Microfinance is perceived to be one of the poverty alleviation mechanisms in poor countries today. This study was set out to find out what impact microfinance has on the livelihoods of women in Kakondo sub-county, Rakai district in Uganda. The reason why the focus was put on women was to find out whether these women can manage to sustain their livelihoods on a long term perspective through the process of acquiring microfinance credit. In order to find out what impact microfinance has, a group of women from the same borrowing group (all BRAC microfinance borrowers) were interviewed. As speculated, the results from the study showed that microfinance credit does really play a key role in helping the poor cope with poverty however, as microcredit on its own does not alleviate poverty, which also brings us to the fact that these women can improve their livelihoods however sustainability on a long term perspective is doubtful.

The failure of ‘blueprint’ development interventions to deliver substantive improvements in poverty reduction has been well recognised over the last twenty years. Process approaches seek to overcome the rigidity and top-down operation of much aid-funded intervention. Sustainable livelihoods approaches (SLA) are one of the latest additions to this family of approaches. As a theoretical framework and as a set of principles for guiding intervention, sustainable livelihoods thinking has implications for development management. Drawing on research exploring the application of sustainable livelihoods principles in ten development interventions, this paper considers how these principles have evolved from continuing debates surrounding process and people-centred (bottom-up) approaches to development management. This research suggests that whilst these principles can improve the impact made by interventions, the effective application of sustainable livelihoods and other process approaches are fundamentally restricted by unbalanced power relationships between development partners. / BCID Working Papers: http://www.brad.ac.uk/acad/bcid/research/papers/BCID_Research_Papers.php

Livestock production is central to the livelihoods of millions of people in Nigeria, and indeed across the continent. Understanding how livestock based economies function and the issues that constrain them has long been an important task for actors interested in supporting rural development. In recent years, the One Health agenda has provided a new impetus for studying and tackling the interconnections between human, animal and environmental. Whilst this is welcome, it tends to be selective in its modus operandi of intersectoral collaboration as advocated. This new risk repeats the tendencies of earlier scholarship in understanding rural animal production systems as a vertical system. In particular, gender analysis of addressing the growing threats of neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) is lacking in One Health as evidenced in the findings from the study areas of Kachia Grazing Reserve and the Jos Plateau. There is thus a need to illustrate the importance of integrating gender equality into the One Health concept of programmes especially in pastoralist areas. Through the use of a qualitative approach of eliciting needed information by the use of a range of qualitative methods at the community and household levels, this thesis, based on three case studies provides substantial new empirical contributions to this debate. Specificially, chapter four, by exploring the strategies employed by the study population to cope with, as well as to build their resilience to the inadequacies of the Kachia Grazing Reserve, argues that these inadequacies affect gender, gender relations, and livelihoods. As a reinforcement to these assertions, chapter five explores the role of women self help groups in the KGR and argues that these self help groups could be used as instruments in propelling the One Health concept in pastoral areas like that of the KGR. Lastly, chapter six explores the effect of conflict and violence on gender, gender relations and livelihoods in the Jos Plateau and examines how timely and effective delivery of One Health could act as a conflict resolution in conflict and violence inflicted pastoralist areas of the Jos Plateau. This thesis, in a way, gives possible explanation to the reticence of gender in One Health. Thus, in recognition of the potentials of the One Health concept, and in considering the realities on ground and the importance of integrating gender equality in its programme planning and delivery, the analysis of data from the three case studies of this thesis brings into focus the ‘how’ and ‘why’ of gender analysis affects delivery of One Health programmes in local pastoralists communities.

The transnational network La Vía Campesina (LVC) coined the term ‘food sovereignty’, which has been appropriated by many actors seeking alternatives to the neoliberal food regime. Traspatio Oaxaqueño (TO) is a small initiative seeking to revitalize backyard agriculture and the role of women in local food systems. While TO leaders do not explicitly claim to be pursuing food sovereignty, the initiative promotes some of its key principles: (1) the empowerment of women from economically vulnerable families, by increasing their access to productive resources; (2) the preservation of the right to healthy and culturally appropriate food; and (3) the use of ecologically, socially and economically sustainable methods. Despite the fact that the initiative does not deeply challenge the neoliberal food regime, it contributes to the collective organizing and politicization of marginalized actors, allowing them to gain greater autonomy and to eventually reclaim control over food systems.

