Prioritizing options for multi-objective agricultural development through the Positive Deviance approach
Agricultural development must integrate multiple objectives at the same time, including food security, income, and environmental sustainability.
Abstract
Agricultural development must integrate multiple objectives at the same time, including food security, income, and environmental sustainability. To help achieve these objectives, development practitioners need to prioritize concrete livelihood practices to promote to rural households. But trade-offs between objectives can lead to dilemmas in selecting practices. In addition, heterogeneity among farming households requires targeting different strategies to different types of households. Existing diversity of household resources and activities, however, may also bear solutions. We explored a new, empirical research method that identifies promising options for multi-objective development by focusing on existing cases of strong multi-dimensional household performance. The “Positive Deviance” approach signifies identifying locally viable livelihood practices from diverse households that achieve stronger performance than comparable households in the same area. These practices are promising for other local households in comparable resource contexts.
This research is an output of the Sustainable Agricultural Intensification Research and Learning in Africa (SAIRLA) programme
Citation
Steinke, J., Mgimiloko, M.G., Graef, F., Hammond, J., van Wijk, M.T. and van Etten, J., 2019b. Prioritizing options for multi-objective agricultural development through the Positive Deviance approach. PloS ONE, 14(2), p.e0212926.