UNRAVEL Understanding vulnerable and resilient livelihoods Gina Ziervogel

Multiple stressors and their impact on rural livelihoods Households at risk to multiple threats Households at risk to multiple threats Climate variability Climate variability Health Health Market fluctuations Market fluctuations Food insecurity Food insecurity Cumulative effect of shocks and stresses through time Cumulative effect of shocks and stresses through time Response to shocks and stresses Response to shocks and stresses Focus on HIV/AIDS by assessing households with chronically ill Focus on HIV/AIDS by assessing households with chronically ill Impact on food security Impact on food security

Understand existing household response to stress Understand existing household response to stress Nature of response Nature of response through time, different members, external/internal through time, different members, external/internal Adaptive/maladaptive strategies Adaptive/maladaptive strategies At household level At household level At community level At community level Further support/intervention Further support/intervention

Case study evidence Vhembe District, Limpopo, northern South Africa Vhembe District, Limpopo, northern South Africa Northern south Africa Northern south Africa Former homeland area Former homeland area Good commercial crops but little support for marginal groups particularly with regards to food security Good commercial crops but little support for marginal groups particularly with regards to food security Chikwawa District, southern Malawi Chikwawa District, southern Malawi Southern region Southern region Poor district Poor district Relatively high level of external support, with a number of food security-related projects Relatively high level of external support, with a number of food security-related projects Diocese of Monze, southern Zambia Diocese of Monze, southern Zambia Southern region Southern region Livestock, crop mix Livestock, crop mix

Objectives 1. Identify and document the ‘everyday’ threats as well as other sudden onset and ‘creeping’ threats faced Full agricultural cycle (12 months) Full agricultural cycle (12 months) 3 comparative settings 3 comparative settings 2. Identify and document the livelihood responses of individuals and households to such risks and the consequences of this action 3. Identify those livelihood strategies associated with greater household resilience to AIDS impacts, and those which increase vulnerability to AIDS losses.

Objectives.. cont 4. Identify community and institutional mechanisms that either undermine or augment at-risk livelihood assets, capabilities and activities 5. Feed-back the knowledge generated by the research to better sensitise ongoing home-based care and food security or other livelihood enhancement programmes in the participating communities 6. Support the dissemination of knowledge gained from the research into policy and practice through Partner networks Partner networks Country and regional networks Country and regional networks Incorporate into academic programmes on disaster risk reduction and HIV/AIDS Incorporate into academic programmes on disaster risk reduction and HIV/AIDS

Methodology Pilot methodology Pilot methodology One village in each country One village in each country Baseline study Baseline study On-going monitoring On-going monitoring – every 2 months x 5 Final baseline comparison Final baseline comparison 20 households 20 households 10 with members who are chronically ill or have recently died from a chronic illness 10 with members who are chronically ill or have recently died from a chronic illness 10 that appear not to be directly impacted by HIV/AIDS in the sense that there are no chronically sick members and no-one has recently died 10 that appear not to be directly impacted by HIV/AIDS in the sense that there are no chronically sick members and no-one has recently died

Community participation Identification of households Identification of households Village structures – civil society groups and traditional authorities Village structures – civil society groups and traditional authorities Home-based care groups Home-based care groups Agricultural extension officers Agricultural extension officers On-going monitoring On-going monitoring Researcher Researcher Village-based support – PLWA (SA), Extension, HBC (Malawi) Village-based support – PLWA (SA), Extension, HBC (Malawi) Initial suspicion from community members Initial suspicion from community members Truthful answers as trust increases through on-going interaction Truthful answers as trust increases through on-going interaction

Challenges with local partnerships South Africa – University of Venda South Africa – University of Venda Ethical clearance Ethical clearance Support from all levels – community, NGOs Support from all levels – community, NGOs (little interaction with international partners) (little interaction with international partners) Malawi – Cadecom + MHEN Malawi – Cadecom + MHEN Research experience lacking (data collection, analysis) Research experience lacking (data collection, analysis) Project management Project management Zambia Zambia First researcher died from chronic illness First researcher died from chronic illness No interaction between research and advocacy partners No interaction between research and advocacy partners Academic analysis experience lacking Academic analysis experience lacking

Preliminary findings SA SA Role of grants. Eg. Disability grant has helped sick people recover and maintain or adapt their livelihoods Role of grants. Eg. Disability grant has helped sick people recover and maintain or adapt their livelihoods Stress of burial society Stress of burial society Less agriculture than 5 years ago – food not locally produced Less agriculture than 5 years ago – food not locally produced Malawi Malawi Cultural and traditional practices Cultural and traditional practices Not acknowledging sick members; cultural practices that increase infection Not acknowledging sick members; cultural practices that increase infection Survival strategies threaten hh sustainability – migrant labour Survival strategies threaten hh sustainability – migrant labour Volunteering for HBC can make households more vulnerable Volunteering for HBC can make households more vulnerable Zambia Zambia Reliance of petty commerce compared to piecework in other 2 sites Reliance of petty commerce compared to piecework in other 2 sites

Conclusion Findings intend to Findings intend to Illustrate the ability of community and district institutions to support responses Illustrate the ability of community and district institutions to support responses Identify where and what type of intervention might help Identify where and what type of intervention might help ‘This project has helped me to look at a household as an entity. This is important to address first before scaling up to a national initiative. This bottom-up approach is very important and UNRAVEL provides a focus for that.’ Local participation helps to Local participation helps to capture sensitive and important results in the slow-onset/food insecurity/ HIV/AIDS context capture sensitive and important results in the slow-onset/food insecurity/ HIV/AIDS context Support local partnerships Support local partnerships Build capacity Build capacity