Book Review: Sustainable Livelihoods and Rural Development. By Ian Scoones. Rugby: Practical Action Publishing, 2015. 149pp. Price: £24.95 (Hardback), £10.95 (Paperback) and £9.99 (eBook).

Abstract

Livelihoods comprise capabilities, assets and activities for a means of living and are considered to be sustainable if they can cope with and recover from shocks and stresses (Chambers & Conway, 1992; Chambers 1995; Vercillo, 2016). They are complex, multidimensional, temporal and context-specific (Chambers, 1983; 2012; Nair, 2013; Scoones, 2015). As Scoones (2015, p.34) asserts: “it is not easy to get a handle on what is going on, for whom, where and why.” Hence, Chambers (1995; 1997) likens rural people to foxes that prey on different species in different ways. While livelihoods remain at the core of rural development practice, academic debate about their intricate nature is waning (Scoones, 2009). Yet, a continued critique of livelihoods thinking in the realm of both rural and urban development is justified.

In his 2015 book: Sustainable Livelihoods and Rural Development, Ian Scoones revives the debate about sustainable livelihoods (Scoones, 2015). He always champions the inclusion of livelihoods perspectives in rural development thinking and practice (Vercillo, 2016). Scoones’ scholarly work on livelihoods traces back to his empirical study in Zimbabwe, drawing broader conclusions about farming livelihoods in dryland Africa (Scoones, 1996). Since this time, Scoones’ contribution to knowledge about livelihoods and development has been significant. This article highlights and evaluates the contribution of his 2015 book to livelihoods perspectives and rural development. The article also provides recommendations about how livelihoods insights may continue to be used in the eradication of rural poverty in developing countries.