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Livelihood

{{Short description|One's means of supporting one's self}}

{{Essay-like|date=November 2020}}

A person's livelihood (derived from life-lode, "way of life"; cf. OG lib-leit){{cite journal|last=Wedgwood|first=Hensleigh|author-link=Hensleigh Wedgwood|title=On False Etymologies|journal=Transactions of the Philological Society|url=https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uc1.b3924121;view=1up;seq=78|year=1855|issue=6|pages=68}} refers to their "means of securing the basic necessities (food, water, shelter and clothing) of life". Livelihood is defined as a set of activities essential to everyday life that are conducted over one's life span. Such activities could include securing water, food, fodder, medicine, shelter, clothing. An individual's livelihood involves the capacity to acquire aforementioned necessities in order to satisfy the basic needs of themselves and their household. The activities are usually carried out repeatedly and in a manner that is sustainable and providing of dignity.{{cite book|url=http://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/acref/9780199571123.001.0001/acref-9780199571123|title=Oxford Dictionary of English|publisher=Oxford University Press|via=www.oxfordreference.com|doi=10.1093/acref/9780199571123.001.0001|year=2010|isbn=9780199571123}} For instance, a fisherman's livelihood depends on the availability and accessibility of fish.

The concept of Sustainable Livelihood (SL){{Cite web |url=http://www.forestry.umn.edu/prod/groups/cfans/@pub/@cfans/@forestry/documents/asset/cfans_asset_202603.pdf |title=Archived copy |access-date=2013-08-01 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131004221750/http://www.forestry.umn.edu/prod/groups/cfans/@pub/@cfans/@forestry/documents/asset/cfans_asset_202603.pdf |archive-date=2013-10-04 |url-status=dead }}{{Cite web |url=http://www.ntd.co.uk/idsbookshop/details.asp?id=419 |title=IDS Bookshop - Item details |access-date=2013-08-01 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131005012006/http://www.ntd.co.uk/idsbookshop/details.asp?id=419 |archive-date=2013-10-05 |url-status=dead }}{{Cite web |url=http://graduateinstitute.ch/files/live/sites/iheid/files/sites/developpement/shared/developpement/mdev/soutienauxcours0809/Gironde%20Pauvrete/Sustainable%20Rural%20Livelihhods%20-%20Scoones.pdf |title=Archived copy |access-date=2013-08-01 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131005011533/http://graduateinstitute.ch/files/live/sites/iheid/files/sites/developpement/shared/developpement/mdev/soutienauxcours0809/Gironde%20Pauvrete/Sustainable%20Rural%20Livelihhods%20-%20Scoones.pdf |archive-date=2013-10-05 |url-status=dead }}{{cite web|url=http://www.sarpn.org/documents/d0001493/P1833-Sustainable-rural-livelihoods_IDS-paper72.pdf |title=Data |website=www.sarpn.org }} is an attempt to go beyond the conventional definitions and approaches to poverty eradication.{{Cite journal|last=Krantz|first=Lasse|date=2001|title=The Sustainable Livelihood Approach to Poverty Reduction|url=https://www.sida.se/contentassets/bd474c210163447c9a7963d77c64148a/the-sustainable-livelihood-approach-to-poverty-reduction_2656.pdf|journal=SIDA|pages=1}}

These had been found to be too narrow because they focused only on certain aspects or manifestations of poverty, such as low income, or did not consider other vital aspects of poverty such as vulnerability and social exclusion. It is now recognized that more attention must be paid to the various factors and processes which either constrain or enhance poor people's ability to make a living in an economically, ecologically, and socially sustainable manner.

The SL concept offers a more coherent and integrated approach to poverty. The sustainable livelihoods idea was first introduced by the Brundtland Commission on Environment and Development, and the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development expanded the concept, advocating for the achievement of sustainable livelihoods as a broad goal for poverty eradication.

In 1992 Robert Chambers and Gordon Conway{{cite web|url=http://opendocs.ids.ac.uk/opendocs/bitstream/handle/123456789/775/Dp296.pdf |title=Documents |website=opendocs.ids.ac.uk }} proposed the following composite definition of a sustainable rural livelihood, which is applied most commonly at the household level: "A livelihood comprises the capabilities, assets (stores, resources, claims and access) and activities required for a means of living: a livelihood is sustainable which can cope with and recover from stress and shocks, maintain or enhance its capabilities and assets, and provide sustainable livelihood opportunities for the next generation; and which contributes net benefits to other livelihoods at the local and global levels and in the short and long term."{{cite web|url=http://www.humanecologyreview.org/pastissues/her131/knutsson.pdf |title=Info |website=www.humanecologyreview.org }}

In social sciences

In social sciences, the concept of livelihood extends to include social and cultural means, i.e. "the command an individual, family, or other social group has over an income and/or bundles of resources that can be used or exchanged to satisfy its needs. This may involve information, cultural knowledge, social networks and legal rights as well as tools, land and other physical resources."Blaikie P., Cannon T., Davis I., Wisner B. At Risk: Natural Hazards, People’s Vulnerability, and Disasters. New York, NY: Routledge, 2004,

The concept of livelihood is used in the fields such as political ecology in research that focuses on sustainability and human rights.

