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In Brief: |
DFID's Infrastructure
and Urban Development Department are investing in innovative advocacy
and lesson learning activities to extend experience of sustainable
livelihoods in urban development. Contracting a consultant to facilitate
the implementation of SL approaches enables a greater possibility
of 'face-to-face' contact and flexibility to work directly in a
programme or with project managers, to encourage consultants and
providers to move forwards, and to provide the necessary training
and facilitation. However, lessons learned can only be incorporated
into new work if decision-makers see the importance of the SL approach
and if practical systems for running programmes and projects can
be agreed (Rachel Roland: DFID IUDD).
An integrated approach to SL requires a greater understanding of
the nature of urban poverty and the importance of rural-urban linkages,
which are particularly important in the livelihoods of people living
in the peri-urban interface. IUDD SL activities have encouraged
the strengthening of urban livelihoods approaches in on-going and
proposed new research, and have influenced the thinking of DFID's new Urban Poverty Strategy.
Ways of taking the work forward are currently being considered (Cormac
Davey: DFID IUDD).
A
new book sponsored by DFID assesses the value of a focus on livelihoods
in analysing urban poverty and in guiding the selection of policy
and programme components. It reviews the situation and strategies
of poor urban people, including recent project experience, and identifies
the implications for both policy and practice (Carole Rakodi).
The
International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) has launched
the "Urban Challenges to Food and Nutrition Security" program to
provide information to policy makers, program administrators, development
practitioners and other vested audiences to make sound policy and
program decisions to reduce food insecurity and malnutrition in
urban areas.
DFID
is consulting publicly on a draft paper which seeks to make connections
between the two areas of infrastructure reform and poverty reduction.
This involves discussing the agenda of major national infrastructure
togther with that of providing local serivices.
The
Transport Research Laboratory (TRL) are designing a methodology
for carrying out a Sustainable Livelihoods Analysis of the Bridge
Replacement Project in Western Bangladesh, in order to measure the
impact it will have on local livelihoods.
Orla
O'Neill, from Concern in Bangladesh asks for information that can
assist their programme with exploring options to develop a livelihood
security or food security component in urban areas, in particular
with relation to integrating nutrition based interventions.
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