Assessment of Livelihood Pattern of Wetland Community; Using Sustainable Livelihood Framework

1.1Background

                             Wetlands are an invaluable component of the environment and biodiversity in Bangladesh. The important coastal and inland wetlands encompass the vast floodplains and delta system of the Ganges, Meghna and Bramaputra rivers. The total area of the wetlands in the country has been estimated at 7 to 8 million hectares, or about 50% of the total land surface. Beel Dakatia is one of the coastal area was empoldered by the polder no.25 under CEP to save it from both sweet and saline water. Beel Dakatia was not a typical wetland. It was a typical cultivable land and people’s life style was fully oriented toward cultivation. But a noticeable change occurs due to the construction of embankment during 1960s. Polders were constructed in the project area, under USAID’s Coastal Embankment Project, covering 400,000 ha to protect land from daily inundation by saline waters and from peak seasonal or storm flood levels. Initially, the polders helped improve agricultural production. But since the 1980s, negative effects, particularly from the environmental point of view, became manifest. This embankment caused drainage congestion and sedimentation in the mouth of drainage outlets.  There is a need to remove silt, the siltation proved progressive and resulted in large areas within polders being inundated. Thus, this area became a saucer like depression which fall under Lacustrine type of wetland. So Beel Dakatia is one of the very large saucers like water bodies of the coastal Bangladesh. It is located in the southwestern region of the country covering gross area of 11,609 hectare. It is located at the deltaic Bengal plains.  Rivers which have carried out intricate drainage pattern with help of their tributaries and several distributors. Over time, both the natural and human environment of the area comprising of 36 villages inhabited by about 40000 (R. Atiur, 1995) people have been severely damaged and, if process cannot be revised quickly, residents may have to abandon the whole area. People of Beel Dakatia are very much depended on this wetland and their livelihood pattern is very much oriented with this Lacustrine type of wetland.

                               On the other hand, Livelihood is considered by some to provide a better descriptor than ‘employment’ for the have-nots. The dictionary meaning of Livelihood is ‘means to a living’ which merely indicates the way of living or income earning, not just the net result in terms of income received or consumption attained. On the other hand Sustainable mean thighs or resources to be maintained at a certain rate or level for the future generation after proper utilization of the present generation. And Sustainable Livelihood means, when it can cope with and recover from stresses and shocks and maintain or enhance its capabilities and assets both now and in the future, while not the natural base. That means to me ‘Sustainable Livelihood’ means

·         When people are capable to meet up their own needs

·         People can explore their inherent capability in income earning activities

·         People are capable to use the natural resources by stoking for the future generation.

                                      The livelihood pattern of the inhabitant of Beel Dakatia is more or less oriented toward cultivation as the majority of the Beel area is under cultivation. However the area was susceptible to flooding through monsoon rain and intrusion of tidal saline water through Humkura and Solmari rivers. The flood and tidal saline water used to cause to severe damage to the crop (mostly paddy) of this area. So in terms of income opportunity, the livelihood pattern of the community people is very much affected by this area.

                                   This study emphasized the income earning opportunity of the people of Beel Dakatia as an impact of the wetland environment by taking the concept of the Sustainable Livelihood Framework which mainly focuses on exploring inherent capability of the people who are have-not.

                                    Environment create prolong impact on the community livelihood. Income is a one of the fundamental outcome of livelihood. In this study Income as an outcome are analyzed with respect to-social, financial, physical, human and natural capital which posses by person in question. This study also focuses on the wetland communities’ potential of improving quality of life in an existing vulnerability context. This will be done by analyzing resource position of the people through field survey. This can only be possible when we analyze income opportunity in light of Sustainable Livelihood Framework, which is again very much context specific in a typied wetland setting. This call for an independent research.

1.2 Research question                   

                             These discussions come with the following research questions:

            What is the physical condition or type of Wetland? / Basic feature of the Wetland.

            What is the existing source of income of the people in this wetland community?

            Availability of wetland in terms of season.

            What is the resource position of this wetland? (critical, non-critical)

            Did the people have easy access to the wetland?

            If no, what is the reason?

            Monthly income

            Monthly expenditure

            Type of ownership of their homesteads?

            Did they have stock of food?

            What is the living condition of the people?

            What type of materials they use for building construction?

            Did they have easy access to natural resources extraction of this wetland?

            Did they depend on the natural resources of this wetland for building construction?

