ABSTRACT
The conditions and experiences of children and young people who work in rural areas have long been a source of concern for non-governmental organisations as well as academics specialising in development studies and health (e.g. Fyfe 1993; Vlassoff 1985). In contrast, western scholars have paid little attention to these matters until quite recently. This variance can be clearly traced. Studies of young people, such as Adamu in Northern Nigeria, build on a tradition in development geography that has for some time recognized the work and vulnerable positions of children and young people in the Majority world.1 For it is in the Majority world that the greatest proportion of population, poverty, debt, and child mortality is found (Potter et al. 2004). Recent accounts such as Robson’s (2004a) show young people are integral players in the life and work of rural societies, although often their lives are quite different from those of the adults in such settings.
