Livelihood Prospects Research Articles

Understanding Role of Digital Asset and LOSI for Rural Areas: An Evidence-based Study in Indian Context

Digital assets (DAs) are growing to be one of the most promising utilities due to the emerging digital transformation opportunities for society to harness. The innovations in contemporary DAs have led to the use of mobile computing, internet of things, edge computing and services like software as a service, platform as a service and desktop as a service. DAs have the potential to leverage and support other assets defined by the International Fund for Agricultural Development to enhance livelihood prospects in rural areas. The E-government services, aimed at mitigating digital divides and enhancing rural–urban continuum, need appropriate DAs. The UN has been conducting periodical E-government readiness assessments with a focus on Local Online Services Index (LOSI). All the countries participating in this readiness exercise are creating and upgrading through their E-government policies. LOSI is largely dependent on the availability of desired DAs, supply of digital transformation-based services and an emerging demand. The LOSI, introduced in 2018, is currently limited to the municipalities, providing a scope to assess rural areas where digital divides are still prevalent. This article presents a framework to discuss the associated DAs to develop LOSI for the rural areas in the Indian context. The article also presents a use case in the Indian context to understand how the Indian E-government efforts are poised to leverage the DAs to deepen rural digital services. Through the use cases, it is observed that the rural DAs need converged effort of policymakers to have a better LOSI.

Lost on the path towards modernity. Urbanisation and livelihood prospects of the transitional generation in Tibetan rural areas in Qinghai, People’s Republic of China

The development of western areas of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) with accentuated urbanisation has had a significant impact on the established livelihood of the Tibetan pastoralists and semi-pastoralists. The middle-aged generation in particular faces enormous challenges to find its place in the changing environment and to adapt and develop new livelihoods that can provide sufficient income to cover increasing household expenses. They find themselves in transition between a vanishing past and an advancing future – a state that can cause severe economic and social insecurity.

A comparison of migrant and non-migrant households’ choices on migration and coping mechanisms in the aftermath of cyclone Aila in Bangladesh

This research focuses on understanding the complex impact of Cyclone Aila on migration decisions, particularly regarding the motivations that compel specific vulnerable populations to remain in their current locations despite severe consequences. It conducts a comparative analysis of migration choices, adaptive strategies and capacities of migrant and non-migrant populations in Bangladesh after the 2009 Cyclone Aila, focusing on the severely affected districts of Satkhira and Khulna. To achieve this, a comprehensive survey of 284 households was conducted, including 130 migrant and 154 non-migrant households. The research utilized statistical techniques, such as frequency distribution, chi-squared tests, and multinomial logistic regression, along with qualitative insights gathered through in-depth interviews and analyzed using NVivo software to provide a more comprehensive understanding of the coping capacities of these households. The findings indicate that the severity of the cyclone experience significantly impacted migration choices, with non-migrant households displaying a firm attachment to their original location because of better economic opportunities, emotional bonds, vibrant social networks, and a higher tolerance for adversity. Migrants are attracted to locales, providing better living conditions, safety, and access to healthcare and education. This research also revealed differences in the adaptive strategies adopted by migrants and non-migrants. Migrants have more options for housing, agriculture, livestock management, food security, health and sanitation, and employment. Most migrant households (47.7%) had high adaptive capacities across various domains, such as food security, housing and shelter, crop production, livestock and poultry rearing, health and sanitation, and livelihood prospects. Non-migrant households had much lower percentages of high adaptive capacity, ranging from 5.3 percent to 9.7 percent. These findings suggest that migration can improve adaptive capacity, especially when responding to weather events, such as Cyclone Aila. Therefore, it is important to create targeted support measures that cater to the unique needs of both migrant and non-migrant households to promote resilience and improve wellbeing during the post-crisis period.

