Abstract
Considerable attention has been directed recently towards the role of culture in sustainable community development. Individuals and communities have their own values, meanings, customs and knowledge systems that affirm identity and diversity and play a key role in sustaining livelihoods. However, such features have been frequently ignored in development planning. This paper explores the importance of cultural values in attaining rural livelihood sustainability and draws upon field-based research in two villages close to the city of Kandy in central Sri Lanka. The research demonstrates that the sustainable livelihoods approach, whilst useful, does not adequately address traditional cultural values, and frequently perceives culture as a constraint in understanding livelihood opportunities and planning future development trajectories. The research demonstrates the significance of understanding the interface between culture, livelihood sustainability and community development.