Hauptinhalt

Livelihood diversification in a rural community of the Okavango Delta, Botswana. - Results from a Socio-Economic Baseline Survey

Abstract

Due to a special mixture of influencing factors and basic conditions, livelihood strategies in the village of Seronga are highly diversified. The remote location of Seronga at the northern edge of the Okavango Delta distances the population from urban centers and modernity. Therefore, agricultural production and livestock keeping remain the main basis of subsistence for the majority of the population. At the same time, manifold connections to bigger cities, the presence of tourism and increasing market integration bridge this gap, transforming desires, aspirations, and claims. Consequently, the need to adapt livelihood strategies towards cash income generation emerges. In this paper we combine qualitative methods and new quantitative data from the "The Future Okavango" (TFO) Socio-Economic Baseline Survey (SEBS) to highlight the composition of livelihood strategies in the community of Seronga. Using the Sustainable Livelihood Framework we draw special attention to transformation tendencies, to the socio-economic stratification of livelihood strategies, and to the resulting differences in vulnerability and sustainability for the households of Seronga.