Impact of Land Ownership in Enhancing Agricultural Productivity in Rural Areas of Eastern Cape Province

Land is a principal and calamitous factor in agricultural production and the growth of livelihood prospects in Sub-Saharan Africa. Land ownership is an indispensable resource for agrarian efficiency in the pastoral regions of South Africa. It leads to sustainable and feasible farming. However, the mainstream rural dwellers struggle to access and obtain land ownership, thus leading to low agricultural productivity. Therefore, the study seeks to investigate the effect of land tenure in enhancing agrarian efficiency in rural areas of Eastern Cape Province. The study used a cross-sectional research approach and a multi-stage sampling procedure. A semi-structured questionnaire was used to collect data from 250 smallholder farmers. The analysis tools used were descriptive statistics, Logit regression, and Propensity Score Matching. Farmers were landowners, with 70% and 60% having small-sized farms, which they utilise for agricultural production. About 17% of the farmers did not utilise the land they own because of a lack of funds, water availability and farming equipment. The farmers' age, gender, years spent in school, members of farm organisations, access to extension services, household income, and hired permanent labour were socio-economic and institutional factors influencing land ownership. PSM results revealed that fully owned small-sized farms achieved high agricultural production than rented large-sized farms. The study concludes that full land ownership impacts agricultural productivity more than rented land. Hence, productivity is high. Therefore, the study recommends that the South African government and land reform policy must fast-track land redistribution among rural dwellers and farmers to enhance agricultural productivity.

Livelihood Strategies and Their Determinants among Informal Households in Calabar, Nigeria

The purpose of investigating livelihood strategies is to seek patterns that can be acted upon in order to improve livelihood prospects. This paper assesses household livelihood strategies and their determinates by asking (1) how urban households manage and mobilise resources and (2) how they combine assets—emphasising the existing strategies they adopt and their outcomes. Using a mixed-method cross-sectional design, four informal settlements were surveyed. Household questionnaires were developed and used to collect data from 425 households in Calabar, Nigeria. A total of 45 interviews, non-participant observation, and 2 focus groups were conducted. Quantitative data were analysed using the Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS version 26, IBM, Armonk, NY, USA) and presented using tables. The qualitative data were collected, coded and analysed using NVivo 1.2 (QRS International). Fundamental context-related livelihood strategies in asset building are identified, and the diverse approaches and constraints that emerged are analysed. The result shows that households diversify their assets with strategies which are complex and diverse. This ranges from the extension of spaces and sub-letting a room to reducing their expenses (by spending less), borrowing from friends and relatives, and seeking help from community organisations. Others include pawning their belongings, engaging in home-based enterprises, and investing in children’s education, migration, and urban agriculture. Findings further indicate the ability of households to avoid or reduce their vulnerability and to increase their productivity depends on their initial assets and on their ability to transform them into income, food, or other necessities. This paper recommends ways of strengthening and supporting households’ strategies to cope with and reduce housing vulnerability.

The forms and adverse effects of insecurities among internally displaced children in Ethiopia

BackgroundEthiopia has seen an increase in the number of internally displaced persons (IDPs) due to conflict and violence related to border-based disputes and climate change. This study examines the insecurities experienced by IDPs in the Burayu camp and how they navigate and challenge them. Violence and insecurity have daunted Ethiopian regions for decades, violated children’s rights, and impeded the achievement of the United Nation’s sustainable development goals related to children, such as good healthcare and mental health, quality education, clean water, and sanitation. The deteriorating security concerns in Ethiopia could also expose IDP children to poor health outcomes associated with a lack of access to healthcare services.MethodsThis was an exploratory qualitative case study guided by intersectionality theoretical lens to explore the forms of insecurities perceived and experienced by IDPs in Ethiopia. Participants were selected using a purposeful sampling approach. We interviewed 20 children, 20 parents or guardians, and 13 service providers. Interviews were audio recorded and transcribed verbatim in Afan Oromo, then translated into English. We used NVivo 12 qualitative data analysis software to analyze data following Braun & Clarke’s approach to thematic data analysis.ResultsThe participants reported that IDP children in Burayu town faced many challenges related to poor socioeconomic conditions that exposed them to several insecurities and negatively affected their well-being. They reported inadequate access to clothing and shelter, clean water, sanitary facilities, food, and adequate healthcare due to financial barriers, lack of drugs, and quality of care. Our data analysis shows that socioeconomic and contextual factors intersect to determine the health and well-being of children in the Ethiopian IDP camp studied. The children experienced insecurities while navigating their daily lives. This is compounded by institutional practices that shape gender relations, income status, and access to healthcare, education, and food. These deficiencies expose children to traumatic events that could decrease future livelihood prospects and lead to compromised mental health, rendering them susceptible to prolonged post-traumatic stress disorder and depression. Results are presented under the following topics: (1) basic needs insecurity, (2) healthcare insecurity, (3) academic insecurity, (4) economic insecurity, (5) food insecurity, and (6) physical and mental health insecurity.ConclusionSuccessful relocation and reintegration of IDPs would help to alleviate both parent and child post-conflict stressors. Managing and following up on economic reintegration efforts is needed in both the short and long term. Such measures will help to achieve goals for specific projects attached to donor support outcomes, consequently enabling social support and conflict resolution management efforts.

