The effect of rural to semi-urban transformation on livelihoods using a livelihoods index

In the past 50 years, excluding populated cities, the majority of areas in Lebanon have shifted from rural to semi-urban. The main drivers of this transition are increased access to education and technology, coupled with the development of the private sect or, as well as internal and external factors like the civil war and the Syrian crisis. To determine the consequences of this transition on people's lives, a livelihoods index study will take place in one particular area of Lebanon; Kobayat Akkar, one of the largest villages in Lebanon. The stakeholders taking part in this study are people who have experienced both the rural and the semi-urban periods, e.g. farmers, business owners, head of municipalities, etc. The study will include quantitative and qualitative data collected in the field using one questionnaire to draw a comparative analysis of before and after assessments. For the qualitative data collection, a Likert scale will be used to translate the qualitative answers into numerical figures. The findings of the study will shed the light on the difference between the indexes of this same area, Kobayat, both as a rural and as a semi-urban agglomeration. The study will also provide details about how each kind of capital (natural resources, economic, social, human and physical) has been negatively or positively affected as a consequence of this transition.