Livelihoods represent the comprehensive means by which people secure their living, encompassing both formal and informal economic activities, especially relevant in the South Asian context.

A holistic framework developed in the 1990s that moves beyond income-focused assessments to address poverty through balanced economic, environmental, and social strategies.

The Sustainable Livelihoods Approach has evolved to incorporate rights, representation, and empowerment alongside material assets, particularly important for marginalized groups in South Asia.

Alternative frameworks to SLA include India's institution-focused NRLM, Moser's asset vulnerability approach, and Sen's capability perspective—each offering unique emphases for different contexts.

South Asian livelihoods exist along a fluid rural-urban spectrum rather than as distinct categories, with families often maintaining connections across multiple locations and engaging in circular migration patterns.

South Asia features the world's largest informal workforce, strong social hierarchies, agricultural dependency, and intense competition for resources amid high population density.

India's workforce of over 500 million is predominantly informal (90%), with agriculture being the largest sector (42%). Most households pursue multiple livelihood activities simultaneously as a risk management strategy.

Informal work dominates South Asia's employment landscape, characterized by lack of contracts and benefits while spanning sectors from agriculture to waste collection, offering accessibility but creating vulnerability.

Informal work dominates South Asian economies, with over 90% of workers in agriculture, construction, domestic work, and retail operating without formal arrangements. These sectors provide essential livelihoods but offer minimal legal protection and security.

Women in South Asia face systematic disadvantages in informal work, including unpaid care burdens, concentration in vulnerable sectors, mobility constraints, and wage discrimination, all perpetuating economic inequality.

Despite legal protections, caste continues to determine occupational roles in South Asia, with marginalized communities concentrated in demanding, stigmatized, and precarious forms of work.

Multiple dimensions of identity—including religion, region, language, and geography—create complex patterns of economic inclusion and exclusion across South Asia, often intersecting with caste and gender.

Migration serves as a vital income strategy in South Asia, typically following circular patterns between rural and urban areas while balancing economic opportunities with social security needs.

Educational disparities in South Asia disproportionately affect marginalized groups, with significantly higher dropout rates among Dalits, Adivasis, and girls. These gaps perpetuate limited livelihood options and reinforce intergenerational poverty.

Marginalized communities in South Asia face systemic barriers to accessing land, credit, and assets, which restricts their livelihood options and reinforces existing social inequalities based on caste, gender, and religion.

South Asian legal frameworks often exclude informal workers from protections, while implementation challenges and limited access to justice create systemic barriers to dignified work.

Environmental challenges in South Asia disproportionately impact informal workers dependent on natural resources, exacerbating social vulnerabilities and forcing migration as traditional livelihoods become unsustainable.

COVID-19 severely impacted South Asia's informal workforce, causing massive income losses, unprecedented urban-to-rural migration, and disproportionate effects on vulnerable groups, with long-lasting consequences for livelihood security.

Social protection encompasses multiple layers of support—from immediate relief to addressing root causes of vulnerability—helping vulnerable populations manage risks and reduce impacts of economic shocks.

The National Rural Livelihoods Mission has achieved significant scale with 86+ million women in SHGs, improving financial behaviors and social capital, but faces challenges in addressing structural inequality, uneven implementation, and sustainable impact across regions.

South Asian governments operate multiple livelihood security programs beyond NRLM, including India's MGNREGS which guarantees rural employment, and various schemes supporting microenterprises, urban poor, and street vendors. Implementation quality largely determines effectiveness.

Civil society organizations and social enterprises fill critical gaps in South Asian livelihood development through producer collectives, microfinance, and mission-driven businesses that serve marginalized communities.

South Asia is investing in entrepreneurship ecosystems and skills training to address youth unemployment, though these approaches face challenges in reaching marginalized populations and addressing structural inequalities.

South Asian youth face significant challenges with 30% neither in education nor employment, while those educated often experience a mismatch between their aspirations and available opportunities.

Technology is reshaping South Asian livelihoods with new digital opportunities, while simultaneously presenting challenges related to inequality, worker protections, and digital divides.

Urban South Asia thrives on informal economic systems that employ over half the workforce, provide essential services, and create vibrant spaces despite minimal institutional recognition and frequent challenges from authorities.

Women in South Asian urban labor markets face gender segregation, working primarily in domestic-adjacent roles with limited rights, recognition, and safety.

