NGEK10026U Rural Livelihoods, Vulnerability and Adaptation

Knowledge:

 •  Describe the influence of global, national and local factors on rural livelihoods in developing countries;

•  Outline the theoretical underpinnings of livelihood frameworks and how these relate to debates within human geography and the broader social sciences;

•  Describe empirical aspects of rural livelihoods in developing countries, including the relative importance of agricultural and diversified livelihood portfolios;

•  Assess and measure vulnerability and resilience in rural communities;

•  Identify policy processes through which rural livelihoods can be supported in a sustainable and equitable manner.

Skills:

 •  Conceptualise and apply a rural livelihoods framework to assess and measure vulnerability and resilience;

•  Sequence a variety of research methods for the assessment of livelihoods, including both quantitative and qualitative tools;

•  Apply appropriate statistical techniques to measure asset holdings and diversified livelihoods;

•  Structure, write and defend an 8,000 word essay which is a suitable basis for a funding proposal.

Competences:

 •  Describe socio-economic and environmental changes that rural households respond to;

•  Compare and evaluate theories of vulnerability, resilience and adaptation, recognising the mutual linkages between these bodies of literature;

•  Succinctly summarise the theoretical basis of case studies, the research methods employed and how both could be improved;

•  Write and defend an extended essay that: (i) identifies drivers of change in a rural setting; (ii) presents an appropriate conceptual framework to investigate a set of research questions; (iii) explains how this will be operationalized to assess either autonomous responses to change or the impact of an external intervention; and (iv) identifies threats and challenges to the research project.