Durable Assets (58)

Development that helps to increase Durable Assets people have such as land, machinery, or livestock can empower peoples to be selfsufficient even in times of hardship. Durable Assets can be summarized within four categories: natural capital (natural resource assets), reproducible capital (durable structures or equipment produced by human beings), human capital (the productive potential of human beings), and social capital (norms and institutions that influence the interactions among humans). Development practitioners, community members, and individuals can consciously pursue the acquisition and sustainability of durable assets to promote income generation activities and support a greater level of economic security to the most vulnerable populations. Ultimately as a policy, officials in government could, through pressure from social change advocates, develop initiatives to enable individuals and communities to acquire durable goods and to assist in protecting those assets that they do possess, such as land from external threats. Text & Image: Justin Smith