Using a community-based participatory research (CBPR) approach to explore economic empowerment for youth with disabilities in rural Uganda

This paper presents findings from a community-based participatory study exploring the lived experiences and key livelihood changes post-intervention of a vocational skills training for young people with disabilities in rural Uganda. Twenty-four youth with disabilities (13 female, 11 male) who had previously taken the vocational training were trained to become peer researchers and conducted 72 in-depth interviews with a more recent cohort of youth with disabilities. Findings were gathered into core themes of capacity building, security and interaction. They showed that training in a skill is an important part of the economic empowerment journey for youth with disabilities in rural Uganda. Beyond this, transition from training to work, marketing, proving competence, managing chronic pain whilst working and probable risk are also areas that need guidance and support. Renewed hope for better livelihood prospects was mixed with a degree of uncertainty. Some were unprepared for the complexities around community respect and had also not considered that their financial situation may get worse before it gets better, as part of the risk of self-employment.

Relocations of the households affected by the development of the New Yogyakarta International Airport, Indonesia: problems and livelihood prospects

Relocations of the households affected by the development of the New Yogyakarta International Airport, Indonesia: problems and livelihood prospects

Livelihood, WASH related hardships and needs assessment of climate migrants: evidence from urban slums in Bangladesh

Bangladesh, being the world's most climate-vulnerable country, is affected by plenty of climate-related hazards every year, mostly along its south-western coast. As a consequence, many people relocated from these regions' worst-affected neighborhoods to Khulna city, and began to live as slum dwellers. They faced a variety of issues in these informal settlements, particularly regarding water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) facilities and livelihood options, but no research has been conducted in Bangladesh. With an emphasis on WASH services and livelihood prospects, this study therefore aimed to provide a comprehensive understanding of the challenges/hardships and needs of climate migrants living in urban slums in both general and COVID-19 contexts. Qualitative methods were applied to collect data from the climate migrants of slums in five wards (3, 12, 17, 21, and 30) of the Khulna City Corporation. Nine focus group discussions and four key informant interviews were conducted to collect the data from primary (community people) and secondary (local government and non-government and community-based organizations officials) stakeholders. The thematic analysis was used to analyze the data. The findings revealed that climate migrants experienced significant water scarcity, insufficient drainage systems, a lack of toilets, tube wells, and bathing facilities, inadequate hygiene management, a lack of core skills required for urban jobs, low payment, and an income shortage. Similarly, sustainable drinking water sources, sanitary toilets with WASH blocks, personal hygiene materials and awareness building, skill development for diverse livelihood opportunities, and income-generating capacity development were their top priorities. Overall, the findings of this study provided a holistic overview of the challenges/hardships and needs of climate migrants in urban slums regarding WASH services and livelihood opportunities. The authorities should intervene and develop policy initiatives to alleviate the hardships and meet the needs of climate migrants.

