Drawing on research carried out by the Sustainable Livelihoods in Southern Africa (SLSA) programme, this article gives a brief overview of some of the diverse ways people make a living in harsh physical and economic environments in Zambézia province, Mozambique, Chiredzi district Zimbabwe, and South Africa's Wild Coast. It describes the contexts of increasing vulnerability, including the impact of economic reform programmes, the spread of HIV/AIDS and the incidence of extreme climatic events. It explores the livelihood strategies of rural people and the emergence of new institutional and governance arrangements that facilitate or constrain these strategies. It demonstrates that gaining access to natural resources continues to play, alongside a portfolio of other activities, a crucial part in rural people's livelihood strategies.