1

Measuring Sustainability

and Sustainable Livelihoods

2

Measuring SD

Birds Eye View

Understanding

Sustainable

DevelopmentExisting Indicators

of Development

Generationalisation

&

Problems

Development Goals

Human Development – indicators related to health, education and income

Equity - trends of economic inequality is increasing

Human rights - exercise of civil liberty and human rights by all

Empowerment - marginalized (SC / ST / women / minorities/ persons with disability)

Sustainability- rights of future generations as against present generation, multi-dimensional concept

Sustainable Development (SD)

Development that meets the needs of the present

without compromising the ability of future

generations to meet their own needs. - (The Brundtland Commission on Environment and Development: 1987)

Improving the quality of human life while living

within the carrying capacity of the supporting

mechanisms - (The IUCN / UNEP/ WWF definilion: 1991)

Sustainable Development (SD)

SD debate - Brundtland - in terms of rights of present vs

future generations.

However, it necessarily involves all three issues:

Rights of future generations as against present generation

Rights of the poor in the present generation as against

those of the rich.

Rights of non-humans as against humans

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What is to be sustained What is to be developed

Nature

Earth

Biodiversity

Ecosystems

People

Child survival

Life expectancy

Education

Equity

Equal opportunity

Life support

Ecosystem services

Resources

Environment

Economy

Wealth

Productive sectors

Consumption

Community

Cultures

Groups

Places

Society

Institutions

Social capital

States

Regions

Goals of Sustainable Development

Sustainable Development (SD)

SD is three dimensional concept:

Ecological security

Economic efficiency

Social equity

Technology as fourth dimension

8

Economics

GDP

EDP

GSI SLSI

ISEW

CDI

SNBI

HDI

PQLI

Equity

RMS

SMS

WI

NPP

EF

EStI

LPI

EPI

EVI

CCC

MSY

PSR

Ecology

GDP Gross Domestic Product

PQLI Physical Quality of Life Index

NPP Net Primary Productivity

EF Ecological Footprint

EStI Environmental Sustainability Index

LPI Living Planet Index

EPI Environmental Performance Index

EVI Environmental Vulnerability Index

MSY Maximum Sustainable Yield

PSR Pressure-State-Response model

CCC Concept of carrying capacity

HDI Human Development Index

RMS Relative Measure of Sustainability

SMS Safe Minimum Standard

WI Well Being Index

GSI Genuine Savings Index

EDP Environmental Adjusted Domestic Product

CDI City Development Index

ISEW Index of Sustainable Economic Welfare

SNBI Sustainable Net Benefit Index

SLSI Sustainable Livelihood Security Index

Existing Indicators of Sustainable Development

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Component Variables

Ecological security represented by variables –forest cover, land degradation status, soil and water quality

parameters, air quality parameters, groundwater depletion,

etc.

Economic efficiency represented by variables –land productivity, labour productivity, marketable surplus,

input–output ratio, etc.

Social equity represented by variables –distribution

of land, asset and income, people below poverty line,

female literacy, MMR, IMR etc.

Variables for Measuring Ecological Security Land degradation status

Gullied and ravinous land

Land affected by Salinity/ alkalinity

Shifting cultivation areas

Mining / industrial wasteland

Soil quality parametersPesticide residues in soils

Water quality parametersNitrate

Fluride

TDS

Toxic substances

Heavy metals

Ground Water Depletion statusOver-exploited (if net draft > 100% of utilizable recharge)

Dark or critical (if net draft is 85% to 100% of utilizable recharge)

Grey or semi-critical (if net draft is 65% to 85% of utilizable recharge)

White or safe (if net draft < 65% of utilizable recharge)10

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Sustainable Livelihood Security (SLS)

RLS - capability, equity, and sustainability - Chambers and Conway

SLS - livelihood options that are ecologically secure, economically efficient, and socially equitable- Swaminathan

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Preconditions for Measuring SLSIIt should be simple, flexible, and information-efficient

Given the dynamic nature of SD, it needs to be

relative rather than absolute

The index needs to be composite so as to take stock

not only of the conflicts between the three aspects of

sustainability but also of the intrinsic synergy among

them

It should be easy to construct and understand by

policy makers, local-level administrators, and, more

importantly, by rural families

It should be a tool both for policy making as well as

for public education

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Measuring SLSI

To measure is the first step to improve-Sir William Petty (1623 – 1687)

Steps involved:

Identify component variables

Get the data

Make them comparable

Use the formula to construct component indices

Find the arithmetic or appropriately weighted mean of

the three indices

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Formula for Developing SLSI

Xij - min Xij

j (i = 1,2,..,I)

SLSIij = ──────── (j = 1,2,.....n)

max Xij - min Xij

j j

The relative performance of jth geographical unit in the ith

component of the index can be represented as:

To put simply:

SLSI = (X-Min)/(Max-Min)

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Measuring SLSI: When Standard is provided

SLSI = (X-min)/(standard-min)

