Background

The Sustainable Livelihoods Approach (SLA) is based on a set of principles that contribute directly to achievement of the Millennium Development Goals. This makes SLA consistent with IFAD's approach to poverty reduction, as expressed in its mission to enable the rural poor to overcome poverty, and articulated in its Strategic Framework. SLA can assist IFAD to improve its understanding of the livelihoods of the rural poor as well as the nature and causes of their poverty and vulnerability. In addition, as a tool, SLA can help IFAD to diagnose poverty and vulnerability throughout its project cycle. Adapting SLA requires deeper understanding of the approach on the part of IFAD staff, project partners and consultants.

In this context, in September 2001, IFAD received funding from the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland through its Department for International Development (DFID) for a three-year programme entitled "Strategic Livelihoods Diagnostic and Learning Trust Fund". The programme was established primarily to assist IFAD staff, consultants and cooperating institutions to have a better understanding SLA , especially as it relates to poverty and vulnerability contexts and to institutional and policy environments. It has been achieving this through a combination of:

• providing technical support to IFAD country programme managers to strengthen their diagnostic, design and implementation work;
• supporting a managed learning and information exchange process; and
• helping to mainstream SLA and other development best practices within IFAD's corporate strategy.

One of the main activities of the programme was the creation of a series of training workshops on SLA . In addition to increasing the understanding of the approach on the part of IFAD partners, the workshops also aimed to increase the perception of the advantages of SLA among and within UN agencies in Rome , thereby leading to a greater consideration of its underlying principles. Since December 2001, 15 workshops have been held throughout the world to familiarize participants with SLA . Participants have included more than 225 IFAD staff (including country programme managers, regional economists and regional division directors), national and regional consultants and project partners (including cooperating institutions and government staff). A total of 60 countries have been represented at the workshops.

SLA Workshops

Africa
Benin (Cotonou)	12-16 May 2003 (held in French)
Ghana (Elmina)	12-17 July 2004
Asia
India (Bangalore)	25 February – 2 March 2002
Philippines (Cavite , Silang)	21-26 April 2002
Bangladesh (Dhaka)	22-26 June 2003
China (Guilin)	19-22 November 2003 (held in Chinese)
Central and Eastern Europe
Georgia (Tblisi)	26-31 October 2003 (held in Russian and English)
Albania (Tirana)	15-18 November 2003
Europe
Italy (Montepulciano)	17-20 December 2001
Italy (Montepulciano)	15-20 April 2002
Italy (Montepulciano)	2-6 December 2002
Italy (Montepulciano)	3-6 March 2003
Latin America and the Caribbean
Chile (Santiago)	13-15 May 2002 (held in Spanish)
Near East and North Africa
Tunisia (Hammamet)	25-30 October 2002 (held in French)
Jordan (Amman)	12-17 January 2003

Each workshop produced a report detailing all proceedings and discussion points of the workshop, including: the tools and methodologies used during the different workshop sessions; a description of how the participants will be able to use SLA in future work; and the implications for IFAD if it is to continue using SLA. Each report also includes an evaluation of the workshop by the participants and an indication of the impact that the workshop had on the participants. Copies of the reports and training materials are available through IFAD's SLA Learning Coordinator or by contacting IFAD's Information Resource Centre. The reports for these workshops are available in the corresponding languages. The cost of each workshop ranged between US$ 20 000 and US$ 65 000, with the variation depending primarily on the location of the workshop (i.e. the distance to be traveled by the participants) and the availability of in-house facilitators with expertise in SLA . The average cost per trainee was US$ 2 500.

Countries represented in the workshops

 Albania, Algeria, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Belgium, Benin, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bhutan, Bolivia, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Chile, China, Costa Rica, Côte d'Ivoire, Egypt, France, The Gambia, Georgia, Ghana, Guatemala, Guinea, Honduras, India, Indonesia, Italy, Jordan, Laos, Lebanon, Macedonia, Mauritania, Moldova, Mongolia, Morocco, Nepal, New Zealand, Nigeria, Pakistan, Panama, Peru, Philippines, Rwanda, Senegal, Sudan, Switzerland, Syria, Tunisia, Turkey, The United Kingdom, Uruguay, Venezuela, Vietnam and Yemen

Workshop Components and Processes

The workshops take place over four to five days, and the business at hand begins as soon as the participants arrive, usually in the late afternoon. An important aspect of the workshop is the informal socializing that takes place that first evening, which gives participants time to renew old acquaintances and to begin to form new ones. The informal socializing is followed by a focussed discussion of the learning objectives and expectations of each participant. Finally, IFAD's objectives are presented and a provisional programme is discussed and agreed, with flexibility built in to respond to specific demands by participants. At the same time, participants establish "ground rules" for behaviour to ensure that the workshop is a harmonious and fruitful learning experience.

Key questions to be addressed

• What is the SLA ? Its origins? Its usefulness for IFAD and its partners?
• What do we mean by "Policies, Institutions & Processes" in the perspective of SLA ?
• How can we work differently using SLA in our work with IFAD?

The following days of the workshop comprise a combination of presentations, facilitated discussions and brainstorming, group sessions, case studies and field visits. At the end of each day, participants identify the main learning points. The major components are briefly described below.

Facilitated discussion – "Causes and consequences of rural poverty"

Participants are asked to reflect on the causes and consequences of rural poverty based on their long and varied experience, and to identify important issues that fall under the headings of the SLA framework. This exercise results in the articulation, by the participants, of their "own" SLA framework. A full presentation is then given on the SLA framework, building on the framework developed by the participants and grounding them in the reality of the workshop location. Participants are then divided into groups to consider the strengths and weaknesses of the framework as a means of understanding the nature of poverty. This leads into a presentation of case studies that respond to the question, "Why bother with SLA ?"

