Livelihood Restoration Research Articles

Sustainability assessment of mine-affected communities in Ghana: towards ecosystems and livelihood restoration

Since the 1980s, many regions in Africa that are rich in mineral resources have undertaken significant reforms to attract foreign investments. While the reforms have broadly boosted mineral production and spurred economic growth, there is a general feeling among stakeholders in the mining sector that such investments have not lived up to their rhetorical promise of improving human well-being. In Ghana, such concerns are particularly pronounced in localities that host mining activities. In such areas, mining can have a series of sustainability impacts that affect manifold the local environment and the local communities. However, there is very little effort to systematically assess the local impacts of mining in Ghana and Africa in general. Our study develops a composite sustainability index that can provide a holistic assessment of the local sustainability impacts of mining. We apply this index to understand the sustainability of three communities surrounding the gold mine of the Newmont Ghana Gold Ltd., in the Ahafo South District of Brong Ahafo region. We combine indicators that represent the key local environmental, social, economic, and institutional impacts of mining to assess local sustainability during the active stages of mine development and operation. We use a series of different methodologies and participatory techniques to arrive at the different indicators, as well as to rate them. Results suggest that despite some between-community similarities for some environmental impacts, the local communities often had radically different scores for social, economic, and institutional aspects of sustainability. Based on the findings, we argue that restoration efforts need to be customized to reflect the between-community variation and go beyond simple landscape reclamation to include interventions that improve human well-being, secure infrastructure, and enhance the collaboration among stakeholders to enable the affected local communities’ transition to sustainability.

Post-disaster housing recovery guidelines for development countries based on experiences in the American continent

The main purpose of this article is to propose recommendations to the processes of post-disaster recovery in development countries, focusing on housing recovery, based on the analysis of three relevant experiences in the American continent. The methodology adopted is based on the study of real cases of post-disaster recovery and the data was obtained through bibliographic research, documentary collection and also participant observation using the O-P-R (Observation-Participation-Reflection) model. A discussion on key aspects of housing recovery was performed based on the cases and, as a final result, recommendations are presented considering the psychosocial and the social capital recovery, the restoration of livelihoods, the supply of temporary housing and shelters, the selection of beneficiaries for the habitational recovery programs, the provision of permanent housing and the governance in the disaster recovering process.

Aligning resettlement planning and livelihood restoration with social impact assessment: a practitioner perspective

Large infrastructure projects involving land acquisition frequently require resettlement planning to be undertaken during the environmental and social impact assessment. However, resettlement planning needs more design detail than is usually available during a social impact assessment (SIA). Resettlement planning is best scheduled after an SIA required for environmental permitting. Timing and duration also influence the effectiveness of livelihood restoration, in particular in-kind support to build social resilience. Cash compensation, as a one-time payment, is not constructive for long term livelihood restoration. Using examples from international infrastructure projects, this paper reviews where SIA and resettlement planning intersect in the project cycle and considers the implications for the timing of livelihood restoration measures.

Rehabilitation of 2010 Flood Affectees in Pakistan: The Role of Development Partners

Pakistan was hit by catastrophic floods in 2010, which inundated infrastructure spread over 100,000 sq kms and affected over 20 million people with large scale displacement. The study explored the impact of floods on the lives of people; especially their livelihoods and gauged the extent to which the donors contributed towards restoration of livelihoods of the flood affected population. This was substantiated through a case study undertaken in Nowshera District, Pakistan, which was amongst the worst hit areas during 2010 floods. The study used qualitative research tools to make an in-depth analysis by gathering facts from the affectees and validating it through the published reports. Semi-structured interviews were held with the government functionaries, affected population and donor officials. The findings indicate that almost seventy percent of the population received the Watan Card, which helped them in resettling and rehabilitating their livelihoods but the rest thirty percent were unhappy as they thought that the amount was not sufficient to re-activate their livelihoods.

Urban Horticulture for Food Security and Livelihood Restoration in Mutare City, Eastern Zimbabwe

Urban Horticulture for Food Security and Livelihood Restoration in Mutare City, Eastern Zimbabwe

How can mental health and faith-based practitioners work together? A case study of collaborative mental health in Gujarat, India.

Despite the knowledge that people with mental illness often seek care from multiple healing systems, there is limited collaboration between these systems. Greater collaboration with existing community resources could narrow the treatment gap and reduce fragmentation by encouraging more integrated care. This paper explores the origins, use, and outcomes of a collaborative programme between faith-based and allopathic mental health practitioners in India. We conducted 16 interviews with key stakeholders and examined demographic and clinical characteristics of the user population. Consistent with previous research, we found that collaboration is challenging and requires trust, rapport-building, and open dialogue. The collaboration reached a sizeable population, was reviewed favourably by key stakeholders-particularly on health improvement and livelihood restoration-and perhaps most importantly, views the client holistically, allowing for both belief systems to play a shared role in care and recovery. Results support the idea that, despite differing practices, collaboration between faith-based and allopathic mental health practitioners can be achieved and can benefit clients with otherwise limited access to mental health care.

