Much has been written to show the importance of diversification for rural African households because of the considerable share of non-farm revenues in total income (Reardon, 1997; Reardon et al., 1998). The literature points out push and pull factors explaining that risk and adverse shocks which characterize farm activities urge rural population to diversify into more profitable non-farm activities. But less attention has been paid to the distinction between two diversification patterns, namely local diversification and migration, and their relationship. Drawing on the theoretical and empirical literature, we identify the advantages and drawbacks of local diversification versus migration decision in terms of expected pay-offs for the family and the... |