Este trabalho insere-se na temática do Desenvolvimento Humano e das Condições de Vida, analisando a realidade da Fumicultura no Rio Grande Sul por uma Sociologia das Condições de Vida. A presente proposta permite uma apreciação do desenvolvimento de forma multidimensional dando ênfase à variável humana, procurando ir além dos estudos baseados nos aspectos econômicos, como a produtividade, incremento de tecnologia e geração de riqueza. As considerações teórico-metodológicas fundamentam-se essencialmente na Abordagem das Capacitações e na perspectiva da Diversificação dos Meios de Vida, a fim de entender como realmente encontram-se os meios de vida das famílias produtoras de tabaco e como estas percebem suas próprias condições. Assim, o objetivo geral deste trabalho é compreender como um processo de diversificação possibilita às famílias fumicultoras expandirem seus conjuntos capacitórios através dos seus meios e percepções de vida, criando, então, estratégias de sobrevivência e superação de um contexto de vulnerabilidade social. Logo, busca-se responder sobre quais meios e percepções comprometem esse processo de diversificação e quais fazem com que estes conjuntos de capacitações ampliem as oportunidades para melhorar as próprias condições de vida pela criação de estratégias de superação de um contexto de riscos e incerteza? Ainda, como uma maior dependência da Cadeia Produtiva do Tabaco limita oportunidades das famílias para estabelecerem um portfólio de atividades que lhes permitam ampliar seu conjunto de capacitações e, portanto, lograr melhores condições de vida? Para tanto, foi realizada uma pesquisa quantitativa com aplicação de 250 questionários a famílias produtoras de tabaco em treze municípios localizados na Região do Vale do Rio Pardo e Centro-Serra, no RS, o que representa uma amostra significativa do total de estabelecimentos familiares fumicultores. A partir das concepções teóricas, elaboraram-se dois índices, um sobre os meios de vida (IMV) e outro das percepções (IPV), tendo como base cinco dimensões: física, financeira, humana, natural e social. A fim de responder às hipóteses, as informações da pesquisa de campo foram organizadas em um banco de dados, pelo qual foram realizados testes estatísticos de para comprovar a existência de diferença entre as médias dos índices, com grau de significância maior que 0,05, permitindo então inferir explicações para o universo da amostra. Por conseguinte, os resultados atestaram que, para o conjunto das 250 famílias, os meios e percepções mais vulneráveis deram-se nas dimensões financeira e social e os ampliadores ocorreram nas dimensões natural, humana e física. Além disso, foi possível comprovar que as famílias menos dependentes da CPT, ou seja, Diversificadas, apresentaram melhores condições de vida que as Especializadas, comprovando então as hipóteses propostas por esta tese. Estas diferenças revelaram-se estatisticamente significativas nas médias das percepções humana e financeira. Quanto às médias dos meios de vida, estas apresentaram diferenças nos meios financeiro, social, humano, natural e físico, nos seguintes indicadores: renda da fumicultura, diversidade de venda da produção, pluriatividade e plurirrendimentos, acesso a informação geral e técnico-produtiva, sucessão familiar na agricultura, distribuição do tempo de trabalho, educação, bem como forma de aquisição dos insumos químicos e lenha, ferramentas de trabalho e uso da área da unidade produtiva. / This work is part of the theme of the Human Development and Living Conditions, analyzing the reality of tobacco farming in Rio Grande Sul by a Sociology of Living Conditions. This proposal allows an appreciation of the development of multidimensional way emphasizing the human variable, seeking to go beyond the studies based on economic aspects such as productivity, technology development and wealth creation. The theoretical-methodological considerations underlie mainly on the Capability Approach and the perspective of diversification of livelihoods in order to understand how really find themselves the livelihoods of farming families of tobacco and how these perceive their own conditions. Thus, the objective of this study is to comprehend how a process of diversification enables tobacco growing families expand their capacitórios sets through its assets and perceptions of life, creating then, survival strategies and overcoming the context of social vulnerability. Therefore, the aim is to answer about what assets and perceptions affect this process of diversification and which make these sets of capabilities extend the opportunities to improve their own living conditions by creating strategies for overcoming the context of risk and uncertainty? Still, as a greater dependency on the Tobacco Production Chain limits opportunities for families to establish a portfolio of activities that allow them to broaden their set of skills and hence circumvent better living conditions? To this end, a quantitative research with application of 