Your search found 19 records
1 Wood, A.; Dixon, A.; McCartney, Matthew. (Eds.) 2013. Wetland management and sustainable livelihoods in Africa. Oxon, UK: Routledge - Earthscan. 281p.
Wetlands ; Catchment areas ; Sustainable livelihoods ; Case studies ; Institutions ; Governance ; Agriculture ; Rice ; Farmers ; Fisheries ; Livestock ; Water management ; River basin development ; Ecosystems ; Natural resources ; Flood control ; Soil fertility ; Vegetation / Africa / South Africa / West Africa / Tanzania / Zambia / Malawi / Ethiopia / Uganda / Nigeria / Craigieburn / Lake Chilwa
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: IWMI Record No: H045883)
(0.49 MB)
2 Wood, A.; Dixon, A.; McCartney, Matthew. (Eds.) 2013. Wetland management and sustainable livelihoods in Africa. Oxon, UK: Routledge - Earthscan. 281p.
Wetlands ; Catchment areas ; Sustainable livelihoods ; Case studies ; Institutions ; Governance ; Agriculture ; Rice ; Farmers ; Fisheries ; Livestock ; Water management ; River basin development ; Ecosystems ; Natural resources ; Flood control ; Soil fertility ; Vegetation / Africa / South Africa / West Africa / Tanzania / Zambia / Malawi / Ethiopia / Uganda / Nigeria / Craigieburn / Lake Chilwa
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: IWMI c2 Record No: H045895)
(0.49 MB)
3 Zhang, C.; Fang, Y. 2020. Application of capital-based approach in the measurement of livelihood sustainability: a case study from the Koshi River basin community in Nepal. Ecological Indicators, 116:106474. (Online first) [doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2020.106474]
Sustainable development ; Sustainable livelihoods ; Community involvement ; Climate change ; Infrastructure ; Indicators ; Precipitation ; Economic aspects ; Human capital ; Natural capital ; Social capital ; Natural disasters ; Socioeconomic aspects ; Case studies / Nepal / Koshi River Basin
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H049827)
(5.26 MB)
Climate change is classified as a global scale issue, since it impacts numerous and varied regions worldwide without regard for anthropogenic or natural geographic borders. However, household livelihood vulnerability and sustainability are influenced by various factors that differ between countries, districts, and communities. The Hindu Kush Himalayan region has been severely affected, as climate change has profoundly impacted the native people’s livelihood, habitation, and physical infrastructure. In order to develop appropriate and effective adaptation strategies, it is necessary to understand the current livelihoods status of local households, to identify underlying factors that affect their livelihood, and to access vulnerability and livelihood sustainability. In this study, researchers collected data by surveying 130 households from the Koshi River basin (KRB) of Nepal. The study was conducted in three different districts, representing various ecological regions within the KRB, including: the Kavre district in the Mid-mountain area, the Sindhuli district in Siwalik Hill, and the Saptari district in the Terai Plains. While the different districts are susceptible to diverse types of climate-induced disasters, all three study areas have suffered huge economic losses in response to climate change.
Quantitative assessment of capital-based vulnerability in the rural villages was carried out based on the three dimensions of vulnerability specified by the Sustainable Livelihoods Approach (SLA) and Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC): exposure, sensitivity, and adaptive capacity. The Livelihood Vulnerability Index (LVI) and Sustainable Livelihood Index (SLI) was used to assess these three dimensions of vulnerability and sustainability and incorporated a wide range of socio-economic variables that represent human, physical, natural, financial, and social capitals. 45 sub-component indicators were selected to evaluate the five major capitals and ultimately reflect the three vulnerability dimensions. The results suggest that: 1) Kavre households have higher human capital vulnerability; 2) the Saptari district may be more vulnerable to natural and physical capital, and 3) the Sindhuli district is more vulnerable to financial and social capital. Investigation into the specific impacts of climate change on rural livelihoods in different environments enhances our understanding of the resulting environmental and socioeconomic changes. Furthermore, it helps identify the specific vulnerabilities pertaining to susceptible communities at a micro level and aids governments and scientists in developing targeted, customized, adaptive strategies to address infrastructure construction, education, public health services, skills training, establishment of early warning systems, and community-based risk reduction schemes, as needed.
