LOVENESS MSOFI

was that those with better technical support will competitively engage in market-based agriculture and their livelihoods will improve. But with the understanding that the playing field is not level, that some have more advantages than others, I also wanted to understand these social differences amongst social groups and gender categories. This is important to contribute to the literature on the dominant narrative about the role of agricultural extension, which should be understood as not being straightforward and that it is dependent on other factors. Again, the research contributes to the political and feminist economy literature on the social differences that exist as people pursue various economic and livelihood activities.

How has your work contributed to the Sustainable Development Goals?

Loveness Msofi, a lecturer and a researcher in Extension and Rural development in the Department of Extension at Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Bunda college campus. She is in the final stages of her PhD research at the Institute for Poverty, Land and Agrarian Studies, University of the Western Cape.

Her PhD title is: Agricultural extension and commercialisation in rural Malawi: Implications for livelihoods, class and gender differentiation.

What is/was your work about?

I come from a social sciences background and my interest is to investigate how social issues affect farmers to be able to contribute to household and national food security. Amongst the several social issues I have a keen interest in the dynamics of gender and class. My Master’s thesis analysed the competitive advantage that men and women have in farming in general, be it for food or for sale, in which I concluded that women are as competitive as men considering different factors. My PhD focuses on understanding the role of agricultural extension (agricultural technical advice) in market-based farming and consequently how these agricultural economic activities are contributing to livelihoods but also to social differentiation. The assumption

My work cuts across a number of the SDGs in particular SDG 1, 2 and 5. My work examines who benefits economically amongst different social groups and why, the status of their livelihoods and food security situation, and how their economic and livelihood activities impact on social differentiation in terms of gender and class. In SDG 1 (No poverty), my work focuses on how people of different social statuses pursue their economic activities, what benefits they get and who in particular benefits. This is important to understand inclusivity of development activities but also to inform policy on the role different initiatives, including agricultural extension, play towards this SDG. On SDG 2 (Zero hunger), my work investigates how different social groups pursue their livelihood activities and the impact these have on food security. This is important to inform policy and dominant narrative on the implications of marketbased farming on food security and on livelihoods in general. On SDG 5 (Gender equality), my work researches the impacts of market-based agriculture on gender differentiation, which is important from a feminist political perspective to understand who benefits amongst men and women and why.

How is it impacting your community?

During data collection, I employed participatory data collection tools, thus wealth ranking, social mapping and trend analysis. Participants were amazed to consider their wealth status both individually and as a community. They told me to return after five years to do the ranking again and see the changes they will have made. My research will not only be revealing to the community but will also inform policymakers on the development initiatives that can be implemented in the community to benefit them economically and in terms of their livelihoods. Furthermore, my research sheds light on the class and gender differences that exist and that impact on people’s livelihoods but also on how the development initiatives contribute or perpetuate these differences contrary to the dominant development narratives.