Working Group on Sustainable Livelihoods
Mission of the Working Group:
Over 2 billion people have been left out of the purported economic gains of the globalization process of the last decade. The disparity between rich and poor has been increasing, and the global economic collapse has shown the strong inter-connections between developed and developing worlds. Clean air, clean water and biodiversity necessary to life itself, continue to be undervalued, external to capitalist markets and in increasing demand by rising poulations. Many development projects have misallocated funds and in some cases hastened the destruction of natural capital. It is this natural capital from which all forms of capital are formed. Yet development funding is still woefully inadequate to meet current and growing needs. Subsidies, tariffs and taxes have distorted economies, and have kept resource allocation from achieving sustainable, renewable or even rejuvenating consumptive levels.
Approximately half of the world’s species are concentrated in the rural tropics on less than ten percent of the planet. Uniquely, much of the porest regions are also some of the most biologically diverse (Madagascar and parts of North Carolina are examples). These natural systems are critical to a healthy and functioning planet and fundamental to our continued existence. Yet, their increasing rate of loss is directly correlated with increased resource consumption and population growth. The 5th World Parks Congress (Durban, 2003) made following supporting recommendations:
“the need to engage the people who reside in our around protected areas and guarantee the equitable benefits from these resources; to better value these resources for their ecosystem services, and contribution to poverty eradication and sustainable development; and to provide practical tools, training and resources for their managers.”
These communities represent a model for the future—the need to develop in an ecologically sound manner and ability of societies to learn to live “within the park.”
In rural, North Carolina communities the effects of globalization on can be seen in the loss of jobs in textile, furniture and other manufacturing industries, the increase in illegal migrant workers and the dramatic changes in our landscapes and communities, from hog parlors, to urban sprawl. Concentration of wealth and power in the hands of the few, consumer demand for cheap goods and the continuous search for cheap labor, comparative advantage and economies of scale have left both the environment and people on the sidelines “of this race to the bottom.” Many rural farm communities have been impacted negatively by global trade policies, agricultural subsidies and tariffs, dumping of product at below production costs, unfair trade and “liberalized” markets. These communities are often found close to biologically diverse resources and in turn are closely dependent on them.
Radical changes are needed to bring the policies of our government, international trade organizations, investors and consumers in line with principles of sustainable livelihoods. According to the United Nation’s Development Program,
“A sustainable livelihood system can only be understood and promoted if the matrix of interactions between governance, policy, science/technology and investment/finance is approached in an integrated manner, and used to augment what local people already do well and the assets to which they have access. The reality is that livelihood systems comprise a complex and diverse set of economic, social and physical strategies.” (http://www.undp.org/sl/)
To support and promote these systems, an equally diverse group of institutions are required. No one organization can fulfill all these complex functions, and new models for public-private partnerships will be required to build the needed systems that focus less on specific outcomes, than more importantly, on self-perpetuating, growing and dynamic connections that blend various “values” critical to sustainable livelihoods. No better model exists than that of institutions of higher learning, and those organizations closely aligned or that have developed out of them. For these reasons, the following goals are proposed.
Goals of the Working Group:
The primary goal of the Working Group is to increase debate and dialogue on how to create and promote sustainable livelihoods and the institutions that support them. The definition of sustainable livelihoods will be based on that promulgated by The Department for International Development, UK. Focus of the Working Group will be on those communities living around important, biologically diverse regions of the planet. More developed, rapidly growing and industrializing urban areas may benefit from these models, particularly from an eco-regional, bio-mimicry or “living in the park” approach based on these natural areas. In addition, much may be learned from urban populations adaptation to issues of resource scarcity, density and social justice. Because of the impact of globalization and our interconnected relationships, the Working Group will promote education of consumers and other decision-makers on the importance of these biologically diverse resources, the need for sustainable livelihoods and how each of us affects these communities through our consumptive habits and purchasing decisions.
Finally, The Forest Foundation has been approached by UNDP’s Global Environmental Facility (GEF) and many other conservation and development organizations to assist their field projects in enterprise development and sustainable livelihoods. Together with other organizations in the Triangle, it is hoped that a system of resources and services in education, training and consulting can be developed to support these field projects. The Foundation has also been asked to assist in developing curriculum and training modules on sustainable livelihoods for the Nicholas School of the Environment and Earth Sciences at Duke University. This poses a unique opportunity to develop a program to not only help and support the planet’s most critical ecosystems, but to provide a training system that can give students and faculty experience and opportunities to “test” or put into practice models in sustainable livelihoods. Long-term, we hope to build relationships with educational facilities and entrepreneurial infrastructure to build truly sustainable service systems.
To fulfill its goals, the Working Group proposes three objectives:
- the sponsorship of lectures, meetings, conferences, research and publications in the field of sustainable livelihoods;
- to promote new and innovative multi-disciplinary, public-private sector models to address these issues, through academic curriculum and training; and
- to create a system of resource centers and virtual networks throughout the world to support sustainable livelihoods and “green business” enterprises, to support and promote the next generation of social and environmental entrepreneurs.
Protocol for Membership:
1) A letter is required from all possible Members and Organizations stating their interest in participation;
2) Attendance at meetings, conferences or lectures;
3) Input and review of draft and finished publications of the Working Group;
4) Assistance in identifying Board members and/or funding sources.
Resources:
Stone, R. The Nature of Development: A report from the rural tropics on the quest for sustainable economic growth. New York: Knopf, 1992.
Millard, E. “Business Planning for Environmental Enterprises: A Manual for Technical Staff,” Washington, D.C.: Conservational International, 2003.
Bovarnick, A. and Gupta, A. “Local Business for Global Biodiversity Conservation: Improving the Design of Small Business Development Strategies in Biodiversity Projects,” New York: UNDP Global Environmental Facility, 2003.
http://www.usaidmicro.org/know_Management/BDS/
http://www.springfieldcentre.com/about.html
http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/OPPORTUNITIES/GRANTS/DEVMARKETPLACE/0,,contentMDK:20094517~pagePK:180691~piPK:174492~theSitePK:205098,00.html
http://www.seepnetwork.org/bds.htm
http://www.usaid.gov/economic_growth/egat/eg/tech-enterprise/emdap.htm#program
Institute of International Education (IIE). Contact Leslie B. Anderson, EMDAP Director, Institute of International Education, 1400 K Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20005-2403; phone (202) 326-7704; Fax: (202) 326-7698;
http://www.livelihoods.org/SLdefn.html
http://www.eco-index.org/add/online-form.cfm
http://www.ra.org/programs/cg/index.html
http://www.kenan-flagler.unc.edu/KI/cse/
Members:
John Marc Dreyfors, President, The Forest Foundation (it’s lonely)
Member Organizations:
The Forest Foundation, Inc.
Forests of the World, LLC
Carolina Biodiesel, LLC
Greenway Transit Services, LLC
Possible Member Organizations:
Organization for Tropical Studies
Center for Tropical Conservation, Duke University
Student International Discussion Group, Duke University
Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions, Nicholas School of the Environment
Center for Sustainable Enterprise, Kenan-Flagler School of Business, UNC-CH
Center for Entrepreneurial Studies, Kenan-Flagler School of Business, UNC-CH
The Rural Economic Development Center, Raleigh, NC
Net Impact Chapters of Kenan Flagler Business School and Fuqua Business School
The Ecozoic Society
Ashoka
Social Venture Network
The Crafts Center, Washington, DC
Aid To Artisans
Handmade in America/Handmade Institute
Program in Sustainable Agriculture, Central Carolina Community College, Pittsboro, NC