Quantitative assessment of capital-based vulnerability in the rural villages was carried out based on the three dimensions of vulnerability specified by the Sustainable Livelihoods Approach (SLA) and Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC): exposure, sensitivity, and adaptive capacity. The Livelihood Vulnerability Index (LVI) and Sustainable Livelihood Index (SLI) was used to assess these three dimensions of vulnerability and sustainability and incorporated a wide range of socio-economic variables that represent human, physical, natural, financial, and social capitals. 45 sub-component indicators were selected to evaluate the five major capitals and ultimately reflect the three vulnerability dimensions. The results suggest that: 1) Kavre households have higher human capital vulnerability; 2) the Saptari district may be more vulnerable to natural and physical capital, and 3) the Sindhuli district is more vulnerable to financial and social capital. Investigation into the specific impacts of climate change on rural livelihoods in different environments enhances our understanding of the resulting environmental and socioeconomic changes. Furthermore, it helps identify the specific vulnerabilities pertaining to susceptible communities at a micro level and aids governments and scientists in developing targeted, customized, adaptive strategies to address infrastructure construction, education, public health services, skills training, establishment of early warning systems, and community-based risk reduction schemes, as needed.
4 Suhardiman, Diana; Rigg, J.; Bandur, M.; Marschke, M.; Miller, M. A.; Pheuangsavanh, N.; Sayatham, M.; Taylor, D. 2021. On the coattails of globalization: migration, migrants and COVID-19 in Asia. Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, 47(1):88-109. [doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/1369183X.2020.1844561]
Migration ; Migrants ; Migrant labour ; Labour mobility ; COVID-19 ; Pandemics ; Sustainable livelihoods ; Globalization ; Working conditions ; Unemployment ; Remuneration ; Uncertainty ; Social aspects ; Economic aspects ; Households / Asia / Bangladesh / India / Lao People's Democratic Republic / Myanmar / Singapore / Thailand / China
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H050115)
(1.73 MB)
Positioning migrants as quintessential globalisation subjects, this paper reveals how the COVID-19 pandemic has exposed the ambivalent positioning of migration as a pathway for human development. Drawing on interviews with international and domestic labour migrants from Bangladesh, India, Laos and Myanmar working in Laos, Myanmar, China, Singapore and Thailand, the paper explores the vulnerabilities, challenges and opportunities that have come with migration and how these have been reconfigured as the pandemic has progressed, disproportionately heightening migrants’ exposure to the virus and their socioeconomic precarity. Through their personal stories, the paper provides insights into the evolving livelihood pathways of migrant workers during the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, their (changing) views of migration as a route to progress, and tentatively sets out how ruptures caused by the pandemic may lead to a re-thinking of livelihood pathways for such men and women and their families.
5 Mabon, L.; Tung, N. S.; Tram, P. T.; Tuyet, T. T.; Ngoc, L. H.; Huong, D. T. T.; Ha, H. T. N.; Mueller-Hirth, N.; Vertigans, S. 2021. Elaborating a people-centered approach to understanding sustainable livelihoods under climate and environmental change: Thang Binh District, Quang Nam Province, Vietnam. Sustainability Science, 16(1):221-238. [doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11625-020-00861-3]
Sustainable livelihoods ; Climate change adaptation ; Environmental factors ; Economic development ; Participatory approaches ; Coastal areas ; Communities ; Vulnerability ; Local government ; Strategies ; Policies ; Households ; Case studies / Vietnam / Quang Nam / Thang Binh
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H050194)
https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s11625-020-00861-3.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H050194.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H050194.pdf
(5.39 MB) (5.39 MB)
This paper explores the maintenance of livelihoods under climate, environmental, and economic development pressures, through the case of Thang Binh District in Quang Nam Province, Vietnam. Within widespread recognition of the need to link sustainable livelihoods approaches with climate change adaptation, there is growing awareness of the importance of people-centered approaches which keep the diverse experience, capabilities, and knowledges of the most vulnerable at the heart of sustainable livelihoods thinking. In response, this paper explores the conditions for changes in modes of livelihoods in a case study area where top-down strategies for sustainable livelihoods are met with residents’ diverse experiences of vulnerability, and where climate and environmental changes shape residents’ relations with the landscape. The research is undertaken via interviews with residents, farmers/fishers, and local government officials. Our study finds that whilst government-led initiatives for sustainable livelihoods are welcomed in the locality, inflexible policies can make it challenging for the most vulnerable people to access support. Moreover, residents see the capacity to live with and respond to extreme weather events as a critical component of maintaining a sustainable livelihood. Our findings reinforce international literature, showing that ‘the poor’ are not a homogenous category, and illustrate the importance of attention to the smallest levels of government who are tasked with putting sustainable livelihoods initiatives into practice in relation to people’s daily lives.
