A livelihoods study of farmers and fishers in Dang Tong Village Kampong Chhnang Province

This is the report of a livelihoods study team working together with villagers from Dang Tong Village in Kampong Chhnang Province, Cambodia. The study of the livelihoods of farmers and fishers is based on information provided by the villagers of Dang Tong, who shared their knowledge and raised real problems related to their livelihoods. [PDF contains 37 pages.

Yemaya, No. 43, July 2013

South Africa- Shifting livelihoods, Viet Nam-Strengthening livelihoods, Chile - gains and challenges, Uganda- making changes possible, Maritza Mena from Costa Rica, Ground-breaking gender indicators, You tube resource

A livelihoods study of fishers and farmers in Thai Nguyen Province

This is the report of a livelihoods study team working together with members of two communes in Quang Tri Province, Vietnam. The study is based on information provided by the commune members, who shared their knowledge and spoke about real problems they face with their livelihoods. The study was conducted from 10-30 October 2001. The team worked with key informants in two communes, Dan Tien in Vo Nhia District and Phuong Tien in Dinh Hoa District, who participated in discussions and represented households in the commune. The livelihoods studies in Dan Tien and Phuong Tien communes explored existing human, labor and natural resources as well as other factors affecting people’s livelihoods. (PDF contains 32 pages

STREAM Journal, Vol. 2, No. 2, pp 1-19. April-June 2003

CONTENTS: Livelihoods and languages: a SPARK-STREAM learning and communications process, by Kath Copley and William Savage. Towards broader contextual understandings of livelihoods, by Elizabeth M. Gonzales, Nguyen Song Ha, Rubu Mukherjee, Nilkanth Pokhrel and Sem Viryak. Using tools to build shared understandings, using a sustainable livelihoods framework to learn, by Nuchjaree Langkulsane. Learning about rattan as a livelihood, by Mariel de Jesus and Christine Bantug. Meanings of “community-managed area,” by Arif Aliadi. Lessons learnt about processes for learning and communicating, by Graham Haylor and Ronet Santos

Shifting cultivation, livelihoods and change : a study of agricultural decisions in Xieng Ngeun District, Lao PDR : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Philosophy in Development Studies at Massey University

Shifting cultivation has long provided a livelihood for upland farmers in the tropics. However, recent years have seen increasing political, environmental and economic pressure on these farming systems and those who practice them. In the Lao PDR, shifting cultivation is a priority development issue; government policy is to replace it with sedentary forms of agriculture by the year 2010. Alternatives to existing practices are being researched and extended to farmers through both the public and private sector, and farmers are faced with an increasing range of choices for their livelihoods, which remain largely agriculturally-based. Their responses to these new opportunities, and their ability to take advantage of them, will be important to the sustainability of their livelihoods into the future. Recognising that agricultural changes take place in the context of people's livelihoods, this thesis applies a livelihoods approach to the study of household agricultural decisions in the Lao PDR. It investigates farmer responses to introduced forage technologies for the intensification of livestock production in four upland villages of Xieng Ngeun District, in order to explore the relationship between livelihoods and change. Many aspects of people's livelihoods are found to shape their decisions. In particular, access to resources can be important in the ability to take advantage of opportunities. Activities such as livestock raising require an initial cash investment that may preclude poorer households from specialising in them; thus these households are less able to benefit from livestock-related technologies. Households' existing livelihood strategies and the resulting livelihood outcomes also influence their ability and desire to intensify livestock production through managed forages. The wider context within which livelihoods are constructed may both facilitate and constrain change in a particular direction. In addition to those issues commonly identified in livelihoods frameworks, other factors also need to be considered. The importance of farmer perceptions in particular is highlighted and it is suggested that this, along with the characteristics of the technology itself in relation to people's livelihood situation, be included in the framework for application to the study of agricultural change. Finally, the thesis finds the livelihoods approach to be a useful and practical way of focusing attention on issues at the local level and placing rural people at the centre of development-related analysis

Fisheries Stakeholders and Their Livelihoods in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry

