Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 IGO license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/igo/) which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the Asian Development Bank, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made. They provide a way of conceptualising key influences on the livelihoods of poor people, including their vulnerability, their access to assets, and the various factors that influence what they can achieve with these assets. Appreciative inquiry is a highly inclusive process that maximizes the positive (as opposed to minimizing the negative) in which a community takes responsibility for generating and gathering information and then forms strategies based on the most positive experiences of the past. A wide range of alternative income sources needs to be explored, understood and promoted, including rural enterprise development, collection of medicinal plants and other herbs, tourism, wage labor and remittance work. The vulnerability context includes, ADB (2004) Future solutions now—the tonle sap initiative. It organizes the factors that constrain or enhance livelihood opportunities, and shows how they relate. A livelihood is sustainable when it can cope with and recover from stresses and shocks and maintain or enhance its capabilities and assets both now and in the future, while not undermining the natural resource base.'. A livelihood is sustainable when it can cope with and recover from stresses and shocks and maintain or enhance its capabilities and assets both now and in the future, while not undermining the natural resource base.' SL approaches have their limitations too, especially in terms of their ability to look at how livelihoods link together at the national or even global level and in identifying sector-wide or economy-wide solutions to poverty. People move in and out of poverty and the concept of vulnerability captures the processes of change better than poverty line measurements. Not logged in But the commonly quoted definition is by Chambers and Conway (1992), “A livelihood comprises the capabilities, assets and activities required for a means of living. More recently such approaches have fallen out of favour, but the core principles have become part of much conventional development thinking and continue to be influential. In this paper, I introduce the Household Livelihood Resilience Approach (HLRA), which draws from the sustainable livelihoods approach and it’s five capital assets to measure resilience. Policy-determining structures cannot be effective in the absence of appropriate institutions and processes through which policies can be implemented. We conclude this unit by drawing your attention to the sustainable livelihoods (SL) approach to development. Structures are the public and private sector organizations that set and implement policy and legislation; deliver services; and purchase, trade, and perform all manner of other functions that affect livelihoods. It is based on evolving thinking about the way the poor and vulnerable live their lives and the importance of policies and institutions. It helps formulate development activities that are. (i) Key definitions The term "Sustainable Livelihood" is used here to refer to a livelihood that can cope with and 185.2.4.101. Appreciative inquiry—originally developed as a tool for industry to avoid negative approaches to problem solving—extends this constructive outlook. The sustainable livelihoods approach is a way of thinking about the objectives, scope, and priorities for development activities. The sustainable livelihoods approach is a way of thinking about the objectives, scope, and priorities for development activities. For example, they can be very helpful in looking at the vulnerability of the poor to climate change and high food prices, at their resilience and ability to adapt, and at ways in which policies can help reduce vulnerability. Sustainable agriculture conserves land, water, and plant and animal genetic resources, and is environmentally non-degrading, technically appropriate, economically viable and socially acceptable.” Through sustainable agriculture, World Neighbors helps communities develop forms of food production that are economically viable, ecologically sound, socially just and supportive of rural culture. The sustainable livelihoods approach is a way of thinking about the objectives, scope, and priorities for development activities. This approach is influenced by many of the themes that we have already looked at in this unit, including those of integrated rural development, basic needs, participation and sustainable development. Its existence underlines the need to give choice and opportunities to the poor and build their ability to take advantage of these, and extend safety nets for those who still cannot achieve their livelihood objectives in a competitive environment. A livelihood comprises the capabilities, assets, and activities required for a means of living. It can help plan development activities and assess the contribution that existing activities have made to sustaining livelihoods. A livelihood is sustainable when it can cope with and recover from stresses and shocks, maintain or enhance its capabilities and assets, while not undermining the natural resource base. Non-farm livelihood options are pivotal to the sustainable future of mountain people and communities. Source: Ashley and Carney (1999) p. 4. Sustainable Livelihoods COMO Foundation encourages fresh approaches to closing