Detailed case studies developed in three country context research sites, namely Weenen district KwaZulu Natal (South Africa), Mchinji District central Malawi, and Mvurwi and Masvingo Districts (Zimbabwe) during the course of research between 2013 and 2014. These consist of semi-structured interviews, augmented with basic descriptive quantitative data collected via a brief household and enterprise survey, along with data gleaned from local key informant interviews. The case studies trace the 'linkages' from focal farmer-producers (described in the research as tier 1) both upwards along the value chain (inputs) and downwards (into output markets, and also their consumption expenditure), the case studies also follow and trace the impacts of these activities on the local rural non farm economy. The dataset also includes geospatial data, which maps these linkages and nodes in spaceAgricultural development can only lead to inclusive, sustainable growth if, in addition to productivity gains on the land, it supports non-farm employment. Yet the links between agricultural productivity and non-farm employment are poorly understood. Recent debates indicate that the multipliers that can support non-farm rural employment depend not only on growth in local aggregate demand, but also on the spatial and institutional configuration of the links between farm and non-farm employment, and between near and distant markets. This project accordingly explores the spatial and institutional articulation of markets, human settlements and farm and non-farm livelihoods in marginalised and impoverished rual regions of Malawi, South Africa and Zimbabwe. It does this by building a careful qualitative picture of the flow and distribution of money, resources, risk and opportunities in socio-economic networks, value chains and markets in rural districts. This qualitative picture is combined with a quantitative analysis of production, flows and livelihood generation activities by actors and role players in the networks. The research was undertaken by a consortium of researchers led by the Institute for Poverty, Land and Agrarian Studies at the University of the Western Cape in South Africa.

The methodology used to create the data collection consisted of qualitative semi-structured interviews, within the focal research areas (in rural South Africa, Zimbabwe and Malawi), conducted a variety of farmer-producers. Purposive and snowball sampling used to recruit the first of the research participants, a comparatively small number of both large and small scale farmers. From this core cohort, their networks of linkages and spatial relations were mapped, both up and down the agricultural value chain. These linkages were traced and followed through three successive sets of linkages or 'tiers' radiating outward from the focal producers. In addition the social networks and identities of the various actors were also documented, and basic quantification (incomes, outputs, employment) were captured. These semi-structure qualitative interviews were combined with data from a brief household-enterprise survey, focusing on key metrics including production, expenditure and employment for the actors within the network. Interviews with key informants (including local government officials, village leaders, enterprise operators etc) within the respective study areas were conducted in order to locate the case studies within the larger economic, social and institutional context. The data collection process also included a number of interviews with key informants, with between 45 and 90 interviews - of varying durations - conducted in each of the three country contexts. Finally, geospatial data was collected, in order to spatially represent the networks and linkages.