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Use
of Sustainable Livelihoods Approaches
The
project operated in five of the poorest, drought prone districts,
where agriculture is mainly dependent on rainfall for the
first four years of operation. Work in those districts
allowed the Government of Andhra Pradesh (GoAP) to pilot new
approaches which have subsequently been mainstreamed into
the watershed programme throughout the State (a total of 22
Districts). The approach aims to strengthen GoAP’s ongoing
watershed development programme by adopting a participatory
approach to developing pro-poor rural livelihoods, both in
agriculture and non-farm sectors. The project seeks to increase
the productivity of agriculture and so improve the incomes
of poor people dependent on it, for example, by rehabilitating
land and introducing better crop varieties. It also assists
poor people to develop other means of earning income through
social mobilisation, employment and non-land based activities.
SL framework was not used.
• Principles of the SL approach matched with
the concept of 'watershed plus'. The Government of
Andhra Pradesh had already recognised that an approach based
solely on natural resources or agriculture is not sufficient
for broad-based rural development, and in particular for meeting
the needs of the poor.
• However, some adjustments in the planning
process were informed by SL perspectives - including
the reinforcement of preparatory work to strengthen poor groups
prior to planning watershed rehabilitation, closer attention
to sequencing, and the feeding back of lessons from early
experience to permit course correction.
• Process approach - it was recognised
during planning that there was little point in micro-planning
activities, thus it was designed with substantial flexibility
for local communities to prioritise project interventions,
and include viable non land-based activities.
• Institutional strengthening –
capacity building of all stakeholders involved in watershed
development was recognised as a core part of the project.
• Policy linkages - the Government
of Andhra Pradesh clearly viewed the livelihoods project not
as an isolated project, but as part of its long-term poverty
action plan. The objective from the start of the project was
that the approaches adopted should influence and change the
on-going programme (the watershed programme) that the project
was to work within. This objective was successfully achieved
when the project was scaled up to become `the’ approach
to watershed development in Andhra Pradesh. The Government
of Andhra Pradesh has been interested throughout the life
of the project in experimenting with innovative approaches
that will inform policy change and reduce poverty; in a stronger
capacity for effective programme management and delivery;
and in promoting convergence with other rural development
schemes.
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