Livelihoods and FEWSNET

Market and trade information, crop assessments and satellite data provide important information on potential hazards. When filtered through the livelihoods lens it tells us how these hazards will impact households.

How is livelihood analysis useful to Early Warning Systems?

The main advantage of a livelihoods-based early-warning system is that it provides a contextualized perspective of food and livelihood security within a region or country. Having a nuanced understanding of the context, or how households operate normally, analysts can better gauge the impact a shock will have on household food and income access. FEWS NET?s livelihoods framework is essential for answering key food security questions such as, ?How, and to what extent, have households' normal patterns of food and income access been impacted by an event?? and ?Are households likely to face food or livelihood deficits as a result??

How are Livelihoods data used?

Below is a simplified example:

Drought (HAZARD) reduces crop production by 40% and agricultural labor opportunities ? on which poor households depend for 10% of their food as payment in kind (VULNERABILITY) ? are lost.

This graphic shows that, due to the drought, poor households face a food deficit of 15%, causing RISK of food insecurity. Households may sell livestock in order to purchase 5% more food (COPING CAPACITY). Even still, poor households experiences and 10% food deficit (FOOD SECURITY OUTCOME). This is the amount that could be filled by relief.