Urban People Livelihood Diversification: Strategy and Sustainability

It is not only people in rural areas who have diversified their livelihoods, but also people in marginal urban areas. However, research on the diversification of livelihoods by the urban poor was not widely available. Therefore, to fill this gap, the study aimed to examine the poor in urban areas in carrying out strategies and sustainability of livelihood diversification. The method used in this study was a descriptive method with a survey approach. The samples were collected with simple random sampling. The processing of data was carried out by tabulation. The results showed that a number of the urban people work in the non-farm sector like laborer rent. There were two strategies of livelihood diversification. The first one was the use of assets such as selling long-term crops and renting two-wheeled vehicles. The second one was through friendship to get several jobs. The determinants of livelihood diversification were assets and opportunities. The motivation of urban communities to diversify their livelihoods was to reduce risk and increase additional income. The analysis concluded that sustainable livelihoods in the off-farm sector were selling activities and the non-farm sector as construction workers or port workers. Knowing the diversification of the livelihoods of urban communities could be a consideration for the government to empower the right livelihoods to overcome urban poverty.