250 questionnaires to tobacco farming families was held in thirteen municipalities in the region of Vale do Rio Pardo and Central Serra, in RS, which represents a significant proportion of total tobacco growers family establishments. Starting from the theoretical concepts has been prepared two indexes, one on the livelihoods (IMV) and another on the perceptions (IPV), based on five dimensions: physical, financial, human, natural and social. In order to respond to hypotheses, the information of the field research were organized in a database for which statistical tests were performed to prove the existence of differences between the assets of indices, degree of significance greater than 0.05, thus allowing infer explanations for the universe of the sample. Therefore, the results believe that, for the set of 250 families, the most vulnerable assets and perceptions have given up in the financial and social dimensions and enlargers occurred in natural dimensions, human and physical. Moreover, it was possible to prove that less dependent families of CPT, Diversified, had better living conditions than the Specialized then confirming the hypothesis proposed by this thesis. These differences have proved to be statistically significant in the averages of human and financial perceptions. As for averages of livelihood, they showed differences in assets: financial, social, human, natural and physical, the following indicators: income from tobacco farming, diversity in the sale of production, pluriactivity and plurirrendimentos, access to general information and technical-productive, family succession in agriculture, distribution of working time, education, and form of acquisition of chemical products and firewood, work tools and use the productive unit area.

Esta dissertação analisa a construção de estratégias, a partir dos modos de vida, para a permanência no campo dos jovens rurais no Litoral Norte do Rio Grande do Sul. O tema de pesquisa parte do questionamento: Que fatores estão relacionados à construção de modos de vida, a partir das estratégias dos jovens em permanecer no meio rural, enquanto agricultores, inseridos em sistemas de produção agroecológico ou em sistemas de produção convencional? Analisar este tema a partir da abordagem dos modos de vida possibilita um olhar mais vasto sobre a heterogeneidade de estratégias, com as quais os jovens rurais constroem visando sua permanência no campo, resistindo e se reproduzindo socialmente. A pesquisa de campo foi realizada nos municípios de Três Cachoeiras, Morrinhos do Sul e Mampituba, no Litoral Norte do Rio Grande do Sul, Brasil. Teve como procedimento metodológico, a pesquisa qualitativa, com análise de dados primários, gerados por 24 entrevistas com roteiros semiestruturados e observação. Como procedimento, utilizou-se da análise de discurso. As descobertas desta pesquisa apontam para características dos diversos modos de vida dos jovens rurais, as quais são fruto de sua trajetória e de seus elementos (ativos, capacitações e atividades), estabelecendo as estratégias que são próprias e específicas de cada sistema de produção. Pode-se perceber, a partir da pesquisa de campo que os dois sistemas de produção que os jovens estão inseridos, apontam para diferentes estratégias, ou seja, sua forma de atuação e atividades desenvolvidas se difere. Alguns elementos como os diversos canais de comercialização adotados, a predisposição para o trabalho coletivo, a diversidade de alimentos produzidos e uma maior preocupação com o meio ambiente são algumas das características do sistema agroecológico. Neste sistema observa-se um portfólio de estratégias mais diversificado em relação ao sistema convencional. Por fim, o estudo mostrou que embora haja adversidades e o caminho que gera a saída do jovem do campo seja o mais comum, os jovens mostram a capacidade de construir modos de vida que garantam a sua permanência no campo, com acesso aos recursos necessários para o desenvolvimento da qualidade de vida no meio rural. / This dissertation analyzes the construction of strategies, from the livelihoods, to stay in the field of rural youth in the North Coast of Rio Grande do Sul. The research topic comes from the question: What factors are related to the construction of livelihoods, from the strategies of young people to remain in rural areas, while farmers, inserted in agroecological systems or conventional production systems? To analyze this issue from the approach livelihoods enables a wider look at the diversity of strategies, with which rural youth build aiming their stay in the field, resisting and reproducing socially. The field research was conducted in the municipalities of Três Cachoeiras, Morrinhos do Sul and Mampituba, in the North Coast of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. It had as a methodological procedure, qualitative research, with analysis of primary data generated by 24 semi-structured interviews and observation tours. As a procedure, we used the speech analysis. The findings