discussion paper

Geographic space, assets, livelihoods and well-being in rural Central America

empirical evidence from Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua
by Jeffrey Alwang,
Hans G. P. Jansen,
Paul B. Siegel and
Francisco Pichon
Open Access

This paper uses an asset-base framework to analyze the determinants of rural growth and sustainable poverty reduction for the three poorest countries in Central America: Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua...Using a combination of GIS mapping techniques, quantitative household analysis, and qualitative analyses of assets and livelihoods, the authors generate a description of rural territories that recognizes the differential effects of policies and asset bundles across space and households. They identify the combinations of human, natural and physical, social and location-specific assets that matter most to raise household well-being and take advantage of prospects for poverty-reducing growth. -- from Authors' Abstract