Sustainable Livelihood Outcomes Research Articles

Enabling pathways for sustainable livelihoods in planned relocation

The planned relocation of entire communities to less hazard-exposed destinations is an increasingly salient climate change adaptation strategy but often results in maladaptive livelihood outcomes. There needs to be understanding of how planning decisions affect outcomes—relocated people’s access to sustainable livelihoods, including physical, economic, natural, human, social and cultural assets. Here, drawing on data from 14 completed flood-related relocation cases, we use fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis and find that planning decisions, alone and taken together, contributed to sustainable livelihood outcomes. Relocation processes initiated and driven by community members had better outcomes than government-driven processes, adding a global comparative perspective to prior findings. Speed and transfer dynamics were also critical, with different implications for small and large communities. As a result, multiple pathways of planning decisions can lead to better outcomes, highlighting potential entry points for policy to promote more sustainable and people-centred planned relocation.

The Succession of Farmers’ Perceptions of Transitioning Landscapes – A Case Study of Agroforestry in the Middle Hills of Nepal

Out-migration from small-scale agricultural holdings in Nepal’s middle hills is resulting in forest succession on abandoned land. Such early landscape transitions are often guided by policy to maintain a productivist path. However, farming households in rural Nepal are themselves transitioning from their dependence and attachment to the land. The walk and talk methodology was selected to follow up socioecological surveys with farmers in the middle hills to understand perceptions of forest succession on abandoned agricultural land. This participatory research methodology engages people in their own socio-ecological context – with farmers leading researchers along paths that advances dialogue over the course of the interview. Based on analysis of the discussions and observations of attitudes, perceptions of changing landuse and benefits associated with forest succession evolved with time since land abandonment. Early stage perceptions that focused on the loss of previously productive land developed over time to include attitudes of tolerance, acceptance and even commendation of the rewards gained from tree resources. The results infer that adaptation to the changing landscape is a continuous process that requires reflexive policies and supporting institutions that enable stages of adjustment during transition. Transition management that anticipates actors’ concerns from the outset could assist transformation of agricultural landscapes and improve resilience in the socio-ecological system for sustainable livelihood outcomes. Opportunities within each stage of transition, which include the promotion of successional agroforestry systems, require different forms of support as farmers adapt their outlooks to alternative landscapes and livelihoods that can create resilience through diversity.

'Glocalizing' land-use and forest governance in the tropics: examining research partnerships and international forest policies affecting Brazil, DRC and Indonesia.

Background: International and market forces are key drivers of deforestation and forest degradation, with transnational and market-based solutions in land-use and forest governance often missing economic, distributive, and environmental targets. Methods: This paper tackles both the framing and effectiveness of transnational initiatives affecting forest lands and peoples in the Global South, and the quality of relationships between institutions in the Global North and the Global South. Through more equitable research partnerships, this paper draws lessons from case studies in Indonesia (legality verification system in different forest property regimes), the Democratic Republic of the Congo (lifting of a moratorium on new logging concession), and Brazil (FSC in the Amazon region and the Amazon Fund). Results: International partnerships have privileged market-based instruments and commodity exchange between Global South and Global North countries, and the benefits of such mechanisms are unevenly distributed. Complementary and alternative policy instruments are discussed for each geography. Conclusions: Glocalizing land-use and forest governance implies in advancing equitable research partnerships between institutions in the Global South and Global North, and strengthening a community of practice for critical enquiry and engagement in partnerships for sustainable development. Land-use, climate and forest governance mechanisms must redress power dynamics, and partnership models, and commit to improving well-being and sustainable livelihood outcomes.

Fostering resilience and sustainable livelihood outcomes among peasant women: the case of the RING project in East Gonja municipality of Ghana

Fostering resilience and sustainable livelihood outcomes among peasant women: the case of the RING project in East Gonja municipality of Ghana

Relationship between Livelihood Coping Strategies and Livelihood Outcomes for Smallholder Farmers in the Bawku District of Northern Ghana

