Using data from a national living standards survey undertaken in late 1993, this paper disaggregates and explores the economics of livelihood generation and class in rural South Africa in an effort to contribute to the ongoing and vociferous debate in South Africa about poverty and its alleviation. Pursuant to the suggestion of participants in a recent participatory poverty assessment, this pap...

Sustainable Livelihoods Approach emerged in the 1980s as a new analytical approach in the field of rural development inwhich the rural livelihood capitals form the basis of the villagers' empowerment and their ability to get involved in their own individual and social destiny. This study aimed to answer the question that how much the importance of each type of livelihood capitals is in the Cent...

The concept “literacy” may seem very simple to the understanding of every individual, but it has proved to be complex, dynamic and continued to be defined and interpreted in various ways. Livelihood on the other hand, goes beyond poverty eradication and stretches to factors and processes that could enhance or hinder individual’s ability to make a living. This paper gives a brief historical over...

Free-ranging local chicken flocks are important for the livelihood of resource-poor rural farmers in Tanzania, as they provide a critical source of animal protein and a ready source of income through the sale of chickens and eggs. An occurrence of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in the village setting of Tanzania would result in a disastrous loss of livelihood. This paper attempts to o...

Small-scale fisheries are important to livelihoods and subsistence seafood consumption of millions of fishers. Sea cucumbers are fished worldwide for export to Asia, yet few studies have assessed factors affecting socioeconomics and wellbeing among fishers. We interviewed 476 men and women sea cucumber fishers at multiple villages within multiple locations in Fiji, Kiribati, Tonga and New Caled...

Climate exerts a profound influence on the lives of rural populations, particularly the rural poor, who depend on agriculture for livelihood and sustenance, who are unprotected against climate-related diseases, who lack secure access to water and food, and who are vulnerable to hydrometeorological hazard. Climate shocks such as drought and flooding lead not only to loss of life, but also long-t...