NGEK10026U Rural Livelihoods, Vulnerability and Adaptation

The aim of the course is to provide an in-depth theoretical and empirical understanding of how rural livelihoods in developing countries have evolved in the past three decades. The vulnerability and resilience of households and communities will be analysed through linking global, national and local drivers of change – such as economic globalisation, global environmental change, biodiversity conservation, and current food, fuel, and financial crises – with livelihood responses. The theoretical literature underpinning rural livelihood frameworks will inform the comparison of case studies from Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Pacific. The course introduces students to how rural livelihoods can be conceptualised, assessed and supported in light of trends, shocks and stresses at a number of scales.