Abstract ID: 3.9158 | Accepted as Talk | Talk | TBA | TBA

Farm diversification has been studied as a way to buffer structural changes and maximize income generation, including in mountain areas. Two key dimensions are typically examined: 1) the location of activities (on-farm or off-farm); 2) the nature of activities (agricultural or non-agricultural). These approaches often focus on activities as sources of income generation, rather than as occupations requiring regular labor and time. In this sense, we define farm diversification as an activity requiring a regular labor and time engagement of farmers, regardless of income. We hypothesize that income-centered approaches hide the diversity of farm diversification strategies. However, putting farmers’ labor allocation in the center of analysis could better represent the plurality of farm diversification. Our aim is to qualify the different strategies of farm diversification. Data collection was based on 15 semi-structured interviews with farmers and non-farmers involved in inclusive sustainable development initiatives in highlands. These interviews were part of the transdisciplinary research project Highlands 3.0, in collaboration with Cape Verde University, conducted in November 2024. Since our focus is on farm diversification, we selected nine interviews with farmers to perform a case-by-case analysis. The framework for analysis was developed by comparing these cases based on: 1) the location of activities (on or off-farm); 2) the type of activities (agricultural production, processing, marketing, non-agricultural activities). Our results show five types of farm activity diversification: 1) agricultural (mixed crop-livestock farm); 2) structural (food processing); 3) environmental (preservation of biodiversity); 4) socio-cultural (traditional knowledge); 5) economic (off-farm job). They cover activities that are not exclusively related to income generation (off-farm employment, entrepreneurship, direct sales), as environmental and social diversification (volunteer engagement in groups for environmental preservation, traditional knowledge preservation, respectively). The types of farm diversification can be combined. The most common one is the combination of agricultural diversification and structural diversification (farmers produce crops and livestock and market them through direct selling). We suggest that a labor centered-approach offers a broader understanding of farm diversification strategies and provides insights to support farm and local development.