            If yes, what types of resources they use for this purpose?

            Did they have the financial capital support? / did they posses any kind of savings?

            What type of support they have from physical capital? (market, communication, etc)

            What is the level of human capital of the community people?

            What is social condition of the people of the community in the area context?

            Are they vulnerable to this wetland in wet and dry season?

            If yes, what type of shocks or threat they face?

            What is the educational level of people of this wetland community?

            Do their income earning activities depend on this wetland?

            If yes, how much they are dependent on this wetland with respect of income?

            What type of non-environmental factor affect livelihood of the people in terms of income? (Infrastructural)

            What type of environmental factor affect livelihood of the people in terms of income?

            Is this area occupied by any political intervention?

            If yes, what type of threats and bindings people face in terms of income?

            How they affected by the policies-processes of the Government sector?

            How they affected by the policies-processes of the private sector?

            Is there any cultural limitation?

            If yes, what is impact?

            Did the people have any kind of inherent capability other than their existing income earning activity?

            Are they involved in any secondary occupation?

            Is this activity more effective than primary?

            If yes, did they want to explore that capability?

            Are this human capital they have can create more effective income source than existing?

            Is the alternative income opportunity depending on this wetland environment?

             Do they want to switch over to that alternative income earning opportunity?

            Are this alternative income opportunity really ensure better livelihood of the community people?

1.3Objective  

 Objective focuses the ultimate goal of any study. The research questions derived from the Background, helps to formulate objective. The objective of this research is given below: 

   Goal:

Develop a strategy that could sustain the Livehood pattern of the wetland community

   Objective:

1.  To identify existing livelihood pattern of the community and its relation with  wetland resources;

2.  To find out the factors affecting their livelihood pattern in terms of income; and

3.  To explore possible of alternatives for better livelihood.

1.4 Justification

 This study consists of three burning issues of planning field, they are: 1) environment 2) socio-economic 3) space. Here livelihood pattern of the community people is considered as the socio-economic aspect, wetland environment create effect on the livelihood pattern of the people and all of theses issues activates on Beel Dakatia village.

Here in this figure shows the interaction between the three burning issues of this study and their interaction with each other. In sum and substance of it, the livelihood pattern of the community  people in terms of income (socio-economic) is very much oriented toward the

    Figure-1 interlink with three aspect

Wetland area (environment) in more specifically in my study area Beel Dakatia.

                               Many studies have been conducted about Beel Dakatia. Most of these studies are “water logging” related. In fact income earning activities as an outcome of livelihood pattern which are affected by the community environment, is one of the most obvious issue that had not been conducted in the Beel Dakatia. So in this respect, this study is very much important.

                             On the other hand, there are two phases in income earning activities of the people in Beel Dakatia., one before 1980s when people based on the cultivation of agricultural product and another is after 1980s when people switchover their income earning activities in fish farming. This study mainly focuses specifically on the present livelihood pattern in terms of income. Here question may arise- why this study is conducted in Beel Dakatia? Why not other village?

                              There is an obvious effect of Beel Dakatia on the community livelihood pattern in terms of income as an impact of water logging problem that make this area Lacustrine type of wetland and this point of view increases the importance of this research. Beel Dakatia village consists of certain characteristics which are not available in other villages. These are

P  It was not a wetland before 1980s, after construction of the embankment it became an inundated area due to water logging

P  Due to saline water intrusion people are bound to depend on this Lacustrine type of wetland and thus to switch over their traditional occupation of agricultural cultivation to fishing.

P  Fishing is mainly men’s pre-occupation. But the economic hardship in Beel Dakatia has forced women to go out of their homes and they too are now seen catching fish at the dead of night. It is one of the most dynamic features Beel Dakatia as effect of wetland on the livelihood pattern of the community dwellers.

P  People of Beel Dakatia have invented a hundred and one ways of survival in the face of the wetland environment created by water logging.

                                 In fact, the main focus of this study is not on the inhospitable environment created by water logging; rather the center of attention of this study is on the livelihood pattern in terms of income which may befall dynamic due to this wetland environment.

                             Develop a strategy that could sustain the Livehood pattern of the wetland community-is the goal of this study. Here the goal may provide a model for better manage wetland related with the community livelihood pattern of the community people in terms of income and it will be achieved by above three objectives. On the other hand, it will also provide new avenue for new research.

