This project aims to investigate the association between poverty dynamics and involvement in the private sector, particularly the non-farming sector. MDRI’s qualitative and quantitative work contributes to the study by answering the underlying questions: What are the opportunities and constraints that individuals and their families face when transforming their one-person/family business into a profitable SME with opportunities for growth? Is there a connection between engaging in the private sector (as a salaried worker or as a small entrepreneur) and a) escaping poverty and b) remaining out of poverty over time? What forms of engagement in the private sector are more easily available to poor people? Can engagement in the private sector be a source of impoverishment/adverse incorporation?