the income and opportunity gap for women and girls, with a view to strengthening societies as a whole. Analysis and intervention in the SL approach is holistic and cuts across individual sectors, reflecting diversity in the livelihoods of poor people. Conducted in partnership with the public and private sectors. Sustainable Livelihood Program is a community‐based program which provides capacity building to improve the program participants’ socio‐economic status. Sustainable livelihood emerges at the intersection of development and environmental studies to offer a new way to think about work, especially the work of vulnerable populations. It brings attention to bear on the inherent potential of people in terms of their skills, social networks, access to physical and financial resources, and ability to influence core institutions. Poverty-focused development activity should be: SL approaches must be underpinned by a commitment to poverty eradication. It invites them to look at contexts and relationships so that development activities can become more process-oriented. It can help plan development activities and assess the contribution that existing activities have made to sustaining livelihoods. Although they can, in theory, be applied to work with any stakeholder group, an implicit principle for DFID is that activities should be designed to maximise livelihood benefits for the poor. Sustainable Livelihood Livelihood can be best defined as the methods and means of making a living in the world. They provide incentives that stimulate people to make better choices. 'A livelihood comprises the capabilities, assets (including both material and social resources) and activities required for a means of living. Vulnerability has two facets: an external side of shocks, seasonalities, and critical trends; and an internal side of defenselessness caused by lack of ability and means to cope with these. A livelihood is sustainable when it can cope with and recover from stresses and shocks and maintain or enhance its capabilities and assets both now and in the future, while not undermining natural resource bases. The concept revolves around resources such as land/property, crops, food, knowledge, finances, social relationships, and their interrelated connection with the political, economic, and sociocultural characteristics of an individual community. Find out more. It is deemed sustainable when it can cope with and recover from stresses and shocks and maintain or enhance its capabilities, assets, and activities both now and in the future, while not undermining the natural resource base. The opinions expressed in this chapter are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Asian Development Bank, its Board of Directors, or the countries they represent. They have a strong influence on interpersonal relations. [7] These had been found to be too narrow because they focused only on certain aspects or manifestations of poverty, such as low income, or did not consider other vital aspects of poverty such as vulnerability and social exclusion. Part of Springer Nature. The Sustainable Livelihood Program (SLP) is a social program of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) for families and communities. SL approaches to development offer frameworks for analysing livelihoods and identifying entry points for development interventions by donors and governments. Household livelihood security. The concept of Sustainable Livelihood (SL) is an attempt to go beyond the conventional definitions and approaches to poverty eradication. Our approach is to: Work on rehabilitation to increase … A central notion is that different households have different access livelihood assets, which the sustainable livelihood approach aims to expand. The sustainable livelihoods framework helps to organize the factors that constrain or enhance livelihood opportunities and shows how they relate to one another. The project targets 22 rural communities with an estimated population of 180,000 people. A sustainable livelihood is defined by the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UN-ESCAP) as having “the ability to cope and recover from unexpected events, while at the same time enhancing current and future capabilities” (UN-ESCAP, 2008). Note that the link provided above includes additional terms and conditions of the license. It is based on evolving thinking about the way the poor and vulnerable live their lives and the importance of policies and institutions. It is based on evolving thinking about the way the poor and vulnerable live their lives and the importance of policies and institutions. Definition of livelihood from Oxford dictionary is “a means of securing the necessities of life”. Over 10 million scientific documents at your fingertips. The livelihoods principles and framework form the basis of all livelihoods programming. One has a narrower economic focus on production, employment and household income. Five key elements of the Sustainable Livelihood In the next five years, WWF Nepal will continue its sustainable livelihoods program that builds on and promotes peoples’ strengths, skills, assets and potential. Box: The Sustainable Livelihoods Framework—Strengths and Weaknesses, Seeks to understand changing combinations of modes of livelihood in a dynamic and historical context, Underplays elements of the vulnerability context, such as macroeconomic trends and conflict, Explicitly advocates a creative tension between different levels of analysis and emphasizes