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WELCOME TORural Livelihood Systems

B.N. Hiremath

Professor

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INTRODUCTION Who is B.N. Hiremath? What is this course all about?

How do I prepare for the course? Study Groups,

Notes, Other Reading

How am I Evaluated? Quizzes,

Exams, assignments (reading, written)

Grading

Attendance

Others (Ancient Futures, etc.)

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Understanding Livelihoods

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Why all the Noise about SL?

Were getting serious about poverty,

What we have done in the past has not been toosuccessful: a search for something more effective

Initially: direct impact on the poor

Later: a more analytical understanding of thecomplexity of poverty of the factors that affectpoverty

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Defining Poverty

Not just income / GDP

but human development

TIPThink people,

not national statistics

The rich are gettingricher and the poor are

getting poorer

Not just the means to survive

butthe capabilitytothrive

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Not being Poor Means that people . . .

Can sustain the capabilities, assets, and activities

required for a means of living

Have the ability to cope with stresses and shock

And can maintain and enhance those capabilities and

assets

Without undermining the natural resource

base TIPThese are the characteristics

of a Livelihood

(Chambers

& Conway,

1992)

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If we put people at the centre of

development, we need ... To be more holistic- poor people lead complex lives

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

To build on theirinherent potential- rather than what they have not got

T

o considermacro-micro links-because people are affected by policies

To mainstream sustainability- environmental, economic, social, institutional

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And in particular ...

We need to incorporate peoples own definition

of desirable outcomes

Sounds Obvious ?

But its not what weve been doing

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What we did before (1)

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

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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

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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

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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

peoples livelihoods

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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 andsurvive

The policies and institutions that impact on theirlivelihoods

How the poor respond to threats and opportunities

What sort of outcomes the poor aspire to

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Overview

Origins of the livelihoods approach

Definitions Starting points

Households and livelihoods

Assets, activities and capabilities Basic livelihoods conceptual framework

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Origins of the Livelihoods Approach

SL approach draws on aspects of:

Integrated Rural Development Planning during 1970s

Food security initiatives during 1980s RRA and PRA

Farming systems research

Gender analysis

Risk and vulnerability assessment Participatory poverty assessment

Appreciative enquiry

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Whose Livelihoods?

The concept of livelihoods and livelihoodsanalysis is closely associated with povertyreduction strategies

The livelihoods of poor households are thecentral focus

The framework is seldom used to directly

examine the sustainability of the livelihoods ofthe affluent and how this impacts on thelivelihoods of the poor

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Definitions of Livelihoods

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LS Definitions

The Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) providesthe following definition for sustainable livelihoods:

The creation of conditions that are (self-supportive) ofsustainable development in human, natural andeconomic systems, which, whilst safeguardingresources and opportunities for future generations,

provides individuals with means to providethemselves with food, shelter and an acceptablequality of life.....

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LS Definitions ContdThe International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) defines sustainable livelihoods

as being:

"... Concerned with people's capacities to generate and maintain their means of living,enhance their well-being, and that of future generations.

"These capacities are contingent upon the availability and accessibility of options which areecological, socio-cultural, economic, and political and are predicated on equity, ownership ofresources and participatory decision making. The more pragmatic definition below, highlightsthe importance of empowering individuals, achieving independence and dignity in providingfor their basic needs".

"Sustainable livelihood creation basically translates into the creation of livelihoods thatempower individuals to earn enough money to provide for basic amenities such as food,

clothing and shelter. It also enables people to lead a life of dignity in a sustainable manner.

Note: Extracted from IISD's "Adaptive strategies of the poor in arid and semi-arid lands: in searchof sustainable livelihoods" (Singh and Titi, 1994)

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LS Definitions Contd

However, a definition of sustainable

livelihoods should go beyond the basic

requirements for living (food, shelter and

clothing). It is about achieving a quality of life

that is embedded within the rich local cultures

of many communities. The sustainability

debate reminds us that this must be donewithin 'the means of nature'.

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LS Definitions ContdThe United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) differentiates between a job and a livelihood which

are often used interchangeably.

Livelihoods

"A livelihood, on the other hand, is engagement in a number of activities which, at times, neither require a

formal agreement nor are limited to a particular trade. Livelihoods may or may not involve money. Jobsinvariably do. Livelihoods are self-directing. .... . Livelihoods are based on income derived from "jobs", butalso on incomes derived from assets and entitlements.