Today, many pressures (socio-economic, resource scarcity, policy, and regulation) make fishers and their communities vulnerable on a variety of fronts. These pressures threaten fishing communities along the South African coast. Both natural and social changes in the traditional handline fishery affect the social-ecological system of a region as a whole. Fishers need to cope with these local global changes and require systems that support their strategies to achieve resilience. Furthermore, stressors that drive variability in the fishery system occur on multiple temporal and spatial scales thereby exposing fishers and communities to multiple stressors. The impact and interplay of these stressors at multiple scales need to be taken into account to develop a clear understanding of social-ecological linkages if sustainable livelihoods are to be promoted and guaranteed. There is however a shortage of appropriately scaled, context-specific data that is needed to inform various decision-making processes. To this end, participant-led research was conducted in six communities in the Southern Cape, where 50 participants were interviewed over a period of 6 months in 2013/2014. The interviews were an attempt to gather and record perceptions and knowledge regarding stressors that are responsible for the social- ecological system and ultimately affect the fishers' ability to fish successfully. Based on this knowledge, the research was aimed at gaining insight into what strategies are currently employed to ensure sustainable livelihoods. The data presented does not only offer valuable insights into the day-to-day experiences of the group of fishers, but also expose various knowledge gaps that exist in micro-scale interactions that influence the fishery system. This is achieved by first providing an analysis of various stressors, which include the impacts and responses to climate variability, challenges presented by policy and regulatory frameworks, social and economic considerations, challenges presented by infrastructure and political considerations. The adaptation, coping, and reaction strategies implemented are analysed using a place-based context and variability of strategies employed between each specific place is discussed. Apart from highlighting knowledge gaps, the development of a more complete understanding of current reacting, coping and adaptive strategies as well as the drivers behind the decisions contained in this thesis, provides valuable insight into a fishery system that is not well-described which underscores the need for context-specific research at smaller scales.

This research investigated the techno-economic feasibility of increasing hours of electricity services on Likoma Island in Malawi; making use of solar photovoltaic and wind power in order to enhance sustainable livelihood. Likoma Island grid is operated independent of the mainland grid; and the island is supplied electricity by diesel generators which are scheduled for only 14 hours per day. The limited hours of electricity supply constrains the delivery of essential services and hinders people from achieving sustainable livelihoods. The research used empirical and modelled data of solar irradiance and hub height wind speed, photovoltaic and wind energy systems costs, diesel-generator operation costs, energy needs, energy use patterns, electricity demand profile, and prevailing socioeconomic conditions. Diesel, photovoltaic, and wind based energy systems feeding the Island s grid; and autonomous photovoltaic and wind energy systems for selected essential institutions were modelled and simulated using the Hybrid Optimization Model for Electric Renewables. Energy system solutions are proposed indicating cost factors and opportunities for the enhancement of sustainable livelihoods. The thesis argues that with the financial resources committed to the prevailing 14-hours supply of electricity by diesel generators, it is feasible to provide Likoma Island with electricity for 24 hours every day by photovoltaic and wind based energy systems. A deployment model which uses excess energy from the modelled photovoltaic and wind power systems to serve non-grid loads and livelihood activities which are difficult to account for when sizing embedded renewable energy systems has been developed. The findings provide cost projections of photovoltaic and wind energy systems relative to diesel generators upon which investment and policy decisions can be made. Microscale wind maps at 10 m, 25 m, 40 m and 50 m have been developed for identification of potential wind turbine sites. Empirical socioeconomic data which are essential for the design of delivery mechanisms for renewable energy systems have been generated. The deployment model proposed by the research gives new insights into holistic ways of enhancing sustainable energy access in low-income communities. The interdisciplinary insights provided by this thesis can be applied in other countries and communities with similar socioeconomic contexts to Likoma Island.

