subsistence agricultural households and micro-enterprises

Rural World 3 households – fisherman, pastoralists, smallholders and associated
micro-enterprises – are survivalist. Food security is their main concern, and their small
production units are almost totally dedicated to home consumption. Their assets are
poorly developed, and they have very limited access to services (credit) that would enable
them to increase the returns to their assets. Their ability to manage risk and associated
vulnerability is limited to informal means, thus severely constraining their ability to take
on higher risk, higher return livelihood opportunities. Many live in fragile ecosystems or
less favoured regions and depend on off-farm employment for a significant percentage of
their livelihood. This group embraces many women and female-headed households, who
are among the poorest and most exposed in rural areas. The social sphere of Rural
World 3 rarely extends beyond local communities, and their voice is almost unheard in the
broader socioeconomic and political affairs shaping their lives. The economic fortunes of
Rural Worlds 1 and 2 greatly affect Rural World 3’s employment and income-earning
opportunities, and sustained periods of growth give some the option of leaving subsistence
production altogether.