For today Past readings. Your thoughts? Ecological Civilization. Fred Magdoff. Monthly Review. January 2010 Ecological Civilization. Governing the

For today

Past readings. Your thoughts? Ecological Civilization. Fred Magdoff. Monthly

Review. January 2010 Governing the Commons. example: OF tigers and men.

Sustainable Livelihoods Your research: discussion Assignment: your project. By Friday:

questions; begin a blog (wordpress or blogspot)

Next Monday: bring journal or news articles

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http://www.monthlyreview.org/110101magdoff.php

http://janakilenin.blogspot.com/2011/02/best-laid-schemes-of-tigers-and-men.html

2nd unit

Livelihoods: The Sustainable Livelihoods Framework. What are livelihood assets? How do people build livelihoods? What options do people have? We also explore the poverty-environment nexus.

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This Unit’s readings

Applying the Sustainable Livelihoods Framework to Impact Assessment in Integrated Natural Resource Management (2001)

Targeting Research for Poverty Reduction in Marginal Areas of Rural Syria (2006)

Empowering Palestinian Community Water Management Capacity: Understanding the Intersection of Community Cultural, Political, Social, and Natural Capitals

Stephen Gasteyer; Tahreer Araj Community Development, 1944-7485, Volume 40, Issue 2, 2009, Pages 199 – 219(http://www.informaworld.com/smpp/content~db=all~content=a912472197~frm=titlelink)

(Sustainable Livelihoods Approach - SLA)

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http://www.informaworld.com/smpp/content~db=all~content=a912472197~frm=titlelink





What is a livelihood? What is a Sustainable Livelihood? What is a Sustainable Livelihood

Framework?

But before even that: let’s talk about poverty…

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Environment-Poverty Lexus Sustainability involves more than

environment; and wise environmental management needs to be holistic What else?

If sustainable development can be defined as a development path and pattern in which the choices of the present generation are enlarged without restricting the choices of future generations, the concept implies three issues:

1. Enlargement of human choices at any point would depend on economic, political, social, institutional and environmental contexts.

2. The concept of sustainability is a dynamic intergenerational notion.

3. The abstract concept of sustainable development needs to be operationalised, which requires, among other things, measurable indicators and quantifiable targets, a framework for inter-temporal cost-benefit analysis.

What is needed for sustainability?

Political Social Economic Environmental Interaction of policies and outcomes


Political Political sustainability encompasses reproducibility of power

structures and governance mechanisms, along with the evolution of institutions and the institutional framework that would carry out the tasks ensuring that the present generation maximises its choices but not at the cost of opportunities for future generations.

Social Social sustainability reflects social norms, values and culture,

social structures and social cohesion, which are conducive to ensuring enlargement of choices of all segments of society in an equitable manner. If development is to be sustainable, it has to be owned by the entire society in terms of its philosophy, modus operandi and direction.

Economic Environmental Interaction of policies and outcomes


Economic requires building of human capabilities in an equitable

manner through universal access to basic social services, equal economic opportunities, fairness in access to productive resources, sustained economic growth, etc. Thus equity, sustained growth and quality of life are three major dimensions of economic sustainability.

Environmental deals with natural resources — exhaustible and

renewable — and ecosystem services and the reproducibility of global ecosystems services and ecological resources.

Interaction of policies and outcomes

1996: MDG; Goal: 2015

Human poverty is at the centre “If the world can halve extreme poverty,

adequately feed people, ensure universal access to safe water, reduce child mortality and maternal mortality by two-thirds and three-fourths respectively, can enroll all its children in school, can reverse environmental degradation and the spread of HIV/AIDS, it will ensure sustainable development.”

Obstacles Legal discrimination? Gender discrimination?

Unequal access to to productive resources?

Problematic trends

High inequality Gender disparity Social exclusion - conflict –

Poverty - environment ?

Two-way relationship Environment -> poverty

Providing sources of livelihoods to poor people Affecting their health Influencing their vulnerability

Poverty -> environment Forcing poor people to degrade the environment Encouraging countries to promote ‘economic growth’ Inducing societies to downgrade environmental

concerns

IMPACTS OF ENVIRONMENTAL DEGRADATION IN THE DEVELOPING WORLD

Water-related diseases, such as diarrhoea and cholera, kill an estimated 3 million people in developing countries, the majority of whom are children under the age of five.

Vector-borne diseases such as malaria account for 2.5 million deaths a year, and are linked to a wide range of environmental conditions or factors related to water contamination and inadequate sanitation.

One billion people are adversely affected by indoor pollution. Nearly 3 million people die every year from air pollution; more than 2

million of them from indoor pollution. More than 80% of these deaths are those of women and girls.

