Landmines and Livelihoods in Afghanistan: Evaluating the Benefits of Mine Action
Publisher: Journal of Peacebuilding & Development
Author(s): Ted Paterson, Barry Pound, and Abdul Q. Ziaee
Date: 2013
Topics: Conflict Prevention, Extractive Resources, Livelihoods, Monitoring and Evaluation, Peace and Security Operations, Programming
Countries: Afghanistan
Mine action started in Afghanistan and, globally, has grown into a billion-dollar endeavour. On most measures, Afghanistan remains the world’s largest mine action programme, which has performed admirably in terms of delivering outputs such as square metres cleared and devices destroyed. But less is known about when and how mine action enhances the well-being of people in mine-affected communities. This article outlines how the Sustainable Livelihoods approach has been used to provide a better understanding of the benefits of mine action, and how capacities have been developed to conduct future evaluations without dependence on international specialists, reducing both costs and risks.