Download PDF - Rajasthan Rural Livelihoods Project

Physical infrastructure and servicesPhysical infrastructures such as roads provide access to markets, particularly, the wagelabour market. Electricity provides easier access to irrigation and develops the potentialfor non-farm sector. Social sector infrastructure such as education and health, increaseopportunities for livelihoods and augment human capital. Availability of services such asAgriculture Extension and Veterinary, help increase productivity and decrease volatility inproduction.Financial assetsAccess to credit institutions, both local and distant, help ensure a less volatile andsustainable livelihood as well as possibilities of investment in an income generatingactivity. In some villages, in addition to the formal institutions, Self Help Groups (SHGs)have also emerged who form a part of the financial asset of villages.Human capitalEducational status and good health helps in building capacity for basic labour, skills andstamina. On the other hand, out of school children means that the human poverty is likelyto continue for a long period of time.Social capitalVoicelessness and powerlessness are the institutional basis of poverty. Networks ofmutual help and reciprocal obligations help build a strong civil society that can helpnegotiate returns from all sources of capital mentioned above and hence have an impact onpoverty. In this survey, we have also attempted to expand the notion of social capital tounderstanding of gender relations at the household level and how they affect formation ofsocial capital at the community level.Vulnerability of livelihoods: Employment, Income and consumption patternsAssets owned by the households, unemployment status and fluctuations in their incomeand consumption are important indicators of vulnerability of livelihood leading to poverty.- 9 -