Processes embrace the laws, regulations, policies, operational arrangements, agreements, societal norms, and practices that, in turn, determine the way in which structures operate. Box: The Sustainable Livelihoods Framework—Strengths and Weaknesses, Seeks to understand changing combinations of modes of livelihood in a dynamic and historical context, Underplays elements of the vulnerability context, such as macroeconomic trends and conflict, Explicitly advocates a creative tension between different levels of analysis and emphasizes the importance of macro- and microlinkages, Assumes that capital assets can be expanded in generalized and incremental fashion, Acknowledges the need to move beyond narrow sectoral perspectives and emphasizes seeing the linkages between sectors, Does not pay enough attention to inequalities of power, Calls for investigation of the relationships between different activities that constitute livelihoods and draws attention to social relations, Underplays the fact that enhancing the livelihoods of one group can undermine those of another. It can help plan development activities and assess the contribution that existing activities have made to sustaining livelihoods. Over 10 million scientific documents at your fingertips. The project targets 22 rural communities with an estimated population of 180,000 people. A livelihood is sustainable when it can cope with and recover from the stresses and shocks and maintain or enhance its capabilities and assets both now and in the future without undermining the natural resource base (Chambers & Conway). It is deemed sustainable when it can cope with and recover from stresses and shocks and maintain or enhance its capabilities, assets, and activities both now and in the future, while not undermining the natural resource base. Our approach is to: Work on rehabilitation to increase … 'A livelihood comprises the capabilities, assets (including both material and social resources) and activities required for a means of living. Not logged in Source: Ashley and Carney (1999) p. 4. The Department for International Development's sustainable livelihoods approach Beginning with livelihood and food security, our partners support female entrepreneurs and challenge gender norms through non-traditional livelihood options. Sustainable Livelihood Program is a community‐based program which provides capacity building to improve the program participants’ socio‐economic status. For example, they can be very helpful in looking at the vulnerability of the poor to climate change and high food prices, at their resilience and ability to adapt, and at ways in which policies can help reduce vulnerability. It is based on evolving thinking about the way the poor and vulnerable live their lives and the importance of policies and institutions. The sustainable livelihoods framework. Although they can, in theory, be applied to work with any stakeholder group, an implicit principle for DFID is that activities should be designed to maximise livelihood benefits for the poor. The sustainable livelihoods approach is a way of thinking about the objectives, scope, and priorities for development activities. (One of the many problems of development is that projects and programs, while favoring some, can disadvantage others.2) Potential livelihood outcomes can include more income, increased well-being, reduced vulnerability, improved food security, more sustainable use of the natural resource base, and recovered human dignity, between which there may again also be conflict. People move in and out of poverty and the concept of vulnerability captures the processes of change better than poverty line measurements. Vulnerability has two facets: an external side of shocks, seasonalities, and critical trends; and an internal side of defenselessness caused by lack of ability and means to cope with these. It must also be made appropriate to local circumstances and local priorities. The fundamental principles of livelihoods programming are that it is people-centred, multilevel, dynamic, and ultimately aims to achieve sustainable livelihoods4. SL approaches and frameworks attempting to operationalise these principles received considerable attention from donors (principally DFID) in the last decade of the 20th century, and their explicit use in guiding rural development has since declined. SL approaches to development offer frameworks for analysing livelihoods and identifying entry points for development interventions by donors and governments. A livelihood is sustainable when it can cope with and recover from stresses and shocks and maintain or enhance its capabilities and assets both now and in the future, while not undermining natural resource bases. Sustainable Livelihood In the next five years, WWF Nepal will continue its sustainable livelihoods program that builds on and promotes peoples’ strengths, skills, assets and potential. It organizes the factors that constrain or enhance livelihood opportunities, and shows how they relate. With our livelihood programme, the Liliane Foundation supports youngsters with disabilities gain a sustainable livelihood, to have access to social protection measures, and to obtain decent work and income. The vulnerability context includes, ADB (2004) Future solutions now—the tonle sap initiative. The images or other third party material in this chapter are included in the chapter’s Creative Commons license, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. One of the main problems the poor and vulnerable face is that the processes which frame their livelihoods may systematically restrict them unless the government adopts pro-poor policies that, in turn, filter down to legislation and even less formal processes. Sustainable livelihood emerges at the intersection of development and environmental studies to offer a new way to think about work, especially the work of vulnerable populations. The sustainable livelihoods approach improves understanding of the livelihoods of the poor. It helps formulate development activities that are. The Sustainable Livelihood Program is a capability- building program for poor, vulnerable and marginalized families and individuals in acquiring necessary assets to engage in and maintain thriving livelihoods that help improve their socio- economic conditions. Poverty-focused development activity should be: SL approaches must be underpinned by a commitment to poverty eradication. This Entry has been submitted. Any dispute related to the use of the works of the Asian Development Bank that cannot be settled amicably shall be submitted to arbitration pursuant to the UNCITRAL rules. Human capital , e.g., health, nutrition, education, knowledge and skills, capacity to work, capacity to adapt, Social capital, e.g., networks and connections (patronage, neighborhoods, kinship), relations of trust and mutual understanding and support, formal and informal groups, shared values and behaviors, common rules and sanctions, collective representation, mechanisms for participation in decision-making, leadership, Natural capital, e.g., land and produce, water and aquatic resources, trees and forest products, wildlife, wild foods and fibers, biodiversity, environmental services, Physical capital , e.g., infrastructure (transport, roads, vehicles, secure shelter and buildings, water supply and sanitation, energy, communications), tools and technology (tools and equipment for production, seed, fertilizer, pesticides, traditional technology), Financial capital,1 e.g., savings, credit and debt (formal, informal), remittances, pensions, wages, shocks, e.g., conflict, illnesses, floods, storms, droughts, pests, diseases, seasonalities, e.g., prices and employment opportunities, critical trends, e.g., demographic, environmental, economic, governance, and technological trends. 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