Developing Sustainable Livelihoods Based on case study entitled : “Community and Biodiversity : Developing and Marketing an Intercropping System of Banana and Torch Ginger for Sustainable Income Generation at Balik Pulau, Penang” Authored by : Dr. Salfarina Binti Abdul Gapor, Dr. Asyirah Abdul Rahim and Muhamad @ Abd Malik bin Daud @ Adb Aziz, all from RCE Penang-Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), Penang, Malaysia Presented by : Dr. Salfarina Binti Abdul Gapor, at Asia Regional Forum on Biodiversity, Cha-am, Thailand, November 2011 The Sustainable Livelihood Approach (SLA) was introduced in Malaysia in the early 1990s by Chambers and Conway as a livelihood concept that comprises people, their capabilities and their means of living, including food, income and assets. Tangible assets are resources and stores, and intangible assets are claims and access. A type of livelihood is environmentally sustainable when it maintains or enhances the local and global assets in which livelihoods depend, and has net beneficial effects on other livelihoods. It is socially sustainable when it can cope with and recover from stress and shocks, and provide for future generations. Malaysia is still struggling to reduce economic disparities between those in the rural and urban areas. The district of Barat Daya in the southwest area of Penang is predominantly inhabited by the Malays, whose employment is still dependent on natural resources. Much of the younger generations have become factory workers and operators in the Free Trade Zone of Bayan Lepas, but many, especially among pensioners, retain employment as farmers and fishermen. Although incidence of poverty in Penang is also one of the lowest in the country, at 0.04 per cent in 2004, there is a significantly large “easy poor” group, especially in Balik Pulau. “Easy poor” households are those whose incomes are just above the poverty line, with low safety net, and can become poor when breadwinners are faced with an accident, death or retrenchment. The causes of poverty in Malaysia differ from other countries because poverty is not commonly associated with lack of subsidies or capital aid from the government. Poverty is partly attributed 128 THE ASIA REGIONAL FORUM ON BIODIVERSITY to attitudinal problems, mainly described by the local policy makers and implementers as “fatalistic attitudes” and deep demoralization. Poverty may also be caused by political intervention that may deny rights to forms of governmental aid. Hence, this project not only aims to encourage economic activities but also instill hope and motivation to work and succeed among the farmers cluster groups in Balik Pulau. Balik Pulau is a town in Penang, Malaysia, which literally means “back of the island”. The town has around 50,000 residents, many of whom commute daily to towns like Ayer Itam, Georgetown and Bayan Lepas to work. Modern Balik Pulau is a self-sufficient township, serving the greater Southwest District (Daerah Barat Daya), one of the five districts in the state of Penang with basic municipal facilities including a hospital, police headquarters, fire station, post office, TNB power station, TM telecommunications station, PBA water authority office, provincial court, Islamic Syariah court, government-owned Bank Simpanan Nasional, a bus station and a new big wet market complex and food court that opened in December 2007. These are all within a five-minute driving distance from its three-junction town centre, a subtown area called “Kongsi”. Terrace housing is available at Taman Pondok Upeh, which is located near Maktab Rendah Sains MARA Balik Pulau (MRSM BP). Balik Pulau is home to several schools and higher learning institutions. A new international secondary school, the Prince of Wales Island International School, opened in September 2011. Higher learning institutions include Kolej Kemahiran Tinggi MARA (KKTM) and Kolej
In Celebration of His Majesty the King of Thailand’s 84th Birthday Anniversary
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