There are many kinds of stakeholders involved in sustainable livelihoods approaches. Sustainable livelihoods approaches are fundamentally based on empowerment. For these approaches to work, power relations must be understood and addressed. In any community, access to resources and authority is not always equitable, but, rather, is determined by power relations.
Agencies involved in sustainable livelihoods creation also have different levels of power.
Usually, for example, NGOs, government organizations, and funding agencies have more power over the process than local communities. Differences in power among stakeholders shape their opportunities to participate in the decisions that affect them. For livelihood strategies to be effective they must take local power structures into account. All local actors must be engaged in a sustainable livelihoods approach. Widespread involvement can reduce opposition from groups who feel threatened by challenges to existing social structures.