Research Purpose and discussion of anticipated Outputs

The Research Purpose of the RYLP is formally stated as follows

"Mechanisms that better enable youth to shape and build their livelihoods, based around access to improved rural services and innovative use of natural resources, tested and promoted."

The underlying hypothesis of this research project is that  youth are the major stakeholders of improvement in natural resource management (NRM). However, for youth to become proactive in investing in sustainable NRM it is essential that they  have adequate opportunities to build their livelihoods on their own terms. It is our working assumption that such opportunities are presently limited by a lack of information and understanding of how young people living in rural areas of Uganda and Kenya access and make use of local natural resource endowments to shape their livelihood strategies.

We feel that, at present. the contribution that young people make in social and economic life is often ignored, misunderstood or “problematised” by policy makers. Further, due to the weak policy environment there is  no authoritative commitment to the collection, collation and dissemination of information on young people. In consequence,  knowledge of rural youth livelihoods remains localised, partial and highly fragmented among ministries and other service providers.  

The Rural Youth Livelihoods Project, therefore, aims to support the livelihood strategies of rural youth by seeking new ways in which their particular needs and interests can be recognised and addressed by available service institutions. The kind of questions we seek to explore are as follows:

·        Where do rural youth see opportunities to invest in NRM as part of their livelihood strategies?

·        What are seen as the key constraints dissuading rural youth from pursuing a “career” through NRM?

·        To what extent are NR-focused policies, institutions and processes perceived by rural youth as enabling or constraining to their livelihood opportunities?

Such questions, however, amount to a complex challenge and one that requires the adoption of a broad perspective that encompasses an understanding of the livelihood strategies of young people, the policies that shape natural resource management and the institutions that serve those who live and work in rural areas.

To achieve the general purpose of the project, three key outputs have been identified, with the third, to a large extent, emergent from the processes of achieving the first two.

1.      Gaining a clearer understanding of the livelihood strategies of rural youth,

2.      Reviewing current policies, institutions and processes that influence the lives of young people in rural areas

3.      Establishing and disseminating models of good practice of supporting young peoples needs

However, it should be noted that whilst these three outputs help to define the project purpose by indicating tangible products, they are in themselves unlikely to lead to  “sustainable developments” unless they are achieved through a collaborative effort. For the strengthening of rural youth livelihoods cannot be achieved simply by working on the "supply side" (e.g. ensuring extension workers visit youth groups), or by focusing exclusively on the "demand side" (e.g. ensuring that rural youth know how to access loans and credit). Neither can the needs of  young people be assured on the basis of policy revision alone (e.g. protecting youth interests in land title revision), nor solely through changes to professional practice (e.g. training in youth development for key field-workers). All these may be desirable, and even necessary. However, to pursue with confidence any of these objectives, the obvious starting point is, through sharing our ideas and understandings,  gain a clearer understanding of  the lives and livelihoods of young people themselves. 

It is for this reason that the project will place great emphasis on facilitating interaction between the key stakeholders, namely policy makers, development professionals, academics and young people themselves. The creation of new learning interactions will underpin the whole research process.