ABSTRACT
Community development would appear to offer an obvious methodology for sustainable livelihood practice. However, the relationship between sustainable livelihoods and community development is complex and sometimes tenuous. This chapter begins by locating the idea of sustainable livelihoods in the broader discourse of sustainable development, which has become a central concern in the aid and development industry over the past few decades. This discourse has begun to emphasise the importance of “putting people first”, promising a key role for community development practice. Yet notwithstanding the rhetoric of empowering local communities to take control of their own ways of ensuring sustainability, it would seem that the field of aid and development for sustainability has continued to be dominated by “experts” who control the framework, criteria and mechanisms of sustainability, leaving little room for community development. This chapter investigates some of the ways in which sustainability has been conceptualized and practiced in Indonesia. It identifies several approaches that can be understood as community development for sustainable livelihoods in Sumatra, exploring .practices, principles and challenges.