This research paper is a result of a study that analysed the relationship between livelihood coping strategies and livelihood outcomes for smallholder farmers in Bawku East District of Northern Ghana. The descriptive research design was chosen to permit obtaining and describing of information concerning the land acquisition structures/processes; the available livelihood assets, how these could be transformed through innovative livelihood coping strategies towards achieving sustainable livelihood outcomes for the rural dwellers who lost land in the Bawku East District of northern Ghana. The correlational design was utilised to permit investigation of the relationship between land acquisition and livelihood outcomes among smallholder farmers in Bawku East District of northern Ghana. 400 individuals participated in the study in four villages in Bawku District. The villages were selected because they had been affected by large scale land acquisitions for community development projects. The study found out that the nature of land acquisition process is not modelled to improve livelihood coping strategies adaptation among the farmers in Bawku East District; that non-agricultural specialization is key to better livelihood outcomes due to consequences that come along with land acquisition. The adaptation of better land acquisition structures through non-agricultural diversification approaches is desirable for good livelihood outcomes; but its aftermath is associated with land conflicts in the Bawku East District. The use of family heads, traditional chiefs, and law courts for settlement of conflicts are essential in resolving land conflicts in Bawku East District.

Diversity and Diversification: Ecosystem Services Derived From Underutilized Crops and Their Co-benefits for Sustainable Agricultural Landscapes and Resilient Food Systems in Africa.

There are growing calls to adopt more sustainable forms of agriculture that balance the need to increase production with environmental, human health, and wellbeing concerns. Part of this conversation has included a debate on promoting and mainstreaming neglected and underutilized crop species (NUS) because they represent a more ecologically friendly type of agriculture. We conducted a systematic review to determine the ecosystem services derived from NUS and assess their potential to promote functional ecological diversity, food and nutritional security, and transition to more equitable, inclusive, sustainable and resilient agricultural landscapes and food systems in Africa. Our literature search yielded 35 articles for further analysis. The review showed that NUS provide various provisioning, regulating, cultural, and supporting ecosystem services and several environmental and health co-benefits, dietary diversity, income, sustainable livelihood outcomes, and economic empowerment, especially for women. Importantly, NUS address the three pillars of sustainable development-ecological, social, and economic. Thus, NUS may provide a sustainable, fit-for-purpose transformative ecosystem-based adaptation solution for Africa to transition to more sustainable, healthy, equitable, and resilient agricultural landscapes and food systems.

Sustainable livelihood outcomes, causal mechanisms and indicators self-determined by Thai farmers producing bioethanol feedstocks

Sustaining the growth of Thailand's bioethanol industry depends markedly on security of feedstock supplies. However, being exposed to crises may impact livelihoods of farmers and discourage them from farming the energy crops. Farmer livelihood sustainability may need to be assessed and monitored. This study was carried out to propose sustainable livelihood outcomes and indicators, and determine causal mechanisms to achieve such outcomes. The UNDP's sustainable livelihood framework was applied. A novel method of data collection, Participatory Process Tracing (PPT) was introduced through which farmers were able to identify achieved sustainable livelihood outcomes and indicators, and causal mechanisms to achieve the outcomes. A variety of sustainable livelihood outcomes primarily related to natural resources, sufficiency of food and income, and social inclusion were encountered by the group farmers. On the other hand, rice growing activity indicated that the solitary farmers were either achieving a single sustainable livelihood outcome of ‘own food production’ or not achieving any outcome at all. The results indicate that group formation is key to enhance farmer livelihood sustainability. There were 10 sustainable livelihood outcomes and 22 indicators proposed and agreed by all farmers for determination of livelihood sustainability. They were proved to be suitable and applicable to Thailand's context. The creation of a livelihood sustainability index based on these sustainable livelihood outcomes and indicators should be encouraged. Nevertheless, the results are sufficiently useful for stakeholders in understanding farmer livelihood outcomes, paths, interconnection and complexity; this can enable policymakers to formulate effective policies and programs.

Influence of Enterprise Strategy Typologies on Youth Livelihood Outcomes in Kenya

Youth unemployment and underemployment are grave social issues prevalent in developing countries. Ensuring that youth attain productive ends or sustainable livelihood outcomes is a major concern of many governments, organisations and institutions globally. The purpose of the study was to determine the influence of enterprise strategy typologies on youth livelihood outcomes in Kamukunji Sub-County, Nairobi County, Kenya. Anchored on Department for International Development livelihoods framework and the General Systems Theory, the study applied a cross-sectional survey research design to gather data from 201 youth from registered youth groups. Analysis was conducted using descriptive frequencies and inferential statistics, namely Chi-square, Z statistic and Ordered Logistic Regression. Findings from inferential statistics established that regardless of the livelihood strategy typology youth adopted (business, wage employment, homemaking, arts & talents and agriculture-based), the livelihood outcomes did not differ significantly. As a group, livelihood strategy typology did not jointly determine youth livelihood outcomes. However, specific enterprise strategies whose parameters attained statistical significance were: wage employment (β = 0.74, p < 0.05) and arts/talent (β = 0.26, p < 0.05) which were important in predicting the level of YLO level. The study recommends that State and Non-State actors should implement elaborate and expansive business incubation and mentorship programs for youth. To improve livelihood outcomes for all youth, development agencies should ensure that youth-focused interventions target all typologies of enterprise strategies undertaken by the youth.

