In the 1990s, rural development specialists became increasingly interested in rural non-farm employment (RNFE); and the factors determining it. Ideas about the subject gradually made their way into the political debate and some development programmes. Location is one of the aspects mentioned in many studies as a factor influencing the characteristics of RNFE. Some others include scale, type, generated income and participating household members. This article looks at what has been written on the subject and suggests that location, and the various "distances" that go with it, are a vital determinant of RNFE.