Since the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami devastated coastal areas of several countries in South East Asia, there has been renewed interest in disaster recovery operations. Although governments and aid organizations have increasingly focused on improving living conditions and reducing vulnerability to future disaster events during the recovery period, there has been limited understanding of what effective disaster recovery entails, and a lack of empirical assessments of longer-term recovery initiatives. Researchers, governments and aid organizations alike have increasingly identified the need for a systematic, independent, and replicable framework and approach for monitoring, evaluating and measuring the longer-term relief and recovery operations of major disaster events. Within this context, the research contends that a conceptualization of effective disaster recovery, referred to as ‘resilient disaster recovery’, should be built upon the holistic concepts of vulnerability, resilience and sustainable livelihoods. Using the resilient disaster recovery framework, the research aimed to develop an evaluative strategy to holistically and critically assess disaster recovery efforts. Using a case study of the 2006 Yogyakarta, Indonesia earthquake event, the research examined one long-term recovery effort in order to develop and test the usefulness and applicability of the resilient disaster recovery conceptualization and assessment framework. The research results further contributed to disaster recovery knowledge and academic literature through a refined conceptualization of resilient disaster recovery and further understanding of recovery as a process. The research used qualitative research approaches to examine the opinions and experiences of impacted individuals, households, and communities, as well as key government, academic and humanitarian stakeholders, in order to understand their perceptions of the long-term recovery process. Using the resilient disaster recovery approach, the research found that the recovery programming after the 2006 Yogyakarta earthquake contributed to reductions in visible manifestations of vulnerability, although the root causes of vulnerability were not addressed, and many villagers suffer from ongoing lack of access to assets and resources. While some aspects of resilience were improved, particularly through earthquake-resistant housing structures, resilience in other forms remained the same or decreased. Furthermore, livelihood initiatives did not appear to be successful due to a lack of a holistic approach that matched the skill and capital levels of impacted populations. Using the evidence from the 2006 Yogyakarta recovery effort, the research furthered knowledge and understanding of disaster recovery as a complex and highly dynamic process. The roles of a variety of actors and stakeholders were explored, particularly highlighting the role of civil society and the private sector in facilitating response and recovery. Furthermore, issues of conflict, the context and characteristics of place and scale, and the impact of disasters on income equality were explored. Through this research, an improved understanding of disaster resilient recovery and long-term recovery processes has been highlighted in order to facilitate improved and resilient recovery for future disaster events.