1.5 Operational definition

                  Livelihood: The dictionary meaning of livelihood is a means of living, a source of maintenance. According to Chambers (1997), livelihood

“can include food, health, a strong family, wealth and Income. It can be described as a level of wealth and of stocks and flows of food and cash which provide for physical and social well-being and security against impoverishment. To this may be added access to basic goods and services, but while these are important, for the poorest they may only come second to subsistence and security. There is also the quality of living and experience…… the value people set on the familiar, on being needed, on a purpose and role of life, on love, on religious observations, on dancing and song, festivals and ceremonies, on things of seasons, and bringing in the harvest. Perhaps the most one can say is that for the full enjoyment of these, secure and decent livelihoods may be necessary but not sufficient on their own.” (Chambers, 1997 as cited in Lawrence and Tate, 1997).

                  Sustainable: sustainable is the adjective form of the word ‘sustain” which means something to Maintain or keep going continuously. Sustainable mean thighs or resources to be maintained at a certain rate or level for the future generation after proper utilization of the present generation

                  Sustainable Livelihood: sustainable livelihood is a micro term which reflects macro concept. UNDP proposed that employment can be considered as one of the means to achieve sustainable livelihood. Very general meaning of ‘Sustainable Livelihood                                     

                    -When people are capable to meet up their own needs

        -People can explore their inherent capability in income earning           activities

        -People are capable to use the natural resources by stoking for the future generation.

   DFID thought, livelihood are sustainable when they:

o   Are flexible in the face of external shocks and stresses;

o   Are not dependent upon external support;

o   Maintain the long term productivity of the natural resources and

o   Do not undermine the livelihood of, or compromise the livelihood options open to others.

                  Sustainable Livelihood Framework:

Figure-2 Sustainable Livelihood Framework with its 5 core components

 

 This framework has been adopted to help to analyze and understand the livelihood of the poor. It provides a checklist of issues highlights the influencing factors and emphasis’s the multiple interactions that affects people’s livelihood. The framework also helps us think holistically about the things that the poor might be vulnerable to, the assets and resources that help them thrive and survive, the policies and institutions that impact on their livelihood, how the poor respond to threats and opportunities and finally what sort of outcomes the poor aspire to.

                  Wetland:  Ramser Convention defined wetland as

“areas of marsh, fen, peat land or water whether natural or artificial, permanent or temporary with water that is static or flowing, fresh ,brackish or salty including areas of marine water the depth of which at low tide does not exceed more than 6 meters”

                  Lacustrine: Lacustrine type of wetland include beels, canals, pond etc and it may available annually, 6 month only, 2 month only.

There are lake systems and include Haors, Baors, Beels and man-made features such as Kaptai Lake in the Chittagong Hill tracts. It also include the ponds, pukur and dighees, that are formed in villages as a result of earth-raising activities. Bangladesh has only three naturally occurring true lakes. These are located in the Chittagong Hill Tracts and the Barind Tract. True lakes have steep sides and are very deep in comparison to their surface area. Their water level also stays relatively constant. Vegetation is usually limited in the Lacustrine systems to either phytoplankton, floating plants or submerged plants rooted to the lake bottom.

                  There are various types of Lacustrine wetland which are tabulated below:

Lacustrine wetland	Description
Haor	It is a bowl shaped depression between the natural levees subject to monsoon flooding every  year, are mostly found in the eastern region of the greater Mymensingh and Sylhet districts, known collectively as Haor basin covering an area of approximately24,500
Baor	It also known as Oxbow lake, formed by dead arms of river, are situated in  the moribund delta of the Ganges in Kustia, Jhenaidah, Jessore and Faridpur
Beel	It is a saucer like depressions which generally retain water throughout the year, and are mostly overgrown with marsh vegetation during the dry season such as Chanal beel in northwestern region.
True lake	There are only 3 true lakes in Bangladesh. They are- Rainkhyongking and Bogakine in the Chittagong Hill Tracts and Ashuhila beel at the northern end of the Barind tract.

(Source-Flood Action Plan-1993)

 1.6 Selection of the study area

This study prioritizes on the Dakatia village as a wetland community. Dakatia village is surrounded by Beel Dakatia like an island. Beel Dakatia is the result of manmade disaster and so the livelihood pattern in terms of income has remarkably changed. For this research purpose this study area selected because, once agricultural production, trees, livestock etc. was seriously affected. But people of Dakatia village have shown their brave and strength to cope with the problem and adjustment. At the same time this area represents different degree of physical and social aspect.  