of this research point to characteristics of the different livelihoods of rural youth, which are the result of its history and its elements (assets, capabilities and activities), establishing strategies that are unique and specific to each production system. It can be noticed from the field research that the two production systems that youth are inserted, point to different strategies, that is, their way of acting and developed activities differs. Some elements like the various marketing channels adopted, the predisposition for collective work, produced the diversity of food and a greater concern for the environment are some of the agroecological system features. In this system there has been a portfolio of diversified strategies in relation to the conventional system. Finally, the study showed that although there is adversity and the way that generates the young field output is the most common, young people show the ability to build livelihoods to ensure their stay in the country with access to the resources needed to the development of quality of life in rural areas.

Dans le contexte de transition démo-économique en Afrique subsaharienne, l’évolution des stratégies des ménages ruraux vers des systèmes d’activités composites et la reconnaissance des modalités renouvelées des migrations soulèvent les enjeux liés aux recompositions des économies rurales. Cette thèse interroge le rôle renouvelé des mobilités des ménages ruraux mozambicains pour comprendre dans quelle mesure celles-ci constituent un élément central de recomposition de leurs systèmes d’activités dans le contexte régional postapartheid et de libéralisation.Ce travail apporte un éclairage sur les articulations conceptuelles entre approches institutionnelles en économie et la notion de circulation, pour une analyse du rôle des mobilités dans les stratégies et systèmes d’activités sur le long terme. La démarche analytique est basée sur la reconstitution par enquêtes de biographies de 97 ménages et combine méthodes quantitatives et qualitatives.L’analyse met à jour l’évolution de mobilités circulaires intenses vers l’Afrique du Sud des familles de Leonzoane pendant la période coloniale, vers des formes de mobilités plus complexes dévoilant plus de flexibilité professionnelle, dans des espaces plus larges au sein et en dehors du secteur historique minier. Ces mobilités s’accompagnent d’une diversité d’arrangements portés par les réseaux, attestant d’un contrat migratoire en formation, fondé sur une ressource circulatoire dans les stratégies des familles. La mise en regard de ces mobilités avec les recompositions des systèmes d’activités des ménages, met à jour une situation actuelle à Leonzoane très diversifiée. Pour une partie elle donne lieu à la complexification des ajustements au sein des systèmes d’activités dans lesquels le poids relatif de l’agriculture tend à diminuer, pour d’autres elle assure la reproduction de systèmes d’activités très stables non diversifiés. Elément fondamental des stratégies des familles, la migration peut aussi bien constituer une ressource stratégique qu’un facteur de précarisation ou de dépendance / In the context of the demo-economic transition in Sub-Saharan Africa, changes in rural household strategies towards more complex livelihoods, together with the recognition of renewed forms of migration, raise issues around the restructuring of rural economies. This thesis questions the renewed role of Mozambican rural households’ mobilities to understand to what extent they represent a key factor with regards the reshaping of livelihoods in the present post-Apartheid and liberalization context.This work sheds light on the conceptual links between institutional approaches in economics and the notion of circulation in geography in order to analyze the role of mobilities in livelihoods’ strategies in the long term. The analytical approach is based on biographical surveys of 97 Mozambican rural households, and includes both quantitative and qualitative methods. The analysis shows the evolution of intense and circular migration of Leonzoane families to South Africa during colonial times towards more complex forms of mobilities, with a higher degree of working flexibility, in more extended geographical areas within and beyond the historical mining sector. These mobilities rely on a diversity of arrangements embedded in networks, showing evidence of a migration contract in the making, based on household strategies’ circular resources. The analysis of these migration forms together with the reshaping of households’ livelihoods illustrates a highly diversified situation in Leonzoane. While some households show a growing complexity of adjustments of their livelihoods, in which the relative share of agricultural activities tends to decrease, others perpetuate very stable non-diversified livelihoods. Being a fundamental livelihood asset, migration can certainly act as a strategic resource for rural households, but can also be a factor of insecurity or dependency.