Contributors to literature and practice

  • Robert Chambers
  • [http://www.ids.ac.uk/person/ian-scoones Ian Scoones]{{cite web|url = http://www.ids.ac.uk/person/ian-scoones|title = Ian Scoones|website = www.ids.ac.uk|access-date = 2016-03-24}}
  • Anthony Bebbington{{cite web|url=http://www.myduquesne.duq.edu/s/831/images/editor_documents/Social%20Thought/Capitals%20and%20Capabilities.pdf?sessionid=8cb2a614-a9a0-498d-b25a-7b10a4c22d32&cc=1|title=Capitals and Capabilities: A Framework for Analyzing Peasant Viability, Rural Livelihoods and Poverty|last=Bebbington|first=Anthony|date=1999}}
  • [https://web.archive.org/web/20131004221750/http://www.forestry.umn.edu/prod/groups/cfans/@pub/@cfans/@forestry/documents/asset/cfans_asset_202603.pdf Lasse Krantz]
  • [http://www.humanecologyreview.org/pastissues/her131/knutsson.pdf Per Knutsson]
  • Ruedi Hoegger{{cite web|url=http://www.skat.ch/publications/prarticle.2005-09-29.5069774463/prarticle.2005-09-29.1875579521/skatpublication.2005-11-22.4965887530/file|title=Nothing found for Publications Prarticle 2005 09 29 5069774463 Prarticle 2005 09 29 1875579521 Skatpublication 2005 11 22 4965887530 File|website=skat.ch|access-date=2013-08-01|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304040608/http://www.skat.ch/publications/prarticle.2005-09-29.5069774463/prarticle.2005-09-29.1875579521/skatpublication.2005-11-22.4965887530/file|archive-date=2016-03-04|url-status=dead}}{{cite web|url = http://www.sagepub.com/booksProdDesc.nav?prodId=Book226645|title = In Search of Sustainable Livelihood Systems - SAGE Publications Inc|website = www.sagepub.com|access-date = 2016-03-24}}
  • Ruedi Baumgartner
  • Smita Premchander{{cite web|url = http://www.sagepub.com/authorDetails.nav?contribId=648823|title = Premchander, Smita - SAGE Publications Inc|website = www.sagepub.com|access-date = 2016-03-24}}{{Cite web |url=http://www.clp-bangladesh.org/pdf/clp_social_development_review_04nov2010.pdf |title=Archived copy |access-date=2013-08-01 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131126192555/http://www.clp-bangladesh.org/pdf/clp_social_development_review_04nov2010.pdf |archive-date=2013-11-26 |url-status=dead }}[http://www.clp-bangladesh.org/pdf/social%20development%20review%20-%20final%20report.pdf ]{{dead link|date=July 2018}}{{Cite web |url=http://www.nadel.ethz.ch/forschung/flyer_rls.pdf |title=Archived copy |access-date=2013-08-01 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040907215623/http://nadel.ethz.ch/forschung/flyer_rls.pdf |archive-date=2004-09-07 |url-status=dead }}{{cite web|url = http://www.kfpe.ch/download/Paper_Smita_Cairo.pdf|title = Commission for Research Partnerships with Developing Countries|website = www.kfpe.ch|access-date = 2016-03-24}}
  • K V Raju
  • Vijay Mahajan{{cite web|url = http://www.ruralfinance.org/library/policy-advice/livelihood-promotion/livelihood-promotion-details/ru/?no_cache=1&srec=10382&tdet=training&tdet2=&tdet3=2&referer=MTA1MjU%253D|archive-url = https://archive.today/20130702112219/http://www.ruralfinance.org/library/policy-advice/livelihood-promotion/livelihood-promotion-details/ru/?no_cache=1&srec=10382&tdet=training&tdet2=&tdet3=2&referer=MTA1MjU%3D|url-status = dead|archive-date = 2013-07-02|title = Ruralfinance.org - Min økonomi blogg|website = Ruralfinance.org|language = en-US|access-date = 2016-03-24}}
  • G K Karanth{{Cite web |url=http://www.isec.ac.in/gkkaranth.htm |title=Gkkaranth |access-date=2013-08-01 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130502180044/http://isec.ac.in/gkkaranth.htm |archive-date=2013-05-02 |url-status=dead }}{{cite web|url = https://www.researchgate.net/profile/G_K_Karanth/publications/|title = G K Karanth - Publications|website = www.researchgate.net|access-date = 2016-03-24}}
  • V Ramaswamy{{cite web|url=http://www.isec.ac.in/ramaswamy.htm|title=V Ramaswamy|website=www.isec.ac.in}}{{Cite book|url = https://books.google.com/books?id=yCzxZwEACAAJ|title = The Threshing Floor Disappears: Rural Livelihood System in Transition|date = 2003-01-01|publisher = Institute for Social and Economic Change|language = en}}