Jobs

"A job connotes one particular activity or trade that is performed in exchange for payment. It is also aformal agreement, as manifested by a contract, between an employer and employee...... . A job can,however, comprise part of an overall livelihood, but does so only to complement other aspects of alivelihood portfolio.

"a means of living or of supporting life and meeting individual and community needs

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The definition used by the UK's Department of Foreign and InternationalDevelopment (DFID) incorporates these sentiments.

'A livelihood comprises the capabilities, assets (including both material andsocial resources) and activities required for a means of living. A livelihood

is sustainable when it can cope with and recover from stresses and shocksand maintain or enhance its capabilities and assets both now and in thefuture, while not undermining the natural resource base' (Chambers, R. andG. Conway, 1992).

Adapted from Chambers, R. and G. Conway (1992) Sustainable rurallivelihoods: Practical concepts for the 21 st century. IDS Discussion Paper296. Brighton: IDS.

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What is a Sustainable Livelihood?

A livelihood comprises the capabilities, assets(including both material and social resources) andactivities required for a means of living

Households have sustainable livelihoods when theycan cope with and recover from shocks and stressesand can maintain their capabilities and assets withoutundermining the natural resource base

Chambers & Conway and Carney D

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What is a Sustainable Livelihood?

Peoples capacity to generate and maintaintheir means of living, enhance their well-beingand that of future generations. These capacities

are contingent on the availability andaccessibility of options which are ecological,economic, political and which are predicatedon equity, ownership of resources and

participatory decision makingTiti,V and Singh N.

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Defining Livelihoods

Two broad approaches to defining livelihoods

One has a narrowereconomic focus onproduction, employment and household income

The other takes a more holistic view which unitesconcepts of economic development, reducedvulnerability, environmental sustainability whileidentifying and building on the strengths of the

urban and rural poor We will work with the second approach

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Holistic Approach

Itis not nature which divides itself up intophysics, biology, psychology, economics,sociology, etc.itis we who have imposed these

divisions on nature. And these divisionsbecome so ingrainedin our thinking that, thepower of reductionism science aside; itis notsurprising that we findit hard to see the unity

that underlies the divisions.

Checkland (1981)

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Livelihood System: A multidimensional whole embracing allforces and constraints, material and non-material innature that determines a family's existence.

Ruedi Hogger (1994)

Nine-Square Mandala: Is a practical heuristic tool to view thelivelihood system in a multidimensional way that is moreholistic. This nine-fold focus is useful in the approach to

and understanding of the rural livelihood systems fromvarious angles, ranging from the outer (material) to theinner (non-material) realities and from the tradition boundto more future oriented perspectives.

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Starting Points

People are the starting point of development

Households are the primary unit of analysis

Analyse peoples livelihoods and how they have

changed over time Assess the range of factors in external environmentwhich impact positively or negatively on peopleslivelihoods

Strengthen household livelihood security by building

on the material assets, human and social resourcesand coping strategies that people have developed, andreducing risk

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The SL Framework: Where are the Poor?

Policies

Institutions

Processes

NS

FP

H

Vulnerabilit

yContext

Shocks

Seasonality

Trends

Changes

influenceLivelihood

StrategiesLivelihood

Outcomes

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Core concepts

Households come in different shapes and sizes

Households depend on multiple livelihoods strategies

Household drawon assets ofdifferent types

Household havevaryingcapabilities

Households

carry outdifferentlivelihoodactivities

Material assets,social assets andentitlements

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Inside the household

Households come in different shapes and sizes Extended, intergenerational, single headed etc

Households are stratified Some households have greater access to assets, more

diversified livelihood activities, more capabilities morepower Livelihood strategies of some may undermine livelihoods

of others

Internally differentiated Gender divisions of labour and power result in unequal

access to household resources and related decision making Households operate in a vulnerability context A range of factors determine exposure to hazards and risk

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Assets

Human and social resources Institutional and political resources

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Financial and economicresources Physical resources

Natural ecological resources

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Household activities

Household activities fall into three types

differentiated by gender and age

Activities that maintain and reproduce the

household childcare, domestic tasks of many

different types.

A range of different productive activities

Activities where household members contributecommunity processes

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Productive

Activities

Formal employment Casual work Grey economy

Buying and sellingLocal

construction/self build

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Taxi, transport

Homestead productionLivestockand cropsNatural resource use

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Capabilities

Literacy, education Technical skills

Entrepreneurial skillsHomestead skills

Agricultural skills

Health

Labour

Environmental knowledge

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Householdlivelihoods incontext

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Expanding the asset base

Enhancing thesustainability

of all 5 assets

Human

Capital

Natural

Capital

Physical

Capital

Social

Capital

Financial

Capital

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A

nA

lternative SustainableLivelihoods Framework

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Key issues in the SL framework 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

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Placing the poor firmly at the centre Identifying key processes that define who the

poor are and how they relate to everything elsein the framework. This emphasises the

importance of thorough stakeholder analysis as astarting point for SL analysis.