1.7 Justification of wetland and wetland community

Beel Dakatia is a Lacustrine type of wetland because it is available in eight month and unavailable in- Falgun, Chaitra, Baishakh and Jayshtha. People during these four seasons primarily engaged in agricultural cultivation either in their own land or as an agricultural labor.

1.7.1Characteristics wetland:

1. Wetlands are subject to periodic inundation/flooding, shallow to deep, during wet monsoon.
2. Ramsar Convention defines wetlands as follows:

“areas of marsh, fen, peatland or water, whether natural or artificial, permanent or temporary, with water that is static or flowing, fresh, brackish or salt, including areas of marine water the depth of which at low tide does not exceed six meters.” (Article 1.1).

3. Wetland constitute a resource of great economic, cultural, scientific and recreational value of human life and are essential habitat for numerous threatened and endangered species
4. Wetlands are amongst the most fertile and productive ecosystems and important breeding grounds for fisheries.
5. Wetlands also provide habitat for a rich variety of resident and migratory waterfowl.
6. Hydrology is the most determinant for the establishment and maintenance of wetland processes and is a critical element of wetland conservation.

1.7.2 Similitude of Beel Dakatia to other types of wetland

 

 Wetlands are often difficult to define since they occupy the transitional zone between permanently wet and generally dry environments and contain an enormous variety of types. In the same way Beel Dakatia represents a transitional change and fails to Lacustrine characteristics and started to take the form of Palustrine wetland. Beel Dakatia was not a typical wetland. It was a typical cultivable land and people’s life style was fully oriented toward cultivation. But a noticeable change occurs due to the construction of embankment during 1960s and thus it takes a core form of wetland. People utilize saline water for shrimp cultivation. At the same time it is assumed that, this wetland will totally lack typical characteristics of wetland and will represent a true ecological unit. Beel Dakatia being a wetland started to degrade for the construction of the embankment during 1960.

Initially the polder helped to improve agricultural production. But in 1980s, harmful effect started specifically environmental point of view became noticeable. The embankment around the polder restricted the tidal flow of river and this led to siltation. This situation also creates drainage congestion and many drainage outlets became ineffective for sedimentation in the mouth. At this time some people started to migrate out of the area and other people started to change their livelihood pattern in terms of income.

In 2005 people live in this area mostly due ancestral reason at a rate of 76.9% and have almost overcome all those problems and tried to live a peacefully

1.7.3 Wetland community- what does it mean?

       
     Source: BCAS (1998), Population and Environment in Bangladesh, a paper presented at the IUCNBangladesh

™  The plants and animals of the wetland area live together in what we call an ecological community. Within this community all living things interact. Some interactions involve food and feeding and some involve habitat space and protection. It is these relations that link each living thing to others within its community like links in a chain.

™  The wetland community is an ensemble of plants and animals that are specially equipped to live in soggy conditions. Each living thing plays an important role. Plants, like duck weed, sedges and cattails, are the primary producers in this community. Through the action of chlorophyll plants are able to convert water, carbon dioxide and the suns energy into carbohydrates in the form of plant mass. This is the first step in the energy transfer through the wetland system. Animals, herbivores and omnivores such as ground squirrels and water scorpions, then eat the plants and the energy flows into them. These animals are known as primary consumers. Carnivores such as dragonflies and kestrels, the secondary consumers, eat the primary consumers and again the energy is transferred, and so on. When animals and plants die their organic materials are broken down by the actions of detritivores into nutrients that can be used again in the system. Plants will use these nutrients and the cycle is complete. Each predator and prey and every connection is very important for the movement of energy.

1.7.4 Beel Dakatia- a wetland community of

+  As Beel Dakatia started to take transitional situation in terms of wetland ecology, people started to take subsidiary business activities besides fishing and agricultural activities. Although Beel Dakatia started to take form of periphery wetland from core wetland, people’s livelihood pattern remarkably changed.

