Sustainable Livelihoods Session 8 PDF

Sustainable Livelihoods Outline Review of Last Class Risk and Livelihood Livelihoods and Sustainability The Sustainable Livelihoods Framework Risks and Livelihood Being employed aids in risk management As a prevention and mitigation mechanism Provides better access to various informal, market-based,...

Sustainable Livelihoods Outline Review of Last Class Risk and Livelihood Livelihoods and Sustainability The Sustainable Livelihoods Framework Risks and Livelihood Being employed aids in risk management As a prevention and mitigation mechanism Provides better access to various informal, market-based, and public risk management arrangements However, not all forms of employment may be sustainable Varying degrees of vulnerabilities Person- or group-specific contextual assets Effects of policies, institutions, and processes Shifting our mindset from work or employment to livelihood Livelihood What is a ‘livelihood’? A means to secure the necessities and desires of life Comprises the capabilities, assets, and activities required for a means of living What is a ‘sustainable livelihood’? Copes with and recovers from stresses and shocks Maintains or enhances the capabilities and assets of a person both now and in the future Does not undermine the natural resource base What is Sustainability? Concerns intergenerational equity The wellbeing of future generations should not be inferior to that of the current generation as a consequence of the current generation’s behavior toward the use of natural resources and the environment Dimensions of Sustainability Environmental sustainability The conservation and enhancement of life-supporting natural resource productivity for use by future generations Economic sustainability The maintenance of a given level of expenditure over time In the context of the poor, the sustenance of a baseline level of economic welfare Social sustainability The minimization of social exclusion, and the maximization of social equity Institutional sustainability The capacity of prevailing structures and processes to continuously perform their functions over the long term The Sustainable Livelihood Framework Asset Pentagon Human Social Physical Natural Financial Human Capital Represents the skills, knowledge, ability to work, and good health that together enable people to pursue different livelihood strategies and achieve their livelihood objectives Good health and nutrition Education and training Employability and earning power Knowledge, skills and attitudes Leadership potential Capacity to work Capacity to adapt Emotional well-being Self-esteem, self-confidence, self-perception, assertiveness Motivation, aspirations Attitudes towards change Willingness to get involved Spirituality Natural Capital The natural resource stocks from which resource flows and services (e.g., nutrient cycling, erosion protection) useful for livelihoods are derived Land and produce Water and aquatic resources Trees and forest products Wild foods and fibers Air and water quality Wildlife Biodiversity Environmental services Social Capital The social resources upon which people draw in pursuit of their livelihood objectives Networks and connections Patronage Neighborhoods Friendships Kinship, family support Interconnectedness Relations of trust and mutual support Partnerships and collaboration Formal and informal groups Common rules and sanctions Collective representation Mechanisms for participation in decision-making Leadership Physical Capital The basic infrastructure and producer goods needed to support livelihoods Infrastructure Affordable transportation – roads, vehicles, etc. Secure shelter and buildings Clean affordable water supply and sanitation Clean affordable energy Communications Tools and technology Tools and equipment for production Seed, fertilizer, pesticides Traditional technology Information Services Banking and related services Basic consumer needs Financial Capital The financial resources that people use to achieve their livelihood objectives Income Savings Credit/debt, including credit rating Formal Informal NGOs Access to credit Remittances Pensions Other, regular inflow from government transfers, family, gifts, and in-kind donations Asset Pentagon Human Human Social Natural Physical Before Intervention Financial Ideal Social Natural Physical Before Intervention Financial Ideal After Intervention Vulnerability Context Frames the external environment in which people exist Critical trends, shocks, and seasonality over which people have limited or no control Trends and Changes Population trends Resource trends National/international economic trends Trends in governance (including politics) Technological trends Environmental change Technology Markets and trade Globalization Shocks Health shocks Natural shocks Economic shocks Social shocks Conflict Crop/livestock health shocks Seasonality Of prices Of production Of health Of employment opportunities The Sustainable Livelihood Framework Policies, Institutions, and Processes The structures and processes that transform and shape livelihoods Institutions, organizations, policies, legislations, and culture These effectively determine: Access (to various types of capital, to livelihood strategies and to decisionmaking bodies and sources of influence); The terms of exchange between different types of capital; and Returns (economic and otherwise) to any given livelihood strategy Directly impacts whether people achieve a feeling of inclusion and wellbeing Policies, Institutions, and Processes Policies Government Different levels of government NGOs International bodies Institutions Executive, legislative, representative, and judicial bodies Civil society and membership organizations NGOs and corporations Law, money Political parties Commercial enterprises and corporations Processes The “rules of the game” Decision-making processes Social norms and customs Gender, caste, class Language The Sustainable Livelihood Framework Livelihood Strategies Combination of activities and choices that people make or undertake in order to achieve their livelihood goals Combining assets that can be accessed Accounting for the vulnerability context Supported or obstructed by policies, institutions, and processes The Sustainable Livelihood Framework Livelihood Outcomes Outcome and not objectives Sustainability – movement from ‘whose objectives?’ to focusing on actual work and reality Achievement-oriented – not just an analytical tool but a basis for action Must be defined by the poor Operationalize and set targets (esp. a minimum baseline for welfare) to aid in managing expectations Outcomes may require many other things to be in place Livelihood Outcomes Usually includes income targets Ability to send kids to school Ability to weather illnesses and disasters Ability to build a house Ability to keep family together as in working in the same locality Increased well-being Reduced vulnerability Improved food security More sustainable use of natural resource base Pride in one’s job Cultural integrity and pride Dignity Business and personal reputation Ability to give back Livelihood Outcomes To be poor is to experience ‘poor’ livelihood outcomes Poverty as the lack of access to a sustainable livelihood Based on a fragile or unbalanced set of livelihood assets Unable to manage or sustain through shocks, changes, or trends Not supported, or actively obstructed by policies, institutions and processes that do not allow assets to be used as they might Livelihood options combined in a “bad” or unsustainable strategy The Sustainable Livelihood Framework Synthesis Addressing poverty requires the attention and idea of all approaches we’ve studied Income is still necessary Quality entitlements are absolutes Life is about freedom in achieving capabilities Development requires societal inclusion Risks are unavoidable but manageable Sustainability is critical Think and strategize with outcomes in mind Synthesis What does it mean to be impoverished? To be poor is… To be deprived of income → those without the financial means to live To be severely deprived of entitlements → those without life’s necessities To be experience capability failure → those who are unfree To be socially excluded → those who are outcast or displaced To be vulnerable → those who fear the future To experience ‘poor’ livelihood or life outcomes → those who can’t sustain their present and future Synthesis To be poor is to not yet be born but already experiencing severe inequities Addressing poverty is not just for those who experience it in the present Eliminating poverty is also for those who are yet to come When we say leave no one behind, we think of everyone – those with us and those coming after us