Fisheries Management for Sustainable Livelihoods (FIMSUL), is a project implemented by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) with the Government of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry in India under the World Bank Trust Fund. The project aims at establishing frameworks, processes and building capacities of various stakeholders especially the Government, to facilitate the planning, design and implementation of appropriate fisheries development and management policies. The project includes a series of stakeholder consultations and consensus building apart from detailed review and analysis in the areas of stakeholders, livelihoods, policy, legal and institutional frame work and fisheries management. Based on this, the project comes up with various options. Stakeholder and livelihoods analysis is an essential part of the project. Hence, the team developed a detailed methodology for stakeholder consultations which includes district level stake holder consultation, focus group discussions, household interviews and validation meetings. The stakeholder and livelihoods analysis following the above steps were done through six NGO partners working along the coast of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry who were initially trained on the methodology. The NGO partners : PLANT, GUIDE, FERAL, SIFFS, DHAN Foundation and TMSSS, especially a team of dedicated staff engaged by them had done an excellent work in completing comprehensive field exercises and bringing out 12 district/regional reports. These are published separately. This report is a compilation, and complete analysis of the stakeholders and livelihoods based on all the field level consultations.This report is expected to be an important reference to primary stakeholders' perspective of the important stakeholders in the sector, the livelihoods and livelihoods changes, the adaptive and coping mechanism, the relationships between the stakeholders and their hopes and aspirations. For any development intervention for any sector or stakeholder group, region-wise in marine fisheries in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, the information from this report could be an important starting point

The Sustainable Livelihoods Approach

{Excerpt} The sustainable livelihoods approach improves understanding ofthe livelihoods of the poor. It organizes the factors that constrain or enhance livelihood opportunities, and shows how they relate. It can help plan development activities and assess the contribution that existing activities have made to sustaining livelihoods. The sustainable livelihoods approach facilitates the identification of practical priorities for actions that are based on the views and interests of those concerned but they are not a panacea. It does not replace other tools, such as participatory development, sector-wide approaches, or integrated rural development. However, it makes the connection between people and the overall enabling environment that influences the outcomes of livelihood strategies. It brings attention to bear on the inherent potential of people in terms of their skills, social networks, access to physical and financial resources, and ability to influence core institutions

The spatial construction of young people's livelihoods in rural southern Africa

Young people in southern Africa, in common with young people around the world, are social agents, constructing their own lives, albeit within significant structural constraints. Unlike young people in some regions, for most the need to generate a livelihood is a key consideration. Livelihood construction is a profoundly spatial activity, yet while there have been a number of studies of the spatial construction of young people's livelihoods in African cities, the spatiality of rural livelihoods has received less attention. Rural environments pose particular challenges for livelihood construction, and require particular spatial strategies. Four are discussed here: accessing education and training; migration for work; developing extensive social networks; and producing for markets. There are, however, aspects of the spatial structuring of rural southern African societies that seriously constrain the pursuit of productive livelihoods by young people. Two are considered: migration (for reasons unconnected with young people's livelihoods) and marriage practices

Framework for a pro-poor regional strategy on sustainable aquatic resources management in Asia-Pacific: a statement of understanding and recommendations

This statement was prepared by the participants of the FAO/NACA-STREAM Workshop on Aquatic Resources and Livelihoods: Connecting Policy and People, 17-19 March 2005, in Los Baños, Laguna, Philippines. This was the concluding event of the FAO Technical Cooperation Program (TCP) project entitled “Assistance in Poverty Alleviation through Improved Aquatic Resources Management in Asia-Pacific.” The purpose of the workshop was to review and share experiences of the NACA-STREAM Initiative, build consensus on the value of livelihoods approaches in aquatic resources management and poverty alleviation, and identify ways of promoting livelihoods approaches throughout the region. (Pdf contains 2 pages)

STREAM Journal, Vol. 1, No. 4, pp 1-16. October-December 2002

CONTENTS: Hon Mun MPA Pilot Project on community-based natural resources management, by Nguyen Thi Hai Yen and Bernard Adrien. An experience with participatory research in Tam Giang Lagoon, Thua Thien-Hue, by Ton That Chat. Experiences and benefits of livelihoods analysis, by Michael Reynaldo, Orlando Arciaga, Fernando Gervacio and Catherine Demesa. Lessons learnt in implementing PRA in livelihoods analysis, by Nguyen Thi Thuy. Lessons learnt from livelihoods analysis and PRA in the Trao Reef Marine Reserve, by Nguyen Viet Vinh. Using the findings from a participatory poverty assessment in Tra Vinh Province, by Le Quang Binh