March 30, 2023 [LIVELIHOOD AND FOOD SECURITY ]

WOLKITE
UNIVERSITY

COLLAGE OF
SOCIAL
SCIENCE
AND
HUMANITIES

DEPARTMENT OF GEOGRAPHY AND ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES

Course Name; Political Geography

Course Code; GeES 4023
Individual Assignment

NAME ID

1: Wandimu Solomon……………………………SSR/1182/12

Submitted to Mr.

Submission date, 2023

Table of Contents
Introduction.................................................................................................................................................3
1.Explain the difference between food security and food sovereignty?.....................................................4

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1.1 Food security.....................................................................................................................................4

1.2 Food sovereignty...............................................................................................................................4
2.List down the strength and weakness of sustainable livelihood approaches to development.................5
2.1 Strength.............................................................................................................................................5
2.2 Weakness...........................................................................................................................................6
2.3 The Sustainable Livelihoods Approach to development....................................................................6
3. Discuss briefly the commonality and difference between DFID and CARE livelihood framework...........7
3.1 The commonality between DFID and CARE livelihood framework.................................................7
3.2 Difference between DFID and CARE livelihood framework............................................................7
3.2.1 The DFID livelihood framework..................................................................................................7
3.2.2 CARE'S livelihood framework......................................................................................................9
3.2.2.1 Core emphasis and definitions.................................................................................................9
Summary...................................................................................................................................................11

Introduction
A livelihood comprises the capabilities, assets, and activities required for a means of living. It is
deemed sustainable when it can cope with and recover from stresses and shocks and maintain or

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enhance its capabilities, assets, and activities both now and in the future, while not undermining
the natural resource base The Sustainable Livelihoods Approach (SLA) is a method of analysing
and changing the lives of people experiencing poverty and disadvantage. It is a participatory
approach based on the recognition that all people have abilities and assets that can be developed
to help them improve their lives.

The aim of this brief review is to clarify understanding of the fundamental principles behind the
livelihoods approaches of four different agencies: the United Kingdom Department for
International Development (DFID), Cooperative for Assistance and Relief (CARE). It is hoped
that this will facilitate discussion and learning as well as promote in-country partnerships on
livelihoods work. The fact that there is some variation in emphasis among the agencies does not
mean they cannot work together; overall, their similarities far outweigh their differences.
Nevertheless, it is useful to be aware of where differences occur so they can be accommodated.
This review should elucidate the application of various livelihoods approaches and the direction
in which these might move in the future. This is important since livelihoods approaches are
evolving in all the agencies that currently employ them.

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1.Explain the difference between food security and food sovereignty?

1.1 Food security

Food security does not distinguish where food comes from, or the conditions under which it is
produced and distributed. National food security targets are often met by sourcing food produced
under environmentally destructive and exploitative conditions, and supported by subsidies and
policies that destroy local food producers but benefit agribusiness corporations.

Food security means having physical access and economic means to sufficient, safe, and
nutritious food. This may sound similar to food sovereignty, but it’s missing certain key aspects.

• Food security does not take into account the environmental impact of producing and
distributing food. Meeting food security targets often relies on extractive production.

• Food security does not consider the people who produce the food or offer protections
around their conditions or wages, but instead focuses strictly on meeting consumer needs.

• Food security does not consider the the cultural appropriateness of food or community
needs.

• Food security does not inherently support local producers or the passing on of
generational knowledge, but instead oftentimes supports agribusiness corporations who
offer cheap, mass-produced products.

"Food security exists when all people, at all times, have physical and economic access to
sufficient, safe and nutritious food to meet their dietary needs and food preferences in order to
lead a healthy and active life.” This definition gives greater emphasis to the multidimensional
nature of food security and includes: "the availability of food, access to food, biological
utilization of food, and stability [of the other three dimensions over time].” (FAO, 2006)

1.2 Food sovereignty

Food sovereignty emphasizes ecologically appropriate production, distribution and consumption,
social-economic justice and local food systems as ways to tackle hunger and poverty and
guarantee sustainable food security for all peoples.

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It advocates trade and investment that serve the collective aspirations of society. It promotes
community control of productive resources; agrarian reform and tenure security for small-scale
producers; agro-ecology; biodiversity; local knowledge; the rights of peasants, women,
indigenous peoples and workers; social protection and climate justice.

Food sovereignty more fully embodies the right to food because it adds a human dimension to
food security, acknowledging that one should have a say in their relationship with food.

