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Tool #1
Sustainable Livelihood Analysis (SLA)
This tool will guide you to gather and float the information you and the community
will need in order to identify, assess livelihoods options and the internal and
external factors that influence and affect their feasibility and viability. The tool
provides sample guide questions which covers four (4) bases of analysis: the livelihoods
assets, community vulnerabilities, structures and processes, and livelihood
strategies. You may add more questions as you see fit.
I. Livelihoods Assets
Livelihoods Assets are different types of capital that communities can use in
developing and growing their livelihoods.
1. Human Capital
This refers to resources that are inherent to the community members, such as skills,
knowledge, labor capacity, good health, and even behaviors and values
conducive to enterprise development.
• What skills do community members have
• Who are the knowledge `managers’
• Is there a tradition of local innovation
• How do people acquire information to support their livelihoods
• Are any groups (e.g. women) excluded If so, is this a negative factor
Identifying the enterprise CHAPTER I
2. Social capital
These are resources that are embedded and result from relationships and
networks among members of the community, and with their external links. This
can refer to good working conditions among community members, clear and
accountable decision-making structures, organization, community mobilization,
etc.
• What are the different formal and informal groups in the community
• What are the common rules
• How do networks (including family relationships, neighbors, and so on)
influence access to resources
• What is the form of leadership in the community
• Is there any form of collective representation among community members
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