Communities and Livelihood Strategies: An Overview

Abstract

This chapter explores the livelihood strategies available to rural communities in order to counteract various environmental challenges they face. In agriculture, climate change is identified as one of the greatest threats, and farmers generally respond to adverse on-farm conditions by increased external input use, use of drought-tolerant local varieties, water harvesting, extensive planting, mixed cropping, agroforestry, opportunistic weeding, wild plant gathering and a series of other traditional farming system techniques. Farmers also diversify into on- and off-farm activities in order to maximize harvest security in uncertain and marginal environments. Sustainable livelihood strategies in rural communities should incorporate issues of human development, stable ecosystem, social equity, inter-and intra-generational fairness, and duties of care and prevention. The importance of sustainable livelihood strategies becomes evident in the cases of natural disasters such as earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. Occurrence of natural disasters diverts scarce resources, time and efforts from other sustainable development goals. Individual efforts alone may not be enough to cope with such extreme events. Even responses within and across groups of similar characteristics may not elicit the desired results. The capacity of community social institutions to deliver social services is crucial. That is, strong bonding and bridging social capital possessed by most vulnerable and poor groups might work as a very fragile safety net. Having more linking social capital (links with local government authorities) is more important for betterment of the economic environment.