Industrialization entails structural transformation of a traditional economy dominated by primary activities into a modern economy where high-productivity activities in manufacturing assume an important role. Invariably this process remains a defining feature of economic development. This definition suggests that economic growth and development requires shifting production factors from low-productivity to high- productivity activities that allow for learning, externalities and higher profits and wages. But this process is not spontaneous or automatic.

Limited non-farm opportunities in the rural areas of the developing world, coupled with population growth, means agriculture will continue to play a dominant role as a source of livelihood in these areas. Thus, while rural transformation has dominated recent literature as a way of improving welfare through diversifying into non-farm sectors, improving productivity and resilience to shocks in smallholder agricultural production cannot be downplayed.

Forest extraction is an important livelihood activity for millions of low-income households in rural areas of developing countries. Understanding the choices households make to extract forest products can help formulate strategies for preventing livelihood strains associated with forest degradation. This article evaluates the nature, extent and determinants of forest extraction among rural households in western Kenya. Data were obtained from a survey of 924 randomly selected households in the Mt. Elgon area in western Kenya.

Payment for ecosystem service (PES) programs are increasingly being promoted as suitable mechanisms for addressing degradation of forest resources in developing countries. While interest in PES has grown over the last decade, empirical research on factors influencing household involvement in PES remains limited. This paper analyses factors influencing household participation in a forestry PES scheme in Kenya.

This study examines women’s empowerment and its determinants for smallholder rice farming households in Kilombero, Tanzania. The Women Empowerment in Agriculture Index (WEAI) is adopted and for the study site, the overall WEAI was 0.54 with a 5 Domains Empowerment sub-index value of 0.50 and the Gender Parity sub-index of 0.86.

This study established the level of technical efficiency and its determinants among the informal and formal seed potato producers in the southwestern highlands agro - ecological zone of Uganda.

The study examines factors that influence the adoption of improved post-harvest storage technologies (IPHSTs) by smallholder maize farmers in Tanzania. The study employed a sample of 1620 observations from the National Panel Survey (NPS). Descriptive statistics indicated that 9 percent of the farmers experienced PHL and an average of 115 kilograms of maize per household is lost in various stages of post-harvest chain. Only 19 percent of farmers adopted IPHSTs.