Minimum should be minimum of the entire data

Example: forest cover

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SLSI at Agro-climatic Level in IndiaZon

e

No.Agro-Climatic Region

Forest

Cover

(%)

Net

Sown

Area (%)

Land

Productivity

(Rs/ha)

Area Under

Cereals (%)

People Above

the Poverty

Line (%)

Female

Literacy

(%)

I Western Himalayas 45.30 18.20 3516 91.75 79.60 23.10

II Eastern Himalayas 42.80 18.70 3411 91.37 69.90 27.20

III Lower Gangetic Plain 11.00 63.80 4743 83.07 61.00 31.80

IV Middle Gangetic Plain 8.70 62.80 3043 74.02 51.00 12.20

V Upper Gangetic Plain 4.50 70.10 5125 77.36 58.60 15.10

VI Trans-Gangetic Plain 3.20 80.90 4672 71.74 82.20 32.10

VII Eastern Plateau & Hill 35.20 35.90 2528 83.51 50.20 15.60

VIII Plateau & Hill 14,20 45.00 2089 65.61 54.50 14.20

IX Western Plateau & Hill 11.80 59.70 2202 61.40 58.70 27.40

X Southern Plateau & Hill 17.10 48.40 3388 61.57 61.80 32.60

XI East Coast Plain & Hill 18.70 43.30 5480 74.21 61.90 30.30

XII West Coast Plain & Ghat 29.00 37.20 5453 80.39 75.60 56.20

XIII Gujarat Plain & Hill 10.90 51.40 3013 45.93 72.10 32.70

XIV Western Dry 1.20 47.70 659 65.68 67.20 9.60

XV Island 88.10 4.20 5892 35.80 71.80 39.10

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Zon

e

No.

Agro-Climatic Region Ecological Indices Economic Indices Equity Indices

Forest

Cover

Net Sown

Area

Land

Productivity

Cereal Area Poverty

Variable

Female

Literacy

I Western Himalayas 0.67 0.18 0.55 1.00 0.92 0.29

II Eastern Himalayas 0.64 0.19 0.53 0.99 0.62 0.38

III Lower Gangetic Plain 0.52 0.78 0.78 0.84 0.34 0.48

IV Middle Gangetic Plain 0.40 0.76 0.46 0.68 0.02 0.06

V Upper Gangetic Plain 0.18 0.86 0.85 0.74 0.26 0.12

VI Trans-Gangetic Plain 0.11 1.00 0.77 0.64 1.00 0.48

VII Eastern Plateau & Hill 1.00 0.41 0.36 0.85 0.00 0.13

VIII Plateau & Hill 0.40 0.53 0.27 0.53 0.13 0.10

IX Western Plateau & Hill 0.33 0.72 0.29 0.46 0.27 0.38

X Southern Plateau & Hill 0.50 0.58 0.52 0.46 0.36 0.49

XI East Coast Plain & Hill 0.55 0.51 0.92 0.69 0.37 0.44

XII West Coast Plain & Ghat 0.87 0.43 0.92 0.80 0.79 1.00

XIII Gujarat Plain & Hill 0.30 0.62 0.45 0.18 0.68 0.50

XIV Western Dry 0.00 0.57 0.00 0.53 0.53 0.00

XV Island 1.00 0.00 1.00 0.00 0.67 0.63

Indices of the Variables at Agro-climatic Regions of India

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Ranking the Agro-climatic Regions by SLSI

Zone

No.Agro-Climatic Region

Ecological

Security

Economic

Efficiency

Social

Equity

Sustainable

Livelihood

Security

Index Ranks Index Ranks Index Ranks Index Ranks

I Western Himalayas 0.428 13 0.773 5 0.604 4 0.602 4

II Eastern Himalayas 0.413 14 0.760 6 0.497 6 0.556 6

III Lower Gangetic Plain 0.649 2 0.813 2 0.407 8 0.623 3

IV Middle Gangetic Plain 0.581 4 0.569 9 0.040 15 0.397 13

V Upper Gangetic Plain 0.517 9 0.798 4 0.190 12 0.502 8

VI Trans-Gangetic Plain 0.553 5 0.705 7 0.741 2 0.666 2

VII Eastern Plateau & Hill 0.707 1 0.605 8 0.064 14 0.459 10

VIII Plateau & Hill 0.468 11 0.403 12 0.117 13 0.329 14

IX Western Plateau & Hill 0.527 8 0.376 13 0.324 10 0.409 12

X Southern Plateau & Hill 0.536 6 0.491 11 0.428 7 0.485 9

XI East Coast Plain & Hill 0.527 7 0.804 3 0.405 9 0.579 5

XII West Coast Plain & Ghat 0.648 3 0.857 1 0.897 1 0.801 1

XIII Gujarat Plain & Hill 0.459 12 0.315 14 0.590 5 0.455 11

XIV Western Dry Region 0.284 15 0.267 15 0.266 11 0.272 15

XV Islands 0.500 10 0.500 10 0.654 3 0.551 7

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Dealing with the Values of Opposite Quality

