In this study the rural non-farm economy (RNFE) is defined as being all those income-generating activities (including income in-kind) that are not agricultural but located in rural areas. This paper looks at the issues that arise with classifications of the RNFE. It then summarises the information contained in 55 studies concerned with the rural non-farm economy using a framework developed by the authors, which reflects the proposed typology, and finally compares the returns in the rural non-farm economy to those in agriculture in developing countries
