural development. The study finds that the long‑running small‑farm efficiency paradigm remains successful, while sustainable livelihoods approaches cautiously appear promising for centering cross‑sectoral, multi‑occupational rural livelihoods to reduce poverty.

Abstract

This article provides a brief overview of the major switches in rural development thinking that have occurred over the past half‐century or so. Dominant and subsidiary themes are identified, as well as the co‐existence of different narratives running in parallel. The continuing success of the long‐running ‘small‐farm efficiency’ paradigm is highlighted. The article concludes by asking whether sustainable livelihoods approaches can be interpreted as providing a new or different way forward for rural development in the future. The answer is a cautious ‘yes’, since these approaches potentially permit the cross‐sectoral and multi‐occupational character of contemporary rural livelihoods in low‐income countries to be placed centre‐stage in efforts to reduce rural poverty.