Who can help the peri-urban poor? Final Technical Report for project R8090.
Abstract
This document represents the final report of project R8090, 'Who can help the peri-urban poor'. The report describes project activities and outputs, most notably the engagement of community members in a variety of identified livelihood activities and the development and operation of a research process for observing, recording and analysing the implementation process. The report discusses the major findings of the project, which include:
- The quality and quantity of natural resources in the Kumasi PUI have been significantly reduced in ways that increase the vulnerability of particular less-advantaged groups
- New livelihoods with a short gestation period (e.g. soap making and petty trading as opposed to grasscutter rearing) offered less risk and more possibility for being sustained and were more attractive to poor people;
- Access to adequate space was often crucial for the operation of a new livelihood activity;
- New entrants to the peri-urban interface (PUI) of Kumasi reduce the natural resource base to which poor people have access while weakening the culture, economy, and environmental quality of the PUI area, yet they provide the same people with some opportunities for new livelihoods;
- A facilitator chosen from among community members can be an effective tool for community mobilisation and development action and can ensure the sustainability of a community project, while keeping down project maintenance costs.
Citation
Ashong, K. 2005. Who can help the peri-urban poor? Final Technical Report for project R8090. Kumasi, Ghana: Centre for the Development of People (CEDEP). 47 pp.
Links
Published 1 January 2005