+  They live this area for long term period due to ancestral reason (76.9%), they almost dependent on the wetland for income earning activities, fish fed, cattle fodder, and indigenous medicine etc. But before the construction of the embankment their dependency rate was higher (key personnel information) and at that time they were perfectly wetland community. But due to the day today change of the Beel Dakatia, wetland community’s dependency rate started to change. They are now peripheral wetland community  

1.8 Literature review

+ Studies in Bangladesh

F  Md. Alim Al Razi and Md. Zakir Hossain (1992) pointed out that the dissolve oxygen (D.O) presents in Beel Dakatia varies from 6.47 to 7.13 mg/l which is in fever of cultivating fisheries. Now the fishing has become the main alternative to crops as a means of surviving life to the millions of people living around Beel Dakatia. Many plats and trees have been damaged. Many got rotten. And logs of trees have found below 2 to 3 ft. from the ground. Even logs of large size are found below 10 to 15 ft. from ground during the construction of embankment in that area. These logs are use for making furniture. From the case study it is heard, there was a violent windstorm in 1600, which broke down many trees and plants in course of time these trees were buried beneath the earth. However considerable reduction of trees and plants surrounding Beel Dakatia due to atmospheric change and ecological imbalance is gradually increasing a bad weather contrary to all living creatures. People have been involved in different occupations. Some work in the mills and factories. Some are day labors, some are rickshaw and van drivers. Some are fisherman and very few are cultivating lands in some dry parts of the area. Women have also come out to their homes and are working as day labors in the mills and factories. It is the stagnancy of water in Beel Dakatia that has made them compulsory to yield these kinds of occupations. Many species of birds such as dove, crow, drake, heron, sparrow, cuckoo, kite, houseboat, water-hen, kingfishers were seen who made the environment rack and ruin their honey tunes. But today it is nearly out of sight. Different kinds of animal like fox, jackal, squirrel, mongoose, etc. in the Beel. But they have migrated to other place due to shortage of food. Among domestic animals, the cows are hardly seen in individual houses, as there is water all round not a piece of land to cultivate inside the Beel Dakatia with the cows. Women are seen to fetch pure drinking water by boat from 15-16 km away. Beel water is unhygienic and harmful to health. It spreads many contagious or says water born diseases. Once the people played football and other country games like Ha-du-du etc. after reaping crops. At present they have no pleasure in life due to catastrophic problems. People have to depend on boat to maintain their communication through different parts of the Beel area. The boat, they use, is not used for passenger’s boat. Once it was used for carrying crops and paddy.

F  Gouranga Nandy (1994) has explained that Beel Dakatia sometimes become dry. But again she backed to her own pavilion. Now Beel Dakatia is full of water. According to the villagers Beel Dakatia was free from water only for one and a half months. Again the soma scenery has come but there is no fish that was the only source of income of the affected people. At present, people are completely hopeless. Before 80s they were farmers, after 80s due to water logging they become fisherman but now they are surrounded by without fish.

F  According to Bangladesh Centre for Advance Studies (BCAS), (1994), the importance of wetlands for Bangladesh can hardly be overstated. About half of the area of the country can be considered as wetlands. These consist of wide variety of types ranging from lakes, rivers and coastal forests to deepwater paddy fields and ponds. All these wetlands form a unique mosaic of habitats with extremely rich diversity of flora and fauna, much of it as yet biologically undiscovered.

                                     It also includes that wetland support livelihood of millions of people from such diverse activities as fishing to collecting honey and materials for thatching and fuel wood. Although wetlands have begun to be recognized for their importance as natural habitats, very little study has been done about the components of the ecosystems. Access to whatever little information exists in scientific and other publications as well as in unpublished reports and manuscripts is also not easy. This study was undertaken to bring together available information about the wetlands of Bangladesh under one cover to be used as a referenced document.

F  Again Gouranga Nandy (1995) expressed in his study that long 10 years of inhuman suffering and struggle has changed the total mode of life Beel Dakatia’s people who had never thought of leaving their lush green villages are now crowding the streets and industry premises of the town for work.

F  Atiur Rahman (1995) reported in his study that while developing physical infrastructures in the near future, the policy makers ought to be careful about the natural flow of water, socio-cultural sensitivity and environmental prudence of the local people. It should be remembered that the elderly people of the area have already started believing that Beel Dakatia became a curse, as people in power wanted to violate the rule of nature and neglected peoples prudence.