6 Aguilar, F. X.; Hendrawan, D.; Cai, Z.; Roshetko, J. M.; Stallmann, J. 2021. Smallholder farmer resilience to water scarcity. Environment, Development and Sustainability, 34p. (Online first) [doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10668-021-01545-3]
Water scarcity ; Smallholders ; Farmers ; Resilience ; Sustainable livelihoods ; Social capital ; Human capital ; Natural capital ; Household income ; Farmland ; Agroforestry ; Infrastructure ; Public policy ; Econometrics ; Models / Indonesia / South Sulawesi / Bantaeng
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H050520)
https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s10668-021-01545-3.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H050520.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H050520.pdf
(1.03 MB) (1.03 MB)
Water scarcity poses one of the most prominent threats to the well-being of smallholder farmers around the world. We studied the association between rural livelihood capitals (natural, human, social, financial, and physical) and resilience to water scarcity. Resilience was denoted by farmers’ self-reported capacity to have avoided, or adapted to, water scarcity. Proxies for livelihood capitals were collected from two-hundred farmers in South Sulawesi, Indonesia, and their associations with a typology denoting water scarcity impacts analyzed with a Taylor-linearized multinomial response model. Physical and natural assets in the form of irrigation infrastructure and direct access to water sources were saliently associated with overall resilience (avoidance and adaptation) to water scarcity. Years of farming experience as a form of human capital asset was also strongly associated with resilience to water scarcity. Factors solely associated with the capacity to adapt to water scarcity were more nuanced with social capital assets showing closer associations. A household with a larger number of farm laborers had a higher likelihood of being unable to withstand water scarcity, but this relationship was reversed among those who managed larger farming areas. We discuss possible mechanisms that could have contributed to resilience, and how public policy could support smallholder farmers cope with water scarcity.
7 Choithani, C.; van Duijne, R. J.; Nijman, J. 2021. Changing livelihoods at India’s rural–urban transition. World Development, 146:105617. (Online first) [doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.worlddev.2021.105617]
Rural urban migration ; Migrant labour ; Sustainable livelihoods ; Urbanization ; Households ; Villages ; Towns ; Agriculture ; Food security ; Strategies / India / West Bengal / Bihar / Barharia / Lalgola
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H050524)
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0305750X21002321/pdfft?md5=55aed878d42a0fa8ece200583762d67d&pid=1-s2.0-S0305750X21002321-main.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H050524.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H050524.pdf
(4.53 MB) (4.53 MB)
In India, the past couple of decades witnessed, simultaneously, a massive shift of employment out of agriculture, substantial urban growth in heretofore rural regions, and rapid increases in the rates of labor migration. But very little is known about new livelihoods being forged or the whereabouts of these livelihoods. We draw on extensive primary data collected at two sites in West Bengal and Bihar, along with a comprehensive analysis of population census and GIS data, to investigate livelihood transformations and household well-being. We observe large-scale change, exceeding common perceptions of academics and policy makers. While the shift out of agriculture is momentous, alternative local livelihoods are scarce and, more than ever, labor migration offers a way out for many households. Traditional seasonal migration has made way for more permanent forms of circular labor migration. Our comparative study shows that the timing and nature of this transformation varies to some extent across India as the decline in agricultural employment occurred at different times. We also observe significantly different impacts of domestic versus international labor migration. There is a pressing need for pro-active government policies that stimulate local economic restructuring and livelihood opportunities and, as long as these local economies are insufficiently developed, that facilitate circular labor migration.
8 Datta, P.; Behera, B. 2022. Assessment of adaptive capacity and adaptation to climate change in the farming households of eastern Himalayan foothills of West Bengal, India. Environmental Challenges, 7:100462. (Online first) [doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envc.2022.100462]
Climate change adaptation ; Households ; Farmers ; Highlands ; Sustainable livelihoods ; Frameworks ; Indicators ; Vulnerability ; Natural capital ; Human capital ; Social capital ; Rain ; Land ownership ; Villages ; Socioeconomic aspects / India / West Bengal / Himalayan Region / Dalsinghpara / Turturi Khanda / Ballalguri
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H050924)
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2667010022000221/pdfft?md5=d281c6af02bcc481008f9f934d150f5c&pid=1-s2.0-S2667010022000221-main.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H050924.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H050924.pdf
(2.42 MB) (2.42 MB)
The Indian agricultural sector is highly vulnerable to climate change. Hence, the adoption of appropriate adaptation measures by the farmers is crucial for reducing the adverse effects, and it is expected that farmers with higher adaptive capacity would be better equipped to respond to the rapidly changing climatic conditions. Therefore, understanding the factors that are likely to influence farmers’ adaptive capacity is critical for efficiently targeting adaptation and capacity-building initiatives. Based on the Sustainable Livelihoods Framework (SLF), this study explored farming households’ adaptive capacity in three climatic hazard-prone villages of the Eastern Himalayan foothills of West Bengal, India. The Analytical Hierarchy Process was used to assign weights to the indicators under the SLF, and the consistency ratio was 0.04, indicating the adequacy of the derived weights for assessing adaptive capacity. The findings showed that only 11.41 percent of households had a high adaptive capacity, whereas 60.40 and 28.19 percent had moderate and low adaptive capacity, respectively. It is found that a large number of households having a low adaptive capacity left their land as fallow. While the majority of households with moderate and high adaptive capacity diversified their farming systems or switched from traditional staple cereals to less water-intensive cash crops. The differences in natural, physical, and financial capital are mainly responsible for the differential adaptive capacity among the farming households in this region. However, there were considerable differences among the villages in terms of asset distribution. Therefore, sustainable adaptive capacity-driven policy initiatives to enable efficient adaptation and agrarian welfare are of paramount importance in this region.
