Magister Artium (Development Studies) - MA(DVS) / A total of 25 million South Africans are living in poverty, the majority of them in rural areas (SPII, 2007) added to this, the percentage of people living in poverty in rural areas more than doubles those living in the same conditions in an urban context (Armstrong, Lekezwa & Siebrits, 2008). Alleviating poverty and promoting development in rural areas is Strategic Priority no.3 in the National Government’s medium term strategic framework, through the Comprehensive Rural Development Programme (DRDLR, 2010). It has also been shown that poverty alleviation through small-scale agricultural projects can be successful in both creating income and improving household nutrition (Lahiff, 2003). The South African Government has attempted multiple varied approaches towards poverty alleviation in rural South Africa with mixed success. One of these approaches is that of a formalised strategy for Local Economic Development (LED) at the municipal government level. LED has been placed firmly in the remit of local government and in some areas has been undertaken by LED agencies (LEDAs) which are autonomous entities but are operating within municipal legal structures. The Blue Crane Development Agency (BCDA) is one such LEDA based in the Blue Crane Route Municipality of the Cacadu District of the Eastern Cape. The main aim of this study is to explore how the BCDA’s agricultural projects affected the livelihoods of their participant communities. The study utilises the Sustainable Livelihoods Approach (SLA) in order to measure primarily qualitative differences the LED program has made to local livelihood strategies and outcomes. The research takes the form of a case-study, utilising in depth interviews and Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) tools. It was found that the agricultural LED projects did increase livelihoods and capital during the time they were ongoing. However, as the projects had ended there was no long term increase to livelihood strategies and security. Multiple factors were responsible for the project failures. These include the lack of clear delineation in roles between the BCDA and their employees, lack of re-investment once projects were inherited by the beneficiaries and insufficient post hand-over mentoring.

This thesis investigates agrarian transitions within aquarian contexts by investigating livelihood transitions in a small rural fishing village in central Vietnam. Examined are powers at play that inform livelihood transitions as fishers and fish farmers respond by moving in and out of different production systems in order to maintain their fishing and fish farming livelihoods. This research reveals that aquarian transitions in Vietnam could follow a similar trajectory of agrarian transitions whereby smaller, less efficient production systems make room for more efficient economies of scale. In conducting a thorough and detailed empirical analysis of production systems, the socio-economic relations that shape production systems, and natural resource governance within the Vietnamese context, this research contributes to a better understanding of the knowledge surrounding fishery resources and livelihood options.

No / Whilst sustainable livelihoods thinking is potentially valuable in advancing our understanding of the complexity and socially embedded nature of people's lives, sustainable livelihoods frameworks and principles are too eager to codify this complexity and to produce toolboxes and techniques to change the internal management of development interventions. Drawing on research in Tanzania, this paper offers an analysis of two interventions that apply aspects of sustainable livelihoods approaches (SLA). Whilst both interventions demonstrate much good practice, both are fundamentally limited in their potential for sustainable impact. This paper demonstrates the importance of the external context within which an intervention exists and explores some of the limitations faced by development agencies in trying to manage sustainability.

Approaches to projects and development have undergone considerable change in the last decade with significant policy shifts on governance, gender, poverty eradication, and environmental issues. Most recently this has led to the adoption and promotion of the sustainable livelihood (SL) approach. The adoption of the SL approach presents challenges to development interventions including: the future of projects and programmes, and sector wide approaches (SWAPs) and direct budgetary support.This paper `A livelihoods-grounded audit of the Plan for the Modernisation of Agriculture in Uganda¿ is the fourteenth in the series of project working papers. / Department for International Development

Approaches to projects and development have undergone considerable change in the last decade with significant policy shifts on governance, gender, poverty eradication, and environmental issues. Most recently this has led to the adoption and promotion of the sustainable livelihood (SL) approach. The adoption of the SL approach presents challenges to development interventions including: the future of projects and programmes, and sector wide approaches (SWAPs) and direct budgetary support.This paper `A livelihoods-grounded audit of Agricultural Sector Programme Support (ASPS) ¿ Tanzania¿ is the seventh in the series of project working papers. / Department for International Development

yes / This paper critically examines the sustainable livelihoods approach (SLA) in the context of broader development debates, using a literature review as a tool to explore the origins, concepts and uses of the `approach¿. Whilst the concept of sustainable livelihoods is valuable in advancing our understanding the complexity and embedded nature of people¿s lives, sustainable livelihoods frameworks and principles are too simplistic to offer many answers. This paper argues that the idea of net sustainable livelihoods has much to offer the current discourse on rights and governance but that this is in danger of being diluted by its conceptualisation as a new `approach¿ to managing development interventions.

