SL Proj1b

DFIDIntroduction to Sustainable Livelihoods (SL) & its Relationship to Project Work: 

DFID Introduction to Sustainable Livelihoods (SL) & its Relationship to Project Work

Why all the noise about SL?: 

Why all the noise about SL? We’re getting serious about poverty, folks 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

Defining poverty: 

Defining poverty Not just income / GDP but human development TIP Think people, not national statistics Uganda PPA: “The rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer” Not just the means to survive but the capability to thrive

Not being poor means that: 

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 TIP These are the characteristics of a ‘Livelihood’ (Chambers & Conway, 1992) people ...

If we put people at the centre of development, we need ...: 

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

And in particular ...: 

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

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

The ‘Sustainable Livelihoods Approach’ is simply about putting these principles into practice In project design In Country Programmes Across DFID and the donor community

Sounds obvious ?: 

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

What we did before (1)…[taken from an analysis of livestock-sector projects]: 

What we did before (1)… [taken from an analysis of livestock-sector projects] Supply of technology, inputs & services [93%] 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

What we did before (2)…: 

What we did before (2)… ‘Organisational Development’ [49%] 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

So we now think about ...: 

So we now think about ... Policies and Institutions as well [10%] creating the enabling environment for a better way of doing things by ‘changing the rules of the game’: locally nationally internationally

The SL Framework (1): 

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 people’s livelihoods

The SL Framework (2): 

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 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

Slide14: 

Vulnerability Context Shocks Trends Seasons Livelihood Strategies Policies & Institutions (Transforming Structures & Processes) Structures Government Private Sector Processes Laws Policies Culture Institutions The SL Framework

Slide15: 

Vulnerability Context Shocks Trends Seasons Livelihood Strategies Policies & Institutions (Transforming Structures & Processes) Structures Government Private Sector Processes Laws Policies Culture Institutions The SL Framework

Slide16: 

Vulnerability Context Shocks Trends Seasons Livelihood Strategies Policies & Institutions (Transforming Structures & Processes) Structures Government Private Sector Processes Laws Policies Culture Institutions Livelihood Outcomes + Sustainable use of NR base + Income + Well-being Reduced vulnerability + Food security

Vulnerability Context: 

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

Slide18: 

Vulnerability Context Shocks Trends Seasons Livelihood Strategies Policies & Institutions (Transforming Structures & Processes) Structures Government Private Sector Processes Laws Policies Culture Institutions Livelihood Outcomes + Sustainable use of NR base + Income + Well-being Reduced vulnerability + Food security

What are these ‘assets’ then?: 

What are these ‘assets’ then? 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, water, energy, comms Social capital - networks, groups, trust, access to institutions

It’s all about pushing out the ‘area’ of these assets: 

It’s all about pushing out the ‘area’ of these assets TIP But it’s also about the sustainability of those assets Human Capital Natural Capital Physical Capital Social Capital Financial Capital

With your neighbour(s) ...: 

With your neighbour(s) ... Consider one form [H, N, F, P, S] of capital asset Why is this form of capital asset important? What could we do to build this form of capital asset directly indirectly

Slide22: 

Vulnerability Context Shocks Trends Seasons Livelihood Strategies Policies & Institutions (Transforming Structures & Processes) Structures Government Private Sector Processes Laws Policies Culture Institutions Livelihood Outcomes + Sustainable use of NR base + Income + Well-being Reduced vulnerability + Food security

People’s access to livelihood assets is affected by policies and institutions: 

People’s access to livelihood assets is affected by policies and institutions Or ‘transforming structures and processes’ Structures: organisations, levels of government, private sector behaviour Processes: policies, laws, institutional ‘rules of the game’, incentives TIP Think micro, think macro, link micro to macro

Slide24: 

Vulnerability Context Shocks Trends Seasons Livelihood Strategies Policies & Institutions (Transforming Structures & Processes) Structures Government Private Sector Processes Laws Policies Culture Institutions Livelihood Outcomes + Sustainable use of NR base + Income + Well-being Reduced vulnerability + Food security

Livelihood Strategies- what do people do?: 

Livelihood Strategies - what do people do? Natural-resource based Non-NR / off-farm activities Migration / remittances Intensification vs. diversification Straddling Competition Short-term vs. long-term

Our interventions must recognise that people have different strategies to achieve different ends: 

Our interventions must recognise 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?

Slide27: 

Vulnerability Context Shocks Trends Seasons Livelihood Strategies Policies & Institutions (Transforming Structures & Processes) Structures Government Private Sector Processes Laws Policies Culture Institutions Livelihood Outcomes + Sustainable use of NR base + Income + Well-being Reduced vulnerability + Food security

Livelihood Outcomes- what are people seeking to achieve?: 

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

Slide29: 

Vulnerability Context Shocks Trends Seasons Livelihood Strategies Policies & Institutions (Transforming Structures & Processes) Structures Government Private Sector Processes Laws Policies Culture Institutions Livelihood Outcomes + Sustainable use of NR base + Income + Well-being Reduced vulnerability + Food security

At the end of the day ...: 

At the end of the day ... It’s about trying to see development standing in the shoes of the poor, not the shoes of the scientist It has major implications for the way we work as specialists within a country programme as a donor agency with other donors

Not the same as ...: 

Not the same as ... Integrated Rural Development ‘Farming Systems Approaches’ Not incompatible with ... Sector-wide approaches Rights-based thinking Common sense

SL in Practice: 

SL in Practice Where’s the big difference? Projects & Programmes Log frames Ways of working

Where’s the difference?: 

Where’s the difference? Forced to look at context & relationships Vulnerability (inc. environment) Policies & Institutions Therefore more complicated than before but the ‘complexity’ has to be captured horizontal and vertical linkages internalising assumptions ‘Process’, and policy dialogue, implicit

Projects & Programmes: 

Projects & Programmes Explicitly related to people’s livelihoods but not necessarily sitting crossed-legged under a tree assess short-term livelihood interests against long-term environmental interests Holistic analysis, but not necessarily an holistic project balance between what is desirable and what is feasible ‘entry points’ & ‘sectoral anchors’ / ‘institutional homes’ Longer, wider, ‘process’ projects, and ‘joined-up’ programmes More effective macro-micro linkages

Log Frames: 

Log Frames Watch the fourth (‘Assumptions’) column Describe interventions & OVIs from perspective of people, not products or productivity Explicit cause & effect between macro and micro - not just ‘dots on the map’ Horizontal & Vertical linkages families (H) and cascades (V) of log frames

Ways of Working: 

Ways of Working More information, more analysis, better partnerships .... and more time Process appraisal - when is a project not a project? Seize opportunities - esp. with policies & institutions Teams:- DFID teams, consultancy teams make use of the neutral framework - space for everyone familiarising sectoral experts managing cross-sectoral teams synthesing through an SL lens

DFIDIntroduction to Sustainable Livelihoods (SL) & its Relationship to Project Work: 

DFID Introduction to Sustainable Livelihoods (SL) & its Relationship to Project Work