Agrarian modernization through "ideal agricultural subjects": a lost cause for smallholders in Rwanda?

With an example from Rwanda, we ask how the State's policy strategy and attempts to construct "ideal agricultural subjects" resonate with actual changes experienced by farmers themselves. We present three different empirical examples show that a) when opportunities transformation initially arise, only wealthiest can capture them, even then government is seen as main beneficiary; b) some priority crop growers experience increase in income savings due higher productivity better prices, while those who do not grow crops face land scarcity lack of employment opportunities; c) requirements upscale livestock production align strategies or capacities many smallholders. endowed sufficient ability engage take advantage presented transformation, smallholders constraints their adoption promoted vulnerability dispossession poverty. relate these findings our broader conceptual frame, encourage further research explore integration, modification, resistance impacts idealized policies Rwanda across sub-Saharan Africa.