
Selected for support under the second round (2014) of the PAGE initiative, a team of local researchers aims to understand the causes of increasing off-farm self-employment opportunities, and the effect on agriculture and food security in rural Niger. They find that some of the causes for farm households to participate in off-farm self-employment activities include changes in prices of agricultural inputs/outputs, as well as constraints on land size and cereal bank, suggesting the existence of linkages between the farm and the non-farm sectors. Other key determinants suggest that credit constraints, infrastructure and location are all entry barriers for farm households to engage in off farm self-employment activities in rural Niger. On the other hand, the researchers find that, although it leads to an increase in agricultural expenses (in purchased outputs and hired labor), engaging in such activities contributes to favoring food accessibility and decreasing food insecurity. Based on these findings, the team provides a series of recommendations to inform and encourage policies aimed at promoting rural entrepreneurship. Find out more about the research methods, findings and ensued policy recommendations through the following PEP publications: