Farewell to Farms

<p>First published in 1997 this volume asks whether Africa’s future is necessarily rooted in peasant agriculture. The title of this book <i>Farewell to Farms</i> is deliberately intended to challenge the widely held view that Africa is the world’s reserve for peasant farming. African rural populations are themselves moving away from a reliance on agriculture. ‘De-agrarianisation’ takes the form of urban migration as well as the expansion of non-agricultural activities in rural areas providing new income sources occupations and social identities for rural dwellers.</p><p>Using recent continent-wide case study evidence the authors assess the impact of de-agrarianisation on household welfare business performance and national development. Their findings which reveal new economic trajectories and social patterns emerging from a period of accelerated change call into question assumptions about Africa’s future place in the world division of labour.</p>