Changing rural-urban interactions in Sub-Saharan Africa and their impact on livelihoods: a summary

This paper argues that trends in flows of people, goods, money and information, and patterns of occupational diversification reflect a dynamic process of economic, social and cultural transformation in Sub Saharan Africa which needs to be better understood. This is especially important for the formulation of policies aiming to reduce poverty, and to support the positive role of urban centres in the development of their surrounding regions.

Findings from case studies in three countries point to significant livelihood transformations and to the intensification of rural-urban linkages. Two main trends are central to this process of change:

• high levels of multi-activity, especially among younger generations, with potentially long-term impacts on the production patterns of rural households
• a widespread increase in mobility accompanied by strong social and economic links to relatives and kin in home areas, in what can be described as multispatial household organisation.

This implies that policy interventions should concentrate on improving access to a wide range of assets with the aim of expanding livelihood options, as opposed to assuming that agriculture is the best, or indeed the preferred activity for rural residents, and that urban residents reliance on rural resources is limited to backyard farming for household consumption.