Evolving Themes in Rural Development 1950s‐2000s

This article provides a brief overview of the major switches in rural development thinking that have occurred over the past half‐century or so. Dominant and subsidiary themes are identified, as well as the co‐existence of different narratives running in parallel. The continuing success of the long‐running ‘small‐farm efficiency’ paradigm is highlighted. The article concludes by asking whether sustainable livelihoods approaches can be interpreted as providing a new or different way forward for rural development in the future. The answer is a cautious ‘yes’, since these approaches potentially permit the cross‐sectoral and multi‐occupational character of contemporary rural livelihoods in low‐income countries to be placed centre‐stage in efforts to reduce rural poverty.