Toward Restoration of Ecosystem Function and Livelihoods on Grazed Agroecosystems

ABSTRACTWhile modern technology, knowledge, and organization have greatly increased agricultural productivity, there has been insufficient regard for sustainability and overall efficiency. Substantial changes need to be made to current agricultural systems to decrease their negative impacts on humans and natural resources while addressing the goal of meeting global food needs into the future. This paper outlines a framework to improve understanding of how to manage natural resources sustainably by bridging the gap between single‐discipline, reductionist research and effective resource management. This framework entails combining small‐scale reductionist research with complementary whole‐systems research and working in collaboration with those farmers who excel in improving the environment and obtaining superior economic returns. Most current research does not generate knowledge that translates automatically into producing desirable and sustainable results from grazingland ecosystems, especially across managed landscapes or at watershed scales. Leading managers achieve their goals by the way they allocate resources, use different technologies and knowledge, and adaptively change these elements as circumstances warrant. To help managers achieve superior results, integrative and multidisciplinary research needs to be conducted to understand how to achieve ecological, economic, and social goals on managed landscapes. Improving sustainability entails developing and using regenerative agricultural systems to include (i) more efficient use of energy and other inputs, (ii) calculation of the full costs to society of farm practices and inputs such as fertilizers and pesticides, (iii) routine life‐cycle analysis and costing, (iv) high levels of management expertise, and (v) high ecosystem biodiversity, function, and resilience.

Sustainable hydropower development: Theun-Hinboun expansion project case study, Laos

I examine sustainability and benefit-sharing mechanisms in the context of the Theun-Hinboun Expansion Project (THXP) in central Laos. THXP has been planned and implemented in accordance with international good practice, and is now at the stage of preparing for closure on a number of key issues, in particular on livelihood restoration. With most of the infrastructure and service improvements completed, the long-term challenge relates to institutional development, environmental management and sustainability of the new livelihood systems. A strategy is being developed to ensure that local government, the private sector and the Theun-Hinboun Power Company (THPC) contribute in terms of budget, staff and expertise to ensure sustainability is achieved by 2017, or until targets are met and local communities can manage resources on their own. This approach to mitigating project impacts is an example of a new paradigm in which hydropower can achieve sustainable development for project affected communities.

The inadequacy of the Risk Mitigation model for the restoration of livelihoods of displaced people. Case Study: The Cambodian Railway Rehabilitation Project.

Development-induced displacement (DID) affects millions of people per year, a human toll that is often considered the ‘price of development’ to be ‘addressed’ through Cernea’s Risk Mitigation Model. The model, by its very name, seeks to mitigate the extent of DID and the negative effects thereof. However, this paper will demonstrate that the model is doomed to be inadequate in adequately restoring the livelihoods of displacees, as it leaves unquestioned the structural power imbalances that underpin the selection of development sites and the proposed displacees, who are themselves often already vulnerable and marginalised. Similarly the model imagines tokenistic participation as the only constructive engagement available to displacees, rather than involving the proposed displacees in the process of determining the shape and nature of ‘development’ in their area.

Disputed Land Rights and Conservation-led Displacement: A Double Whammy on the Poor

The practice of conservation through displacement has become commonplace in developing countries. However, resettlement programs remain at very low standards as government policies only focus on economic-based compensation which often excludes socially and economically marginalised groups. In this paper, based on a case study of the displaced indigenous people, the Rana Tharus, from the Shuklaphanta Wildlife Reserve in Nepal, we argue that compensation as a panacea is a myth as it does not effectively replace the loss of livelihoods. This is particularly the case when the indigenous community's customary rights to land are not legally protected. Our ethnographic data support the contention that the history of social exclusion is rooted in the land reform and settlement policies, which deprived the Rana Tharus of proper land rights. The present land compensation scheme resulted in a 'double whammy' on indigenous forest dwellers. The legal land title holders on average received less than 60% of their land. Moreover, due to the poor quality of soil in the resettlement areas the average crop yield was less than half the quantity produced before displacement. While economic indicators show widespread impoverishment with less food security, low agricultural productivity, and landlessness, social indicators suggest depletion of social capital in the resettled communities where there are less job opportunities and less social networks. Our study indicates that along with compensation, the concept of 'livelihood restoration' should also be fully implemented in any resettlement program to prevent further impoverishment.

Hydropower Development and Food Security in Laos

Vital water resources necessary for the production of food crops are coming under threat. Hydropower generation can have impacts on flood plains such that flooding even s are prolonged or more frequent and fish Theun-Hinboun Expansion Project (THXP), comprehensive measures have been introduced stocks decline. In this case of the ot only to restore lost production but also to secure food security and higher yields in areas downstream of the project. Relocation of villages, new or improved irrigation systems for dry-season rice production and other livelihood restoration measures are being monitored for their impact on social development and income.

