Kees van der Geest

New: holland-doc nomination for short documentary "hunt and play"

M.A. Thesis

In this chapter, I will describe the livelihood histories of five individuals from the survey sample. All five are household-heads. Their livelihoods will be described in the context of the larger kin groups they are part of. Intra-household struggles, tasks, rights and responsibilities will be given much attention. In chapter two, I have discussed the selection procedure and some other methodological and theoretical considerations for studying 'pathways'. The five in-depth studies will be presented in order of vulnerability: from most vulnerable (Francisca) to most secure (Osman). The huge diversity in food and livelihood security between the five individuals and their households will strike anybody who thinks that rural African communities are somehow 'egalitarian'. Francisca's pathway is a story of a secure youth and abject poverty and chronic food insecurity caused by quite specific family circumstances on a later age. Egidius' livelihood is more typical for households in the research area that are having problems in securing their food needs through own food production and that do not have very rewarding and reliable sources of non-farm and off-farm income. They are struggling. Philibert and Suurib's pathways are typical for households that produce sufficient food in most years. Moreover, they have reliable sources of non-farm and off-farm income. Finally, Osman Ali is the head of a very large household that has invested in animal traction. Osman's household produces a food surplus every year and is very secure.