Aging, (un)certainty and HIV management in South Africa

AbstractResearch within geography and cognate disciplines demonstrates how (un)certainty informs relational, emergent and open‐ended processes of healthy aging. Although (un)certainty shapes aging health inequities and possibilities for reconfiguration, research often centres on challenges for aging individuals, eliding more dynamic, complex and contradictory factors shaping the health and wellbeing of aging individuals and societies. This paper uses qualitative research with older women in South Africa to engage contradictions in (un)certainty. We argue that while advances in HIV/AIDS testing and treatment allow individuals to grow older with greater certainty, longer lives managing HIV rework new forms of ill‐health through contested disease etiology, indeterminant multitemporal processes, and dubious livelihood prospects. (Un)certain HIV landscapes can create new forms of disadvantage and subjection, while in other instances encourage opportunities for healthier lives and pragmatic social change. The findings highlight the importance of considering (un)certain aging, health and disease realities and the structures that assuage them.

Način života i potrebe mladih u selima Pčinjske oblasti - primer sela Tibužde, Rataje i Vrtogoš

The majority of rural youth do not see their strengths and opportunities for progress from socially rooted family relationships, as well as from the place of living. As such, together with the city's youth, is on the edge of Serbian society's system. Faced with numerous problems and accompanying phenomena, such as the prolonged youth due to education or the economic dependence on parents, the feeling of deprivation dominates among the rural youth, i.e. the state of completely or insufficiently fulfilled psychological, social or emotional needs. Migration of rural youth is generally one of the biggest issues of rural areas all over the world, including Serbia. A number of reasons attract rural youth population to the city (so-called pull factors): better livelihood prospects, a greater offer of jobs, higher level of earnings, entertainment contents, better opportunities for professional success, anonymity as well as a variety of goods and services, etc. The repulsive factors found in the countryside (the so-called push factors) are: shortage of arable land, unemployment, low and uncertain income and level of earnings, social control and dependence, monotony and boredom, insufficiently diverse offer of goods and services, etc. On the other hand, those who do not speak in favor of resettlement see the village as a place of greater freedom and peace.

Challenges of reverse migration in India: a comparative study of internal and international migrant workers in the post-COVID economy

In India, the major drivers of both internal and international migration are the prevailing unemployment, competitive labour market and enhanced livelihood prospects in the destination state or country. However, the nationwide lockdown and the sealing of inter-state and international borders to control the COVID-19 pandemic triggered the reverse migration of informal migrant workers. This requires the central and state governments to collectively forge strategies to enable their reverse migration and smooth reintegration in the post-COVID economy. In this paper, we have focused on the inter-state migrants in India and returnee migrants only from Gulf countries as they account for two-thirds of Indian migrants living abroad. This study conducted a comparative analysis of the Indian government’s varied approach towards its internal and international migrants during their reverse migration, repatriation and reintegration after the announcement of the lockdown. Firstly, the paper compares the challenges faced by internal and international migrant workers during these stages with the help of in-depth interview data collected from migrants and social workers. Secondly, the varied governmental responses towards their repatriation are discussed. Thirdly, it analyses the obstacles in their economic reintegration to help frame suitable welfare policies for the Indian migrant community.

A water and salt balance model for the polders and islands in the Ganges delta

Cropping in the polders and islands of the Ganges delta is difficult, particularly in the dry season when water is limited and salinity can damage plant growth. Cropping is generally restricted to the wet season. The limited cropping contributes to the high incidence of poverty and limited livelihood prospects in the region. Increasing crop production is desirable, and will depend upon management of the water and salt in a polder. We have developed a novel time-series model of water and salt stores and flows in an idealised polder to investigate water and salt management strategies for crop production, including strategies to cope with climate change and sea level rise. We know of no other model that simulates the overall water and salt balance of a polder, and that can assess a wide range of polder water and salt management strategies. The model adequately reproduces the dynamic water and salt behaviour observed in field data, and also agrees with results produced by a more detailed crop model. A sensitivity analysis of the model shows the results are sensitive to the key model parameters. In general, the results are more sensitive to parameters governing the transfers of salt, and less sensitive to those governing the availability of water. The crop evapotranspiration is particularly sensitive to the model parameters. The main practical consideration resulting from this simplified but robust representation of the polder salt and water balance processes is the importance of management (including drainage) to remove salt. Strategies to improve water availability, while useful, are secondary to the management of salt.