Multiple social identities combine to create unique patterns of privilege or marginalization in access to livelihoods, with those facing multiple disadvantages experiencing the greatest barriers.

Migrant workers across South Asia face systematic exclusion through documentation barriers, housing insecurity, family separation, and wage exploitation, yet remain economically essential and policy-invisible.

Domestic work in South Asia employs millions of women who face exploitation, including long hours, isolation, and abuse, while being excluded from labor protections. Despite organizing challenges, advocacy groups have achieved some policy improvements.

South Asia's rich handicraft traditions provide livelihoods for millions while facing modern economic challenges and generational decline, threatening the preservation of cultural heritage and traditional skills.

South Asia is implementing transformative approaches to overcome structural inequality through women's collectives, political reservation systems, and inclusive value chains. These innovations address both economic opportunities and power imbalances to create more equitable societies.

Digital technologies are transforming livelihoods in South Asia by improving market access, expanding financial services, and providing critical information, though digital divides remain a challenge for inclusive implementation.

Microfinance has expanded financial access to millions of unbanked people in South Asia, particularly women, though its poverty reduction impact remains modest with challenges like high interest rates.

Structural barriers limit entrepreneurial success in South Asia, with marginalized communities and women facing compounded challenges in accessing capital, education, networks, and overcoming discriminatory norms.

Affirmative action policies in South Asia establish quotas in education and government employment to increase representation of marginalized groups, creating pathways to opportunity despite implementation challenges and ongoing debates.

Urban areas offer economic opportunities but present significant challenges for low-income workers, especially in informal sectors. Inadequate housing, services, transportation, and childcare disproportionately impact women and reduce productivity.

Millions of marginalized waste-pickers form the backbone of urban recycling in India, creating environmental and economic value despite hazardous conditions and minimal compensation. Some have successfully organized to gain recognition and improve their working conditions.

Policy approaches that recognize informal work need to focus on legal recognition, expanding social protection, and ensuring workers have representative voice in decision-making processes.

Worker organizing has evolved from traditional unions to diverse models that specifically address informal workers' needs, with women's leadership driving innovative approaches that combine services with advocacy across local and international networks.

A state-sponsored poverty eradication and women's empowerment initiative reaching 4.5 million women through neighborhood groups, combining economic activities with social development and political engagement.

SEWA empowers nearly 2 million informal women workers across India through a unique combination of union advocacy and development services, creating member-owned institutions that address economic, social, and political needs.

Bangladesh has developed two globally influential models for poverty alleviation: Grameen Bank's pioneering microcredit system and BRAC's comprehensive "graduation approach." Both organizations have created sustainable systems that combine financial services with social enterprises to lift people out of extreme poverty.

Cross-border dynamics in South Asia create complex patterns of labor migration, human trafficking, and climate-induced displacement, requiring regional cooperation despite political challenges.

Climate change threatens South Asian livelihoods in agriculture and natural resource sectors. Adaptation strategies include climate-smart agriculture, renewable energy, financial protection mechanisms, and ecosystem management approaches.

Social norms significantly limit economic opportunities for marginalized groups. Interventions engaging men, addressing discrimination, and using cultural approaches can help transform these restrictive norms.

Community participation transforms livelihood programs through meaningful co-creation, local knowledge integration, and shared ownership, resulting in more sustainable and contextually appropriate interventions.

Livelihood security requires multidimensional measurement beyond income alone, incorporating economic stability, assets, basic needs access, and social factors to create comprehensive assessment frameworks.

Standard measurement systems fail to capture significant economic contributions, particularly from women and informal sectors, leading to policy blindspots and resource misallocation.

Policy recommendations focus on creating inclusive frameworks that recognize diverse work arrangements through universal social protection, expanded labor laws, supportive public infrastructure, and enforcing anti-discrimination measures.

Practice recommendations focus on strengthening worker collectives, developing care infrastructure, and ensuring digital inclusion, with emphasis on gender-responsive design and addressing structural inequalities.

Research and advocacy strategies that center worker experiences, address data gaps, document effective approaches, and challenge social norms to create supportive environments for livelihood security.

South Asian countries can strengthen livelihood security through policy harmonization, cross-border knowledge sharing, and coordinated migrant worker protections, leveraging their shared cultural contexts despite political challenges.