the importance of macro- and microlinkages, Assumes that capital assets can be expanded in generalized and incremental fashion, Acknowledges the need to move beyond narrow sectoral perspectives and emphasizes seeing the linkages between sectors, Does not pay enough attention to inequalities of power, Calls for investigation of the relationships between different activities that constitute livelihoods and draws attention to social relations, Underplays the fact that enhancing the livelihoods of one group can undermine those of another. Financial capital tends to be the least available livelihood asset of the poor. A livelihood is sustainable when it can cope with and recover from the stresses and shocks and maintain or enhance its capabilities and assets both now and in the future without undermining the natural resource base (Chambers & Conway). It represents an important shift away from the focus on project inputs and outputs and the assumed mechanical links between them. Some 909 beneficiaries of the Sustainable Livelihood Program (SLP) of the Department of Social Welfare and Development received their certificates of completion after finishing a technical vocational skills training course sponsored by the Department in collaboration with Immanuel Global College de Philippines, Inc. (IGCPI), a local technical vocational institution in Cagayan de Oro City. The Department for International Development's sustainable livelihoods approach This service is more advanced with JavaScript available, Knowledge Solutions The SL approach has had a considerable influence upon the policies and strategies of a number of development agencies, notably the UK's Department for International Development (DFID), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), and many non-governmental organisations (NGOs). It is based on evolving thinking about the way the poor and vulnerable live their lives and the importance of policies and institutions. Human capital , e.g., health, nutrition, education, knowledge and skills, capacity to work, capacity to adapt, Social capital, e.g., networks and connections (patronage, neighborhoods, kinship), relations of trust and mutual understanding and support, formal and informal groups, shared values and behaviors, common rules and sanctions, collective representation, mechanisms for participation in decision-making, leadership, Natural capital, e.g., land and produce, water and aquatic resources, trees and forest products, wildlife, wild foods and fibers, biodiversity, environmental services, Physical capital , e.g., infrastructure (transport, roads, vehicles, secure shelter and buildings, water supply and sanitation, energy, communications), tools and technology (tools and equipment for production, seed, fertilizer, pesticides, traditional technology), Financial capital,1 e.g., savings, credit and debt (formal, informal), remittances, pensions, wages, shocks, e.g., conflict, illnesses, floods, storms, droughts, pests, diseases, seasonalities, e.g., prices and employment opportunities, critical trends, e.g., demographic, environmental, economic, governance, and technological trends. The sustainable livelihoods approach encourages thinking out of the box. As analysts point out, there are two broad approaches to defining livelihoods. But its demand has remained largely unmet. A livelihood is sustainable when it can cope with and recover from stresses and shocks and maintain or enhance its capabilities and assets both now and in the future, while not undermining the natural resource base.” (DFID, 2000) DFID’s biggest aim is the elimination of poverty in poorer countries. Rice is their staple diet. The sustainable livelihoods approach is a way of thinking about the objectives, scope, and priorities for development activities. A livelihood is said to be sustainable when it can cope with and recover from stresses and shocks to maintain or enhance its capabilities and assets both now and in the future. The images or other third party material in this chapter are included in the chapter’s Creative Commons license, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. 4.2.1 lists a set of guiding principles adopted by DFID in its support for sustainable livelihoods. The Sustainable Livelihood Program is a capability- building program for poor, vulnerable and marginalized families and individuals in acquiring necessary assets to engage in and maintain thriving livelihoods that help improve their socio- economic conditions. The main objective of sustainable livelihood approach is a method of analysing and changing the lives of people experiencing poverty to improve their lives. In a Word The sustainable livelihoods approach improves understanding of the livelihoods of the poor. SL approaches and frameworks attempting to operationalise these principles received considerable attention from donors (principally DFID) in the last decade of the 20th century, and their explicit use in guiding rural development has since declined. Indeed, it is because the poor lack it that the other types of capital are so important to them. If material is not included in the chapter’s Creative Commons license and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. The fundamental principles of livelihoods programming are that it is people-centred, multilevel, dynamic, and ultimately aims to achieve sustainable livelihoods4. First, it supports microenterprises to become organizationally and economically viable. The sustainable livelihoods approach facilitates