9 Natarajan, N.; Newsham, A.; Rigg, J.; Suhardiman, Diana. 2022. A sustainable livelihoods framework for the 21st century. World Development, 155:105898. [doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.worlddev.2022.105898]
Sustainable livelihoods ; Frameworks ; Sustainability ; Rural areas ; Poverty ; Globalization ; Households ; Political aspects ; Social aspects
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H051027)
(1.86 MB)
This paper proposes a reformulation of the Sustainable Livelihoods Framework (SLF) fit for the 21st century. The article explores the rise and usage of the original SLF, highlighting how its popularity among development practitioners emerged both from its practical focus, and its depoliticization of wider shifts in the development landscape at the time. Distilling the various critiques that have emerged around the use of the SLF and sustainable livelihoods approaches, the article highlights problems of theory, method, scale, historical conceptualisation, politics, and debates on decolonising knowledge. It further explores two key shifts in the global development landscape that characterise the 21st century, namely the impacts of climate change on rural livelihoods, and the shifts wrought by globalisation, before highlighting the structural and relational turns in critical development literature. In speaking to both historical critiques and more recent debates, we present a SLF for the 21st century, foregrounding a structural, spatially-disaggregated, dynamic and ecologically-coherent approach to framing rural livelihoods. We offer a framework and not an approach, hoping that that our SLF leaves open the possibility for different theoretical traditions to better work with emerging rural livelihoods.
10 Mabhaudhi, Tafadzwanashe; Hlahla, S.; Chimonyo, V. G. P.; Henriksson, R.; Chibarabada, T. P.; Murugani, V. G.; Groner, V. P.; Tadele, Z.; Sobratee, N.; Slotow, R.; Modi, A. T.; Baudron, F.; Chivenge, P. 2022. Diversity and diversification: ecosystem services derived from underutilized crops and their co-benefits for sustainable agricultural landscapes and resilient food systems in Africa. Frontiers in Agronomy, 4:859223. [doi: https://doi.org/10.3389/fagro.2022.859223]
Biodiversity ; Ecosystem services ; Underutilized species ; Crops ; Diversification ; Sustainable agriculture ; Food security ; Nutrition security ; Poverty alleviation ; Sustainable livelihoods ; Agricultural landscape ; Food systems ; Resilience ; Gender equality ; Role of women ; Income ; Socioeconomic development ; Sustainable Development Goals ; Climate change ; Ecological factors ; Habitats ; Cultural services ; Policies ; Systematic reviews / Africa
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H051093)
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fagro.2022.859223/pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H051093.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H051093.pdf
(2.48 MB) (2.48 MB)
There are growing calls to adopt more sustainable forms of agriculture that balance the need to increase production with environmental, human health, and wellbeing concerns. Part of this conversation has included a debate on promoting and mainstreaming neglected and underutilized crop species (NUS) because they represent a more ecologically friendly type of agriculture. We conducted a systematic review to determine the ecosystem services derived from NUS and assess their potential to promote functional ecological diversity, food and nutritional security, and transition to more equitable, inclusive, sustainable and resilient agricultural landscapes and food systems in Africa. Our literature search yielded 35 articles for further analysis. The review showed that NUS provide various provisioning, regulating, cultural, and supporting ecosystem services and several environmental and health co-benefits, dietary diversity, income, sustainable livelihood outcomes, and economic empowerment, especially for women. Importantly, NUS address the three pillars of sustainable development- ecological, social, and economic. Thus, NUS may provide a sustainable, fit-for-purpose transformative ecosystem-based adaptation solution for Africa to transition to more sustainable, healthy, equitable, and resilient agricultural landscapes and food systems.
