IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/wly/jintdv/v21y2009i3p403-418.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Environmental variability and vulnerable livelihoods: Minimising risks and optimising opportunities for poverty alleviation

Author

Listed:
  • Joseph K. Assan

    (Department of Geography, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK)

  • Cyril Caminade

    (Department of Geography, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK)

  • Frances Obeng

    (Department of Agricultural Economics and Extension, University for Development Studies, Tamale, Ghana)

Abstract

This paper presents an analysis that explores theoretical and policy debates on environmental variability, sustainable livelihood strategies, household well-being and development policy. The paper focuses on communities in vulnerable environments with limited well-being and poor assets. The study examines the changing livelihood strategies and livelihood options of households located within ecosystems perceived to be experiencing environmental change in Northeastern Ghana. Livelihood diversification as a poverty reduction strategy has been argued to result in improved well-being or perpetuates a cycle of impoverishment. On-farm and non-farm diversification and migration as livelihood strategies are considered as survival strategies in environments experiencing rising temperatures and erratic rainfall patterns. It is argued that diversified livelihoods are operated within a cycle of impoverishment. The paper calls for geographically and locally sensitive policy intervention approaches that can sustainably expand the livelihood options of the poor in changing environments. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Suggested Citation

  • Joseph K. Assan & Cyril Caminade & Frances Obeng, 2009. "Environmental variability and vulnerable livelihoods: Minimising risks and optimising opportunities for poverty alleviation," Journal of International Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 21(3), pages 403-418.
    • Handle: RePEc:wly:jintdv:v:21:y:2009:i:3:p:403-418
    DOI: 10.1002/jid.1563
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10.1002/jid.1563
    File Function: Link to full text; subscription required
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1002/jid.1563?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Reardon, Thomas, 1997. "Using evidence of household income diversification to inform study of the rural nonfarm labor market in Africa," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 25(5), pages 735-747, May.
    2. Chamberlin, Jordan & Pender, John & Yu, Bingxin, 2006. "Development domains for Ethiopia: capturing the geographical context of smallholder development options," EPTD discussion papers 159, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
    3. Ellis, Frank, 2000. "Rural Livelihoods and Diversity in Developing Countries," OUP Catalogue, Oxford University Press, number 9780198296966.
    4. Stern,Nicholas, 2007. "The Economics of Climate Change," Cambridge Books, Cambridge University Press, number 9780521700801, January.
    5. Barrett, C. B. & Reardon, T. & Webb, P., 2001. "Nonfarm income diversification and household livelihood strategies in rural Africa: concepts, dynamics, and policy implications," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 26(4), pages 315-331, August.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Francesca MARCHETTA, 2011. "On the Move Livelihood Strategies in Northern Ghana," Working Papers 201113, CERDI.
    2. Xu Zhao & Chen Chi & Xin Gao & Yuefang Duan & Weijun He, 2020. "Study on the Livelihood Vulnerability and Compensation Standard of Employees in Relocation Enterprises: A Case of Chemical Enterprises in the Yangtze River Basin," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(1), pages 1-27, January.
    3. Kleemann, Janina & Celio, Enrico & Fürst, Christine, 2018. "Reprint of “Validation approaches of an expert-based Bayesian Belief Network in northern Ghana, West Africa”," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 371(C), pages 101-118.
    4. Patricia Nayna Schwerdtle & Julia Stockemer & Kathryn J. Bowen & Rainer Sauerborn & Celia McMichael & Ina Danquah, 2020. "A Meta-Synthesis of Policy Recommendations Regarding Human Mobility in the Context of Climate Change," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(24), pages 1-30, December.
    5. Ernest Acheampong & Nicholas Ozor & Eric Owusu, 2014. "Vulnerability assessment of Northern Ghana to climate variability," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 126(1), pages 31-44, September.
    6. Tyhra Carolyn Kumasi & Philip Antwi-Agyei & Kwasi Obiri-Danso, 2019. "Small-holder farmers’ climate change adaptation practices in the Upper East Region of Ghana," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 21(2), pages 745-762, April.
    7. Joseph Assan & Samantha Hunt, 2018. "Project Management and Community Participation within Small Island States: An Examination of Stakeholder Engagement in Belize in an Era of the Sustainable Development Goals," Journal of Sustainable Development, Canadian Center of Science and Education, vol. 11(2), pages 1-63, February.
    8. Smajgl, Alex & Bohensky, Erin, 2012. "When households stop logging — Evidence for household adaptation from East Kalimantan," Forest Policy and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 20(C), pages 58-65.