Livelihood Prospects Across Social Classes in Rural India

In the third part of the Social Change Social Indicator series, we look at livelihood prospects across social classes in rural India. The rural population in India earns its living from different livelihood types—farming, agricultural labour, other manual labour, domestic services or other jobs. The majority of farmers in the country are however small landholders and therefore depend on other sources of income to earn enough money to survive or to even purchase crucially needed seeds and fertilisers. Then there are the agricultural labours who do not own land of their own and work in the fields to earn daily wages. Since the land support for these rural families has become increasingly difficult, a section of the rural population has started looking outside their locale for jobs. In recent decades, jobs for urban construction and private security services industry has provided a potential alternative for backward or economically weaker sections from the rural and semi-urban areas of the country. The government has been trying to provide employment opportunities and livelihood for villagers within their villages by encouraging them to start their own enterprises, supporting them by providing some training and finance. But although rural occupational opportunities have increased comparatively in several states, the creation of productive livelihoods for different social classes remains a challenge in certain rural segments of India. From data one observes that while a majority of Schedules Caste (SC) farmers remain daily wagers, the livelihood of the Scheduled Tribe (ST) community remains dependent on forest, agriculture and animal husbandry. The Socio Economic and Caste Census (SECC) 2011, provides survey data on the livelihood opportunities of SC, ST and Non-SC–ST households across sources such as cultivation, non-agricultural own account enterprises, manual casual labourers, part- or full-time domestic services, ragpicking, begging and others.1 Our analysis of data refers to eighteen states that cover more than 95 per cent of the SC or ST population in the country.

Revival of the Traditional Crafts: Diversification Towards Utilitarianism

Making handicrafts in India is a family heritage that has been handed down through the generations. In India, millions of people still rely on home grown industries and age-old methods of manufacturing and production. These are the handcrafted and tangible manifestations of a certain community or culture. But, as the globe becomes more interconnected, items are becoming increasingly commoditized, and artists throughout the world must compete with things made in factories. The constant need for new variations on a product's style, design, and color pose a serious danger to artisans and threaten to supplant their work with mass-produced, factory-made machine crafts. The fact that Indian markets do not appreciate the genuine worth of craft is the industry's greatest drawback. When this worth is acknowledged, and consumers are prepared to pay a premium price for craft based items, it should lead to greater incomes for weavers and craftsmen and provide a boost for millions of rural-based livelihood prospects related to this industry. As a result of diminishing demand, an aging workforce, and the challenge of reaching new customers, many artists have relocated to metropolitan areas in pursuit of low-skilled manufacturing jobs.

Adoption level, yield and constraints in Indian barley (Hordeum vulgare) cultivation: Insights from baseline data for identifying livelihood prospects

Barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) is an important nutritious cereal in India with growing demand for malt preparation, brewing and food industries. Over years, declining acreage along with distorted production becomes a major concern in spite of increasing yield. A baseline study was conducted (2013-14 and 2014-15) to analyse the extent of adoption, yield variations and constraints in cultivation across four major states, viz. Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh so as to identify the livelihood options and explore possibilities for increasing the crop acreage. Socioeconomic analysis indicated that farmers allotted less area to the crop owing to poor market facilities barring Rajasthan and a majority restricted their cultivation to feed the livestock. A significant number of farmers were growing old varieties and replaced the seed once in more than three years indicating the lack of awareness on improved varieties, non-availability of latest varieties seeds and technologies. Reasons for barley cultivation were analysed and it was found that higher income led to production in Haryana and Rajasthan, whereas feed for livestock invited crop acreage in the case of Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. Around 71% perceived that barley is more suitable for cultivation under changing climate scenario owing to its high adaptability. Regression analysis indicated that enrolment in contract farming, source of seed, seed replacement frequency and farm size influenced the crop yield. The baseline findings suggest for strengthening the complete value chain in barley production with targeted capacity building programs for farmers and extension workers especially in Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh along with policy interventions to link producers with market.

