Journal: World Development Sustainability

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Publisher

Elsevier

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ISSN

2772-655X

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2023 - 20252
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Publications 1 - 2 of 2
  • Agricultural commercialization and food security: Evidence and policy implications for smallholder farmers in Kenya
    Item type: Journal Article
    Mutea, Emily; Jacobi, Johanna; Rist, Stephan; et al. (2025)
    World Development Sustainability
    This study investigates the relationship between agricultural commercialization and food security among smallholder farmers in Kenya, integrating the Market Structure, Conduct, and Performance (SCP) paradigm with peasant economic theory. Using mixed methods (household survey, participant observations, and expert interviews), we compare the degrees of commercialization between food secure and food insecure households in a rural area of Kenya. Contrary to the assumption that commercialization enhances food security, our findings reveal a more complex reality. Food insecure households exhibit higher overall commercialization indices but face significant challenges, including limited access to resources, market imperfections, and a risk-averse nature prioritizing subsistence over profit maximization. The study highlights the importance of market structure and conduct in shaping food security outcomes. Factors such as farm size, crop diversity, and barriers to market entry are crucial. Food secure households benefit from larger landholdings, diversified crops, and better access to markets and inputs, leading to higher productivity and more stable food supplies. In contrast, food insecure households struggle with smaller landholdings, less diversification, and greater reliance on local markets, making them more vulnerable to food insecurity. Our research underscores the need for a holistic approach to agricultural commercialization that addresses structural issues and provides comprehensive support to smallholder farmers. Policy recommendations include strengthening property rights, improving rural infrastructure, promoting sustainable agricultural practices, and implementing social safety nets. By creating an enabling environment that supports the diverse needs of smallholder farmers, policymakers can enhance food security and promote sustainable agricultural development.
  • Jobs in the circular bioeconomy under scrutiny: The challenging reality of compost production in Rwanda
    Item type: Journal Article
    Surchat, Mélanie; Irakoze, M.; Hansmann, Ralph; et al. (2023)
    World Development Sustainability
    Today, most African countries have dysfunctional municipal waste management system, negatively impacting the environment and human health. However, as most of this waste is recyclable, informal actors are making their income out of the collection/sorting of waste. Accounting for the risks involved in waste manipulation, it is important to ensure decent working conditions for those recycling it. This study focuses on biowaste recycling in Rwanda, a Circular Economy leader in Africa, with the purpose of: (i) characterizing the working conditions of waste recyclers along the definition of ‘decent work’ and (ii) assessing workers’ satisfaction and its determinants. We surveyed 63 workers employed in three compost production and three biowaste processing companies. Our results show that the work can be considered relatively decent compared to national references, except for insufficient social protections and occupational safety. Workers reported being rather satisfied with their jobs, although our analyses of covariance showed that workers employed in composting were significantly less satisfied than the others. These findings highlight the importance of household-level waste separation for improving not only worker safety, but also nutrient recovery. Further research should investigate how to push forward waste sorting at the household level and improve worker safety (SDG 8) without negatively affecting the women currently employed in waste sorting at the company level (SDG 5).
Publications 1 - 2 of 2