No description available.

Faculty of Humanities School of Graduate Social Foe Humanities and Scocial Science 0419064g admachava@yahoo.com / This case study constitutes an example of how local social networks among refugees/immigrants communities and, between them and their hosts are fundamental in accessing different ranges of paid employment. Their relevance is here explained in contexts whereby social, economic, legal and skills play a significant role in accessing jobs and shaping the social relations between people. This case study argues that social networks are important because of lack of employment opportunities. However Mozambicans have difficulty accessing necessary social networks because of tensions with South Africans and suspicion among themselves. These factors are aggravated by lack of education and skills. This research demonstrates that networks among former Mozambican refugees and between them and South African are shaped by contextual factors namely; the endemic hard socio-economic problems targeting the region thus affecting the employment market, the political and legal transformations introduced in the country following the fall of apartheid which have fuelled the tension between the citizens and foreigners and most important, the lack of legal status, skills and experience affecting the former Mozambican refugees. Although the South Africans face the same problems the impact is likely to be different.

ABSTRACT This research investigates how language affects the livelihoods of migrants and their use of social networks for income generation in Johannesburg. The study focuses on the Cameroonians, a community constituted by two main linguistic groups: Francophones and Anglophones. It explores the historic process of migration into the Republic of South Africa, the motivations behind the choice of the inner city of Johannesburg by Cameroonians, and it differentiates the type of social networks in which Cameroonians in this study engage in. The research report also explores how language shapes social networks among Cameroonians living in the inner city of Johannesburg. Findings of this study reveal that language does not have a direct effect on livelihoods as almost all Cameroonians migrants interviewed in this study are able to speak both English and French. It nevertheless, shapes the respondents’ opportunities and strategies as many rely on linguistic communities to access information, get social assistance, and find jobs. This study found that Cameroonians living in the inner city of Johannesburg use intra-linguistic social networks more than inter-linguistic group social networks for their income generating strategies. It also demonstrates the importance that language has in the lives of these respondents. The study is based on non-representative sample of Cameroonians living in Johannesburg. It used a multi-methods approach including in-depth face-to-face interviews and written sources such as journals, books and research reports were combined to gather relevant data. Thematic content analysis was used to analyse the data.

This dissertation explores the changing nature of food provisioning in the contemporary Third World city, employing the experience of Accra, Ghana, as a case study. The issue is studied by examining changes that are occurring within urban food markets, and how households are altering their food acquisition patterns in response to structural changes within the city. The investigation provides an in-depth analysis of the policy framework and socio-economic context for the delivery of, and access to, food in Accra, and probes the food situation as a window to investigate broader issues relating to poverty, livelihoods, and coping strategies within a Third World city. Data were collected from three markets and six residential neighbourhoods through focus group discussions and personal interviews. The investigation reveals that the food system has been altered by processes of transformation occurring in the city, with dire implication for access to food by the poor. The activities of traders in maintaining the urban food supply emphasize the dominance of individual initiatives in sustaining the city. The household surveys show that the level of direct engagement between households and the food market is waning, as households increasingly source their food from city’s various food outlets. This does not mean that food markets are losing their significance in the food supply chain. They remain the nexus between the source of supply (farmstead or port) and the urban household consumer. This case study indicates that urban economic restructuring is translated into the lives of residents by altering how people meet their needs. It illustrates how individuals and households adopt new ways of engaging their changing environment and navigating the landscape in order to survive. The coping strategies adopted highlight the resilience of vulnerable groups to this precarious urban landscape. These people are not passive victims to the constraints they face. Their responses to crisis make them active participants in the transformation of the city. The study concludes that understanding how the poor organize themselves to meet their challenges is key to understanding any interventions that are designed to tackle urban poverty or improve access to basic needs in the city. / Thesis (Ph.D, Geography) -- Queen's University, 2009-04-24 10:56:51.709