                           

+  Studies in Abroad: 

F  Wetland Characterization and Classification for Sustainable Agricultural, Factors affecting wetland rice production and the classification of wetlands for agricultural production (1995) included that, Wetland areas in the world have been extensively and intensively developed for food production systems, especially those which are rice-based. The yield and performance of wetland rice planted in different countries still exhibit wide variations due to the varying climate, land and soil, water supply, farming practices and socio-economic conditions. These factors affecting wetland rice production, especially the climate, land and soil and water supply, have been used in the past by many national, regional and international institutions to classify wetlands for agricultural development or for rice-based production systems as well as for research purposes. Considerable information on the suitability of different wetland areas for agricultural development in general and for rice-based production systems in particular, therefore, is available at least at the macro-level. A detailed characterization and/or classification of land are desirable for agricultural development. This, however, may require time and effort which may lead to a considerable delay in the land development. Practical systems of land classification using information provided by earlier efforts and information generated through participatory agro-socio-economic surveys have been proven to be viable alternatives for the classification of wetlands for agricultural development. They could be used to expedite the development of wetlands for producing food in order to satisfy the urgent demand by the population and to improve their food security situation

F  Simon Batchelor and Nigel Scott (2001) based on a core idea for energy created by Andrew Barnett regarding the “Sustainable Livelihoods Guidance Sheets provided by DFID” a set of tables to relate the sustainable livelihood framework to the cross-sectoral subject of energy.  Energy is a neglected element of the livelihood framework and the construction of a fairly simplistic set of tables was intended to be a discussion starter and a prompt to include energy in livelihoods planning.  It struck a cord with engineers who find it difficult to relate to the sociological thinking of the framework. This document takes Andrew’s basic idea of a set of tables, and attempts to make a first draft for Information and Communication Technologies.  Again this is a subject that is not a sector in its own right and cuts across many development themes.  New opportunities are available in asset development in education, health, agriculture, organizational development, community capacity building, etc.   At the same time, there is considerable discussion of the digital divide.  ICT specialists (enthusiasts) are claiming that it is vital to bridge the digital divide and are initiating specific ICT projects that focus on the clients who are the very poor.  These ICT specialists tend to be technologists and there is the possibility that ICT projects or programmes will be implemented without due regard to the lessons learned that has resulted in the livelihood framework.  This documents is to couple the practicalities of ICT work with the framework to make it easier for ICT specialists to discuss their programmes with social advisers, and to assist the project planning to take adequate account of all the factors revealed in the livelihood framework

F  Ramsar wetland classification: Implications on the conservation and wise use of wetlands in Africa(2002) identifies wetlands under-represented in the List of Wetlands of International Importance in order to encourage their designation and appropriate long term management. The classification also serves as a broad framework to aid the rapid identification of the main wetland habitats represented at each site, to provide units for mapping, and to encourage uniformity of concepts and terms in national or regional wetland inventories. Despite an increased global awareness of their importance, wetlands continue to face serious threats of loss and degradation owing to negative human activities that may otherwise be averted through the adoption of Ramsar's Wise Use concept which calls for national wetland policy formulation and the use of an integrated approach to land use planning and management. A decision to map out different wetland types for possible agricultural development as a contribution to food security or other purposes must be weighed against other opportunity costs such as the values and function of wetlands total ecosystem function, in water security, other human and biodiversity

F  Adam Pain and Sue Lautze (2002) they have focused on two core objectives. The first is to build a critical understanding of the concept of livelihoods in Afghanistan. The second is to investigate the way that livelihood issues are being addressed in the policy and programming processes of Afghanistan’s humanitarian and reconstruction agenda. they divided this research paper into three parts.  The first part is theoretical: it introduces the Sustainable Livelihoods Framework model, discusses this model as applied to conditions of sustained conflict and vulnerability and offers a brief review of how livelihoods in Afghanistan have been constructed to date.  The second part takes a more practical approach and analyses historical and current livelihoods trends and policy approaches to livelihoods issues in Afghanistan. The third part is prescriptive, offering recommendations for strengthening the way the government and assistance community incorporate livelihoods into policy and programming.

F  Barry Dalal- Clayton, David Dent and Olivier Dubois (2003) they provides an international perspective in rural planning, focused on developing countries. It examines several conventional fields of development planning and a number of innovative local planning approaches, drawing together lessons from recent and current experience of rural planning and land use in Africa, Asia and Latin America. Opportunities for improving strategic and participatory approaches are presented and the principles of these approaches are underscored. Attention is drawn to the relationship between strategic planning and local economic development, and the ways in which coordinated development planning and management of natural resources can underpin Sustainable local Livelihood.