Magister Philosophiae - MPhil (LAS) (Land and Agrarian Studies) / This study assessed the type, extent and modalities of intra-regional fish trade between South Africa and other SADC countries. Cross-border fish trade and its importance in boosting intra-regional fish trade between South Africa and the rest of SADC is poorly documented and as such, little systematic effort has been made to understand its type, extent and modalities in order to address the problems of those engaged in the activity. Regional fish trade continues to be important even though it is not always adequately reflected in official statistics. The qualitative research methodology formed the basis of this study. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews with fish traders at Park City Central Bus Station in Johannesburg and in-depth interviews with selected key informants from customs, port, health and immigration officials at the Beitbridge and Lebombo border posts. Participants of the study were selected through a combination of purposive and snowball sampling techniques. Geographical Information System (GIS) was used to digitise national boundaries, border posts and the routes used by fish traders from the sources to distribution points in Johannesburg. The study adopted the new regionalism, regional integration and regional trade conceptual frameworks and attempted to apply the pro-fish trade theory as the theoretical framework.

Magister Artium (Development Studies) - MA(DVS) / Land reform is currently high on the agenda of the current government. This is because many people believe that land reform is a valuable tool in addressing the land question and combating poverty in South Africa. It is also evident that government and experts on land reform are clear that in order to enhance land reform in the country, the land must be used to improve the livelihoods of those who need it the most. It is also pivotal that land reform is successful in order to ensure food security. It is important to evaluate these types of land reform models in order to gain valuable insights and lessons that can enhance successful land reform projects in the country that can also serve as a manual for farmers and governments. Although much research focuses on the failure of land reform projects, this research focuses on a successful land redistribution programme that improved the livelihoods of rural people. More specifically, this research critically evaluated the Bergland Development Trust (BDT) land reform project in the Porterville region in the Western Cape province of South Africa. The BDT land reform project is a joint venture between the workers of the Berghoff Farm and their employer, the farmer who also served as a valuable mentor to them. My research found that BDT land reform project improved the livelihoods of the beneficiaries of the project. The BDT beneficiaries earn a sustainable income which, in turn, helps them to buy clothes, vehicles, and enrol their children at the local former ‘Model C’ school. Furthermore, active participation in the project has enhanced the self-image and bargaining power of the beneficiaries which, in turn, extended their livelihoods base. This study is guided by the sustainable livelihoods approach to development. This study critically analysed the factors contributing to their successes and also explored the lessons it holds for other land reform projects. A qualitative research design was employed in order to obtain the necessary data for the research. The data was collected by means of semi-structured interviews and questionnaires with the management of the Bergland Development Trust land reform project. After a critical assessment of the BDT land reform project, the recommendations will be forwarded to the Local Government and other projects that will benefit from the experiences of the BDT land reform project.