Facilitated discussion – " SLA and IFAD's Strategic Framework"

The discussion centers on IFAD's Strategic Framework and the strategy evolved by IFAD to address poverty in the region in which the workshop is being held. Emphasis is given to considering whether SLA offers an advantage to the process of operationalizing the framework and applying the Regional Strategy.

Field visit

One day is devoted to a field visit to enable participants to meet with poor people, engage them in the learning process, "de-intellectualize" the learning process, and use a sustainable livelihoods "lens". Participants are divided into groups composed of a mix of IFAD project staff, government counterpart staff and consultants. Half of the groups are given the task of more fully understanding the assets and livelihood strategies of the community they are visiting. The other half are given the task of more fully understanding the vulnerability context and policy, institutional and process-related issues. Discussions with the community last approximately three hours. Given the professionalism and experience of the participants, no methodology is suggested. Following the field visit, the groups prepare and deliver a presentation of their findings in plenary.

Facilitated discussion and presentation – "Understanding policies, institutions and processes"

One day is devoted to gaining a better understanding of policies and institutions. The day is divided into three sessions. In the first session, a series of presentations are given on different ways of understanding and addressing institutional issues. These are followed by small-group discussions in which participants are asked to address the questions, "How do we currently assess institutions, and what methods could we use to understand them?" Each group then presents its findings. The second session focuses on policy and policy processes. A presentation is given that reviews the key elements in policy analysis, emphasizing the central role of people in policy processes. This is followed by small-group discussions in which participants are asked to reflect on how IFAD addresses policy issues and how policies could be addressed more effectively. Each group then presents its findings. The third session is devoted to a case study on institutions and governance, which enables participants to apply their learning. In addition, facilitators introduce four tools that can be used for institutional, policy and policy stakeholder analyses.

Facilitated discussion – findings, recommendations and the way forward

Each day ends with a discussion of learning, and the final day is devoted to consolidating the major learning points and recommendations in order to gain a concrete understanding of the way forward. Discussions are generally structured around the following themes: the key implications for IFAD in applying SLA ; and participants' needs for professional support in making use of SLA . The key outputs of these themes are enumerated in the sections that follow.

Implications for IFAD in Applying SLA

The participants were quick to identify implications for IFAD if it is to continue using SLA .

Understanding poverty. IFAD will need to do much more to understand policy and institutional issues, and their link to those factors to which the rural poor are vulnerable. In addition, the project design process, which doesn't have to be limited to inception, formulation and appraisal, will need to be even more responsive to the local situation. Learning must continue during implementation.

Mobilizing additional resources. Understanding institutional change requires more time and money than what is currently available to a country programme manager. Offering better wages would attract more qualified project managers and staff.. Influencing policies, institutions, investments and partners also requires time, as well as trust built up over the years. In addition, grants need to respond quickly to opportunities for innovation during implementation.

Working with the rural poor. Working with the rural poor implies involving them more and delegating power to modify design and loan agreements during implementation, in response to their expressed needs. It also implies greater dialogue with the rural poor in order to enable them to influence project activities. Greater involvement with the poor has political and governance implications that must be considered.

Working with in-country partners. There is a need to encourage country programme managers to intensify partnerships when designing and implementing projects and programmes. This requires a different set of motivators. Communication must be enhanced, in order for partners to better understand IFAD's mission and country strategy. Greater involvement must take place at the policy level with governments and other development agencies, implying more discussions with politicians. In addition, throughout poverty strategy discussions, the views expressed by the rural poor must take center stage. In-country partners must also be willing to respond with innovative financing methods. (Partnership means that IFAD will have less control of the programmes and advocacy it funds.)

Working with consultants. SLA should be included explicitly in the TOR of consultants. Country programme and project managers need to cultivate a core of consultants around the country programme, and design teams need to be assisted to work better as a team, which may require training, particularly in inter-disciplinary work. To nurture the relationship between IFAD staff and consultants, as well as the relationship between consultants, an IFAD consultant forum should be created. In addition, a junior consultancy programme could be established to train regional consultants.

Organizing country programmes. More attention must be given to organizing country programmes, especially in identifying suitable partners and consultants. The key factors are adequate time, sufficient funds and careful planning.

Creating policy and values statements. Each regional division should develop a policy statement on SLA , providing leadership and direction on its further use and exploration. IFAD should formulate a set of precepts or a values statement to serve as the basis for corporate culture before being applied to projects.

Professional Support Needed

Staff, consultants and project partners need to know more about poverty analysis tools, especially what is available and when it is appropriate to use them. A key ingredient in working with the rural poor and soliciting their perceptions is the ability to listen. Listening skills training is needed. Whatever training programmes are developed for staff, consultants and project partners, they should be supplied according to need. This implies that skills levels need to be assessed. In addition, the learning process must continue, particularly through additional training and a continued supply of relevant case studies.

The workshops produced the desired outputs: staff and consultants were given a sound understanding of SLA to be able to apply it in their work; the benefit of training a mix of staff and consultants was clearly demonstrated; and the workshop proceedings, processes, finding and recommendations were amply documented. The overall objectives of the workshop will depend on what happens next: Will participants take the initiative to apply their learning? Will they receive the support they identified? Will IFAD address the implications articulated at the workshop with respect to applying SLA?

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Some of the training materials used for the workshops may be found under background documents.