How Socio-Economic and Natural Resource Inequality Impedes Entrepreneurial Ventures of Farmers in Rural India

Entrepreneurial ventures potentially offer a way out for farmers facing stagnant livelihoods in drought-ridden farming. We develop a model where entrepreneurial success of marginal farmers is linked to their ability to overcome the challenges posed by the existent socio-economic and environmental inequalities. Farmers with lower socio-economic status receive an unequal share of irrigation water from common reservoirs, which impedes their ability to accumulate financial capital and start an enterprise. Findings suggest that less endowed farmers could end up inefficiently dedicating resources towards reducing social inequality through a process of social friction, which adversely affects their livelihood prospects. When both farming and entrepreneurial ventures are prone to failure, farmers may stay within farming for longer despite higher failure risk. When agricultural exit risk is higher and enterprise failure risk lower, farmers are forced to invest more time in farming and mitigating such risks, which, in turn, delays their success in business.

Does Water Governance Matter?

We develop a series of diagnostic models covering 82 of the world’s poorest countries over the period 1991–2015. Our purpose is to assess several important attributes of water governance in these developing countries. Specifically: (1) do water-related public services make important contributions to per capita GDP and general livelihood prospects? (2) what factors seem to explain the quite different national commitments to the provision of water-related public services? and (3) do observed variations in water-related public services provide evidence of governance quality? Our diagnostic models suggest that water-related public services indeed contribute to per capita GDP and to improved public health outcomes across these developing countries. We then derive a variable capturing fiscal effort in the provision of quasi-public services — the availability of improved water supply and sanitation services — controlling for variations in national ability to pay (per capita GDP). We call this commitment an index of instrumental governance. With this index of instrumental governance, we conclude that water governance offers an important measure of a proxy for the civic commitment of governments in the world’s poorest nations. We conclude that an important aspect of “governance” is captured by the extent to which governments make difficult financial commitments that will improve per capita GDP and general livelihood prospects of their citizens.

Tensions and controversies regarding child labor in small-scale gold mining in Ghana

The recent resurgence in small-scale mining in Ghana has coincided with falling enrolments in schools, leading to public concerns about the participation of children and young people in mining work. The engagement of children and young people in gold mining is also perceived to diminish efforts to improve education, inviting abolitionist actions from the government. This has created tension between government and its functionaries on one hand and young workers and their families on the other. Drawing on qualitative research, this article explores controversies around young people’s involvement in small-scale mining and governments’ efforts to curtail it in Amansie West District, Ghana. We discuss the tensions between securing individual/household livelihoods and societal interest in reducing child labor. The study findings underscore not only the importance of work in the lives of young workers and their households but also its positive implications for educational pursuits as well as for future livelihood prospects. Whereas the abolitionist framework emphasizes children’s right to education, it fails to acknowledge that the income generated through work makes schooling possible for most children. We conclude that policies rooted in global ideologies of work-free childhoods are at odds with prevailing sociocultural and economic realities.

Livelihood opportunities amongst adults with and without disabilities in Cameroon and India: A case control study.

Proven links between disability and poverty suggest that development programmes and policies that are not disability-inclusive will leave persons with disabilities behind. Despite this, there is limited quantitative evidence on livelihood opportunities amongst adults with disabilities in Low and Middle Income Countries. This study adds to the limited evidence base, contributing data from one African and one Asian Setting. We undertook a population-based case–control study of adults (18+) with and without disabilities in North-West Cameroon and in Telangana State, India. We found that adults with disabilities were five times less likely to be working compared to age-sex matched controls in both settings. Amongst adults with disabilities, current age, marital status and disability type were key predictors of working. Inclusive programmes are therefore needed to provide adequate opportunities to participate in livelihood prospects for adults with disabilities in Cameroon and India, on an equal basis as others. These findings are of crucial importance at this stage of the Sustainable Development Agenda, to ensure that the mandate of inclusive development is achieved.