Tourism has become an important option for economic development and the cultural survival of aboriginal people, yet the academic work has overlooked an issue of cultural sustainability and the majority of the literature on indigenous tourism is from a non-indigenous perspective. Although the sustainable livelihood framework does not clearly address the cultural part of life, the approach requires that activities, such as tourism, are placed in a broader context so that they can be examined from an indigenous perspective on sustainability. The purpose of this study is to assess the role that tourism is playing in two indigenous communities' livelihood strategies in Taiwan from an indigenous perspective using the sustainable livelihood framework as an organizing framework. The examination of the evolution of livelihood strategies is the main focus of the study. A review of literature identifies weaknesses in the concepts of sustainable development and sustainable tourism and provides legitimacy for using the sustainable livelihood approach to examine the roles that tourism plays in indigenous people's daily lives. Culture is embedded in daily life and the approach allows the researcher to explore the meanings behind people's daily activities. Also, tourism needs to be placed in a broader context in order to identify whether any linkages exist between it and other sectors of the economy and how tourism can better fit in with exiting livelihood strategies. The research is a collaborative study of two Cou aboriginal communities (i. e. , Shanmei and Chashan) in central Taiwan using qualitative research methods. The sustainable livelihood framework is used as a vehicle for guiding research and analysis. Results indicate that Cou traditional livelihoods and their traditional social structure have been closely linked. The shift of Cou livelihoods from self-sustaining in the past to being linked increasingly to the global economic market system at present comes from a variety of external and internal factors (e. g. , policy, history, politics, macro-economic conditions). The promotion of tourism development and cultural industries by the government in recent years has provided aboriginal people with a new opportunity (tourism) in which they can make use of their culture as an advantage (culture as an attraction) to possibly reverse the inferior position. In addition to being an attraction for economic development, culture has many implications for the way things are done and for the distribution of benefits. In both villages, people employ a wide range of resources and livelihoods strategies to support themselves. Tourism has been incorporated into the livelihoods of both villages in forms of employment (regular and occasional) and various collective and self-owned enterprises (e. g. , restaurants, homestays, café, food stalls, handicraft stores and campsites). Tourism activities have the potential both to complement and to compete with other economic activities in various forms. Conflicts between tourism-related economic activities and other activities may not be obvious in terms of the use of land, water and time. The benefits and costs of each tourism activity experienced by different stakeholder groups (mainly by age and gender) vary, depending on different personal situations. The sustainable livelihoods framework was examined and used to assess the context and forms in which tourism might contribute to sustainable livelihood outcomes. Institutional processes and organizational structures are one main factor determining whether different assets, tangible and intangible, are accumulated or depleted on individual, household, and community scales. The comparison of the two cases revealed that, in the context of capitalist market economy in which people pursue the maximization of individual interests, the following situation is most likely to lead to sustainable outcome (socio-culturally, economically, and environmentally) in the context of indigenous communities. That is tourism enterprises need to be operated through institutions with a communal mechanism and through efficient operation of the communities' organizations based on collective knowledge guided by Cou culture. Sustainable livelihood thinking is useful to the concept of sustainable development because it can be used as an analytical and practical tool for guiding studies of environment and development. It also serves as a means of integrating three modes of thinking: environmental thinking which stresses sustainability, development thinking which stresses production and growth, and livelihood thinking which stresses sustenance for the poor. The approach facilitates examination of the reality of aboriginal people and poor people in rural and remote areas. The approach focuses on the local impacts of change, recognizes the complexity of people's lives, acknowledges that people have different and sometimes complex livelihood strategies and addresses benefits that are defined by the marginalized communities themselves. It acknowledges the dynamism of the factors that influence livelihoods: it recognizes that change occurs and people accommodate, learn from change and plan, adapt and respond to change. It focuses on accommodating traditional knowledge and skills to create conditions for marginalized communities to enhance their well-being. It assists in understanding that traditional knowledge and its innovation provide a basis for the development of coping mechanisms and adaptive strategies to buffer the forces which threaten livelihoods. The sustainable livelihood framework is useful because it places the interests of local people at the centre. Such an approach incorporates tourism as one component of development, particularly for indigenous people, and explores how positive development impacts can be expanded and negative ones can be reduced. However, unless supplemented, the framework may not do justice to the importance of culture and the prominent roles played by key individuals. Keywords: Indigenous people, sustainable livelihoods, culture, sustainability, Taiwan </>