11 Re, V.; Manzione, R. L.; Abiye, T. A.; Mukherji, Aditi; MacDonald, A. (Eds.) 2022. Groundwater for sustainable livelihoods and equitable growth. Leiden, Netherlands: CRC Press - Balkema. 367p. (IAH - International Contributions to Hydrogeology 30) [doi: https://doi.org/10.1201/9781003024101]
Groundwater management ; Sustainable livelihoods ; Equity ; Water resources ; Water security ; Groundwater recharge ; Groundwater extraction ; Groundwater irrigation ; Small scale systems ; Water use ; Conjunctive use ; Surface water ; Water scarcity ; Water governance ; Water policies ; Legal frameworks ; Water supply ; Water harvesting ; River basins ; Watersheds ; Water springs ; Wells ; Alluvial aquifers ; Hydrogeology ; Climate change ; Resilience ; Adaptation ; Strategies ; Urban development ; Landscape conservation ; Periurban areas ; Rural areas ; Villages ; Coastal areas ; Stubble burning ; Rice ; Smallholders ; Farmers ; Households ; Socioeconomic development ; Case studies / Africa / South America / Asia / Sahel / Niger / Ghana / Togo / Ethiopia / Zimbabwe / Chad / Malawi / United Republic of Tanzania / Libya / India / Indonesia / Myanmar / Lao People's Democratic Republic / Brazil / West Bengal / Haryana / Gunungsewu Karst Area / Vientiane Plain / Shan State / Techiman Municipality / Rio de Janeiro / Lome / Harare / Tigray / Al Jabal Al Akhdar / Kachchh / Mato Grosso do Sul / Taunggyi / Ekxang / Sume Alluvial Aquifer / Tekeze River Basin / Lake Chad Basin / Great Ruaha River Catchment / Guandu River Basin
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: IWMI Record No: H051156)
(0.76 MB)
Groundwater for Sustainable Livelihoods and Equitable Growth explores how groundwater, often invisibly, improves peoples’ lives and livelihoods. This unique collection of 19 studies captures experiences of groundwater making a difference in 16 countries in Africa, South America and Asia. Such studies are rarely documented and this book provides a rich new collection of interdisciplinary analysis. The book is published in colour and includes many original diagrams and photographs.
Spring water, wells or boreholes have provided safe drinking water and reliable water for irrigation or industry for millennia. However, the hidden nature of groundwater often means that it’s important role both historically and in the present is overlooked. This collection helps fill this knowledge gap, providing a diverse set of new studies encompassing different perspectives and geographies. Different interdisciplinary methodologies are described that can help understand linkages between groundwater, livelihoods and growth, and how these links can be threatened by over-use, contamination, and ignorance.
Written for a worldwide audience of practitioners, academics and students with backgrounds in geology, engineering or environmental sciences; Groundwater for Sustainable Livelihoods and Equitable Growth is essential reading for those involved in groundwater and international development.
Spring water, wells or boreholes have provided safe drinking water and reliable water for irrigation or industry for millennia. However, the hidden nature of groundwater often means that it’s important role both historically and in the present is overlooked. This collection helps fill this knowledge gap, providing a diverse set of new studies encompassing different perspectives and geographies. Different interdisciplinary methodologies are described that can help understand linkages between groundwater, livelihoods and growth, and how these links can be threatened by over-use, contamination, and ignorance.
Written for a worldwide audience of practitioners, academics and students with backgrounds in geology, engineering or environmental sciences; Groundwater for Sustainable Livelihoods and Equitable Growth is essential reading for those involved in groundwater and international development.
12 Re, V.; Manzione, R. L.; Abiye, T. A.; Mukherji, Aditi; MacDonald, A. 2022. Introduction: groundwater, sustainable livelihoods and equitable growth. In Re, V.; Manzione, R. L.; Abiye, T. A.; Mukherji, Aditi; MacDonald, A. (Eds.). Groundwater for sustainable livelihoods and equitable growth. Leiden, Netherlands: CRC Press - Balkema. pp.xvii-xxiv. (IAH - International Contributions to Hydrogeology 30)
Groundwater management ; Sustainable livelihoods ; Equity ; Water resources ; Water security ; Water supply / Africa / Asia / South America
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: IWMI Record No: H051157)
(0.21 MB)
In many areas of the world, groundwater represents the primary source of water for domestic supply and agriculture, supporting livelihoods and lifting many out of poverty. However, the hidden nature of groundwater often means that its important role both historically and in the present is overlooked, hampering its effective management and putting future supplies at risk. For the benefits of groundwater abstraction to continue to be realized and sustained, the links between groundwater availability and quality, climate change, and groundwater-dependent livelihoods need to be explored and articulated. This becomes even more important with growing climate uncertainty and decreasing water security in some marginal and vulnerable areas, with an increasing threat to livelihoods. This introductory chapter presents the main concepts of this book, introduces the different chapters, and discusses emerging themes. There is compelling evidence that the development of groundwater has profoundly improved many people’s lives and continues to lift people out of poverty today. The examples in this book provide a wide variety of case studies from Asia, Africa, and South America that show how groundwater, often invisibly, improves people’s lives and livelihoods and promotes equitable growth. However, the studies also demonstrate how vulnerable groundwater can be over-used and contaminated, and how ignorance of the nature of groundwater is one of the greatest threats to its sustainable use. It is, therefore, of critical importance to increase investment in characterizing, monitoring, and governing groundwater, to explore links between science, policy, and practice, and to effectively communicate existing knowledge so that groundwater will continue to improve people’s lives for centuries to come.
