Agricultural Research for Development: Grappling with Social Equity

Summary

This thesis examined how Agricultural Research for Development (AR4D) engages with social equity. While AR4D often aims to support poor farmers through tailored technologies, it rarely investigates the mechanisms that produce inequality. A systematic review showed that unequal outcomes of farming interventions were seldom reported or explained. Scenario analysis in East Africa demonstrated that most smallholder households cannot reach a living income through farming alone, even under optimistic yield assumptions. Case studies in Ghana revealed that AR4D tools—such as trade-off analyses and farm typologies—highlighted patterns of inequality but overlook their drivers. Life history interviews showed that commonly used indicators of wealth did not reflect farmers’ capacity to accumulate or escape poverty. It argues that AR4D must move beyond static classifications and begin with understanding local dynamics. Researchers can engage with equity through their project and technology design processes, collaborations, and ways of communicating results.