Tourism has become an important option for economic development and the cultural survival of aboriginal people, yet the academic work has overlooked an issue of cultural sustainability and the majority of the literature on indigenous tourism is from a non-indigenous perspective. Although the sustainable livelihood framework does not clearly address the cultural part of life, the approach requires that activities, such as tourism, are placed in a broader context so that they can be examined from an indigenous perspective on sustainability. The purpose of this study is to assess the role that tourism is playing in two indigenous communities' livelihood strategies in Taiwan from an indigenous perspective using the sustainable livelihood framework as an organizing framework. The examination of the evolution of livelihood strategies is the main focus of the study. A review of literature identifies weaknesses in the concepts of sustainable development and sustainable tourism and provides legitimacy for using the sustainable livelihood approach to examine the roles that tourism plays in indigenous people's daily lives. Culture is embedded in daily life and the approach allows the researcher to explore the meanings behind people's daily activities. Also, tourism needs to be placed in a broader context in order to identify whether any linkages exist between it and other sectors of the economy and how tourism can better fit in with exiting livelihood strategies. The research is a collaborative study of two Cou aboriginal communities (i. e. , Shanmei and Chashan) in central Taiwan using qualitative research methods. The sustainable livelihood framework is used as a vehicle for guiding research and analysis. Results indicate that Cou traditional livelihoods and their traditional social structure have been closely linked. The shift of Cou livelihoods from self-sustaining in the past to being linked increasingly to the global economic market system at present comes from a variety of external and internal factors (e. g. , policy, history, politics, macro-economic conditions). The promotion of tourism development and cultural industries by the government in recent years has provided aboriginal people with a new opportunity (tourism) in which they can make use of their culture as an advantage (culture as an attraction) to possibly reverse the inferior position. In addition to being an attraction for economic development, culture has many implications for the way things are done and for the distribution of benefits. In both villages, people employ a wide range of resources and livelihoods strategies to support themselves. Tourism has been incorporated into the livelihoods of both villages in forms of employment (regular and occasional) and various collective and self-owned enterprises (e. g. , restaurants, homestays, café, food stalls, handicraft stores and campsites). Tourism activities have the potential both to complement and to compete with other economic activities in various forms. Conflicts between tourism-related economic activities and other activities may not be obvious in terms of the use of land, water and time. The benefits and costs of each tourism activity experienced by different stakeholder groups (mainly by age and gender) vary, depending on different personal situations. The sustainable livelihoods framework was examined and used to assess the context and forms in which tourism might contribute to sustainable livelihood outcomes. Institutional processes and organizational structures are one main factor determining whether different assets, tangible and intangible, are accumulated or depleted on individual, household, and community scales. The comparison of the two cases revealed that, in the context of capitalist market economy in which people pursue the maximization of individual interests, the following situation is most likely to lead to sustainable outcome (socio-culturally, economically, and environmentally) in the context of indigenous communities. That is tourism enterprises need to be operated through institutions with a communal mechanism and through efficient operation of the communities' organizations based on collective knowledge guided by Cou culture. Sustainable livelihood thinking is useful to the concept of sustainable development because it can be used as an analytical and practical tool for guiding studies of environment and development. It also serves as a means of integrating three modes of thinking: environmental thinking which stresses sustainability, development thinking which stresses production and growth, and livelihood thinking which stresses sustenance for the poor. The approach facilitates examination of the reality of aboriginal people and poor people in rural and remote areas. The approach focuses on the local impacts of change, recognizes the complexity of people's lives, acknowledges that people have different and sometimes complex livelihood strategies and addresses benefits that are defined by the marginalized communities themselves. It acknowledges the dynamism of the factors that influence livelihoods: it recognizes that change occurs and people accommodate, learn from change and plan, adapt and respond to change. It focuses on accommodating traditional knowledge and skills to create conditions for marginalized communities to enhance their well-being. It assists in understanding that traditional knowledge and its innovation provide a basis for the development of coping mechanisms and adaptive strategies to buffer the forces which threaten livelihoods. The sustainable livelihood framework is useful because it places the interests of local people at the centre. Such an approach incorporates tourism as one component of development, particularly for indigenous people, and explores how positive development impacts can be expanded and negative ones can be reduced. However, unless supplemented, the framework may not do justice to the importance of culture and the prominent roles played by key individuals. Keywords: Indigenous people, sustainable livelihoods, culture, sustainability, Taiwan </>

In alleviating poverty in Lakes State in general and in the two counties (Yirol East and Wulu) in particular, there is a need to assess the property rights and its effects, identify the livelihoods and production assets of people solely involved in the cultivation of crops and agro-pastoralists, assess the role of land tenure system and how it contributes to land conflicts as well as conduct gender analysis of the impact of land tenure on the vulnerability of women and children in Yirol East and Wulu of Lakes State, South Sudan. Both quantitative and qualitative research methodology were utilized in this study. The qualitative research data consisted of focus group discussion, key informant interviews, and direct observation. Quantitative research data was gathered with the aid of a questionnaire. Two hundred questionnaires were implemented in Yirol East and Wulu County including 100 questionnaires in each county. Furthermore, these primary data sources were supplemented by secondary (or existing) data sources, including the South Sudan Land Act 2009, South Sudan National statistic Bureau, and documents from South Sudan Ministry of Irrigation. The food security is blamed on poor inadequate production assets which include human capital, financial capital, social capital, natural capital, and physical capital. In addition vulnerability factor due to draught, and conflict as well underutilization of the main livelihoods existing in the two communities the agro-pastoral of Yirol East and crop farmers of Wulu counties are the main findings of this research. The author highlighted the need to address the livelihoods and production asset constraints faced by agro-pastoralists of Yirol East Dinka communities and sedentary Beli communities of Wulu County. Dialogues for peace initiatives between rivals should be considered a step forward towards peaceful co-existence. Addressing property rights issues in relation to vulnerable women and children as well as land conflicts due to border demarcation, pastures and water points between communities is essential. / This thesis is an investigation for the use of agriculture and land tenure as a trategy for sustainable livelihoods for rural peoples of Lakes State, South Sudan. Inaddition, it was to access the impact of Sudan civil war on rural lives in the two counties Yirol East and Wulu of Lakes State, South Sudan.