13 Goswami, T.; Ghosal, S. 2022. From rice fields to brackish water farms: changing livelihoods in agrarian coastal Bengal, India. Asia-Pacifc Journal of Regional Science, 6(2):453-484. [doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/s41685-022-00229-8]
Inland fisheries ; Brackish water ; Agriculture ; Rice ; Aquaculture ; Coastal areas ; Sustainable livelihoods ; Vulnerability ; Shrimp culture ; Land use ; Farmland ; Remote sensing ; Geographical information systems ; Coping strategies ; Economic aspects ; Villages ; Households / India / West Bengal / Medinipur / Bhagwanpur
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H051145)
(2.90 MB)
The present study attempted to understand the dimensions of changing agrarian livelihoods because of haphazard adaptation of capitalistic shrimp aquaculture. Specifically, using multi-temporal Google-based geodatabase, we quantified the artificial conversion of agrarian landscape in an inland freshwater region of coastal Bengal. Further, we examined the long-term viability of transformed livelihoods by adopting a modified version of the Sustainable Livelihood Approach (SLA). The assessment of changing livelihoods was based on empirical information acquired through field surveys, focus group discussion (FGD) and key informant interviews (KII). Results from the geostatistical analysis depicted that the shrimp culture in the research area was very recent. In 2010, only 0.03 percent of the total area was occupied by shrimp ponds. However, within a decade and an expansion rate of 18 percent/annum, the conversion spread to 1/3 of the total study area. The findings also clarified that the adaptation of shrimp cultivation increased the overall profit by 6400 USD/ha/year over agricultural output, and resulted in a quick rise in the standard of living for the shrimp farmers. However, in the long run, due to decreasing productivity and salinization of the surrounding land, the conversion resulted in massive depeasantization, augmentation of wasteland, and biased wealth accumulation led to a wide rich-poor gap. Therefore, the entire ecosystem will suffer in the near future, if the local government does not strictly impose Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).
14 Chitakira, M.; Nhamo, L.; Torquebiau, E.; Magidi, J.; Ferguson, W.; Mpandeli, S.; Mearns, K.; Mabhaudhi, Tafadzwanashe. 2022. Opportunities to improve eco-agriculture through transboundary governance in transfrontier conservation areas. Diversity, 14(6):461. (Special issue: The Human Dimension of Biodiversity Protection) [doi: https://doi.org/10.3390/d14060461]
Eco-agriculture ; Conservation areas ; Governance ; Biodiversity conservation ; Ecosystems ; Sustainable Development Goals ; Resource conservation ; Poverty alleviation ; Sustainable livelihoods ; Policies ; Legislation ; Landscape approaches ; Local communities / Mozambique / Eswatini / South Africa / Lubombo Transfrontier Conservation Area / Usuthu-Tembe-Futi Transfrontier Conservation Area
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H051227)
https://www.mdpi.com/1424-2818/14/6/461/pdf?version=1654685762
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H051227.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H051227.pdf
(0.89 MB) (906 KB)
Transfrontier Conservation Areas (TFCAs) are critical biodiversity areas for the conservation and sustainable use of biological and cultural resources while promoting regional peace, cooperation, and socio-economic development. Sustainable management of TFCAs is dependent on the availability of an eco-agriculture framework that promotes integrated management of conservation mosaics in terms of food production, environmental protection or the conservation of natural resources, and improved human livelihoods. As a developmental framework, eco-agriculture is significantly influenced by existing legal and governance structures at all levels; this study assessed the impact of existing legal and governance frameworks on eco-agriculture implementation in the Lubombo TFCA that cuts across the borders between Mozambique, Eswatini, and South Africa. The assessment used a mixed research method, including a document review, key informant interviews, and focus group discussions. Although the three countries have no eco-agriculture policies, biodiversity practices are directly or indirectly affected by some policies related to environmental protection, agriculture improvement, and rural development. The assessment found that South Africa has the most comprehensive policies related to eco-agriculture; Mozambican policies mainly focus on equity and involvement of disadvantaged social groups, while Eswatini is conspicuous for explicitly making it the responsibility of each citizen to protect and safeguard the environment. The protection of conservation areas is critical to preserving natural habitats and ensuring the continued provision of ecosystem services. The lack of transboundary governance structures results in the Lubombo TFCA existing as a treaty on paper, as there are no clear processes for transboundary cooperation and collaboration.