Nearly 15 million children in Latin America are affected by lead poisoning.

As many as 25 million agricultural workers – 11 million of them in Africa – may be poisoned each year from fertilisers

More than one billion people are affected by soil erosion and land degradation. Some 250 million people are at risk from slash crop yields.

Desertification already costs the world $42 billion a year in lost income. Over the last decade,154 million hectares of tropical forests, covering

almost three times the land area of France, have been lost. About 650 million poor people in the developing world live on marginal

and ecologically fragile lands.

Source : UNDP (2002, 2000 and 1998)

Deconstructing some environment-poverty myths “Poor people are the principal

creators of environmental damage.” “Population growth leads to

environmental degradation.” “The poverty-environment nexus

basically stems from low incomes.”

Revisiting conventional wisdom in the environment-poverty nexus Downward spiral hypothesis Environmental Kuznets Curve Beckerman Hypothesis Porter Hypothesis

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The local agenda 21 mandate“Because so many of the problems and solutions

being addressed by Agenda 21 have their roots in local activities, the participation and cooperation of local authorities will be a determining factor in fulfilling its objectives. Local authorities construct, operate, and maintain economic, social, and environmental infrastructure, oversee planning processes, establish local environmental policies and regulations, and assist in implementing national and sub-national environmental policies. As the level of governance closest to the people, they play a vital role in educating, mobilizing, and responding to the public to promote sustainable development.” (chapter 28)

What is a livelihood?

The capabilities, assets (both material and social) and activities required for a means of living

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 their natural

resource base

Basic Definitions

2. Sustainable Livelihood The Brundtland Commission in 1987:Intrdoduced

SL in terms of resources ownership, access to basic needs and livelihood security

The definition used by the UK's (DFID): A livelihood comprises the capabilities, assets & activities required for a means of living .

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1 .Livelihoods are

the ways people make a living, including how they distribute their productive resources and the types of activities in which they are engaged

Basic definitions (Cont.): Resilience – The capacity of a population to adapt

to environmental change such as extreme climatic events and climate variability.

Adaptation: is the ability to respond and adjust to actual or potential impacts of changing climate conditions in ways that moderates harm or takes advantage of positive opportunities

Coping Strategies – The short-term responses to periodic stress, such as the use of famine foods in drought.

Adaptive Strategies –Strategies that require people to reorganize their livelihood systems in response to long-term changes and challenges.

Security: The state of a community that can provide safeguards for itself against social, economic and environmental change

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Livelihood assessment:

Livelihood assessment is a way of looking at how an individual, a household or a community behaves under specific frame conditions. How to understand livelihood systems?Through analysis of the impacts of coping and adaptive strategies pursued by individuals and communities as a response to external shocks and stresses such as drought, civil strife and policy failures

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So what is the Sustainable Livelihoods Framework?

Putting people at the center of development; A different way of thinking about development

Useful also in assessing the effectiveness of existing efforts to reduce poverty

Useful to stimulate debate and reflection

Why all the noise about SL? We’re getting serious about poverty What we have done in the past has

not been too successful: a search for something more effective

Initially: “direct impact on the poor” Later: a more analytical

understanding of the complexity of poverty of the factors that affect poverty

Defining poverty

Not just income / GDPbut human development

TIP Think people,

not national statistics

Not just the means to surviveNot just the means to survive

but the capability to thrivebut the capability to thrive

Not being poor means that can sustain the capabilities,

assets, and activities required for a means of living,

have the ability to cope with stresses and shocks,

and can maintain and enhance those capabilities and assets

without undermining the natural resource base

TIP These are the characteristics of a

‘Livelihood’(Chambers & Conway,

1992)

peoplepeople ... ...

If we put people at the centre of development, we need ...

to be more holistic and people-centered- poor people lead complex lives

to be dynamic- like the threats and opportunities the poor face

to build on their inherent potential- rather than what they have not got; build on

strengths rather than needs

to consider macro-micro links- because people are affected by policies

to mainstream sustainability- environmental, economic, social, institutional

And in particular ...

We need to incorporate people’s own definition of desirable outcomes

The ‘Sustainable Livelihoods Approach’ is simply about putting these principles into practice

Sounds obvious ?

