Examples of practice & Principles to guide us Slide 1 IFAD SL Workshops Examples of practice & principles

Overview 1.Purpose of this presentation 2.Overview of three applications 3.Identification of principles that guide our actions 4.Review of these principles Slide 2 IFAD SL Workshops Examples of practice & principles

Purpose of presentation Understand SLAs by looking at three examples of interventions that have made use of sustainable livelihoods framework and associated principles Identify what the advantages are Identify principles that guide action Review these principles Slide 3 IFAD SL Workshops Examples of practice & principles

1st example: Drought and water security First phase: Project started in 1994 following some serious droughts Aim to help poor people to have better access to ground water when they need it Interventions followed traditional approaches: groundwater surveys, groundwater management policies and practices, food aid Second phase: Started in 1997 Same aim, but: different analysis and some new interventions Slide 4 IFAD SL Workshops Examples of practice & principles

What was different in action? Analysis Intervention Slide 5 IFAD SL Workshops Examples of practice & principles

Analysis 1.Recognition that different people are vulnerable to lack of rainfall in different ways 2.Greater understanding of the relationship between water and livelihoods / poverty 3.Realisation that non-water resource factors (land, remoteness, society, law, policies) affect people’s access to water and food Slide 6 IFAD SL Workshops Examples of practice & principles

Interventions 1.To strengthen assets to reduce vulnerability to droughts 2.To protect livelihoods rather than reduce the shock of water shortages Slide 7 IFAD SL Workshops Examples of practice & principles

Overview of difference in approach between phases 1.Focus on people rather than the resource (water) 2.Problem-led rather than discipline-led 3.Consideration of many aspects of context (holistic) 4.View beyond the emergency Slide 8 IFAD SL Workshops Examples of practice & principles

How did the change in approach between the phases occur? More disciplines involved Better inter-disciplinary working Partnership with a range of government and civil society agencies at different levels (lots of learning and sharing) Institutional accountability for impact Slide 9 IFAD SL Workshops Examples of practice & principles

What are the principles apparent in this better practice? Building local-central linkages Listening and responding to poor people Thinking of the bigger picture (holistic analysis) Embrace change, need flexibility Working together – partnership Think for the future - sustainability Slide 10 IFAD SL Workshops Examples of practice & principles

2 nd example: livestock services Project began in early 1990s Aim to reduce poverty by providing livestock ‘technology’ and modern knowledge to poor people with little land. Institutions, policies, good government and relationships were all thought to be supportive – big mistake! Modern knowledge and technology were all considered to be appropriate – another big mistake! Slide 11 IFAD SL Workshops Examples of practice & principles

What happened? Despite project efforts, the poor were not reached The sustainable livelihoods framework prompted and supported the project staff to:  get a better understanding of poverty processes  identify areas that needed further analysis  negotiate and bring about a change in project focus and attitude Slide 12 IFAD SL Workshops Examples of practice & principles

What did the project do next? Examined institutions (functions and relationships) and their connections to poor people Examined policies in the livestock sector and assessed their suitability to reducing poverty Challenged long-held operating assumptions about who the government was serving Create evidence of the benefits of change (policies and actions inspired by reality) through participating with the poor Give time for change – nurture it! Slide 13 IFAD SL Workshops Examples of practice & principles

And so the project became? An institutional reform project of the government’s livestock services department A source of evidence for policy-makers A learning generation and communication machine for pro-poor change A channel for poor people to influence power Slide 14 IFAD SL Workshops Examples of practice & principles

Some of the results are? A government livestock service that is: More aware and responsive to poor people and supporting their aspirations Working with (rather than ignoring / competing / undermining) the private sector livestock industry More decentralised (a model of good governance for other departments) Founded on policies and institutions that are derived from an understanding of their impact on poor people Slide 15 IFAD SL Workshops Examples of practice & principles

What are the principles apparent in this better practice? Building local-central linkages Listening and responding to poor people Thinking of the bigger picture (holistic analysis) Embrace change, recognise dynamism Working together – partnership Think for the future - sustainability Slide 16 IFAD SL Workshops Examples of practice & principles

3° example: Upland Agricultural Development Initially, not specifically a “sustainable livelihoods” project Initiated to address specific features of the “vulnerability context” - erosion & food security Based on findings of long-term, field-based research Initial sectoral focus – food production & land management Slide 17 IFAD SL Workshops Examples of practice & principles

How the project started Pre-project phase: Overall objectives identified Donor identified Diagnostic studies Field validation of technologies Identification of “leading farmers” Slide 18 IFAD SL Workshops Examples of practice & principles Early implementation: Training of staff in participatory approaches Community-level diagnosis Local-level plans of action Annual review and analysis involving all stakeholders

…so what happened? Slide 19 IFAD SL Workshops Examples of practice & principles Upland farming technologies adapted and adopted Demand for intervention on diverse sectors Expanding partnerships with other sectors (health, education, local service providers) Influence on local & national policy, planning and governance

What was different about the project? Slide 20 IFAD SL Workshops Examples of practice & principles Careful initial analysis incorporating long experience in the area Clear understanding of factors affecting vulnerability Attention to process – participatory approaches, feedback mechanisms, active engagement of local institutions and processes “Open” project design to accommodate learning from feedback mechanisms

….and…. Building a network of local partnerships Sustainable livelihoods framework provided different partners with a common language for understanding issues Project worked with partners at different levels - local, regional and national - to influence the institutional & political environment Slide 21 IFAD SL Workshops Examples of practice & principles

Learning? Slide 22 IFAD SL Workshops Examples of practice & principles Diagnosis and intervention not sequential  initial sectoral diagnosis  in-depth understanding of livelihoods generated as the project developed. Significant resources devoted to:  particpatory diagnosis work  establishment of feedback mechanisms Limited entry points addressing clear, priority issues Continual analysis and learning feeding into adaptive planning to adjust project focus.

…….more lessons…. SL implies open-ended, flexible interventions - these require different institutional capacities and different types of management. Flexibility and focus on sustainability from using SL approach increased ability to deal with contingencies. Decentralisation important for creating effective linkages between institutions, communities and civil society. Politics is a part of life and must be engaged. Capacity in governance built in at all levels - an integral part of the sustainable livelihoods approach. Slide 23 IFAD SL Workshops Examples of practice & principles

…..and finally…. SLA not a panacea :  it’s very inclusive, can provide a framework for the use of many other methods, techniques and tools, but does not “provide all the answers”  can help to understand poverty and vulnerability and encourage more responsive, adaptive and flexible (i.e. better) interventions but the analysis feeding into it needs to be rigourous  needs to be made context specific (for example by modifying the various elements in the livelihoods “pentagon”). Slide 24 IFAD SL Workshops Examples of practice & principles

Warning: rocky road! 1.Government partners may not be ready to think and work across disciplines (holistic), or across departments (partnership) 2.International development agencies may not be willing to close the gap between their interest area and the needs of the poor (eg: response to famine and other emergencies and more general development activities). (people-centred) 3.Multi-level, inter-disciplinary responses to complex contexts may be more expensive, need more time, and be more difficult to manage. (linkages, partnerships, holistic) Slide 25 IFAD SL Workshops Examples of practice & principles