In an effort to provide useful livelihoods information with limited resources FEWS NET developed a three stage approach based on the Household Economy Approach. The first two stages, Livelihood Zone Maps and Livelihood Zone Profiles, aim to provide the minimum amount of livelihoods information in the immediate term while building the necessary foundation for future Livelihood Baseline development. 

A Livelihood Baseline is a more detailed, quantified breakdown of household livelihood options (food, income, and expenditure patterns) for different wealth groups in the livelihood zone, highlighting market links and constraints on and opportunities for economic growth. It is linked to analytical spreadsheets that are used to assess whether or not people will be able to meet basic survival requirements and/or protect their livelihoods in the short-, medium- and long-term, given a hazard event.

What does it help you do?

• Understand how people in an area will be affected by different hazards (drought, market failure, floods, etc.)
• Understand the differences between different household types (poor, middle, rich) in terms of their coping ability and risk of food insecurity
• Predict whether people will be able to meet their basic survival requirements and/or protect their livelihoods in the short, medium and longer term
• Identify geographically relevant monitoring indicators and design monitoring systems
• Help interpret trends in monitoring information by season and household type
• Target assistance geographically
• Provide essential information for guiding policy and program decisions in areas such as emergency relief, social protection, agricultural policy, service/needs provision, and market development.

Examples

	Food access is expressed as a percentage of minimum food requirements, taken as an average food energy intake of 2100 kilocalories per person per day.
	Annual Income (ETB) 500-750 800-1000 1000-1600 2200-3200 Cash income is broken down by income source, such as crop sales, labor, livestock sales, petty trade, etc.
	Cash expenditures are broken down according to category of expenditure, such as inputs, water, staple foods, education, health, clothing, etc.