Impact of farmers’ participation in tourism on sustainable livelihood outcomes in border tourism areas

Tourism, as a new way of industrial poverty alleviation, is of great significance to poverty reduction in border areas. This research takes the Sino–Vietnamese border tourism area as a case study and introduces a sustainable livelihood analysis framework. It collects questionnaire data from Napo County of Guangxi and uses structural equation modeling to analyze the behavioral intention of farmers still willing to participate in tourism after overcoming poverty. Results indicate that (1) participation motivation, participation opportunity, and participation ability had significant positive effects on farmers’ involvement level; (2) farmers’ economic, social, cultural, political, and environmental outcome perceptions had significant effects on their sustainable livelihood outcome perception; (3) farmers’ involvement level had a significant positive effect on their sustainable livelihood outcome perception; (4) the positive effect of the involvement level on behavioral intention failed to pass the significance test; and (5) farmers’ sustainable livelihood outcome perception had a significant positive impact on behavioral intention. Therefore, farmers’ involvement in poverty alleviation through tourism is a complex process of behavior and psychological perceptions.

Sustainable livelihoods from tourism in the “10 New Balis” in Indonesia

ABSTRACT The “10 New Balis” aims to duplicate the economic effects of tourism in Bali to 10 new tourism destinations in Indonesia. Group interviews were conducted with Indonesian tourism stakeholders (N = 22) to investigate aspirations, deficits and tensions in these destinations. Findings show that human capital development in regional areas is needed to avoid tensions from top-down, elite-led development, as well as training to achieve sustainable livelihood outcomes. Tourism infrastructure is also needed to support tourism development, but this needs to be balanced by the associated impacts. A framework is put forward for Indonesia’s tourism potential or threat to sustainability.

Social and cultural capitals in tourism resource governance: the essential lenses for community focussed co-management

This paper investigates the relative importance of social and cultural capitals in (re)shaping a tourism resource governance approach for supporting sustainable livelihood outcomes. We apply a ‘Capitals Co-management for Sustainable Livelihood Framework (CCSLF)’ in a remote case study setting of Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT), Bangladesh. Within this setting, culturally distant communities living within an environment of historical political distrust provide a highly nuanced context to our investigation. Based on data collected through multiple qualitative methods, we found that power structures and politics play the central role in resource allocation, and thereby hindering community involvement in the decision-making processes. As an engagement mechanism, bridging social capital can play a significant role in facilitating the establishment of co-management structures, through which the community can exercise greater say over the deployment of common property or community resources in tourism development. For a tourism destination comprised of diverse social groups and associated cultural capitals, a co-management structure is seen as having its best application at micro- or local community-levels. This investigation challenges destination area planners to explore the various dimensions of social and cultural capitals to support (community) tourism development.

Critical linkages: Poverty, Livelihoods, Institutions, and Community Development in Poverty Reduction

Currently, sustainable livelihood approach has been getting attention than conventional approach for poverty minimization for the reason that conventional approach considered as narrow focused. The sustainable livelihood approach is framed in complex manner subsumed different dimensions and elements where poverty, livelihoods, institutions, and community are the critical. Thus, this papers aims to examine the critical linkages among between poverty, livelihoods, institutions, and community development in context of sustainable livelihoods framework. To address the objective of study, descriptive research design and qualitative research approach applied. The study demonstrates that poverty, livelihoods, institutions, and community development are influencing one another, but institutions either formal or informal are vital because they influences directly or indirectly access to livelihood resources, community development, livelihood strategy, and, in due course, the scope for sustainable livelihood outcomes. Keywords: Poverty; livelihood; institutions; community development; sustainable livelihood approach DOI: 10.7176/PPAR/10-6-02 Publication date: June 30th 2020

Livelihood Outcomes of Informal Cross Border Traders Prior to the Rise of the Virtual Cash Economy in Gweru, Zimbabwe

