Livelihoods Connect - What are Livelihoods?

A brief introduction to the ideas behind Sustainable Livelihoods Approaches, and how they are used.

Here's our guide to some of the concepts behind sustainable livelihoods, the myths commonly associated with SL, other approaches similar to SL, and to helpful resources.

A sustainable livelihood?

What is a 'sustainable livelihood'?

The term 'sustainable livelihood' was first used as a development concept in the early 1990s. Chambers and Conway (1991) defined a sustainable livelihood as follows:

'A livelihood comprises people, their capabilities and their means of living, including food, income and assets. Tangible assets are resources and stores, and intangible assets are claims and access.
A livelihood is environmentally sustainable when it maintains or enhances the local and global assets in which livelihoods depend, and has net beneficial effects on other livelihoods. A livelihood is socially sustainable which can cope with and recover from stress and shocks, and provide for future generations.'

Sustainable Livelihoods Approaches (SLAs)

Sustainable Livelihoods Approaches (SLAs) are centered on people and their livelihoods. They prioritise people's assets (tangible and intangible); their ability to withstand shocks (the vulnerability context); and policies and institutions that reflect poor people's priorities, rather than those of the elite.

Many multi-lateral, bi-lateral, and non-government agencies believe that using a sustainable livelihoods approach is a sensible and practical way of thinking about, planning and implementing development.

DFID's use of SLAs

The UK Department for International Development (DFID) was one of the first proponents of the SL approach. They see the objectives of the sustainable livelihoods approach as:

a more realistic understanding of poor people's livelihoods and the factors that shape them;

building a policy and institutional environment that supports poor peoples livelihoods;

support for development that builds on the strengths of poor people and provides them with opportunities to improve their livelihoods.

Other agenices using SLAs

Other multilateral agencies and NGOs also practice development using the sustainable livelihoods approach. For a comparison of their different approaches and frameworks, see:

Livelihoods Approaches Compared: A Multi-Agency Review of Current Practice. K. Hussein (2002) HTML

For more in depth examples of how SLAs are used in other organisations, follow the links below:

	Oxfam http://www.livelihoods.org/info/linksEvents_Sub/linksEvents_Oxfam.html
	UNDP (UN Development Programme) http://www.livelihoods.org/info/linksEvents_Sub/linksEvents_UNDP.html
	CARE http://www.livelihoods.org/info/linksEvents_Sub/linksEvents_CARE.html
	Links to other organisations using SLAs: http://www.livelihoods.org/info/info_linksevents.html

How does SLA differ from other approaches?

DFID believes that a sustainable livelihoods approach represents a positive evolution in thinking around poverty elimination, and differs from previous approaches to development in that:

	It puts people at the centre of development. People - rather than the resources they use or the governments that serve them - are the priority concern.
	It builds upon people's strengths rather than their needs.
	It brings together all relevant aspects of people's lives and livelihoods into development planning, implementation and evaluation.
	It unifies different sectors behind a common framework.
	It takes into account how development decisions affect distinct groups of people, such as women compared to men, differently.
	It emphasises the importance of understanding the links between policy decisions and household level activities.
	It draws in relevant partners whether State, civil or private, local, national, regional or international.
	It responds quickly to changing circumstances.

What other approaches are similar to SLA?

Several approaches applied by other agencies share characteristics of a Sustainable Livelihoods approach as described above. The following links highlight the key characteristics of these approaches.

	Community Driven Development
	Rights Based Approaches
	Asset Based Community Development
	Gestion de Terroirs
	Social Safety Nets
	Other Approaches

Dispelling SL Myths

A short paper which aims to untangle some of the common assumptions made about Sustainable Livelihoods Approaches. Topics include:

We all use the term "SL" to mean the same thing;

The DFID sustainable livelihoods approach is the only SLA;

Sustainable Livelihoods is just another framework;

Sustainable livelihoods projects are just IRDPs repackaged;

Taking a 'holistic' approach means you have to address everything;

Sustainable livelihood approaches are just about micro issues;

Sustainable livelihoods approaches are just about natural resources and rural issues;

Download Dispelling Myths document in Word

Further reading

For an introduction to the ideas behind SL, see:
Chambers, R & Conway G (1991) 'Sustainable rural livelihoods: practical concepts for the 21st century'. IDS Discussion Paper 296. Brighton: IDS.

For more information on DFID's approach, see:
'Sustainable Livelihoods - Building on Strengths (DFID)
or
DFID's SL Guidance Sheets

For an introduction to the uses of the SLAs, see:
Ashley, C & Carney, D (1999) 'Sustainable Livelihoods: Lessons From Early Experience'. London: DFID.

For an update on the progress made using SLAs since 1999, see: Carney, D (2002) 'Sustainable Livelihoods Approaches: Progress and Possibilities for Change'. London: DFID.

Also see the Livelihoods Connect guide to Frequently Asked Questions on the sustainable livelihoods approach