Sustainable Livelihood

The concept of Sustainable Livelihood (SL) is an attempt to go beyond the conventional definitions and approaches to poverty eradication. In 1992 Robert Chambers and Gordon Conway proposed the following composite definition of a sustainable rural livelihood, which is applied most commonly at the household level: A livelihood comprises the capabilities, assets (stores, resources, claims and access) and activities required for a means of living: a livelihood is sustainable which can cope with and recover from stress and shocks, maintain or enhance its capabilities and assets, and provide sustainable livelihood opportunities for the next generation; and which contributes net benefits to other livelihoods at the local and global levels and in the short and long term. We as a company helps communities to identify and follow sustainable livelihood practices that are capable to cope with and recover from shocks and stresses through adaptive and coping strategies; economically effective; ecologically sound, ensuring that livelihood activities do not irreversibly degrade natural resources within a given ecosystem; and socially equitable, which suggests that promotion of livelihood opportunities for one group should not foreclose options for other groups, either now or in the future