Social-Performance Indicators and Maintaining Corporate Social Responsibility

This article, written by Senior Technology Editor Dennis Denney, contains highlights of paper SPE 152353, ’Developing Social-Performance Indicators and Maintaining Corporate Social Responsibility in a Developing Country During Construction and Operation of an LNG Plant,’ by Jeanette Rascher and AbdulSalam Al-Shamsi, Yemen LNG Company, prepared for the 2012 SPE Middle East Health, Safety, Security, and Environment Conference and Exhibition, Abu Dhabi, 2-4 April. The paper has not been peer reviewed. Maintaining corporate social responsibility is vital in securing a stable operating environment. The selection of social key performance indicators is crucial to promote long-term strategic goals, set targets, track performance, proactively identify triggers for change, and drive future improvement in performance. A range of indicators was developed to support the ongoing monitoring and evaluation of the company’s social-management plan, including community investment projects, livelihood restoration, reinstatement, and the effectiveness of community engagement within the project area. Introduction Indicators are used to track process and progress, and to determine whether the social component is making a positive difference (maximizing beneficial project effects) or minimizing risk (mitigating or reducing the negative effects of project activities as far as practicable). A monitoring and evaluation system was established as a tool to ensure that the company would achieve the goals and objectives set in its social-management plan and that the project design and criteria were followed, implementation effects occurred as predicted, emerging or unanticipated issues and projects were managed efficiently and effectively, lender and social-performance review requirements were complied with, international best practice was followed, national legislation was adhered to, and human development and capacity building occurred. Project Background A project was launched in August 2005 to design, construct, and operate a liquefied-natural-gas (LNG) plant on the southern coastline of Yemen, with an associated land pipeline to market and export the LNG, as shown in Fig. 1. Primary stake-holders included project-affected people (PAP), local and central government and governmental agencies involved with and exposed to project activities, and project employees. In terms of the LNG project, PAP are defined as communities, households, and individuals who live in close proximity to the project site. There were 22 clearly defined villages within a 5-km corridor on either side of the pipeline right of way and seven in the vicinity of the Balhaf liquefaction plant. Within each of these 29 villages (with their sub-villages), there are highly complex and potentially volatile household and tribal structures based on social, cultural, and religious norms founded in the community over many generations and which determine authority, respect, and status within the community. It is common for many families, relatives, and individuals to reside within a single household in a single village or community. Secondary stakeholders included those who have links (e.g., technical expertise) with primary stakeholders. Secondary stakeholders include nongovernmental organizations, various intermediary or representative organizations, and technical and professional bodies, often representing public interests.

Lessons from Resettlement Caused by Large Dam Projects: Case Studies from Japan, Indonesia and Sri Lanka

This paper examines six case studies of resettlement of villagers covering seven dams, namely the Ikawa Dam, Jintsu Dams and Miyagase Dam in Japan, the Koto Panjang Dam and Bili-Bili Dam in Indonesia, and a final comparative study of the Saguling Dam in Indonesia and the Kotmale Dam in Sri Lanka. The studies underline the need for adequate institutional arrangements that incorporate medium- and long-term perspectives on resettlers' livelihoods, and for the long-term commitment of governments or developers to ensure livelihood restoration. The establishment of a development agency as the authority for regional development in resettlement areas is another approach for dealing with institutional and implementation problems. Finally, the factor of resettlers' emotions must also be considered.

Involuntary Resettlement as an Opportunity for Development: The Case of Urban Resettlers of the Three Gorges Project, China

The restoration of livelihoods in the event of involuntary resettlement is commonly based on providing compensation to those who are displaced. This policy has led to a series of horror stories. For this reason it is proposed that by conducting resettlement as a development project in its own right the performance of resettlements can be improved and the benefits will accrue to the local population. The Three Gorges Project on the Yangtze River is the first project in China in which the policy of resettlement with development was translated into practice. This paper uses the results of a survey of urban resettlers in two counties to demonstrate that development policies have been unevenly applied across the Three Gorges Region and that in some counties the policies have had some success in maintaining and raising the incomes of resettlers. (authors)

The strength of networks: the local NGO response to the tsunami in India

This paper examines the role played by a network of 12 local non-governmental organisations (NGOs)--the East Coast Development Forum (ECDF)-in the response to the Indian Ocean tsunami ('Asian tsunami') of 26 December 2004, which devastated the east coast of India. It examines how the ECDF sought to meet the needs of affected people through a direct relief programme, a rehabilitation programme focused on the restoration of livelihoods, and through advocacy to press for changes to government programmes to make them inclusive and to ensure that they satisfy the priority needs of the people most affected. The paper concludes that it was the trust and capacity built up through past network activities of the fisher, dalit, and tribal communities that enabled the ECDF to launch an effective response to the tsunami. A lesson to emerge is that the use of similar existing networks could be employed in other disaster responses around the world.