The role of livelihoods in agrifood sustainability transitions

Transitions to more sustainable agrifood systems are necessary to combat climate change and minimize environmental degradation. Such sustainability transitions have substantial implications for livelihoods, many of which will have to change to accommodate more sustainable practices. Livelihoods comprise the capabilities, assets, and activities individuals and households draw on for their means of living. However, transitions literature does not typically include analysis of how livelihoods are affected by, and affect, sustainability transition pathways. This limits understanding of factors that enable sustainability transitions in agrifood systems, particularly in the Global South. To address this gap, this article combines the Sustainable Livelihoods Framework (SLF) and the Multi-Level Perspective (MLP) into an integrated analytical framework, and applies it to the case study of rainwater harvesting for irrigation in Kenya. Results show that prevalent livelihood opportunities, assets, and strategies shape transition pathways by influencing levels of innovation adoption and scaling. First, agrifood sustainability transitions are more likely to take place if the innovation maximizes access to natural capital and creates new opportunities for households engaged in farm-based livelihoods. Second, such transitions can be accelerated when the adoption of a single innovation increases household access to multiple types of capital (social, physical, financial, human) at the regime-level. Third, the likelihood of such transitions taking place is affected by social and cultural institutions that influence household decision-making around the incorporation of innovations into livelihood strategies. These findings demonstrate that the inclusion of the sustainable livelihoods approach can improve understanding of the dynamics of agrifood sustainability transitions, and inform policies, programs or interventions aimed at guiding transition pathways.