Num contexto de estresse ambiental decorrente da estiagem de 2005, crise econômica em função da baixa renda das ocupações e crise social sinalizada pela diminuição da população de uma região produtora de commodities agrícolas e, partindo-se do pressuposto que o desenvolvimento rural resulta da capacidade de diversificação econômica dos agricultores familiares, formulou-se a seguinte questão: “A dependência na produção de commodities agrícolas reduz a capacidade de diversificação da agricultura familiar e, consequentemente, sua sustentabilidade?” Se a resposta for afirmativa, então “Como o processo de mercantilização interfere na capacidade de diversificação dos meios de vida no meio rural?” O município de Itapejara d’Oeste - região Sudoeste do Paraná – reune as favoráveis condições de pesquisar esta questão, pois, além de apresentar predominância das commodities agrícolas na economia local, possui potencial para desenvolver a pluriatividade intersetorial e a agregação de valor no meio rural.Esta pesquisa permitiu identificar a composição da renda agrícola, extra unidade de produção agrícola e não-agrícola, estimar a diversidade da renda e a sustentabilidade dos meios de vida no meio rural, tipificar e avaliar as trajetórias de diversificação dos agricultores familiares. Concluiuse que a renda foi maior nas famílias com mais diversidade; que uma maior diversidade de renda corresponde a um meio de vida rural mais sustentável; e que as famílias que agregam valor e¤ou são pluriativas possuem uma renda maior e um meio de vida mais sustentável que as famílias que lidam somente com commodities agrícolas e¤ou são beneficiadas pela assistência social. Por fim, foi possível perceber algumas prováveis transformações da agricultura familiar do município e região. / In a context of environmental stress due to the drought of 2005, economical crisis in function of the drop income of the occupations, and social crisis signalled by the decrease of population of an area producing of agricultural commodities, and considering the hypothesis that the rural development results of the capacity of the family farms economical diversification, the following subject was formulated: “Does the dependence in the production of agricultural commodities reduce capacity of the diversification of family farm, and consequently the sustainability?” If yes, than: “How does the commoditiezation process affect the capacity of rural livelihoods diversification?” The Itapejara d'Oeste municipal district - Southwest region of the Paraná State, Brazil – gather favourable conditions of researching this subject because besides presenting predominance of the agricultural commodities in the local economy, it possesses potential to develop the intersectorial pluriativity and aggregation activities in the rural area. This study allowed identifying the composition of farm, off-farm and non-farm income, as well, to esteem the diversity income and the sustainable rural livelihoods and, finally, to typify and to analyse the family farms diversification trajectories. It was concluded that the income was larger in the families with more diversity; that a larger diversity of income turns in a more sustainable rural livelihood; and, that families that join values activities and¤or pluriativity possess larger income and a way of more sustainable livelihood that the families that only work with agricultural commodities activities and¤or have social benefits. Finally, it was possible to verify some probable transformation for the family farms of the municipal and rural area.

Le travail part de l’idée que les mobilités sont un capital, dans la mesure où elles aident les individus à construire, à renforcer et à adapter leurs « moyens d’existence ». Systèmes d’activités productives et non-productives qui permettent de satisfaire les besoins humains (Chambers & Conway, 1991), les « moyens d’existence » présentent une géographie particulière. En effet, les multiples tâches, occupations et responsabilités assurées par les individus n’occupent jamais exactement les mêmes lieux. Il convient donc de les organiser dans l’espace et dans le temps, ce qui implique de mesurer des distances et des durées, d’effectuer des trajets pour connecter les différents sites des pratiques quotidiennes, de se synchroniser avec les personnes dont on a besoin pour accomplir ses rôles sociaux. Cependant, l’occurrence d’une perturbation ou d’une opportunité et l’évolution des attentes au cours de la vie poussent les individus à remodeler leurs « moyens d’existence ». Ils changent d’emploi, déménagent dans une nouvelle ville, confient l’éducation de leur enfant à un tiers, etc. En fait, ils réinventent leur « espace de vie » en même temps que leur portefeuille d’activités. Comme Michel Lussault (2007 ; 2013), nous nommons « spatialité » cet ajustement permanent entre les objectifs et le positionnement géographique des acteurs individuels ou collectifs. / This work considers physical mobilities and wireless telecommunication as a resource, because they help people to construct, organize and adapt livelihoods to the new conditions that may arise. According to Robert Chambers and Gordon Conway (1991), rural livelihoods generally comprise several activities like cultivation, hunting, wage labour, trading, offering services in transport, etc. These activities variously provide food, cash and other goods to satisfy human needs. The activities form a system of places that are used on a regular basis. In case of chocs or opportunity, individuals have to leave certain activities and adopt others that are less exposed to risks and more profitable. In other terms, they arrange differently their living space in the sense that they stop using certain places and start using others. Michel Lussault (2007; 2003) calls “spatiality” the ability of an individual to adjust his geographical position, as well as the position of his activities, in order to meet his proper objectives.

