In this paper we investigate the role of poultry in households’ livelihood portfolios, and the livelihood impacts of supply and demand shocks that may be caused by avian flu outbreaks and scares. We focus on four sub-Saharan African countries that represent a spectrum of disease status and spread. By using nationally representative data and econometric methods, we profile the characteristics of...

In this study the focus is on the role of local communities in the management of protected areas with the expectation that without the cooperation and assistance of local communities achieving biodiversity conservation in places where the land and resources are fundamental to supporting people’s livelihoods will be less successful than if the local people actively support this goal. Management ...

In this paper, we explore the resilience and vulnerability of livelihoods within two different socio-ecological dryland contexts of Botswana over the last 30 years. We draw on primary field data sources, including oral histories, livelihood surveys, ecological surveys, as well as documented evidence of environmental, socioeconomic and institutional dynamics, to identify a broad range of activit...

While much attention has focused on the climate change mitigation potential of biofuels, research from the social sciences increasingly highlights the social and livelihood impacts of their expanded production. Policy and governance measures aimed at improving the social effects of biofuels have proliferated but questions remain about their effectiveness across the value chain. This paper perfo...

2. The origins of agriculture and the shift from hunting and gathering to committed agriculture is 3. regarded as one of the major transitions in human history. Archaeologists and anthropologists have 4. invested significant efforts in explaining the origins of agriculture. A period of gathering 5. intensification and experimentation and pursuing a mixed economic strategy seems the most plausib...

The livelihood concept remains consistently utilised within a number of research fields, including development studies, political ecology and conservation. Although there are differences in theory and application, these fields draw upon livelihood frameworks to understand how political and economic structures impact decisionmaking and present opportunities for social actors. Several themes have...

Climate variability has been evident on the Mongolian plateau in recent decades. Livelihood adaptation to climate variability is important for local sustainable development. This paper applies an analytical framework focused on adaptation, institutions, and livelihoods to study climate adaptation in the Mongolian grasslands. A household survey was designed and implemented in each of three broad...

Anthropogenic threats to natural systems can be exacerbated due to connectivity between marine, freshwater, and terrestrial ecosystems, complicating the already daunting task of governance across the land-sea interface. Globalization, including new access to markets, can change social-ecological, land-sea linkages via livelihood responses and adaptations by local people. As a first step in unde...