ABSTRACT Informal cross border trade (ICBT) is a viable economic activity that many people in Zimbabwe depend upon for their survival during times of economic hardship. The research examined the livelihood outcomes of ICBT during the multi-currency era and prior to the extensive use of the virtual cash economy in Zimbabwe. Data collection instruments comprised closed and open-ended questionnaires, focus group discussions and semi-structured interviews with 497 traders at flea markets in Gweru, Zimbabwe. Results revealed that during the cash economy, ICBT generated livelihood outcomes through the exchange of cash, allowing traders to acquire land and goods and to provide employment. The study recommended the simultaneous use of the virtual cash economy and a cash economy to provide sustainable livelihood outcomes for all stakeholders. In addition, it is recommended that the government of Zimbabwe should integrate ICBT into the mainstream economy by formalization through economic policy.

The nexus of climate change, sustainable agriculture and farm livelihood: contextualizing climate smart agriculture

Climate change is an inherent and indispensable component of global development and deliberations on food security and sustainable farm livelihoods. This article attempts to highlight the key issues with regards to climate change, and propounds an approach to upscale holistic and appropriate Climate Smart Agriculture (CSA). The review addresses the climate change impact on, and intricacies of, farm livelihoods, vulnerability and adaptation strategies. Preordained holistic strategies such as CSA can curtail widespread detrimental effects of climate change on farm households, farm productivity and farm profitability through adaptation strategies. Consequently, the agricultural sector of developing countries like India is being restructured, reformed and realigned to contextualize the climate change-sustainable agriculture-farm livelihood nexus. Our exhaustive literature review exhorts a framework of how various types of CSA interventions (scientific technologies, indigenous technical knowledge, institutional innovations and information and communication technologies) can help to promote sustainable livelihood outcomes. The implementation of this approach is driven by the livelihood status of various strata of farmers, along with their vulnerability profile, resilience capacity and climate knowledge with regards to contrasting rationales of climatic vagaries. Climate change is a global process with local visibility; in countries that are dependent on an agrarian economy, a balanced mix of adaptation mechanisms to de-risk the vulnerable farm livelihoods and re-route them towards smart interventions can be important for climate-proofing agriculture. The above mentioned framework provides a robust future course of action for circumventing adverse climatic impacts.

Resilience Thinking and Strategies to Reclaim Sustainable Rural Livelihoods: Cascade Tank-Village System (CTVS) in Sri Lanka

Cascading Tank Village Systems (CTVSs) of Sri Lanka historically provided a resilient community-based social-ecological water management system in the rural dry zone of Sri Lanka After being abandoned for many centuries, their restoration is now being pursued by different national and international actors as a key to climate change mitigation and sustainable livelihoods for communities. Rural livelihoods in the dry zone are at risk due to multiple factors, poor access and management of water, economic and health pressures, as well as resource limitations and degradation. Despite recent efforts to restore CTVS systems, no social-ecological approach (SES) nor a sustainable livelihoods framework (SLF)-focused approach to ensuring resilient and sustainable livelihood outcomes has been taken. As part of an on-going PhD project, this paper analyses the background, current challenges and potential for an SES focused resilience thinking approach to CTVS for future sustainable livelihood opportunities and outcomes. The study finds CTVS exhibit all the properties of a complex adaptive SES and that a resilience thinking approach centred on achieving sustainable livelihood outcomes for communities suggests deep institutional changes are needed. CTVS are at a crossroads between restoring the past (system adaptability) or transforming for the future, and a combination of legacy and future market orientation seems the best solution.

Critical Linkages: Poverty, Livelihoods, Institutions, and Community Development in Poverty Reduction

Currently, sustainable livelihood approach has been getting attention than conventional approach for poverty minimization for the reason that conventional approach considered as narrow focused. The sustainable livelihood approach is framed in complex manner subsumed different dimensions and elements where poverty, livelihoods, institutions, and community are the critical. Thus, this papers aims to examine the critical linkages among between poverty, livelihoods, institutions, and community development in context of sustainable livelihoods framework. To address the objective of study, descriptive research design and qualitative research approach applied. The study demonstrates that poverty, livelihoods, institutions, and community development are influencing one another, but institutions either formal or informal are vital because they influences directly or indirectly access to livelihood resources, community development, livelihood strategy, and, in due course, the scope for sustainable livelihood outcomes. Keywords: Poverty; livelihood; institutions; community development; sustainable livelihood approach DOI: 10.7176/PPAR/10-6-02 Publication date: June 30th 2020

