Sustainable Livelihoods

The elegance of locally-based micro enterprises is that they're usually activities that people are either already doing (and therefore do well) or they can be taught relatively easily. 

The idea of a relatively easy path to mastery and usefulness is key since the daily survival mode of poverty demands an income asap, please. There's no time for years of training to learn something that will eventually result in being able to earn a living. 

The encouraging news is that when the first generation of locally sustained livelihoods is successful, the children tend to stay in school longer than their parents did. That's the first step toward breaking generational cycles of poverty.

Breaking generational cycles of poverty nibbles at the edges of regional poverty.

The general rule of being a relatively easy path to mastery and usefulness is the reason why so many micro enterprises are centered on artisan work.

It's also the reason why a store like 10,000 Villages and indigenous museums overflow with finely-crafted artisan products.

The sale of artisan products mostly depends on outside buyers and points of sale. For many projects, marketing and distribution are specialized skills that must be learned.    

Another area where there are lots of options for a relatively easy path to mastery and usefulness is everything (and almost anything) related to food production.

From seeds-in-the-ground to dried, fried, dipped, and baked, food is a a fundamental need for all humans.

That makes all small-scale agricultural and food production especially promising for sustainable livelihood investments. This is closely aligned with Food Sovereignty.