The livelihood of urban poor households: A sustainable livelihood approach in urbanizing Ethiopia. The case of Gondar City, Amhara National State

Studies show that many poverty and food security-related research studies in Ethiopia have overlooked urban settings. While urban poverty may be more difficult to curb than rural poverty, more attention needs to be focused on understanding urban livelihood. This study examines the livelihoods of the urban poor through the lens of a sustainable livelihood approach. Specifically, it examines the livelihood assets, vulnerability context, and various factors that mediate asset and vulnerability of the urban poor. Quantitative and qualitative research design was employed to obtain and analyze data. The study revealed that the urban poor have very limited access to livelihood assets and are vulnerable to different shocks that create a situation of livelihood insecurity. There is a gap between government policies and their implementation. For instance, NGO policies did not consider the situation and realities of urban poor. Also, capacity constraints of the local government and NGOs led to perpetual livelihood vulnerability. Findings of this study suggest the need to start an urban productive safety net program that targets urban areas to provide long-term empowerment of poor households; introduce school feeding programs; create collaboration between government sectors, NGOs, community-based and civil society associations; and revisit and improve supportive and regulatory policy frameworks for the poor to build sustainable livelihoods. This study confirms the usefulness of a sustainable livelihood framework to understand and explain various dimensions of poverty, policies, institutions, and processes, and how all these affect the livelihoods of the poor. Insights from this analysis can contribute to the improvement of policy and to reflections on the interventions needed to positively influence the livelihoods of the poor.