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Promoting household food security for many poor people globally and more so in Sub-Saharan Africa continues to be a challenge today. Ever rising poverty levels, an influx in the prevalence of the HIV/ AIDS pandemic, reduced rainfall accompanied by changing climatic patterns, environmental bankruptcy, the complexities associated with urbanization, globalisation as well as technology shift in the agricultural sector and capitalistic market economies all play a role in the food security debate. This research has highlighted some of the factors that influence the food economy and related these to the household food security of poor informal settlement dwellers. Achieving household food security for poor urban households requires an integrated approach in terms of poverty eradication as well as deliberate efforts with regards to food production and distribution within a framework of ecological integrity, with an aim of empowering the poor and ensuring that their household food security is guaranteed. / Development Studies / Thesis (M.A. (Development Studies))

This dissertation explores the plight of vulnerable poor households in Sinazongwe district of Zambia. It determines nature of their vulnerability and identifies commonly used coping strategies. It also identifies different types of livelihood strategies and assets available and accessed by vulnerable poor households to create sustainable livelihoods. Study design used qualitative and participatory paradigms, involving variety of data collection techniques and tools such as key informant interviews and focus group discussions. The study identified several factors impacting on vulnerable poor households, their response strategies and perceived potential sustainable livelihoods. Drought and flash floods destroyed livelihoods of poor households from which they often failed to recover. Vulnerable poor households possessed fewer assets and less diversified sources of income and often lacked back up resources in times of hardship. Livestock rearing, fishing and irrigation-supported gardening were identified as possible sustainable livelihoods for vulnerable poor households in Sinazongwe, to recover and become resilient. / Sociology / M.A. (Development Studies)

As the church focuses on people’s spiritual development, there is growing realisation that the church should be holistic in its approach and participate in resolving urban poverty issues through the implementation of community development projects. This study looks at the way in which traditional theories of community development concentrated on stimulating economic growth and ignored the social aspects involved. It suggests that despite the massive injection of donor funds to some communities, the situation of the poor has deteriorated over the years and sustainability of projects has been minimal. The study finds that projects implemented by the Church of the Nazarene in Orlando East, while improving the lives of the community, are not in line with community development principles and the sustainable livelihoods approach primarily because the community was not involved in the assessment of needs or designing of interventions, and the community members were only the implementers. The evaluation of these projects through this study suggests an alternative developmental paradigm that has been used with success in other similar circumstances – the sustainable livelihood approach (SLA). The SLA contends that urban communities should become planners, initiators and executors of community development interventions so that transformation can occur. The study recommends that urban communities such as that in Orlando East have to change their behaviour and attitudes, be willing to accept change, and take ownership of their own projects. The facilitators, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and government have to be willing to unlearn their traditional ways, to listen, and to accept that they are not the only experts in community development as they attempt to embrace indigenous knowledge systems. / Development Studies / M.A. (Development Studies)

The aim of this thesis is to explore how livelihoods are recovering in the aftermath of the 2004 tsunami in Sri Lanka through the lens of the Sustainable Livelihoods Framework and the social networks approach—methods of inquiry that have gained considerable impetus in livelihoods research. The study is conducted with reference to two tsunami-affected fisher villages in the Hambantota District, Southern Province. It employs a qualitative ethnographic methodology that examines narratives emerging from households, local officials of government and non-government organizations, office bearers of community-based organizations, local politicians, village leaders, and key informants. Focus is on evaluating how particular roles, activities, and behaviour are given importance by these groups in specific post-tsunami contexts and how these aspects relate to broader conceptualizations of social networks, informal politics, social inequality, and ethnographic research in South Asia. The findings support four major contributions to the literature. First, social networks are significant as an object of study and a method of inquiry in understanding livelihoods post-disaster. Second, paying heed to varied forms of informal politics is critical in post-disaster analyses. Third, the concept of intersectionality can extend and improve upon prevailing approaches to social inequality in disaster recovery. Fourth, ethnographic research is valuable for understanding everyday networks, informal politics, and change in South Asia. Collectively, these findings present a human geography of post-tsunami livelihoods in Sri Lanka, where networks, politics, and inequalities, which form an essential part of everyday livelihoods, have been reproduced in disaster recovery. The thesis constitutes a means of offering expertise in the sphere of development practice, highlighting internal differentiation in access to aid as a key issue that needs to be identified and systematically addressed by policymakers and practitioners.

