MAINSTREAMING CLIMATE CHANGE ADAPTATION IN AGRICULTURAL EXTENSION
Main Assets for Building Livelihood Resilience
SLIDE - Assets
Certain components or assts are required to make a living. These
assets can conveniently be divided into 5 main groups for ease of
analysis.
Financial – sources of income, assets which can be traded or
sold, savings, financial services, etc. These are objects, resources
or activities that can generate cash. A person sells their labour for
cash; a person runs a small business to generate cash, etc
Natural – soil, water, forest, environmental assets, etc. These are
natural resources such as the land used to produce crops or
grazing, the river which provides fish and the forest which provides
wild food, timber, fuel and other useful products for consumption or
sale.
Physical – houses, schools, clinics, roads, producer goods
accessible by community, etc. These are the physical structures
such as buildings, including shops and markets and include the
tools used in making a living such as ploughs, blacksmith‟s tools
etc
Human – health, skills, education, knowledge, confidence etc.
These are the qualities which help to make a living such as
knowledge; knowing how to do things, the ability to work due to
good health, and confidence, sense of self worth, or motivation.
Social - family links, groups, support networks, conflict, leadership,
influences over political decisions, etc. People are more resilient,
able to withstand threats to their livelihoods when there is group
cohesion. The family structure, support from groups (women‟s
groups, churches etc), a sense of belonging and leaders who
actively promote the well-being of their constituents all contribute
to the resilience of a community.
We will be discussing assets in greater detail, including how their access and
control is influenced by external factors such as policies, institutions and power
structures in a later session of the workshop. But it is worth noting here that
access and control over natural, human, social, physical and financial resources
(assets) is one of the most important components of adaptive capacity.
In the case studies Reginald and Gilbert and their families were affected by
drought. Reginald and his family were able to survive and recover; they were
“resilient”, whereas Gilbert and family were unable to cope. They were
“vulnerable” to the impacts of drought.
A Training Manual on Use of Climate Information and Vulnerability and Capacity Assessment for
Agricultural Extension Staff in Zimbabwe
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