14
diversified) as opposed to top-down (mining focused) social responsibility agendas
could have positive implications for communities. In addition, the research indicates that those agendas need to go beyond just mining practices and provide local
communities with alternative non-mining livelihood options, enabling an expansion
of their life plans and the enhancement of the human capital assets required to
become more sustainable during and after the life of the mine (Buitrago-Franco and
Robertson 2014).
2.3.1.3 Livelihood Assets SLF Component
Human capital is one of the core livelihood assets in the SLF. According to DFID
(1999, p. 1), a livelihood comprises the capacities required for the means of living.
This perspective positions people as active participants with a positive contribution
to make in their development rather than as passive or deprived actors starved of
assets. Community assets are diverse and vary across individuals, households and
communities. Colombian communities are often starved of financial and skilled
human capital (Cardenas 2011). Strengthening community assets can help locals
forge more sustainable livelihoods (Rakodi and Lloyd-Jones 2002, p. 10). The classic SLF involves five forms of capital, which are human, social, physical, financial
and natural capitals (as shown in Fig. 2.1). However, the research reported in this
chapter focuses specifically on human capital. This section identifies the forms of
human capital that need to be further enhanced in resource regions of Colombia to
help communities forge more sustainable livelihoods. These are shown in Fig. 2.2,
but the justification for using them is contained in the remainder of this section.
The investigation showed that there are five main priority areas for human
capacity- building for local communities in mining resource regions. Developing
these will hopefully assist locals in forging sustainable livelihoods and so reducing
poverty. These areas are employment, education, work experience, income and
infrastructure for human capital development (Franco 2014):
I am the only miner in my family. I have three children and want them to study. I am aware
of the risks of working at the mine and I did not want them to be part of the industry. This
is a mining town... a person who does not go to school becomes a miner. Most of us do not
know anything else than mining, hence, we have to work here and sustain our family members with the little income we get. (Community Member, Focus Group, October, 2012)
Although other components of human capital such as health and leadership are
important, improving the five identified forms of human capital seems from the
investigation to be the most effective way to strengthen the ability of communities
to cope with mining-induced changes over time. An important finding from the
research here reported was that priority areas which are the most valuable for communities are those that help them achieve their own sustainable development goals.
Because of this, bottom-up human capital capacity-building approaches structured
into social responsibility agendas are more likely to create value for communities
than are top-down approaches. In those cases in which companies had embraced
community-oriented and community-driven agendas, locals claim to have become
I. B. Franco and J. Minnery
diversified) as opposed to top-down (mining focused) social responsibility agendas
could have positive implications for communities. In addition, the research indicates that those agendas need to go beyond just mining practices and provide local
communities with alternative non-mining livelihood options, enabling an expansion
of their life plans and the enhancement of the human capital assets required to
become more sustainable during and after the life of the mine (Buitrago-Franco and
Robertson 2014).
2.3.1.3 Livelihood Assets SLF Component
Human capital is one of the core livelihood assets in the SLF. According to DFID
(1999, p. 1), a livelihood comprises the capacities required for the means of living.
This perspective positions people as active participants with a positive contribution
to make in their development rather than as passive or deprived actors starved of
assets. Community assets are diverse and vary across individuals, households and
communities. Colombian communities are often starved of financial and skilled
human capital (Cardenas 2011). Strengthening community assets can help locals
forge more sustainable livelihoods (Rakodi and Lloyd-Jones 2002, p. 10). The classic SLF involves five forms of capital, which are human, social, physical, financial
and natural capitals (as shown in Fig. 2.1). However, the research reported in this
chapter focuses specifically on human capital. This section identifies the forms of
human capital that need to be further enhanced in resource regions of Colombia to
help communities forge more sustainable livelihoods. These are shown in Fig. 2.2,
but the justification for using them is contained in the remainder of this section.
The investigation showed that there are five main priority areas for human
capacity- building for local communities in mining resource regions. Developing
these will hopefully assist locals in forging sustainable livelihoods and so reducing
poverty. These areas are employment, education, work experience, income and
infrastructure for human capital development (Franco 2014):
I am the only miner in my family. I have three children and want them to study. I am aware
of the risks of working at the mine and I did not want them to be part of the industry. This
is a mining town... a person who does not go to school becomes a miner. Most of us do not
know anything else than mining, hence, we have to work here and sustain our family members with the little income we get. (Community Member, Focus Group, October, 2012)
Although other components of human capital such as health and leadership are
important, improving the five identified forms of human capital seems from the
investigation to be the most effective way to strengthen the ability of communities
to cope with mining-induced changes over time. An important finding from the
research here reported was that priority areas which are the most valuable for communities are those that help them achieve their own sustainable development goals.
Because of this, bottom-up human capital capacity-building approaches structured
into social responsibility agendas are more likely to create value for communities
than are top-down approaches. In those cases in which companies had embraced
community-oriented and community-driven agendas, locals claim to have become
I. B. Franco and J. Minnery