Key processes include gender, age, class or caste,ethnic group, and ability (the poorest are oftenfound among the physically or mentally less able,or among those suffering from chronic illnesses)

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Focusing on the Poor

TheThePoorPoor

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LivelihoodAssets

4. Financial 2.Physical

3. Natural

5. Social 1.Human

6. Personal

TheThePoorPoor

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1. Human Assets

Health

Nutrition

Education

Knowledge and skills (including traditionalor indigenous knowledge)

Capacity to work

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2. Physical Assets

Infrastructure

transport - roads, vehicles, etc. secure shelter& buildings

watersupply & sanitation

energy communications

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Physical Assets contd

Tools and technology

Toolsand equipment forproduction

Seed, fertiliser,pesticides

Traditional technology

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3. Natural Assets

Landandproduce

Water& aquatic resources

Treesand forestproducts Wildlife

Wild foods & fibres

Biodiversity Environmental services

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4. Financial Assets

Savings

Credit/debt - formal, informal

Remittances

Pensions

Wages

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5. Social Assets

y Networks

y Membershipofgroups

y Relationshipsoftrust

y Accesstowider institutionsofsociety

uponwhich people draw inpursuitof livelihoods.

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6. Personal assets

Includes:

Peoples perceptions of themselves

Motivations

Self-esteem

Self-confidence

Emotional well-being

Spritiual dimensions

Peoples capacity, and will, to assert

themselves and claim their rights (linkingwith social assets, in the form of

mechanisms of representation and political

action).

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The Asset MixDifferent households have differentaccessto

livelihood assets

Livelihoodsaffected by:

D

iversity ofassets amountofassets

balance betweenassets

Livelihoodassetsare tradableand exchangeable

natural assets can be converted into financial assets,social assets can helptosupportpersonal assets,

strong humanassets can contribute tostrongersocial

assets, etc.

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Unpacking Policies andInstitutions

EnablingAgencies(Policy

Makers)

Serviceproviders

Financial Physical

Natural

Social

Human

Personal

TheThePoorPoor

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This hubmodel encourages ustoask questionsaboutthe relationships betweenthe

key actors:

Howdoenabling agencies (policy makers) interactwith service providers

isthe relationshipacontract ,whatmeasurement andsupervision is

there,whatare the interests involved,whatare the incentives governing

thisrelationship enablingagencies, howdoresources flowandwhomakes

decisionsaboutthem

Howdoservice providers relate totheirclientsorusers, includingthe

poor isthere any contract involved,whatmechanismsare there for

accountability,do clients have accesstolegal redress, howmuch do users

participate indeterminingthe typesofservicesthatare made available to

them

Howdoenabling agencies andclients or users interact isthere

representation, isthere accountability andtransparency,does

knowledge andinformation aboutthe poorandthe conditionsthey face get

topolicy makers, howdoesthe policy process reflectthe interestsof users,

howdecentralised are decisionandpolicy-makingprocesses

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Unpacking Processes

Enablingagencies

Serviceproviders

FinancialPhysical

Natural

Social

Human

Personal

TheThe

PoorPoor

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Key processes and power relations

(gender, age, caste/class, ethnic group)

Introducingotherkey processesandmore

normative, less tangible institutions

Mediatorsofrelations between enablingagencies,service providersand users (andthe

pooras users)

Highlighting importance ofmarkets mostserviceprovidersare usually provate sector. How isthe

private sectorarticulated,whatrulesgovern it,

whosetsthe rules, howare they enforced


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(gender, age, caste/class, ethnic group)

Culture is liable toplay a critical role indefiningthe rulesofthe game

attitudesto legal process,money,property,the distributionofpower,

the rolesofgender/age/class/ethnic group/ability inaffectingpeoples

accesstoservicesandtothe policy processandthe social normsor

customsthatare commonthroughoutsociety orforparticulargroups

withinsociety

Rights whatrightsare recognised,towhat extentare universal

humanrightsrecognisedorunderwritten,who checksonthese.

Specifically recognising politics representation,powerrelations,

rights,andpolitical processesthat influence strongly the relations

between enablingagencies,service providersand users.

