Document Abstract
Published:
2004
Securing water to enhance local livelihoods: guidelines for implementing a water and livelihoods planning process
Water for productive use through sustainable livelihoods and participatory action approaches
This file, designed for water sector and rural development practitioners, contains detailed guidelines for implementing a water and livelihoods planning process. Securing water to enhance local livelihoods (SWELL) is an initiative that develops practical tools to encourage better participatory planning to use water to reduce poverty and to increase water security for households and villages to meet livelihoods based needs. The SWELL approach draws upon a variety of values, principles, frameworks, methodology, and tools.
The principles and values that guide SWELL implementers are people-centred, participation, empowering, gender and equity, integrated or multi-sectoral, multi-levelled, partnerships, dynamic, sustainable and uses multiple sources of water.
The frameworks that SWELL uses are Participation Action research, Sustainable Livelihoods Approach, Water for productive uses, Participatory Planning, Right-Based Approach and Participatory Rural Appraisal.
The methodology on how the water and livelihoods planning process has been implemented follows the preparation phase, assessment phase, village synthesis and stakeholder synthesis. This paper highlights the process and reflections from each phase. The tools used during the Assessment phase of the SWELL process include participatory tools such as mapping, timeline, income and expenditure tree, matrices, daily activity chart, social map, well-being ranking and household reviews.
The document also contains an appendix with notes on training. These include examples of parts of the training. This is followed by a detailed description of a case study of the application of the SWELL initiative in Utah. The initiative in Utah entailed three levels of assessment namely broader community level, the inter-household level and the intra-household level. This was followed by processes for analysis of the outcomes: a two-day village synthesis workshop in Utah and a five-day stakeholder Synthesis workshop two weeks later.
Moreover, another document provides support material on choosing technologies to secure water. This is highlighted by taking the context of the Bohlabela District and describing a few options for accessing water at a village and household level. There are three major water sources available for household and agricultural use: groundwater, surface water and rainwater. Decisions considering use of technologies for accessing and storing this water should be based on affordability, access to spares, skilled maintenance, reliability of source and potability. The technologies that can be used include human-powered pumps, rainwater harvesting, tubewell, diesel/electric pumps, small earth dams, bunds and springs.
The principles and values that guide SWELL implementers are people-centred, participation, empowering, gender and equity, integrated or multi-sectoral, multi-levelled, partnerships, dynamic, sustainable and uses multiple sources of water.
The frameworks that SWELL uses are Participation Action research, Sustainable Livelihoods Approach, Water for productive uses, Participatory Planning, Right-Based Approach and Participatory Rural Appraisal.
The methodology on how the water and livelihoods planning process has been implemented follows the preparation phase, assessment phase, village synthesis and stakeholder synthesis. This paper highlights the process and reflections from each phase. The tools used during the Assessment phase of the SWELL process include participatory tools such as mapping, timeline, income and expenditure tree, matrices, daily activity chart, social map, well-being ranking and household reviews.
The document also contains an appendix with notes on training. These include examples of parts of the training. This is followed by a detailed description of a case study of the application of the SWELL initiative in Utah. The initiative in Utah entailed three levels of assessment namely broader community level, the inter-household level and the intra-household level. This was followed by processes for analysis of the outcomes: a two-day village synthesis workshop in Utah and a five-day stakeholder Synthesis workshop two weeks later.
Moreover, another document provides support material on choosing technologies to secure water. This is highlighted by taking the context of the Bohlabela District and describing a few options for accessing water at a village and household level. There are three major water sources available for household and agricultural use: groundwater, surface water and rainwater. Decisions considering use of technologies for accessing and storing this water should be based on affordability, access to spares, skilled maintenance, reliability of source and potability. The technologies that can be used include human-powered pumps, rainwater harvesting, tubewell, diesel/electric pumps, small earth dams, bunds and springs.