15 Arulingam, Indika; Brady, G.; Chaya, M.; Conti, M.; Kgomotso, P. K.; Korzenszky, A.; Njie, D.; Schroth, G.; Suhardiman, Diana. 2022. Small-scale producers in sustainable agrifood systems transformation. Rome, Italy: FAO. 34p. [doi: https://doi.org/10.4060/cc0821en]
Agricultural production ; Smallholders ; Participation ; Governance ; Information exchange ; Sustainable livelihoods ; Food security
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H051435)
(4.56 MB) (4.56 MB)
16 Goli, I.; Azadi, H.; Najafabadi, M. O.; Lashgarara, F.; Viira, A.-H.; Kurban, A.; Sklenicka, P.; Janeckova, K.; Witlox, F. 2023. Are adaptation strategies to climate change gender neutral? Lessons learned from paddy farmers in northern Iran. Land Use Policy, 125:106470. (Online first) [doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landusepol.2022.106470]
Climate change adaptation ; Strategies ; Gender ; Women ; Rice ; Farmers ; Sustainable livelihoods ; Vulnerability ; Agricultural products ; Food security ; Infrastructure ; Human capital ; Social capital ; Natural capital ; Drought ; Villages ; Communities ; Households / Iran Islamic Republic / Mazandaran
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H051533)
(3.16 MB)
Adopting a qualitative approach, this study performs a gender analysis of the climate change effects on rice farmers’ adaptation strategies (AS) in Mazandaran Province (northern Iran) based on the sustainable livelihood approach. For this purpose, 36 male and female heads of households in Arab Mahalla and Qajar Khel villages and 10 heads of households in Kiasar village (in Mazandaran Province) were selected and studied through theoretical and purposeful sampling methods of Corbin and Strauss. These villages have the highest number of female household heads and have been severely affected by the climate crisis in recent years. For the male-headed households (n = 23), the most important climate crisis was drought (f=16), and for the female-headed households (n = 23), drought, cold, and early off-season frost and monsoon storms were the most important (f=13). The results also indicated that in climatic crises, human (X¯=12.35) and social (X¯=13) capital from the women’s perspective and financial (X¯=12.5) and physical (X¯=13) capital from the men’s perspective had the highest vulnerability percentages whereas natural capital was equally affected from both the men’s and women’s viewpoints. One of the innovative aspects of this study is the gender analysis of the impact of climate change on the AS of sustainable livelihood framework based on a qualitative approach. This study recommends that beyond increasing the diversity of living amid climate change, deliberate climate change efforts should be directed at women and that fundamental gender discrimination such as prejudices and gender inequality should be eliminated.
17 Girma, G.; Melka, Y.; Haileslassie, Amare; Mekuria, Wolde. 2023. Participatory forest management for improving livelihood assets and mitigating forest degradation: lesson drawn from the Central Rift Valley, Ethiopia. Current Research in Environmental Sustainability, 5:100205. [doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.crsust.2022.100205]
Sustainable forest management ; Participatory approaches ; Sustainable livelihoods ; Forest degradation ; Environmental degradation ; Climate change adaptation ; Institutions ; Households ; Local communities / Ethiopia / Central Rift Valley / Heban Arsi
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H051657)
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666049022000834/pdfft?md5=64d4b84e7067f0e85050e1e4a186993b&pid=1-s2.0-S2666049022000834-main.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H051657.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H051657.pdf
(3.23 MB) (3.23 MB)
The study was conducted in Heban Arsi district, Central Rift Valley, Ethiopia to investigate the contribution of participatory forest management (PFM) to improving household’s livelihood assets and mitigating forest degradation. Data were gathered using household surveys, observation, key informant interviews and focus group discussions. During the entire study, 231 households (131 from PFM; 100 form non-PFM households), 35 key informants (25 from PFM; 10 from non-PFM) and 10 focus groups (6 from PFM; 4 from non-PFM) were involved. The livelihood assets framework was used to organize and analyze the quantitative data. The qualitative data was analyzed using topic coding and building categories, themes, and patterns of relationships. The introduction of PFM significantly (P < 0.05) improved the overall natural (index value of 0.72 and 0.58 for PFM and non-PFM, respectively), financial (0.73 and 0.61), physical (0.49 and 0.37), human (0.62 and 0.57) and social (0.77 and 0.59) livelihood asset values of local communities and contributed to the mitigation of forest degradation. On average, households involved in PFM displayed a 61.6%, 45.7%, 30.8% and 24.2% improvements in natural, financial, physical, and social assets, respectively. Households engaged in PFM showed a 37.4% improvement on the overall livelihood assets value, suggesting that PFM households displayed better livelihood assets compared to non-PFM households. However, the overall contribution of PFM to the livelihood assets showed skewed structure, suggesting that the improvements deviate from sustainability. The existing institutional structure including bylaws contributed a lot to strengthen PFM. Yet, it is crucial to strengthening the protection of forestlands through improving rule enforcement and commitments of both formal and informal institutions in managing forest resources. Also, sustaining the extraction of wood and non-wood forest products and the benefits from as well as integration of other interventions in PFM areas such as the provision of improved cook stoves and solar PV could help reduce forest degradation, improve the sense of ownership among local communities and sustain PFM activities. Further, expanding capacity building trainings and improving access to market could play a great role to sustainably manage forest resources through increasing the participation of local communities in decision making processes.
