ABSTRACT
Despite many differences, China shares with the developing world a common challenge to achieve harmonious development with regards to population, environment, economy and social systems. In this sense, the emergence of the ‘sustainable development’ (SD) movement worldwide has provided an important motivation for China to join the international community in moving towards ‘a common future’. Due to the great variety that exists in philosophical base, value system and academic background, different people view SD in different ways. A good example is the role of the rural poor, which is perceived differently from one school of thought to another. By reviewing the debates on rural development and innovation in the developing world, this chapter attempts to identify an appropriate theoretical basis for farmer innovation studies in China. Among numerous literatures, special attention will be paid to the sustainable livelihood approach. The discussion is presented in four parts. To begin, the principles of sustainable rural livelihoods are briefly introduced, with special consideration of the role of farmer performance. Focusing on the marginal areas, Section 2.2 compares various innovation approaches, with special attention to the relationship between the rural poor and professionals. Section 2.3 considers the role of social capital in farmer innovation and self-organisation. The final section summarises the main findings from the literature review, and raises further questions for empirical studies in China.
