'Because of poverty, we had to come together': collective action for improved food security in rural Kenya and Uganda
(2012) In International Journal of Agricultural Sustainability 10(3). p.245-262- Abstract
- Agricultural productivity in East African smallholder systems is notoriously low and food production faces multiple challenges, including soil degradation, decreasing land availability, poor market integration, disease burdens and climate change impacts. However, recent evidence from an in-depth study from two sites in Kenya and Uganda shows signs of new social dynamics as a response to these multiple stressors. This paper focuses on the emergence of local social institutions for collective action, in which particularly women farmers organize themselves. Although previous research on collective action has largely focused on common-pool resource management, we argue that collective action is one potential pathway to livelihood and... (More)
- Agricultural productivity in East African smallholder systems is notoriously low and food production faces multiple challenges, including soil degradation, decreasing land availability, poor market integration, disease burdens and climate change impacts. However, recent evidence from an in-depth study from two sites in Kenya and Uganda shows signs of new social dynamics as a response to these multiple stressors. This paper focuses on the emergence of local social institutions for collective action, in which particularly women farmers organize themselves. Although previous research on collective action has largely focused on common-pool resource management, we argue that collective action is one potential pathway to livelihood and sustainability improvements also in a setting of private land ownership. Trust building, awareness raising and actions to improve livelihood security through risk sharing and pooling of labour and other limited assets have given people more time and resources available for diversification, preventative activities, experimentation and resource conservation. It thereby strengthens farmers' capacity to cope with and adapt to change, as well as contributes to the agency at the local level. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
https://lup.lub.lu.se/record/3070050
- author
- Andersson, Elina LU and Gabrielsson, Sara LU
- organization
- publishing date
- 2012
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- published
- subject
- keywords
- collective action, communities of practice, food security, Kenya, smallholder farming, Uganda
- in
- International Journal of Agricultural Sustainability
- volume
- 10
- issue
- 3
- pages
- 245 - 262
- publisher
- Taylor & Francis
- external identifiers
-
- wos:000306741100005
- scopus:84868245029
- ISSN
- 1473-5903
- DOI
- 10.1080/14735903.2012.666029
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- id
- fcbb2126-7c6a-4664-8e4c-19168e27bdce (old id 3070050)
- date added to LUP
- 2016-04-01 10:24:59
- date last changed
- 2022-04-20 02:00:22
@article{fcbb2126-7c6a-4664-8e4c-19168e27bdce, abstract = {{Agricultural productivity in East African smallholder systems is notoriously low and food production faces multiple challenges, including soil degradation, decreasing land availability, poor market integration, disease burdens and climate change impacts. However, recent evidence from an in-depth study from two sites in Kenya and Uganda shows signs of new social dynamics as a response to these multiple stressors. This paper focuses on the emergence of local social institutions for collective action, in which particularly women farmers organize themselves. Although previous research on collective action has largely focused on common-pool resource management, we argue that collective action is one potential pathway to livelihood and sustainability improvements also in a setting of private land ownership. Trust building, awareness raising and actions to improve livelihood security through risk sharing and pooling of labour and other limited assets have given people more time and resources available for diversification, preventative activities, experimentation and resource conservation. It thereby strengthens farmers' capacity to cope with and adapt to change, as well as contributes to the agency at the local level.}}, author = {{Andersson, Elina and Gabrielsson, Sara}}, issn = {{1473-5903}}, keywords = {{collective action; communities of practice; food security; Kenya; smallholder farming; Uganda}}, language = {{eng}}, number = {{3}}, pages = {{245--262}}, publisher = {{Taylor & Francis}}, series = {{International Journal of Agricultural Sustainability}}, title = {{'Because of poverty, we had to come together': collective action for improved food security in rural Kenya and Uganda}}, url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/14735903.2012.666029}}, doi = {{10.1080/14735903.2012.666029}}, volume = {{10}}, year = {{2012}}, }