Livelihoods

From Geography

Livelihoods became an increasingly important subject of research in the past few decades, putting people more in the centre of the debate on and understanding of issues of poverty and development. Since the conventional methods of poverty eradication did not grasp the full picture of poverty, only taking into account certain manifestations of poverty such as low income and neglecting aspects such as vulnerability and social exclusion(Krantz, L., 2001, p. 1). The livelihood approach aims for a more local, qualitative method of research: “The local becomes the source of knowledge and experience, the locus for decision-making, the context for management, and the site for action” (Rigg, J., 2008, p. 29).

The understanding of livelihood strategies is helpful to recognise inventive strategies of dealing with poverty, but also the subjectivity of the perception of poverty, reflecting local standards and creative solutions on a micro-scale. “A livelihoods perspective, as we will see, places people back at the centre of attention and explanation, endowing them with a degree of agency to struggle against, take advantage of, and resist or rework their political, economic, social and environmental milieu” (Rigg, J., 2008, p. 29)

The sustainable livelihood approach

A livelihood comprises the capabilities, assets (including both material and social resources) and activities required for a means of living. A livelihood is sustainable which can cope with and recover from stress and shocks, maintain or enhance its capabilities and assets, and provide sustainable livelihood opportunities for the next generation; and which contributes net benefits to other livelihoods at the local and global levels and in the short and long term. (Chambers and Conway, 1992, pp 7-8; In Rigg, 2008, p. 30 and Krantz, L., 2001, p. 1)

The livelihood approach was introduced in 1992 at the World Conference on Environment and Development, which was concerned to develop more people-centred methodologies of development and analysis. The sustainable livelihood approach and sustainable livelihood analysis should function as analytical frameworks, not intended to reflect reality but to research and identify areas for development intervention.

Rather than focussing on structures and systems at a national level, sustainable livelihood analysis (SLA) intends to focus on people and communities and aims to approach livelihoods in holistic terms, meaning that within the analysis considerations of different institutions, sectors, actors and spaces are taken into account. Besides, SLA aims to identify the most important, outstanding linkages of macro-micro levels to understand livelihoods.

Understanding the Global South

In order to manage and respond to current processes of globalization, it becomes of an increasing importancy to understand the Global South. In his book An everyday geography of the global south Jonathan Rigg is particularly addressing the value of the livelihood approach in context of development research and management in countries of the Global South, since the geographical knowledge of the global North does not (automatically) apply to the Global South. He cites:

Seldom do those [geographers] who work in the core [countries of the North] recognise the particularities of their own geographies; that their theories do not travel, that their global geographies are partial and the developments in the core are interdependent with the periphery. (Bradshaw in Olds, 2011, p 133)

The livelihood approach provides a method of research in re-interpreting the Global South, that has the ability to take into account multiple aspects of poverty as well as a broader understanding of the southern culture.

References

• Krantz, L. (2001), The Sustainable Livelihood Approach to Poverty Reduction. An introduction. SIDA, Swedish international development cooperation agency

• Rigg, J., (2008), An everyday geography of the Global South, London and New York: Routledge (reprinted from 2007)

Contributors

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