A virtuous circle model of rural-urban development : Evidence from a Kenyan small town and its hinterland

Over the past several years considerable research has been undertaken on different aspects of linkages between urban centres and their rural hinterlands. From the collective results of this research, a model of rural-urban development can be synthesized that envisions a mutually reinforcing pattern of linkages between a town and its hinterland that spurs the growth of both agriculture and nonfarm activities. Using data from Kenya (much of the data on which this article is based come from field surveys carried out in late 1987 and early 1988 in Kutus town and its hinterland, Kirinyaga district), this article explores several propositions of a "virtuous circle" model of rural-urban development, to determine when the model might operate within a local economy. (Documentatiebald/ASC Leiden)