Understanding of assets-based livelihoods through participatory rural appraisal to eliminate hunger
Abstract
This paper describes poverty in India and discusses the strategies against poverty and hunger. It also describes the Eastern India Rainfed Farming Project (EIRFP), which is a project to initiate a process of change in the livelihoods of resource-poor men and women of the eastern Indian plateau region in the three states of Jharkhand, Orissa and West Bengal. The author points out that the project has been gaining experience in the use of Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) methods to understand how people and communities draw on assets to build up their livelihoods. One goal was to have a significant impact on food security and eventually the elimination of hunger. PRA methods have facilitated EIRFP community's to look at themselves, i.e. their situation and possibilities, and enable them to articulate these findings in ways that are meaningful, useable and realistic. The awareness of causes of identified problems has become deeper through this analysis and understanding. EIRFP communities have also taken up initiatives to realize their own recommendations. Examples of tools used by EIRFP to learn about assets are listed
Citation
Sahay, B. Understanding of assets-based livelihoods through participatory rural appraisal to eliminate hunger. STREAM Journal (2003) 2 (4) 9-10.