    9. Joseph K. Assan & Pushpam Kumar, 2009. "Introduction: Livelihood options for the poor in the changing environment," Journal of International Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 21(3), pages 393-402.
    10. Francesca Marchetta, 2008. "Migration and non farm activities as income diversification strategies: the case of Northern Ghana," Working Papers - Economics wp2008_16.rdf, Universita' degli Studi di Firenze, Dipartimento di Scienze per l'Economia e l'Impresa.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Jan Fałkowski & Maciej Jakubowski & Paweł Strawiński, 2014. "Returns from income strategies in rural Poland," The Economics of Transition, The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, vol. 22(1), pages 139-178, January.
    2. Maria Mwaipopo Fibaek, 2021. "Working Poor? A Study of Rural Workers' Economic Welfare in Kenya," Journal of International Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 33(1), pages 41-69, January.
    3. Vellema, W. & Buritica Casanova, A. & Gonzalez, C. & D’Haese, M., 2015. "The effect of specialty coffee certification on household livelihood strategies and specialisation," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 57(C), pages 13-25.
    4. Asfaw, Solomon & McCarthy, Nancy & Paolantonio, Adriana & Cavatassi, Romina & Amare, Mulubrhan & Lipper, Leslie, 2015. "Diversification, Climate Risk and Vulnerability to Poverty: Evidence from Rural Malawi," 2015 Conference, August 9-14, 2015, Milan, Italy 230216, International Association of Agricultural Economists.
    5. Jiao, Xi & Pouliot, Mariève & Walelign, Solomon Zena, 2017. "Livelihood Strategies and Dynamics in Rural Cambodia," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 97(C), pages 266-278.
    6. Md.Salamun Rashidin & Sara Javed & Bin Liu & Wang Jian, 2020. "Ramifications of Households’ Nonfarm Income on Agricultural Productivity: Evidence From a Rural Area of Pakistan," SAGE Open, , vol. 10(1), pages 21582440209, January.
    7. Asfaw, Solomon & Savastano, Sara, 2015. "Topic: Building Resilience to Climate Change Through Social Protection and Climate-Smart Agriculture: Synergies and Trade-offs," 2015 Conference, August 9-14, 2015, Milan, Italy 210963, International Association of Agricultural Economists.
    8. Dzanku, Fred Mawunyo, 2018. "The gender and geography of rural off-farm employment and input intensification in five sub-Saharan African countries," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 75(C), pages 37-51.
    9. Tiffen, Mary, 2003. "Transition in Sub-Saharan Africa: Agriculture, Urbanization and Income Growth," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 31(8), pages 1343-1366, August.
    10. Soltani, Arezoo & Angelsen, Arild & Eid, Tron & Naieni, Mohammad Saeid Noori & Shamekhi, Taghi, 2012. "Poverty, sustainability, and household livelihood strategies in Zagros, Iran," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 79(C), pages 60-70.
    11. repec:dgr:rugcds:cds-27 is not listed on IDEAS
    12. Taruvinga, Amon & Mushunje, Abbyssinia, 2012. "Buffer zone income dynamics for the sub-district producer community: Implications for rural off-farm income, income inequality and the development of household agriculture," 2012 Conference, August 18-24, 2012, Foz do Iguacu, Brazil 126377, International Association of Agricultural Economists.
    13. Bezu, Sosina & Holden, Stein, 2014. "Are Rural Youth in Ethiopia Abandoning Agriculture?," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 64(C), pages 259-272.
    14. Zerihun Berhane Weldegebriel & Martin Prowse, 2013. "Climate-Change Adaptation in Ethiopia: To What Extent Does Social Protection Influence Livelihood Diversification?," Development Policy Review, Overseas Development Institute, vol. 31, pages 35-56, November.
    15. Call, Maia & Gray, Clark & Jagger, Pamela, 2019. "Smallholder responses to climate anomalies in rural Uganda," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 115(C), pages 132-144.
    16. Gamel Abdul-Nasser Salifu, 2019. "The Political Economy Dynamics of Rural Household Income Diversification: A Review of the International Literature," Research in World Economy, Research in World Economy, Sciedu Press, vol. 10(3), pages 273-290, December.
    17. Margaryta Klymak, 2019. "The effect of foreign competition on family and network labour allocation," WIDER Working Paper Series wp-2019-39, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    18. Bahiigwa, Godfrey & Rigby, Dan & Woodhouse, Philip, 2005. "Right Target, Wrong Mechanism? Agricultural Modernization and Poverty Reduction in Uganda," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 33(3), pages 481-496, March.
    19. Gavin Hilson & Chris Garforth, 2012. "‘Agricultural Poverty’ and the Expansion of Artisanal Mining in Sub-Saharan Africa: Experiences from Southwest Mali and Southeast Ghana," Population Research and Policy Review, Springer;Southern Demographic Association (SDA), vol. 31(3), pages 435-464, June.
    20. Van Nam, M. & Lensink, R., 2008. "Economic Development of the Mekong Delta in Vietnam," CDS Research Reports CDS-27, University of Groningen, Centre for Development Studies (CDS).
    21. Ersado, Lire, 2006. "Income diversification in Zimbabwe : welfare implications from urban and rural areas," Policy Research Working Paper Series 3964, The World Bank.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:wly:jintdv:v:21:y:2009:i:3:p:403-418. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Wiley Content Delivery (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/5102/home .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.