Amaranth... rural sustainable livelihood of the future?

Abstract

This study is an in-depth analysis of amaranth as an alternative livelihood for small-scale farmers. It addresses the amaranth production and its impact on the welfare conditions of poor and marginalized farmers in Mexico. It takes into consideration the multi-contextual settings for both amaranth producers and the production of amaranth. It analyses the current Mexican rural development strategy to grow amaranth and the national, regional and global market possibilities. The theoretical analysis is supported by a combination of the Sustainable Livelihood and Value Chain approaches. In this relation, the study used qualitative interviews research with main stake holders such as: small-scale farmers, small-scale sellers, small-scale producers, medium–scale producers, researchers, Mexican and Danish NGOs representatives, governmental programmes representatives, European importers, and Danish consumers.