18 Pradhan, P.; Khadka, Manohara; GC, R. K.; van Koppen, Barbara; Rajouria, A.; Pandey, V. P. 2022. Community institutions in water governance for sustainable livelihoods. Waterlines, 41(3):1-14. [doi: http://doi.org/10.3362/1756-3488.21-00017]
Water governance ; Sustainable livelihoods ; Water management ; Community organizations ; Gender / Nepal
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H051671)
https://practicalactionpublishing.com/article/3095/download?type=download
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H051671.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H051671.pdf
(0.55 MB) (567 KB)
Successful community institutions in the global South, which are contributing to livelihoods’ improvement while conserving water and other natural resources, can sustainably build the resilience that policy makers at different tiers are seeking. This article assesses different models of community institutions in Nepal in governing water resources from various lenses, based on Ostrom’s and others’ design principles, including bricolage. Illustrated by three empirical cases, it analyses key features of community institutions in integrated water governance, their contributions to health, nutrition, food security, and environmental conservation, and ways for empowering these institutions as viable and sustainable solutions to address various livelihood challenges. However, inequalities along gender, caste, and ethnicity lines persist. We argue that the recently established local governments under the federal system in Nepal provide new opportunities for gender and social inclusion.
19 Oke, Adebayo Olubukola; Cofie, Olufunke O.; Merrey, D. J. 2023. The link between small reservoir infrastructure and farmer-led irrigation: case study of Ogun Watershed in southwestern Nigeria. Colombo, Sri Lanka: International Water Management Institute (IWMI). 28p. (IWMI Working Paper 206) [doi: https://doi.org/10.5337/2022.229]
Farmer-led irrigation ; Reservoirs ; Infrastructure ; Small-scale irrigation ; Watersheds ; River basins ; Dams ; Storage capacity ; Water productivity ; Hydraulic structures ; Maintenance ; Water management ; Institutions ; Governance ; Agricultural practices ; Irrigation practices ; Agronomy ; Farming systems ; Marketing ; Socioeconomic aspects ; Water supply ; Crop production ; Irrigation schemes ; Irrigation management ; Embankments ; Spillways ; Water conveyance ; Pumping ; Smallholders ; Capacity development ; Water users ; Stakeholders ; Public-private partnerships ; Finance ; Rural areas ; Domestic water ; Farm inputs ; Sustainable livelihoods ; Gender ; Women ; Social inclusion ; Case studies / Africa South of Sahara / Nigeria / Ogun Watershed / Ogun-Osun River Basin
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: IWMI Record No: H051769)
(2.75 MB)
Small water infrastructure in Nigeria needs to be utilized more efficiently. There are over 900 small reservoirs across the country. Many of these have yet to be put to productive use within the Ogun watershed in the Ogun Osun River Basin. This study investigates the challenges and opportunities for improving the use of small reservoirs for farmer-led irrigation in a sustainable way. The 20 small reservoirs investigated showed varying degrees of degradation of the hydraulic structures, poor embankment maintenance evidenced by the observed erosion, overgrown shrubs, spillway cracks and failures, and siltation of the reservoir. Poor water management and irrigation practices due to weak technical capacity are also observed. There needs to be a precise governance arrangement or policy supporting water use in such a situation. The economic interests and considerations of the farmers determine the irrigation activities around the reservoirs. Regulations and management of the reservoirs were based on what was considered appropriate by the farmers. With the increasing interest in the use of small reservoirs as water sources for farmer-led irrigation in Nigeria, increased capacity building and training, access to agricultural inputs, finance, and the transformation of commodity associations to water users’ associations would contribute to improving the productivity of small reservoirs.
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