Project

Project title		Synthesis assignment - Livelihood strategies and NR related management opportunities

Project number		PD105


Project leader	Bianca Ambrose-Oji	Lead organisation	Centre for Arid Zone Studies Natural Resources, University of Wales

Project period	15/05/2001 to 31/03/2004	Budget (£)	38,000

Project website

NRSP keyword	livelihood strategies, natural resource management, policy and policy process, poverty, research strategies

Country	Bangladesh, Ghana, India, Kenya, Nepal, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, Belize, Barbados, Saint Lucia, Trinidad and Tobago

Node: suite	Topic clusters 06: Livelihoods and NR

Production system	Cross cutting

Theme

Project summary	This study synthesised information on the factors influencing livelihood strategies for poor people in developing countries. Findings were used to identify how research for development can support livelihood opportunities of the poor, the challenges faced by livelihoods research, and the opportunities to improve this research.


Background		Revision of NRSP’s research strategy in 1999 to focus explicitly on the needs of poor people showed there was a need for a much better understanding of determinants of livelihood strategies in varying poverty circumstances and their implications for areas and opportunities for NRM research that could best assist pro-poor improvement of livelihoods. The study considered 18 projects which were selected from NRSP’s portfolio in five production systems that had undertaken livelihood studies either as the central focus of a project or to establish a context for other research on natural resources management. It comprised a desk study of project documentation, interviews with project leaders, some fieldwork and a workshop of key stakeholders.

Purpose		To synthesise information on key determinants influencing livelihood strategies of the poor who are largely dependent on natural resources (NR) and identify NR-related management opportunities that could benefit the poor.

Outputs		Identified seven key determinants of livelihoods strategies that are important across all systems. Proposed opportunities under four themes to improve research and development in support of livelihoods. Provided a greater understanding of the challenges faced by livelihoods research and the opportunities to improve this research.

Achievements		The study report was summarised in a booklet and widely distributed within DFID and globally to Government and non-Government organisations and NARS.


Publication title	Type	Download

Livelihoods synthesis study: Key determinants of poor people's livelihood strategies and natural resources-related management opportunities. A summary.	Extension leaflet, brochure, policy brief or poster	1,221kb

Livelihoods synthesis study. Key determinants of poor people's livelihood strategies and natural resources-related management opportunities.	Project report	2,265kb


Expert	Role	Organisation at time of project

Bianca Ambrose-Oji	Project leader	Centre for Arid Zone Studies Natural Resources, University of Wales


Organisations	Acronym	Role

Centre for Arid Zone Studies Natural Resources, University of Wales	CAZS-NR	Lead

Natural Resources Systems Programme	NRSP	Funder


Relation	Project number	Project title

Reviews	R7962	Linking soil fertility and improved cropping strategies to development interventions

Reviews	R7868	Maximisation of joint benefits from multiple resource use in Bangladeshi floodplains

Reviews	R7867	Filling gaps in knowledge about the peri-urban interface around Hubli-Dharwad

Reviews	R7857	Review of common pool resource management in Tanzania

Reviews	R7854	Further knowledge of livelihoods affected by urban transition, Kumasi, Ghana

Reviews	R7806	Human and social capital's role in NR management in Tanzania

Reviews	R7805	Understanding coping strategies in semi-arid Tanzania

Reviews	R7797	Opportunities and constraints for coastal livelihoods in the Caribbean

Reviews	R7558	Understanding household coping strategies in semi-arid India

Reviews	R7545	Coping strategies of poor households in semi-arid Zimbabwe

Reviews	R7516	Bridging knowledge gaps between soils research and dissemination in Ghana

Reviews	R7446	Shortened bush-fallow rotations for sustainable rural livelihoods in Ghana

Reviews	R7412	Incorporation of local knowledge into soil and water management interventions which minimise nutrient losses in the middle hills of Nepal

Reviews	R7304	Zimbabwe: Micro-catchment management and common property resources

Reviews	R7180	Options for use of power tillers and draught animals for primary cultivation on small farms in Bangladesh

Reviews	R6756	Investigation of livelihood strategies and resource use patterns in floodplain production systems based on rice and fish in Bangladesh

Reviews	R6755	Sustainable local water resource management in Bangladesh – meeting needs and resolving conflicts

Reviews	R6744	Methodological research into the incorporation of indigenous knowledge into natural resources research on Bangladesh floodplain production systems in association with the land/water interface systems programme