Reversing the variable

Or

Using different Formula

For example

If SLSI = (X-Min)/(Max-Min)

Then for opposite variables

SLSI = (Max-X)/(Max-Min)

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SLSI at District Level in Gujarat

Based on ecological as well as socio-economic status, and

the availability of district-wise data, we have selected the

following indicators for the construction of SLSI:

Ecological security indicators: forest cover, water quality

unaffected habitations (i.e. habitations that are not affected by

pollutants such as fluorides, nitrates, and brackishness), and

groundwater recharge potential;

Economic efficiency indicators: total food grain yield, milk

yield, and net sown area;

Social equity indicators: percentage of population above

poverty line, female literacy, maternal survival rate, per capita

food grain production, and per capita milk production.

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Data Used for the Calculation of SLSI in Gujarat

Ecological Security

Indicators

Economic Efficiency

Indicators

Social Security Indicators

District

Forest

cover

(%)

Water

quality

unaffecte

d

habitation

s (%)

Recharge

potential

(%)

Total food

grain

yield

(kg/ha)

Milk yield

(kg/day)

Net

sown

area

(%)

APL

population

(%)

Female

literacy

rate

Maternal

survival

rate

Food grain

production

per capita of

rural

population

(kg/yr)

Milk

production

per capita of

rural

population

(kg/yr)

Ahmedabad 2 64 94 1,769 2.3 62.6 99 42 919 370 216

Amreli 3.2 67 150 1,665 2.8 73.3 93 42 941 105 202

Anand 1.9 68 184 1,911 2.8 60.7 94 40 801 266 235

Banaskantha 8.7 62 86 1,093 3.1 68 95 33 914 170 269

Bharuch 5.3 76 179 852 2.5 50.1 92 42 803 101 121

Bhavnagar 2.9 68 159 1,665 2.6 55.8 97 40 926 83 194

Dahod 16 76 165 950 1.3 18.9 79 40 802 197 127

Dangs 80.4 100 493 1,341 0.4 15.9 88 34 905 303 18

Gandhinagar 6.8 51 55 2,190 2.9 73.7 94 41 908 181 240

Jamnagar 2.6 62 173 1,480 2.7 42.7 94 41 925 102 207

Junagadh 19.4 57 142 2,939 2.8 59.7 96 41 954 228 193

Kaira 2.6 79 112 1,961 2.4 71.1 95 40 835 320 160

Kutch 5 60 152 717 2.3 9.9 95 38 933 124 306

Mahesana 2.8 52 67 1,592 4.1 79.3 98 41 915 126 434

Narmada 39 91 318 1,072 1.7 40.3 86 38 898 115 97

Navsari 14.2 96 215 2,002 3.3 66.9 94 44 947 130 151

Panchmahals 12.9 57 171 860 1.9 52.3 87 36 999 125 149

Patan 3 38 75 989 3.4 66.6 96 37 884 117 341

Porbandar 4.9 21 118 1,916 3.4 50.2 97 42 897 148 373

Rajkot 1.3 27 143 1,991 3 66.4 97 43 955 119 228

Sabarkantha 10.8 67 121 1,256 2.8 59.7 89 38 964 165 308

Surat 17.7 90 276 1,499 3 55.4 95 40 992 126 186

Surendranagar 1.6 52 157 1,322 2.5 65.7 95 38 950 137 194

Vadodara 8.1 73 148 1,075 2.1 67.5 95 41 866 130 146

Valsad 32.9 98 233 1,530 2.7 53.1 79 41 999 106 106

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Generalization of the SLSI Methodology

Households in a village

Villages in a taluka or district

Districts in a state

States in a country

Agro-climatic region in a planning context

Project units in a project

Resource/ecosystem level for intergenerational analysis

Countries at global level

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SLSI at Household Level in a Village

Ecological dimension may be fixed if ecological

endowment of the village under evaluation forms the

common basis for the livelihoods of all households

Economic Dimension Social Dimension

Income status,

Asset ownership status,

Food and nutritional status

etc.

Educational status,

Health status,

Access to common property

etc.

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Candidate Variables for Representing the Three

components of the SLSI at the Global Level

Environnent

Dimension

Economic

Dimension

Social/ Human

Dimension

Net Deforestation

(Deforestation minus

Reforestation)

Per Capita GDP Per Capita Calorie

Available as a

Percentage of Need

Favorable water budget of

usable water

Energy Requirements

Per Unit of Output

Female Literacy

Per Capita Co2

Industrial Emission

Yield Per Hectare

of food crops

Crop Land Per Capita

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Problems in the Construction of SLSI

While the SLSI methodology is simple and conceptually

sound, it faces the same problems often encountered in the

construction of any composite index

The choice of the component variables

Identification of appropriate weights for its different components

Within the data constraints, the variable choice becomes more of

an art than a science

Naturally, the SLSI constructed by two individuals with

differential preferences will not be the same