But it’s not what we’ve been doing But it’s not what we’ve been doing

What we did before (1)…[Taken from an analysis of livestock-sector projects] Supply of Technology, Inputs &

Services often ‘production’ orientated missed the poor:

not targeted towards the poor / inappropriate to the needs of the poor

captured by the wealthy could not be sustained

Move to ‘capacity-building’ in sector organisations instead

What we did before (2)…

‘Organisational Development’ equipped people and organisations with

the skills and resources to do a better job but, on the whole, little has changed

new skills are not used the new-look organisation is not financially

viable still tended to be ‘sector-specific’ and supply-

driven

because the ‘rules of the game’ never really changed

So we now think about ... Policies and Institutions as well

creating the enabling environment for a better way of doing things by ‘changing the rules of the game’: locally nationally internationally

The SL Framework (1)

Is simply a tool to help: plan new development initiatives assess the contribution to livelihood

sustainability made by existing activities

It: provides a checklist of issues highlights what influences what emphasises the multiple

interactions that affect people’s livelihoods

The SL Framework (2)Helps us think holistically about: The things that the poor might be

very vulnerable to The assets and resources that help

them thrive and survive The policies and institutions that

impact on their livelihoods How the poor respond to threats

and opportunities What sort of outcomes the poor

aspire to

Livelihood Capital Assets

Human

Social

Physical

Financial

Natural

Vulnerability Context

Shocks Trends Seasons

Livelihood Strategies

Policies & Institutions (Transforming Structures & Processes)

Structures- Government- Private Sector

Processes- Laws- Policies- Culture- Institutions

Livelihood Outcomes

+ Sustainable use of NR base + Income + Well-being - Vulnerability + Food security

The SL Framework




Human

Social

Physical

Financial

Natural


Policies & Institutions

(Transforming Structures & Processes)



Livelihood Outcomes

+ Sustainable use of NR base + Income + Well-being Reduced vulnerability + Food security


The external environment in which people exist

Trends - population, resources, economic, governance, technology

Shocks

can be the result of human health, natural events, economic uncertainty, conflict and crop/livestock health.

- illness, natural disaster, economic, conflict, crop / livestock pests & diseases

Seasons - prices, production, health, employment

Vulnerability context

Outside people’s control Not objective “risk” that matters –

but also people’s subjective assessments of things that make them vulnerable.

Both perceived & actual vulnerability can influence people’s decisions and thus their livelihood strategies

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Human

Social

Physical

Financial

Natural






Livelihood Outcomes


What are these ‘assets’?

Human capital - skills, knowledge & info., ability to work, health ; local knowledge key

Natural capital - land, water, wildlife, biodiversity, environment May be private property or common property

Financial capital - savings, credit, remittances, pensions; can be looked at as cash, credit, and inflows

Physical capital - transport, shelter, clean water, energy, sanitation, technology, communications;….

Social capital - networks, groups, trust, access to wider institutions; informal safety nets

Political capital (suggested by some): citizenship, enfranchisement, membership in political parities

It’s all about pushing out the ‘area’ of these assets

TIP But it’s also about the

sustainabilityof those assets

Human Capital

Natural Capital

Physical Capital

Social Capital

Financial Capital

With your neighbour(s) ...Consider one form [H, N, F, P, S]

of capital asset Why is this form of capital asset

important? What could we do to build this form

of capital asset directly indirectly




Human

Social

Physical

Financial

Natural






Livelihood Outcomes


People’s access to livelihood assets is affected by policies & institutions

Or ‘transforming structures and processes’

Structures: organizations, levels of government, private

sector behavior Processes:

policies, laws, institutional‘rules of the game’, incentives

TIP Think micro,think macro,

link micro to macro

What are institutions?

Regularized practices structured by rules and norms of society which have persistent and widespread use

May be both formal and informal Usually subject to multiple

interpretations by different actors May occur on multiple levels: from

household to community, nation, and global level

45




Human

Social

Physical

Financial

Natural






Livelihood Outcomes


Livelihood Strategies- what do (rural) people do?

Choices people employ in pursuit of income, security, well being…

Agricultural intensification / extensification May combine access to natural capital

(land) w economic capital (credit); or Social capital (networks associated w/

drought) may be significant Livelihood diversification Migration

Livelihood strategies

Unraveling the connection: key part Agricultural intensification / extensification

- between capital-led and labor-led intensification

Livelihood diversification Between an active choice to invest in

diversification for accumulation and reinvestment and diversification to cope with adversity

Migration Between voluntary and involuntary movement,

effects, and movement pattern

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Livelihood strategies: scaleA key issue: scale at which an

assessment takes place Can be described at individual,

household and village, and regional/national levelsDifferences evident between scale levels

Also: time scales. Over seasons and between years; over several generations

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Our interventions must recognize that people have different strategies to achieve different ends

How important is “our” concern to people’s livelihoods?

And whose livelihoods in particular? What else is important to people,

and what conflicts might there be?




Human

Social

Physical

Financial

Natural






Livelihood Outcomes


Livelihood Outcomes- what are people seeking to achieve?