Emphasising enabling (orhindering)role ofpolicy

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Unpacking the Policies, Institutions and Processes

(PIP) box into Practical Elements

Incorporating

enablingagencies macro,policy,national/state level

service delivery agencies meso, implementation,state/district/locallevel

Focussingonrelationships betweenagencies (not juststructuresand

functions)

Incorporatesthe ideaof governance apolitical concept, involving

settingthe rules forthe exercise ofpowerandresolving conflictsover

those rules

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An Envelope ofAction

Enablingagencies

Serviceproviders

FinancialPhysical

Natural

Social

Human

Personal

TheThe

PoorPoor

Th i t ti f th l t d fi

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The interactionofthese elementsdefinesan

envelope ofopportunity forthe poor

The actionof enablingagenciesandservice

providers can helptomake that envelope

biggerorsmaller

The influence ofmarkets,politics, culture and

rightsalsoof central importance

These are all areasthat can be addressed

some are more difficultthanothers

St E l P l L V bl

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Strong Envelope People Less Vunerable

Enablingagencies

Serviceproviders

FinancialPhysical

Natural

Social

Human

Personal

TheThe

PoorPoor

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Weak Envelope People More Vulnerable

Enabling

agencies

Serviceproviders

FinancialPhysical

Natural

SocialHuman

Personal

TheThePoorPoor

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If this envelope is strong and therelationships within it work well, vulnerabilityfactors - which you cant do anything about can

be kept at bay or people can be helped to dealwith them better

Vulnerability is all-embracing effectingeverything inside it:

the poor the assets they use the agencies they deal with their relationships between those

agencies and the poor the ways that processes influence those

relationships

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The Vulnerability Context

Shocks

Floods, droughts, cyclones

Deaths in the family

Violence or civil unrest Seasonality

Trends and changes

Population

Environmental changeTechnology

Global markets and trade

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Enablingagencies

Serviceproviders

FinancialPhysical

Natural

Social Human

Personal

TheThePoorPoor

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Uses

Aguide for people in the analysis ofdevelopmentpractice and issues

Encourages discussion andprobing

Not necessarily easier to explain but more complete

Specifically identifies many features politics, rules,socialnorms, gender/age/class/ethnic issues that willhelp make it more culture specific

Stillnot a magic bullet!

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AdvantagesA

ddresses some of the grey areas identifiedregarding SL

Places the poor firmly at the centre makes people visible

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

Unpacks the PIP box more specific regarding keyinstitutions andprocesses andprovides a more practicalapproach to analysing institutional andpolicy issues

Incorporates politicaldimension more explicitly

Helps understand entry points based on opportunities andaspirations, possible at different levels (identifying them stilldepends ongood analysis)

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LS Definition

Livelihood System: A multidimensional whole

embracing all forces and constraints, material (outerrealities) and non-material (inner realities) in nature

that determines a family's existence.

RuediHogger (1994)

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Universal Model: Completeness and

InnerC

oherence of the Universe

4 9 2

3 5 7

8 1 6

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The RLS Mandala: Is a practical heuristictool to view the livelihood system in amultidimensional way that is more holistic.

This nine-fold focus is useful in the approachto and understanding of the rural livelihoodsystems from various angles, ranging fromthe outer (material) to the inner (non-

material) realities and from the traditionbound to more future oriented perspectives.

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RLS MANDALA9. Individual Orientation

Visions, Hopes

Aspirations

Fears

Self-image

Gurus models

8. Family Orientation

Ancestors

Caste, social status

Aspirations to education, leadership,

jobs

Aspirations to power,

wealth, social mobility

7. Collective Orientation

Subsistence agriculture

Food security

Religion, tradition, values

State laws, Common property

resources

World views, ideology

6. InnerHuman Space

Integrity, identity

Awareness, Selfishness

compassion

People orientation

Curiosity, courage

5. Family Space

Gender relations

Nutrition distribution

Health, family planning

Work distribution

Solidarity

4. Socio-economic Space

Production relations

Patterns of cooperation

Community organisations

Factor and goods markets

Intermediation processes

3. Emotional Base

Memories

Attachments

Feelings, Anxieties

Boredom, Idealism

2. Knowledge-Activity Base

Technical skills, Experience

Agricultural patterns

Traditional knowledge

Labour, crafts, services

Modern professions

Physical Base

Natural habitat Natural resource base

Animals- population-trees

Distribution of wealth

Accumulation of wealth

1. SLA

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