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What’s the Story on Agriculture? Using Narratives to Understand Farming Households’ Aspirations in Meru, Kenya

Author

Listed:
  • Luke Dilley

    (Akita International University
    World Agroforestry (ICRAF))

  • Kai Mausch

    (World Agroforestry (ICRAF))

  • Mary Crossland

    (Bangor University)

  • Dave Harris

    (Bangor University
    International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT))

Abstract

In the limited research on farming aspirations, little attention has been paid to the narratives which frame and shape them, and the ways in which the aspirations of those who farm intersect with the goals of extension services. Drawing on multimethod research conducted in Meru County, Kenya, we demonstrate how aspirations are not only situated within a consideration of personal circumstances, but are shaped in crucial ways by networks of relations and by the perceived possibilities afforded by material and cultural resources. We further highlight the accounts of state extension agents that link a lack of engagement with the desires and needs of those who farm to the failure of agricultural development initiatives. We argue that an engagement with aspirations opens up a route to understanding the obstacles and potentialities that matter to those who farm and, as such, might enable more responsive development initiatives centred on the perceptions and desires of those who farm.

Suggested Citation

  • Luke Dilley & Kai Mausch & Mary Crossland & Dave Harris, 2021. "What’s the Story on Agriculture? Using Narratives to Understand Farming Households’ Aspirations in Meru, Kenya," The European Journal of Development Research, Palgrave Macmillan;European Association of Development Research and Training Institutes (EADI), vol. 33(4), pages 1091-1114, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:pal:eurjdr:v:33:y:2021:i:4:d:10.1057_s41287-021-00361-9
    DOI: 10.1057/s41287-021-00361-9
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    Cited by:

    1. Kai Mausch & Dave Harris & Luke Dilley & Mary Crossland & Tim Pagella & Jules Yim & Emma Jones, 2021. "Not All About Farming: Understanding Aspirations Can Challenge Assumptions About Rural Development," The European Journal of Development Research, Palgrave Macmillan;European Association of Development Research and Training Institutes (EADI), vol. 33(4), pages 861-884, August.
    2. Aseres Mamo Eshetie & Eunice Matafwali & Gershom Endelani Mwalupaso & Jie Li & Aijun Liu, 2022. "Nexus of Cash Crop Production Using Improved Varieties and Household Food Security," The European Journal of Development Research, Palgrave Macmillan;European Association of Development Research and Training Institutes (EADI), vol. 34(4), pages 1803-1830, August.
    3. Frederick Amon-Armah & Nana Akua Anyidoho & Isaac Alvin Amoah & Sander Muilerman, 2023. "A Typology of Young Cocoa Farmers: Attitudes, Motivations and Aspirations," The European Journal of Development Research, Palgrave Macmillan;European Association of Development Research and Training Institutes (EADI), vol. 35(4), pages 770-793, August.

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