The document summarizes findings from the Afrint and APRA programmes, which studied agricultural commercialization in sub-Saharan Africa. Afrint tracked changes in livelihoods of small farmers in six countries from 2002-2013, finding increases in production and commercialization. It also showed increasing inequality, with better-off farmers responding to markets. APRA's preliminary findings from 2017-18 involved over 4,000 households in four countries. It examines outcomes around commercialization, poverty, empowerment, employment, and food security. APRA also analyzes pathways and trajectories of commercialization.

1. Exploring the Dynamics of Agricultural
Commercialisation, Diversification and
Rural Change in Sub-Saharan Africa:
Lessons from Multi-Country Studies of the
Afrint and APRA Programmes
Afrint-APRA Seminar, IDS, Brighton - 3 October 2018
Funded by UK aid from the UK Government
www.future-agricultures.org/apra

2. www.future-agricultures.org/apra
Programme
• Afrint presentations – John Thompson (chair)
Agnes Andersson-Djurfeldt, Fred Dzanku, Aida
Isinika
• Afrint Panel Q&A
• Coffee break
• APRA presentations – Ephraim Chirwa (chair),
Aida Isinika, Fred Dzanku, Chrispen Sukume,
Adebayo Aromolaran
• Panel 2 Q&A
• Launch and reception event

3. www.future-agricultures.org/apra
Part 1 – Afrint Panel
• Tracked changes in the livelihoods of nearly 2,000 small
farmers in Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Tanzania, Zambia and
Mozambique over a 3 round panel (2002, 2008, 2013)
• Revealed increases in agricultural production, as well as
commercialisation, among the sampled households
• Also showed increasing polarisation of agricultural resources,
with better-off farmers and male landholders responding to
market improvements by increasing their farm sizes
• Confirms growing gender gaps in access to agrarian resources
and shows that female landholders often have poorer access
to male labour

4. www.future-agricultures.org/apra
Part 2 – APRA Panel
• Preliminary findings from the first round of a new set of
panel studies carried out in 2017-18 in Ghana, Nigeria,
Tanzania and Zimbabwe.
• Involved over 4,000 small and medium-scale farming
households
• Country presentations highlighting some emerging lessons
linked to a common set of ‘outcome indicators’ related to
• agricultural commercialisation
• poverty and inequality
• women’s empowerment
• food and nutrition security
• labour and employment

5. APRA’s Overarching Question
“What are the pathways to agricultural
commercialisation that have been most
effective in empowering women and
girls, reducing rural poverty and
improving nutrition and food security?”
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6. Agricultural Commercialisation
“… occurs when agricultural enterprises
and/or the agricultural sector as a
whole rely increasingly on the market
for the sale of produce and for the
acquisition of production inputs,
including labour.”
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C Poulton (APRA WP 6, 2017, p4)

7. Agricultural Commercialisation
• Accompanies and supports the wider
structural transformation of the economy
• Is driven by market demand … private agents
(farmers, downstream actors) invest in
response
• Can be facilitated or impeded by public
interventions, which also influence the
trajectory of commercialisation … and result in
different livelihood outcomes
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8. APRA Typology of 4 Key Pathways to
Agricultural Commercialisation
www.future-agricultures.org/apra
1. Large-Scale Estate 2. Medium-Scale Commercial
4. Small-Scale Independent3. Outgrower/Contract
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9. APRA: Investigating 5 Outcome Areas
1. Agricultural commercialisation
2. Assets, poverty, income and patterns of inequality
3. Empowerment of women and girls
4. Employment rates and conditions
5. Food and nutrition security
Who are the winners and losers?
What are the critical factors behind these outcomes?
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10. Assessing 5 Livelihood Trajectories
www.future-agricultures.org/apra
1. ‘Stepping in’ – returning / moving into commercial
agriculture from a non-farm base, rise of medium-
scale farmers
2. ‘Stepping out’ – accumulating, diversifying and
creating alternative, non-farm economic activities
3. ‘Stepping up’ – improving and investing in existing
agricultural activities
4. ‘Hanging in’ – maintaining subsistence level
5. ‘Dropping out’ – moving away or slipping into
destitution due to shocks and stresses
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11. APRA Contacts
Directorate/IDS
John Thompson j.thompson@ids.ac.uk
Oliver Burch o.burch@ids.ac.uk
Amrita Saha a.saha@ids.ac.uk
Lesley White l.white@ids.ac.uk
Research Directors
Ephraim Chirwa echirwa@yahoo.com
Rachel Sabates-Wheeler r.Sabates-wheeler@ids.ac.uk
East Africa Regional Hub/CABE
Hannington Odame hsodame@gmail.com
Southern Africa Regional Hub/PLAAS
Cyriaque Hakizimana chakizimana@plaas.org.za
Ruth Hall rhall@plaas.org.za
West Africa Regional Hub/
Univ of Ghana
Joseph Yaro yarojoe@yahoo.com
www.future-agricultures.org/apra
APRA Webpages
www.future-agricultures.org/apra
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