The document discusses the sustainable livelihoods approach for poverty reduction. It notes that traditional approaches have focused on supplying technologies, inputs, and services or organizational development, but have often missed the needs of the poor. The sustainable livelihoods framework is a holistic tool that considers the vulnerabilities, assets, and livelihood strategies of the poor. It helps practitioners understand the external environment, build assets, recognize different livelihood strategies, and achieve outcomes like increased income and well-being from the perspective of the poor. The framework emphasizes taking a more people-centered approach to development.

1. Sustainable Livelihoods

2. Essential Facts One Billion People 30 States 33 languages 1652 dialects Six major religions 650 million voters

3. Why all the noise about SL? We’re getting serious about poverty What we have done in the past has not been too successful: a search for something more effective Initially: “direct impact on the poor” Later: a more analytical understanding of the complexity of poverty of the factors that affect poverty

4. Defining poverty Not just income / GDP but human development “ Not just the means to survive but the capability to thrive

5. Not being poor means that can sustain the capabilities, assets, and activities required for a means of living, have the ability to cope with stresses and shocks, and can maintain and enhance those capabilities and assets without undermining the natural resource base people ...

6. 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 their inherent potential - rather than what they have not got to consider macro-micro links - because people are affected by policies to mainstream sustainability - environmental, economic, social, institutional

7. And in particular ... We need to incorporate people’s own definition of desirable outcomes

8. The ‘Sustainable Livelihoods Approach’ is simply about putting these principles into practice

9. Sounds obvious ? But it’s not what we’ve been doing

10. What we did before… 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

11. What we did before… ‘Organizational Development’ equipped people and organizations 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 organization is not financially viable still tended to be supply-driven because the ‘rules of the game’ never really changed

12. 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’: locally nationally internationally

13. The SL Framework 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 emphasizes the multiple interactions that affect people’s livelihoods

14. The SL Framework Helps us think holistically about: The things that the poor might be very vulnerable to The assets and resources that help them thrive and survive The policies and institutions that impact on their livelihoods How the poor respond to threats and opportunities What sort of outcomes the poor aspire to

15. Vulnerability Context The external environment in which people exist Trends - population, resources, economic, governance, technology Shocks - illness, natural disaster, economic, conflict, crop / livestock pests & diseases Seasons - prices, production, health, employment WHICH LEADS TO ASSET BUILDING

16. What are these ‘assets’? Human capital - skills, knowledge & info., ability to work, health Natural capital - land, water, wildlife, biodiversity, environment Financial capital - savings, credit, remittances, pensions Physical capital - transport, shelter, clean water, energy, comms. Social capital - networks, groups, trust, access to wider institutions All this is based on livelihood strategies

17. Livelihood Strategies - what do people do? Natural-resource based Off-farm activities Migration / remittances Intensification vs. diversification

18. Our interventions must recognize that people have different strategies to achieve different ends How important is “our” concern to people’s livelihoods? And whose livelihoods in particular? What else is important to people, and what conflicts might there be?

19. Livelihood Outcomes - what are people seeking to achieve? More sustainable use of the natural resource base More income Increased well-being Reduced vulnerability Improved food security

20. SL in Practice Working up new initiatives Reality checks on existing initiatives Where’s the big difference? Ways of working on different Projects & Programmes

21. To my mind ... It’s about seeing development from the shoes of the poor, not the shoes of the scientist It has major implications for the way we work as specialists within a programme