5.2 Definitions of, and Explanatory Approaches to, the Linkages
Between Agriculture, Poverty and Natural Resource Use
Poverty is a multi-dimensional concept that encompasses not only insufficient
income, but also a lack of entitlements and access to a variety of resources, such
as the human, political, social or natural capital that enables individuals to satisfy
their basic needs. People in the uplands of Southeast Asia are among the poorest of
their countries’ populations. The geographic remoteness, rugged landscape and
fragility of the environment in these areas explain the low level of infrastructure
development, the inhabitants’ limited access to technologies and markets, and the
high levels of risk and uncertainty to be found. In addition, mountain dwellers are
often politically marginalized (Friedrichsen and Neef 2010).
Within environmental studies, authors often differentiate between ‘welfare’ and
‘investment’ poverty (see for example, Reardon and Vosti 1995; Wunder 2001), in
which the first concept relates to absolute poverty measures such as those based on
income or caloric intake, and the second refers to households’ endowments in terms
of various forms of capital, those that enable them to invest in natural resource
maintenance. This approach thus identifies individuals who are not poor in absolute
terms, but who face deficits of certain forms of capital that prevent them from
investing in the maintenance and conservation of natural resources, referring to
them as being ‘investment poor’ (Reardon and Vosti 1995). Hence, poverty, as
related to environmental resource use, refers not only to households’ inability to
satisfy their current needs, but also to their inability to invest in the future, which
requires additional levels of income, capital and general economic security.
Several methods used to measure poverty are described in the literature, some of
which focus on a single variable, such as income, the level of expenditure or the
quantity of caloric intake, and identify as poor those who do not reach a certain
threshold – referred to as the poverty line – the line above which basic needs are
deemed to be satisfied. This method provides a measure of what is referred to as
absolute poverty, and is thus related to the concept of welfare poverty. Other
approaches attempt to take into account the multi-dimensionality of poverty,
through the computation of a multivariate composite index that accounts for several
dimensions of households’ livelihoods, such as the quality of housing, the value of
assets, and others (Zeller et al. 2006). Rather than providing an absolute measure,
this approach provides a relative poverty index whereby individuals are classified
and compared along this set of dimensions. As multi-dimensional poverty indices
include indicators related to income, food consumption and the satisfaction of basic
needs, as well as indicators of ownership or access to physical, financial, social,
natural and human capital, they capture both the means needed to satisfy basic
needs as well as welfare outcomes.
The Brundtland Report defined sustainable development as “development that
meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future
generations to meet their own needs” (WCED 1987: 43). This definition is based
on three pillars: the conservation of natural resources, economic development and
5 Linkages Between Agriculture, Poverty and Natural Resource Use. . .
177
Between Agriculture, Poverty and Natural Resource Use
Poverty is a multi-dimensional concept that encompasses not only insufficient
income, but also a lack of entitlements and access to a variety of resources, such
as the human, political, social or natural capital that enables individuals to satisfy
their basic needs. People in the uplands of Southeast Asia are among the poorest of
their countries’ populations. The geographic remoteness, rugged landscape and
fragility of the environment in these areas explain the low level of infrastructure
development, the inhabitants’ limited access to technologies and markets, and the
high levels of risk and uncertainty to be found. In addition, mountain dwellers are
often politically marginalized (Friedrichsen and Neef 2010).
Within environmental studies, authors often differentiate between ‘welfare’ and
‘investment’ poverty (see for example, Reardon and Vosti 1995; Wunder 2001), in
which the first concept relates to absolute poverty measures such as those based on
income or caloric intake, and the second refers to households’ endowments in terms
of various forms of capital, those that enable them to invest in natural resource
maintenance. This approach thus identifies individuals who are not poor in absolute
terms, but who face deficits of certain forms of capital that prevent them from
investing in the maintenance and conservation of natural resources, referring to
them as being ‘investment poor’ (Reardon and Vosti 1995). Hence, poverty, as
related to environmental resource use, refers not only to households’ inability to
satisfy their current needs, but also to their inability to invest in the future, which
requires additional levels of income, capital and general economic security.
Several methods used to measure poverty are described in the literature, some of
which focus on a single variable, such as income, the level of expenditure or the
quantity of caloric intake, and identify as poor those who do not reach a certain
threshold – referred to as the poverty line – the line above which basic needs are
deemed to be satisfied. This method provides a measure of what is referred to as
absolute poverty, and is thus related to the concept of welfare poverty. Other
approaches attempt to take into account the multi-dimensionality of poverty,
through the computation of a multivariate composite index that accounts for several
dimensions of households’ livelihoods, such as the quality of housing, the value of
assets, and others (Zeller et al. 2006). Rather than providing an absolute measure,
this approach provides a relative poverty index whereby individuals are classified
and compared along this set of dimensions. As multi-dimensional poverty indices
include indicators related to income, food consumption and the satisfaction of basic
needs, as well as indicators of ownership or access to physical, financial, social,
natural and human capital, they capture both the means needed to satisfy basic
needs as well as welfare outcomes.
The Brundtland Report defined sustainable development as “development that
meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future
generations to meet their own needs” (WCED 1987: 43). This definition is based
on three pillars: the conservation of natural resources, economic development and
5 Linkages Between Agriculture, Poverty and Natural Resource Use. . .
177