This renders the movement more inclusive of other rights, too, as they prioritize the right to
cultural life, rights of women (who are disproportionately affected by the oppression of farm
workers), indigenous practices, and environmental rights.

Ultimately, food sovereignty does not diminish food security, but adds it as one factor to
achieving a just and sustainable world.

In short, food sovereignty is a responsible, sustainable, and regenerative improvement upon the
basics of food security. 

2.List down the strength and weakness of sustainable livelihood approaches to

development
2.1 Strength
• Seeks to understand changing combinations of modes of livelihood in a dynamic and
historical context

• Explicitly advocates a creative tension between different levels of analysis and

emphasizes the importance of macro- and micro linkages

• Acknowledges the need to move beyond narrow sectorial perspectives and emphasizes
seeing the linkages between sectors

• Calls for investigation of the relationships between different activities that constitute
livelihoods and draws attention to social relations

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2.2 Weakness
• Underplays the fact that enhancing the livelihoods of one group can undermine those of
another

• Does not pay enough attention to inequalities of powe

• Assumes that capital assets can be expanded in generalized and incremental fashion

• Underplays elements of the vulnerability context, such as macroeconomic trendsand

conflict

2.3 The Sustainable Livelihoods Approach to development

The sustainable livelihoods approach is a way of thinking about the objectives, scope, and
priorities for development activities. It is based on evolving thinking about the way the poor and
vulnerable live their lives and the importance of policies and institutions. It helps formulate
development activities that are.

People-centered

Responsive and participatory

Multilevel

Conducted in partnership with the public and private sectors

Dynamic

Sustainable

The sustainable livelihoods approach facilitates the identification of practical priorities for
actions that are based on the views and interests of those concerned but they are not a panacea. It
does not replace other tools, such as participatory development, sector-wide approaches, or
integrated rural development. However, it makes the connection between people and the overall
enabling environment that influences the outcomes of livelihood strategies. It brings attention to
bear on the inherent potential of people in terms of their skills, social networks, access to
physical and financial resources, and ability to influence core institutions

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3. Discuss briefly the commonality and difference between DFID and CARE
livelihood framework?

3.1 The commonality between DFID and CARE livelihood framework

 The commonality between DFID, CARE places less emphasis in its framework and
approach on structures, processes and macro-micro links. This is not to say that it ignores
institutional/organizational factors, but as an NGO it is less involved in the micro-macro
issues that are a key feature of agencies such as DFID and UNDP. In the organizational
realm, CARE's work has been largely limited to local matters (e.g. community
mobilization).
 Increasingly, though, it is seeing local institutional development within a broader
democracy and governance agenda. Where this is the case, CARE works with local
authorities and relevant national government agencies to legitimize and gain support for
democratic local structures.
 It is also increasingly involved with advocacy, helping higher-level authorities develop
appropriate strategies for working with community groups, etc. This is particularly the
case in urban livelihood projects, as urban areas tend to be highly politicized and projects
must work closely at the outset with municipal and sometimes national governments.

3.2 Difference between DFID and CARE livelihood framework

3.2.1 The DFID livelihood framework
 How people operate within a vulnerability context that is shaped by different
factors – shifting seasonal constraints (and opportunities), economic shocks
and longer-term trends
 How they draw on different types of livelihood assets or capital in different
combinations, which are influenced by:
 The vulnerability context
 A range of institutions and processes
 How they use their asset base to develop a range of livelihood strategies to
achieve desired livelihood outcomes.

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A livelihood comprises the capabilities, assets and activities required for a means of living. A
livelihood is sustainable when it can cope with and recover from stresses and shocks and
maintain or enhance its capabilities and assets both now and in the future, while not undermining
the natural resource base.

DFID stresses that there are many ways (rather than a single way) of applying livelihoods
approaches, but that there are six underlying principles to all these approaches. According to
DFID, poverty-focused development activity should be:

 People-centred: Sustainable poverty elimination will be achieved only if external support

focuses on what matters to people, understands the differences between groups of people
and works with them in a way that is congruent with their current livelihood strategies,
social environment and ability to adapt.

 Responsive and participatory: Poor people themselves must be key actors in identifying

and addressing livelihood priorities. Outsiders require processes that enable them to listen
and respond to the poor.

