Rural Livelihoods

About The Programme

Our goal is to support rural communities with the development of sustainable natural resource-based livelihoods through building capacity, catalysing partnerships and influencing policy to create an enabling institutional environment.
Our main areas of work are:
  • Research on how to improve management of forest, coastal and marine ecosystems to enhance the provision of good and services for sustainable and resilient livelihoods
  • Capacity building of rural communities and resource users to effectively develop sustainable natural resource-based enterprises and livelihoods
  • Development and testing of innovative tools to support natural resource-based enterprises and livelihood development
  • Strengthening and ‘climate proofing’ natural resource-based enterprises for livelihood resilience
  • Advocacy and strategic partnership building with support agencies at sectoral, national and regional levels to build an enabling institutional environment for sustainable rural livelihoods

Current Projects

Experience Nariva- Creating a community-driven, sustainable cluster and brand to transform ecotourism in Nariva Swamp, Trinidad and Tobago (2021-2024)

Participatory budgeting and financial management for the forest sector in Jamaica

Strengthening financing for Caribbean Local Green-Blue Enterprises

 

Recent (news, blogs, publications)

Enhancing financing for Local Green-blue Enterprises in Trinidad and Tobago: Challenges and opportunities – CANARI Technical Report 405

All is not green: climate change adaptation and small business resilience in low and middle-income countries – Global Commission on Adaptation background paper

Local community enterprises are a pathway to a blue economy – Press release

‘Climate proofing’ local green enterprises – CANARI Guidelines Series No. 10

Building resilience and adding value to local green enterprises: Developing a ‘climate proofing’ methodology – CANARI Technical Report No. 403

Facilitating community enterprise development: A guide for support agencies – CANARI Guidelines Series No. 8

Empowering rural women entrepreneurs in Trinidad and Tobago – CANARI Policy Brief No. 21

 

Past Projects

Powering Innovations in Civil Society and Enterprises for Sustainability in the Caribbean (PISCES) (2017-2020)

Engaging Civil Society in the Caribbean Large Marine Ecosystem Civil Society Action Programme (CLME+ CSAP) (2017-2019)

Building Climate-Resilient Rural Enterprises in Trinidad and Tobago (2016-2017)

Research on social protection to foster sustainable management of natural resources and reduce poverty in fisheries and forestry dependent communities in two Caribbean countries (2015)

Support to improve the effectiveness and sustainability of forest -based community business in St. Vincent and the Grenadines (2014 – 2015)

Action and learning about Small and Micro Enterprises as a pathway to a green economy in the Caribbean (2014)

Making it happen: Developing sustainable businesses in rural communities in Trinidad and Tobago and improving livelihoods through enterprise development (Phase III) 2013-2014)

Empowering rural women through improving livelihoods (2012-2014)

Making it happen: Developing sustainable small businesses in rural communities in Trinidad and Tobago (Phase II) (2011-2012)

Improving livelihoods in rural communities in Trinidad and Tobago by developing small business ideas based on the sustainable use of natural resources (Phase I)

Community-based tourism workshop

Pro-poor policies and institutional arrangements for coastal management in the Caribbean

Who pays for water? Preparing for the use of market-based mechanisms to improve the contribution of watershed services to livelihoods in the Caribbean (2004-2006)

Contact

[email protected]