This study analyses the possibility of introducing liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) as an alternative domestic energy source to charcoal in Zambia to mitigate climate change. The study, conducted in Lusaka, used questionnaires, focus group discussions, interviews and literature study to collect data. The study revealed that the introduction of LPG is possible. However, some challenges need to be addressed in order to actualise the change. Lack of knowledge about LPG; non-availability of LPG in most parts of the country; perceived danger of LPG; high prices of LPG and accessories; changing people‟s mind-sets about charcoal; social inequity and lack of government initiative, were the main challenges identified. Social-Ecology and sustainable livelihoods were used as theoretical frameworks to ground the study and analyse the results. The study recommends that government takes the lead to make the change possible and that further research be done on sustainable livelihoods for charcoal producers and traders. / Development Studies / M. A. (Development Studies)

Promoting household food security for many poor people globally and more so in Sub-Saharan Africa continues to be a challenge today. Ever rising poverty levels, an influx in the prevalence of the HIV/ AIDS pandemic, reduced rainfall accompanied by changing climatic patterns, environmental bankruptcy, the complexities associated with urbanization, globalisation as well as technology shift in the agricultural sector and capitalistic market economies all play a role in the food security debate. This research has highlighted some of the factors that influence the food economy and related these to the household food security of poor informal settlement dwellers. Achieving household food security for poor urban households requires an integrated approach in terms of poverty eradication as well as deliberate efforts with regards to food production and distribution within a framework of ecological integrity, with an aim of empowering the poor and ensuring that their household food security is guaranteed. / Development Studies / Thesis (M.A. (Development Studies))

This dissertation explores the plight of vulnerable poor households in Sinazongwe district of Zambia. It determines nature of their vulnerability and identifies commonly used coping strategies. It also identifies different types of livelihood strategies and assets available and accessed by vulnerable poor households to create sustainable livelihoods. Study design used qualitative and participatory paradigms, involving variety of data collection techniques and tools such as key informant interviews and focus group discussions. The study identified several factors impacting on vulnerable poor households, their response strategies and perceived potential sustainable livelihoods. Drought and flash floods destroyed livelihoods of poor households from which they often failed to recover. Vulnerable poor households possessed fewer assets and less diversified sources of income and often lacked back up resources in times of hardship. Livestock rearing, fishing and irrigation-supported gardening were identified as possible sustainable livelihoods for vulnerable poor households in Sinazongwe, to recover and become resilient. / Sociology / M.A. (Development Studies)

As the church focuses on people’s spiritual development, there is growing realisation that the church should be holistic in its approach and participate in resolving urban poverty issues through the implementation of community development projects. This study looks at the way in which traditional theories of community development concentrated on stimulating economic growth and ignored the social aspects involved. It suggests that despite the massive injection of donor funds to some communities, the situation of the poor has deteriorated over the years and sustainability of projects has been minimal. The study finds that projects implemented by the Church of the Nazarene in Orlando East, while improving the lives of the community, are not in line with community development principles and the sustainable livelihoods approach primarily because the community was not involved in the assessment of needs or designing of interventions, and the community members were only the implementers. The evaluation of these projects through this study suggests an alternative developmental paradigm that has been used with success in other similar circumstances – the sustainable livelihood approach (SLA). The SLA contends that urban communities should become planners, initiators and executors of community development interventions so that transformation can occur. The study recommends that urban communities such as that in Orlando East have to change their behaviour and attitudes, be willing to accept change, and take ownership of their own projects. The facilitators, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and government have to be willing to unlearn their traditional ways, to listen, and to accept that they are not the only experts in community development as they attempt to embrace indigenous knowledge systems. / Development Studies / M.A. (Development Studies)

Inadequate attention has been paid to the complexity of rural livelihoods and the dimensions of poverty. Although progress has been achieved in poverty reduction in many countries over the years, statistics indicate that there is still much to be done. Nearly half of the population of South Africa is poor. Sustainable Livelihood Approaches see poverty reduction as achievable through diversification of livelihood strategies. Communities can benefit from the development of tourism through employment, financial gains, infrastructure creation and cultural revitalisation. While fees charged for tourism activities have the potential to contribute to locals, they are rarely controlled by them. The aim of this study was to formulate a Sustainable Livelihood Framework for Tourism (SLFT) along the African Ivory Route. The study involved fourteen villages near Fundudzi, Mtomeni and Nthubu camps which were purposively selected as they represented the three main ethnic groups in the province. Mixed method research design was used and included qualitative and quantitative approaches. A 10% sample was selected from the total number of households. Questionnaires, focus group and key informant interviews were used to collect data. The data was analysed and presented in tables, graphs and maps. The perceptions of the communities towards the African Ivory Route were both positive and negative. The benefits included, improved network, community empowerment and development of infrastructure. The constraints included, conflicts, mistrust, political interference and power struggle among the various institutions. The study concluded that the African Ivory Route has not achieved sustainable livelihoods outcomes for the concerned communities. The recommendation was that frameworks for maximising benefits from tourism were necessary to directly support community development. Communities, Institutions, Tourists and Environment (CITE) framework was conceptualised to assess the best way for attaining positive sustainable livelihoods outcomes. / Geography / Ph. D. (Geography)