<p>The aim of the research was to identify what female and male farmersthink are the best strategies to enhance the role of conservation farming as a buffer against social, economic and environmental hazards, and a means of ensuring livelihood sustainability and food security. The study also aimed at coming up with information useful to policy and other decision makers on how to improve adoption of these technologies. The empirical component of the research included a questionnaire survey of one hundred and fifty two(152) selected households in one identified ward in Insiza District, focus group discussions and semi-structured interviews with key informants and in-depth interviews of individual male and female members of a few selected farming households from the sampled population. The desktop portion of the study used secondary data from non-governmental organizations (NGOs), government and other stakeholders involved in conservation farming. Collected data was then disaggregated by gender and analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS). Perception statements that emerged as significant in chi-square tests of independence were be subjected to factor analysis and weighted factor scores from factor analysis were then used as independent variables in binary logistic regression analysis. The study concluded that both practising and non practising farmers were of the opinion that conservation farming was good though they indicated that information on conservation farming was not readily available The study found out that most farmers agreed on the possible positive effects of CA in addressing livelihood challenges effected by hazards such as HIV and AIDS and environmental hazards such as declining soil fertility but it had is labour intensive therefore is not suitable for people affected and infected by HIV and AIDS...</p>

This thesis is the result of nine weeks fieldwork in Babati and Bukoba districts in Northern Tanzania during spring 2012. The purpose of this thesis is to study why development projects on fuel-efficient stoves have had a limited adoption in these two regions and what obstacles and opportunities there are for further spread of fuel-efficient cooking stoves. Semi-structured interviews were the main method used for collecting the empirical data, which was then analysed from a socio-economic perspective with help from the framework of Sustainable Rural Livelihoods. The Results showed that people’s perceptions of fuel-efficient stoves are positive but that projects face many obstacles connected to socio-economic conditions. Knowledge on how to get stoves and access to financial capital is main obstacles for further spreading. Social networks and organisations are channels for information, but to spread outside these networks will need complementing strategies from organisations promoting fuel-efficient stoves. Important are also finding ways of making the financial aspect of adopting stoves less, like using materials with lower costs, using stove-models with low costs and training people in building stoves so re-investments are unnecessary and dependency of funding from organisations less. Gender is a factor affecting the adoption of fuel-efficient stoves, regarding access to assets and generated benefits. There is therefore an importance of involving gender throughout the different stages of the projects.

Smallholder livestock keeping and agriculture systems in the sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) seem to be caught into poverty traps, in as much as they cannot any longer provide ecosystem services on which local communities depend for their survival. I used a regime shifts framework to carry out a thorough assessment of these two case studies in arid and semi-arid lands and smallholder by identifying relevant traps and alternate desirable regimes. Using systems analysis and modelling, I drew casual loop diagrams of the two case studies, which helped me to identify the feedback loops that maintain the systems in undesirable traps and the external driving forces of change. A set of interventions points or leverage points were identified to change the dynamics of the systems and shift them towards more desirable regimes. Essentially, a structural change of both systems is called for if sustainable livelihoods in the rural areas of the SSA are to be seriously envisaged. Human capital investments present the main opportunity for facilitating escape from poverty by transforming farmers to non-farmers and livestock keepers to non-livestock keepers.