More sustainable use of the NR base

More income Increased well-being Reduced vulnerability Improved food security

Livelihood outcomes

Outcomes that improve or deplete the Natural Capital may get greatest attention – but…

NRM practices that reduce need for child labor higher school attendance enhancing human capital (plus may reduce local knowledge)

Collective watershed management increase social capital

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Human

Social

Physical

Financial

Natural






Livelihood Outcomes


To my mind ...

It’s about seeing development from the shoes of the poor, not the shoes of the scientist

It has major implications for the way we work as specialists within a country programme as a donor agency with other donors

Not the same as ...

Integrated Rural Development ‘Farming Systems Approaches’

Not incompatible with ...Not incompatible with ... Sector-wide approaches Rights-based thinking Common sense

How does SLF differ from other approaches?

It puts people at the centre of development. People - rather than the resources they use or the governments that serve them - are the priority concern.

It builds upon people's strengths rather than their needs.It brings together all relevant aspects of people's lives

and livelihoods into development planning, implementation and evaluation.

It unifies different sectors behind a common framework.It takes into account how development decisions affect

distinct groups of people, such as women compared to men, differently.

It emphasizes the importance of understanding the links between policy decisions and household level activities.

It draws in relevant partners whether State, civil or private, local, national, regional or international.

It responds quickly to changing circumstances.57

Connection to Adaptation-How?The SL approach helps researchers to: Focus on most vulnerable people Assess their vulnerabilities and strengths Tap existing knowledge & ongoing efforts to

determine what works Enable community-driven strategies and

actions; ensure buy-in and longevity Ultimately… fortify against future climate-

related shocks

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Review: what is the Sustainable Livelihoods Framework? Putting people at the center of

development; A different way of thinking about development

Useful also in assessing the effectiveness of existing efforts to reduce poverty

Useful to stimulate debate and reflection

When to use it?

When it has been established through a prior process that the improvement of people’s means of living is a priority;

At the development programme and project level,

At the early stages of the development programme and project cycle (identification, design and appraisal), and integrated into ongoing monitoring and evaluation as well;

In the context of rural or urban development.

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Key issues in the SL framework

17/06/2004 IFAD SL Framework - J. Hamilton-Peach & P. Townsley

• Poor not central enough – easily “lost” from vision

• Key “processes” – gender, age, ethnic group, class/caste – not explicitly highlighted

• “Tradeability” of livelihood assets not indicated

• Linkages between different elements not sufficiently highlighted

• Too sequential – left-to-right

• Aspirations and opportunities missing

• Little assistance in dealing practically with “PIP box”

The SL Framework


PoliciesInstitutionsProcesses

NS

FP

HVulnerabilityContextShocksSeasonalityTrendsChanges

influenceLivelihoodStrategies

LivelihoodOutcomes

Focussing on the poor


TheThePoorPoor

Livelihood Assets


Financial Physical

Natural

SocialHuman

Personal

TheThePoorPoor

Unpacking Policies and Institutions


Enablingagencies

Serviceproviders

FinancialPhysical

Natural

Social

Human

Personal

The The PoorPoor

Unpacking “Processes”


Enablingagencies

Serviceproviders

FinancialPhysical

Natural

Social

Human

Personal

The The PoorPoor

An Envelope of Action


Enablingagencies

Serviceproviders

FinancialPhysical

Natural

Social

Human

Personal

The The PoorPoor

Strong Envelope – People Less Vunerable


Enablingagencies

Serviceproviders

FinancialPhysical

Natural

Social

Human

Personal

The The PoorPoor

Weak Envelope – People More Vulnerable


Enablingagencies

Serviceproviders

FinancialPhysical

Natural

SocialHuman

Personal

The The PoorPoor


Enablingagencies

Serviceproviders

FinancialPhysical

Natural

SocialHuman

Personal

The The PoorPoor

Uses


• A guide for people in the analysis of development practice and issues

• Encourages discussion and probing

• Not necessarily easier to explain but more complete

• Specifically identifies many features – politics, rules, social norms, gender/age/class/ethnic issues – that will help make it more culture specific

• Still not a magic bullet!

Advantages


•Addresses some of the “grey areas” identified regarding SL Places the poor firmly at the centre – makes people visible

Suggests the importance of clear definition of who is at the centre of the analysis

Unpacks the PIP box – more specific regarding key institutions and processes – and provides a more practical approach to analysing institutional and policy issues

Incorporates political dimension more explicitly

Helps understand entry points – based on opportunities and aspirations, possible at different levels (identifying them still depends on good analysis)

Assignment…

• New readings. • Assignment: your project. By Friday:

questions; begin a blog (wordpress or blogspot)

• Next Monday: bring journal or news articles

74

Documents

For today Past readings. Your thoughts? Ecological Civilization. Fred Magdoff. Monthly Review. January 2010 Ecological Civilization. Governing the