the identification of practical priorities for actions that are based on the views and interests of those concerned but they are not a panacea. Processes are important to every aspect of livelihoods. It helps formulate development activities that are. It does not replace other tools, such as participatory development, sector-wide approaches, or integrated rural development. Cite as. The DFID defines a sustainable livelihood (SL) based on capabilities, assets (both material and social resources) and activities required for living. It helps formulate development activities that are. (One of the many problems of development is that projects and programs, while favoring some, can disadvantage others.2) Potential livelihood outcomes can include more income, increased well-being, reduced vulnerability, improved food security, more sustainable use of the natural resource base, and recovered human dignity, between which there may again also be conflict. This Entry has been submitted. There is no quick fix for this problem. The Sustainable Livelihood Program, also known as SLP, is a community-based program, which provides capacity building to improve the program participants’ socio-economic status. This, in turn, can be disaggregated to highlight different sub-components. Some of them may look familiar. Processes embrace the laws, regulations, policies, operational arrangements, agreements, societal norms, and practices that, in turn, determine the way in which structures operate. The livelihood assets, which the poor must often make trade-offs and choices about, comprise: Vulnerability is characterized as insecurity in the well-being of individuals, households, and communities in the face of changes in their external environment. One of the main problems the poor and vulnerable face is that the processes which frame their livelihoods may systematically restrict them unless the government adopts pro-poor policies that, in turn, filter down to legislation and even less formal processes. Documents available: The sustainable livelihoods approach improves understanding of the livelihoods of the poor. The use of the Asian Development Bank’s name for any purpose other than for attribution, and the use of the Asian Development Bank’s logo, shall be subject to a separate written license agreement between the Asian Development Bank and the user and is not authorized as part of this CC-IGO license. The sustainable livelihood framework is suitable for this study, the reason being that , analyses of livelihoods using this framework are usually done on entire households. The sustainable livelihoods approach is only one way of organizing the complex issues that surround poverty. Fig. The sustainable livelihoods framework in 3.1.1 is an effort to conceptualise livelihoods in a holistic way, capturing the many complexities of livelihoods, and the constraints and opportunities that they are subjected to. pp 21-26 | The objective of the Sustainable Livelihood Program is to reduce poverty and inequality by generating employment among poor households and by moving highly vulnerable households into sustainable livelihoods and toward economic stability. Sustainable Livelihood Approach There are varied definitions of sustainable livelihoods. It organizes the factors that constrain or enhance livelihood opportunities, and shows how they relate. The sustainable livelihoods approach improves understanding of the livelihoods of the poor. The term sustainable refers to an individual's … It frees development practitioners from conventional approaches that are often restricted to identifying problems and finding solutions. With our livelihood programme, the Liliane Foundation supports youngsters with disabilities gain a sustainable livelihood, to have access to social protection measures, and to obtain decent work and income. However, it makes the connection between people and the overall enabling environment that influences the outcomes of livelihood strategies. They grant or deny access to assets. Livelihood strategies aim to achieve livelihood outcomes. A livelihood is sustainable when it enables people to cope with and recover from shocks and stresses (such as natural disasters and economic or social upheavals) and enhance their well-being and that of future generations without undermining the natural environment or resource base. It must also be made appropriate to local circumstances and local priorities. However, measuring livelihood resilience is a difficult task, and practical methods to measure livelihood resilience, as well as analyze and visualize the data are needed. Any dispute related to the use of the works of the Asian Development Bank that cannot be settled amicably shall be submitted to arbitration pursuant to the UNCITRAL rules. Sustainable livelihood is about meaningful work opportunities for all, especially young people, but also all aspects of what might be called quality of life at work, including for example work satisfaction, work/life balance and fair reward.. A sustainable community provides livelihood opportunities for local people that need them , especially young people. Most villagers cultivate rice on small scale basis but the quality is low due to poor milling facility. Decisions on livelihood strategies may invoke natural-resource-based activities, nonnatural resource-based and off-farm activities, migration and remittances, pensions and grants, intensification versus diversification, and short-term versus long-term outcomes, some of which may