The sustainable rural livelihoods approach: A critical review

This paper presents a critical, academic review of the Sustainable Rural Livelihoods (SRL) approach to development, beginning with a presentation of the central SRL tenets and their origins, and proceeding to a discussion of the strengths and weaknesses of the academic literature, particularly in relation to theoretical consistency. The author argues for the importance of academic engagement with the SRL construct and identifies specific opportunities for integration with social theory, using as an example Norman Long's actor-oriented approach to development research.