Co-management of Capitals for Community Wellbeing and Sustainable Tourism Development: A Conceptual Framework

ABSTRACTA broader view of sustainable tourism development is becoming increasingly apparent, in which the discourse of sustainability has been extended to include notions of tourism/community capitals, sustainable livelihoods, quality of life (QoL) and community wellbeing. This research note employs a qualitative literature review approach to set out a conceptual framework by revisiting the existing Sustainable Livelihood Framework for Tourism (SLFT). The framework contributes to the existing sustainable tourism development and/or destination development literature by introducing “co-management” as a balanced decision-making tool (representing transforming structures and processes) for destination resources (being referred as capitals). In so doing, the governance aspects of tourism destination resources are underpinned with a view to generating sustainable livelihood outcomes. From an operational perspective, the framework allows policy makers to think of alternative structures at destination level to create sustainable livelihood impacts and thereby facilitate sustainable development of tourism.

Land versus livelihoods: Community perspectives on dispossession and marginalization in Ghana's mining sector

Globally, land has significant socio-economic value since it is a major source of livelihood for people who use it for farming. Yet, mineral mining is reducing people's access to their land. This paper employs the global land grabbing literature to examine the political economy of land dispossession in Ghana's mining sector, with a focus on the activities of two multinational companies. The argument is that is that the dispossession that occurs due to the proliferation of mineral extraction undermines the potential contribution of mining to sustainable livelihood outcomes for people in host communities. To augment this argument, the paper draws upon primary data gathered using two methods namely, semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions in addition to a plethora of secondary sources, on the community perspectives on dispossession and marginalization relative to land and livelihoods in Ghana's mining sector. Drawing upon such data, the paper also underscores the intersections of place (global and local) and agency (domestic and foreign) with the overall objective of using the case of Ghana to underscore how land dispossession remains an important driver of social injustice, marginalization, and poor livelihoods in mining communities.

Fisher communities in transition: understanding change from a livelihood perspective in Chilika Lagoon, India

The sustainable livelihood framework is a widely used approach to analyze changes in rural livelihoods, especially in resource dependent communities. The framework emphasizes that given a certain situation where the livelihood context, resources and institutions remain favourable, livelihood strategies carried out by people could possibly lead to two different outcomes. One, the results of livelihood strategies will produce sustainable outcomes providing affected households respite from the impacts of livelihood loss. Two, there is a possibility that resulting outcomes may not be sufficient to reverse livelihood crisis and may not necessarily result in sustainable livelihood because of the complexities, uncertainties and multilevel drivers associated with it. This paper aims to evaluate both these possibilities through use of empirical data to clarify factors and conditions that may impede sustainable livelihood outcomes despite well planned strategies. It highlights that availability of more resources (or capitals) do not necessarily contribute to more robust livelihood strategies or outcomes. Using the case of small scale fishery-based livelihood system of Chilika Lagoon, Bay of Bengal in the East coast of India, this paper suggests that the relationship between livelihood shocks and stresses, capitals, institutions and livelihood strategies is circular and not linear.Extensive household and village level survey data are used to examine the processes of social-ecological change in Chilika from a livelihood perspective. It describes how through changes in context, resources and institutions, fishers in Chilika responded to the livelihood crisis, and how various strategies were used. It further examines the extent to which the outcomes of the strategies contributed to making fisher livelihoods sustainable. Conclusions drawn suggest that the outcomes of the livelihood crisis and responses from Chilika fishers have resulted in higher levels of their disconnection from the Lagoon and their marginalization. The multiplicity of ways through which fishers in Chilika perceive their livelihood suggest that livelihood in resource dependent communities, such as Chilika small-scale fisheries, is multidimensional and far more complex and dynamic than often perceived. Further innovations in approaches and tools will help better understand livelihood challenges and make related outcomes sustainable.

Impact of Industry on Livelihood of Surrounding Rural Areas-A Review of Some Evidences

This paper tries to explore the relation between industry and livelihood of surrounding rural areas. In many literatures, so far reviewed; a mixed impact of industrialization on different livelihood assets, viz., financial capital, physical capital, natural capital, human capital and social capital is observed. Further, these assets have also been found interlinked. Achievements in one livelihood asset due to industrialization affect the other components of livelihood assets, positively or adversely. Due to such linkages amongst the livelihood assets, achieving sustainable livelihood outcomes from industrial development is a challenge.