|
Background and use of SL
RLEP is an outsourcing initiative developed by DFID Bangladesh
to independently review projects within the Rural Livelihoods
Programme, distil and communicate key lessons emerging to
DFID decision-makers and develop strategic learning platform
for these lessons to be packaged and made available to the
wider development community.
Use
of Sustainable Livelihoods Approaches:
Three
projects worked with research based institutions (rice, farm
power and fisheries) to introduce pro-poor research agenda
within the livelihoods framework. Outcomes included improved
livelihoods for many poor farmers and sustainable changes
in poverty focussed research approaches by implementing research
institutions. This was the first time public sector researchers
had conducted field based action research involving poor people
along side NGOs and private sector institutions thus benefiting
from their comparative advantages of working at the community
level, product development and marketing processes.
Another
three projects were/are based in government of Bangladesh
institutions (fisheries and agriculture). Since the use of
SLA was not explicitly articulated in early project design
these projects were/are constrained by the rigidity of official
project documentation. However, some SLA work has been incorporated
into monitoring change, multidimensional poverty analyses,
capturing well-being, livelihood and attitudinal change.
Two projects based with CARE and Worldfish are promoting rice-fish,
homestead gardening and community based fisheries management
as early entry points but have since transformed and diversified
for wider livelihood options and become more process oriented
and ‘empowering’ in approach. With the greater
autonomy in management and implementation these projects (especially
the CARE Rural Livelihoods Programme) have used SLA more extensively:
participatory and empowering monitoring and evaluation (i.e.
less extractive), extending livelihood interventions to rights
based approaches and activities, livelihood asset analysis
(most common), household decision-making processes and coping
strategies, service access, information and entitlements and
(limited) policy process and influencing analysis.
|