 Multi-level: Poverty elimination is an enormous challenge that will be overcome only by

participants' working at multiple levels, ensuring that micro-level activity informs the
development of policy and an effective enabling environment and that macro-level
structures and processes help people build on their own strengths.

 Conducted in partnership: The public and the private sector should be involved.

 Sustainable: There are four key dimensions to sustainability - economic, institutional,

social and environmental sustainability. All are important; a balance must be found
among them.

 Dynamic: External support must recognize the dynamic nature of livelihood strategies, be

flexible to changes in people's situations and develop longer-term commitments.

Poverty-focused development activity should also be informed by an underlying commitment to

poverty elimination, which is the thread running through all DFID's work.

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DFID stresses the importance to livelihoods of capital assets and distinguishes five categories of
such assets: natural, social, physical, human and financial.

3.2.2 CARE'S livelihood framework

CARE's organizational mandate is to focus its programmes on helping the poorest and most
vulnerable.

• CARE sees this framework as an effective way of improving inter sectoral coordination
and thus increasing the impact of its work. The approach is deemed sufficiently
comprehensive for facing the challenge of large-scale poverty and yet sufficiently
flexible for addressing context-specific constraints.

• CARE began to move from a concern for regional and national food security to a
consideration of household and individual food security issues.

• At the household level the concern shifted from "food first" or food production to a wider
focus on the ability of households to secure the food that they required.

• CARE's emphasis is on household livelihood security linked to basic needs.

• Its view is that a livelihoods approach can effectively incorporate a basic needs and a
rights-based approach.

• The emphasis on rights provides an additional analytical lens, as do stakeholder and

policy analysis, for example. When holistic analysis is conducted, needs and rights both
can be incorporated as subjects for analysis.

3.2.2.1 Core emphasis and definitions

CARE uses the Chambers & Conway definition of livelihoods. From this it identifies three
fundamental attributes of livelihoods:

The possession of human capabilities (such as education, skills, health and psychological
orientation);

Access to tangible and intangible assets;

The existence of economic activities.

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CARE has used its livelihoods approach both in rural and in urban contexts. It identifies three
not mutually exclusive categories of livelihood activity appropriate at different points in the
relief-development spectrum. These are:

CARE has used its livelihoods approach both in rural and in urban contexts. It identifies three
not mutually exclusive categories of livelihood activity appropriate at different points in the
relief-development spectrum. These are:

Livelihood promotion (improving the resilience of households). These include programmes that

focus on savings and credit, crop diversification and marketing, reproductive health, institutional
development, personal empowerment and community involvement in service delivery activities).

Livelihood protection (helping prevent a decline in household livelihood security). These include

programmes that focus on early warning systems, cash or food for work, seeds and tools, health
education and flood prevention.

Livelihood provisioning. This includes directly providing food, water, shelter and other
essentials, most often in emergency situations.

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Summary
The concepts of food security and food sovereignty both have a global dimension despite having
their origins in political notions associated with nation-states. The growth in international
agricultural trade has led to increasing interest in the notion of food security and as a result the
concept is becoming used in both developed and developing country contexts. Further,
approaches to food security which regard states as distinct containers have been undermined by
integrated food supply chains. The food sovereignty movement has a clear international focus
and devotes much of its campaigning activities towards the international institutions and
organisations which influence food security.

The concept of Sustainable Livelihood (SL) is an attempt to go beyond the conventional

definitions and approaches to poverty eradication. These had been found to be too narrow
because they focused only on certain aspects or manifestations of poverty, such as low income,
or did not consider other vital aspects of poverty such as vulnerability and social exclusion.
DFID stresses the importance to livelihoods of capital assets and distinguishes five categories of
such assets: natural, social, physical, human and financial. CARE sees this framework as an
effective way of improving inter sectoral coordination and thus increasing the impact of its work.

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Referance

ADB. ( 2004). Future solutions now. the tonle sap initiative: December.

Ashley, C. and Carney, D. . (1999). Sustainable livelihoods: lessons from early experience.
London: DFID. Carney, D. ed. 1998. "Sustainable rural livelihoods: what contribution
can we make: Papers presented at DFID's Natural Resources Advisers' Conference .

Drinkwater, M. & Rusinow, T. ( 1999). Application of CARE's livelihoods approach . usa: Paper
presented at Natural Resource Adviser's Conference 1999.

Frankenberger, T. & Drinkwater, M . (1999). Household livelihood security . A holistic approach

for addressing poverty and vulnerability : Atlanta, Georgia, CARE.

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