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Bernard Ekumah, portrait photo.

Bernard Ekumah

PhD student

Bernard Ekumah, portrait photo.

Visions of sustainable development and the future of smallholder farmers in sub-Saharan Africa (and beyond)

Author

  • Chad Boda
  • Angela D. Akorsu
  • Frederick A. Armah
  • Adrine Atwiine
  • Ronald Byaruhanga
  • Walter Chambati
  • Bernard Ekumah
  • Turaj Faran
  • Charles Tetteh Hombey
  • Ellinor Isgren
  • Anne Jerneck
  • Freedom Mazwi
  • Elizabeth Mpofu
  • Delmah Ndhlovu
  • Lawrence Laury Ocen
  • Michaelin Sibanda
Show all

Summary, in English

Smallholder farmers are widely touted as essential to sustainable agricultural development in sub-Saharan Africa and beyond. But what exactly is meant by sustainable development, and how are smallholder farmers expected to contribute to it? In this perspective, we describe and assess two competing visions of sustainable development, namely Capital Theory and the Capabilities approach, paying special attention to the major yet divergent repercussions each approach implies for the future of smallholder farmers and the activities of their representative organizations. We present the core concepts, tools and practices stemming from each sustainable development perspective, and from a critique of these motivate the superiority of a capabilities approach as more conducive to smallholder farmers wellbeing now and in the future. In doing so, we bring to the fore the pivotal role smallholder farmer organizations and rural social movements, as collective vehicles for smallholder political agency, play in strategically advocating for the conditions that support sustainable and just smallholder agriculture in sub-Saharan Africa and beyond.

Department/s

  • LUCSUS (Lund University Centre for Sustainability Studies)
  • Department of Economic History

Publishing year

2024

Language

English

Publication/Series

Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems

Volume

8

Document type

Journal article

Publisher

Frontiers Media S. A.

Topic

  • Other Social Sciences

Keywords

  • capabilities approach
  • capital theory
  • collective action & social movements
  • development theory
  • rural development

Status

Published

Project

  • Mobilizing farmer organisations for sustainable agriculture in sub-Saharan Africa

ISBN/ISSN/Other

  • ISSN: 2571-581X