  • Frank Ellis{{cite web|url=http://www.odi.org.uk/sites/odi.org.uk/files/odi-assets/publications-opinion-files/2881.pdf |title=Opinion data |website=www.odi.org.uk }}{{Cite book|url = https://books.google.com/books?id=gCKQs-3NKhUC|title = Rural Livelihoods and Diversity in Developing Countries|last = Ellis|first = Frank|date = 2000-06-29|publisher = OUP Oxford|isbn = 9780198296966|language = en}}{{cite web|url = http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2606096-rural-livelihoods-and-diversity-in-developing-countries|title = Rural Livelihoods and Diversity in Developing Countries|website = Goodreads|access-date = 2016-03-24}}{{cite web|url=http://r4d.dfid.gov.uk/PDF/Outputs/Livelihoodsresearch/Ladder-wp17.pdf |title=Research data |website=r4d.dfid.gov.uk }}{{cite web|url = http://www.uea.ac.uk/international-development/People/Academic/ellis|title = Professor Frank Ellis - UEA|website = www.uea.ac.uk|access-date = 2016-03-24}}[http://www.fao.org/es/esw/lsp/cd/img/docs/lspwp9.pdf ]{{dead link|date=July 2018}}{{Cite journal|last = Ellis|first = Frank|date = 2000-05-01|title = The Determinants of Rural Livelihood Diversification in Developing Countries|journal = Journal of Agricultural Economics|language = en|volume = 51|issue = 2|pages = 289–302|doi = 10.1111/j.1477-9552.2000.tb01229.x|issn = 1477-9552}}
  • Dr. C. Shambu Prasad{{cite web|url=http://ced.org.in/docs/kics/UNIID/title-workshop.pdf |title=Workshop info |website=ced.org.in }}{{cite web|url = https://ximb.academia.edu/ShambuPrasadChebrolu|title = Shambu Prasad Chebrolu - Institute of Rural Management Anand - Academia.edu|website = ximb.academia.edu|access-date = 2016-03-24}}
  • Dr. Girish G. Sohani i{{Cite web |url=http://babcock.wisc.edu/node/781 |title=Meeting with BAIF Group from India | Babcock Institute |access-date=2013-09-05 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120822100754/http://babcock.wisc.edu/node/781 |archive-date=2012-08-22 |url-status=dead }}{{cite web|url=http://www.baif.org.in/pdf/Girish_Sohani.pdf |title=Info |website=www.baif.org.in }}
  • KS Gopal{{cite web|url = http://www.pradan.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=127&Itemid=105|title = Pradan - Workshop on NREGA: Beyond Wages to Sustainable Livelihoods|website = www.pradan.net|access-date = 2016-03-24}}{{cite web|url=http://www.ddsindia.com/www/foodsec_dryland.htm|title=Food Security for Dryland Communities|website=www.ddsindia.com}}{{cite web|url = http://www.socialwatchindia.net/newsroom/related-news/273-land-livelihoods-food-security-by-k-s-gopal|title = Land, Livelihoods & Food Security By K.S. Gopal|last = Watch|first = National Social|website = www.socialwatchindia.net|access-date = 2016-03-24}}
  • Madhukar Shukla
  • Ajit Kanitkar{{Cite web |url=http://www.fordfoundation.org/issues/economic-fairness/expanding-livelihood-opportunities-for-poor-households/team/ajit-kanitkar |title=Ajit Kanitkar / Team / Expanding Livelihood Opportunities for Poor Households / Economic Fairness / Ford Foundation |access-date=2013-09-05 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130906071616/http://www.fordfoundation.org/issues/economic-fairness/expanding-livelihood-opportunities-for-poor-households/team/ajit-kanitkar |archive-date=2013-09-06 |url-status=dead }}{{Citation|last = Deshpande Foundation|title = Ajit Kanitkar : DD 2013 - Keynote Panel - Tipping Point|date = 2013-06-11|url = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SgRAJ9rdMyQ|access-date = 2016-03-24}}{{Cite web |url=http://www.epw.in/authors/ajit-kanitkar |title=Ajit Kanitkar | Economic and Political Weekly |access-date=2013-09-05 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131214022827/http://www.epw.in/authors/ajit-kanitkar |archive-date=2013-12-14 |url-status=dead }}{{cite web|url = http://ashokafutureforum2013a.sched.org/speaker/ajitkanitkar#.Uigo5dJFaqg|title = My schedule for Ashoka Future Forum|website = ashokafutureforum2013a.sched.org|access-date = 2016-03-24}}{{Cite book|url = https://books.google.com/books?id=jBrtAAAAMAAJ|title = Grassroots entrepreneurship: entrepreneurs and microenterprises in rural India|last1 = Kanitkar|first1 = Ajit|last2 = Friedrich-Naumann-Stiftung|date = 1995-01-01|publisher = New Age International Publishers|isbn = 9788122407396|language = en}}{{cite web|url=https://www.irma.ac.in/pdf/randp/1067_96703.pdf |title=Data |website=www.irma.ac.in }}
  • Sankar Datta{{cite web|url = http://www.sagepub.in/authorDetails.nav?contribId=658846|title = Sankar Datta|website = SAGE|access-date = 2016-03-24}}

See also

References

{{Reflist}}

External links

{{Spoken Wikipedia|En-Livelihood-article.ogg|date=2019-10-20}}

Category:Poverty