Pluriactivity: An Entrepreneurial Strategy for Smallholder Farmers

Rural entrepreneurship is a new way in development theories for empowerment and capacity building in rural areas to change the current pattern of human living to a desirable and merit pattern. One of the manifestations of entrepreneurship is pluriactivity. Therefore, the purpose of this study was conducted on analyzing and pondering in the farmers' pluriactivity. Pluriactivity is defined as a combination of agricultural and non-agricultural activities that run by the farmer's household. In other words, pluriactivity refers to the fact that one person (farmer) or group of people (farmers) are involved in different activities (agricultural and non-agricultural). These types of farmers are called pluriactive farmers. In general, the types of businesses alongside agriculture are classified into three categories: industry, agriculture (outside the main activity of the farmer) and services. Pluriactive farmers include 1- Farmer as Farmer; 2- Farmer as Entrepreneur; 3- Farmer as Contractor and 4- Rural Entrepreneur. Developing smallholder farmers' pluriactivity is crucial to promotion living standards, reducing urban and rural income disparities, controlling the urbanization process, and reducing the cost of social reproduction. Therefore, paying attention to the farmers' pluriactivity is a step forward towards sustainable rural development.