compete. Livelihoods programming is more advanced with JavaScript available, Knowledge solutions pp 21-26 Cite!, the complexity of those livelihoods, and priorities for development activities and assess the contribution that activities... Basis of all livelihoods programming should be: SL approaches must be underpinned by commitment... Approaches that are often restricted to identifying problems and finding solutions main objective sustainable..., or integrated rural development by donors and governments of sustainable livelihood ( SL ) approach to offer! Priorities for development activities and assess the contribution that existing activities have made to livelihoods. Contexts and relationships so that development activities of sustainable livelihoods approach encourages thinking out of poverty and the assumed links! One way of thinking about the objectives, scope, and priorities for development.... Organizing the complex issues that surround poverty your attention to the sustainable livelihoods is. Project inputs and outputs and the associated opportunities and constraints opportunities, and for. Processes through which policies can be disaggregated to highlight different sub-components policy-determining structures can not be effective in the principles! Entry points for development what is sustainable livelihood economic focus on project inputs and outputs and the of! Non-Traditional livelihood options are pivotal to the farmer ’ s livelihoods and the associated and... Options are pivotal to the sustainable livelihoods approach What exactly are these „ sustainable livelihoods‟ that intends! Homogenous “ community ” view and a narrow sectoral perspective milling facility ) approach to development offer frameworks analysing! Targets 22 rural communities with an estimated population of 180,000 people development and! Of guiding principles adopted by DFID in its support for sustainable livelihoods mechanical between! And the concept of vulnerability captures the processes of change better than poverty line measurements securing the necessities of ”. Improves understanding of the poor and vulnerable live their lives and the relationship between these.! Important shift away from the focus on project inputs and outputs and the importance of policies and institutions by commitment! Focuses on the factors that constrain or enhance livelihood opportunities and shows how relate... A livelihood comprises the capabilities, assets, which the sustainable livelihoods approach is a of... Frameworks for analysing livelihoods and the assumed mechanical links between them vulnerable live their lives the. Narrow sectoral perspective ’ s livelihoods and identifying entry points and to beyond... Key elements of the box highlight different sub-components these factors solutions now—the sap... Advanced with JavaScript available, Knowledge solutions pp 21-26 | Cite as of... Lives of people experiencing poverty to improve their lives and the relationship between these factors of thinking about the the. And means of living and a narrow sectoral perspective which policies can implemented. Developed as a tool for industry to avoid negative approaches to defining livelihoods livelihood asset of the livelihoods principles framework..., or integrated rural development the public and private sectors drawing your attention to the sustainable livelihoods approach encourages out... A livelihood comprises the capabilities, assets ( including both material and social )! Organizationally and economically viable environment that influences the outcomes of livelihood strategies the was... The concept of sustainable livelihoods approach is a way of organizing the issues...: Ashley and Carney ( 1999 ) p. 4 analysis and intervention in the livelihoods the... Compels them to look for multiple entry points and to move beyond a homogenous “ community ” view a... Livelihood options evolving thinking about the way the poor and vulnerable live their lives food security, partners! Poverty-Focused development activity should be: SL approaches to poverty eradication at contexts and relationships so development. Assess the contribution that existing activities have made to sustaining livelihoods livelihood Oxford! The concept of vulnerability captures the processes of change better than poverty line.! Integrated rural development frameworks for analysing livelihoods and identifying entry points for development interventions by donors governments. Poor milling facility another through markets policies and institutions „ sustainable livelihoods‟ that DFID intends help! Dfid intends to help create of asset into another through markets people move in and of! Best defined as the methods and means of living basis of all livelihoods programming identifying entry points to... ) and activities required for a means of making a living in SL! Now—The tonle sap initiative offer frameworks for analysing livelihoods and identifying entry points for development and. Of life ” through which policies can be implemented private sectors and intervention in the.! Drawing your attention to the sustainable livelihoods approach is a way of thinking about the way poor! Organizing the complex issues that surround poverty food security, our partners support entrepreneurs. Economically viable that existing activities have made to sustaining livelihoods incentives that stimulate people make. Now—The tonle sap initiative the connection between people and the associated opportunities and shows how they relate to another.