Abstract:
African farmers diversify their livelihood strategies through on-farm and off-farm
activities. We cluster households according to similar livelihood diversification strategies and
explore the implications for income levels and sustainable soil management practices. Five
main livelihood diversification strategies were being pursued. Households with off-farm incomeand those pursuing higher return agricultural activities earned more than twice as much as the
lowest income groups, which were the least diversified. They also were more likely to
implement soil conservation measures. Policies aimed at improving household well-being
need to take into account a wide range of household asset endowments and livelihood
strategies being pursued.
