Livestock Emergency Guidelines and Standards 2nd Edition

LEGS

• Publisher: Practical Action Publishing
• Year: 2014
• eBook ISBN: 9781780448619
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Social Sciences
• Subtopic: Global Development Studies
• Index: Social Sciences

The LEGS process grew out of the recognition that livestock are a crucial liveli¬hood asset for people throughout the world – many of whom are poor and vulnerable to both natural and human-induced disasters – and that livestock support is an important component of emergency aid programmes.The publication of the first edition of LEGS in 2009 responded to the need to help donors, programme managers, technical experts, and others to design and implement livestock interventions in emergencies. At the same time, LEGS recognized the need to plan for climatic trends affecting communities that rely heavily on livestock. The first edition drew on multi-agency contributions, on wide-ranging reviews, and on collations of practitioner experiences of using evidence-based good practice. This second edition builds on the first edition by incorporating new experiences and evidence obtained since 2009 as well as user feedback provided as a result of a broad consultation process.

CHAPTER 1

Livestock, livelihoods,
and emergencies

Introduction

This chapter presents general guidance on questions such as:

• •Why are livestock projects important to humanitarian response?
• •How do different types of emergency affect people who keep livestock?
• •How does LEGS link with a rights-based approach?
• •What are the livelihoods objectives of LEGS?

Livelihoods and emergencies

Increasingly, it is recognized that humanitarian action must consider the livelihoods of affected populations – it is not just about saving human lives but protecting and strengthening livelihoods. This shift in focus helps the rapid recovery of those affected by an emergency and can also increase their long-term resilience and reduce their vulnerability to future shocks and disasters.

Taking a livelihoods approach also helps to harmonize relief and development initiatives, which historically have often been separate and at times contradictory (see Box I.1 in the Introduction to LEGS). It is now acknowledged that some emergency responses may have saved lives in the short term but have failed to protect – and at times have even destroyed – local livelihood strategies. They have also undermined existing development initiatives and have negatively impacted on local service provision. While it may be true that development can sometimes have negative impacts and that maintaining a level of independence between emergency and development responses may be beneficial, it is nonetheless important that those responsible for relief efforts understand and take into account local development activities, particularly those that aim to strengthen local livelihoods. This is the premise on which LEGS is based.

Livestock and livelihoods

Animals play a significant role in the livelihoods of many people throughout the world. Livestock keepers range from pastoralists, whose livelihoods are largely dependent on livestock, and agro-pastoralists, who depend on a combination of herds and crops, to smallholder farmers, who depend largely on crops but whose cows, goats, pigs, or poultry provide an important supplementary source of protein or income. There are also a diverse range of service providers, such as mule or donkey cart owners, who depend on livestock for their income; then there are traders, shopkeepers, and other merchants whose businesses depend significantly on livestock. Animals also constitute a supplementary source of income or food for urban and peri-urban populations.

LEGS uses the term ‘livestock’ to refer to all species of animals that support livelihoods. LEGS also provides guidance on livestock kept by displaced people, including those living in camps.1

The Sustainable Livelihoods Framework (DFID, 1999) is a useful tool for understanding and analysing livelihoods in both emergency and development situations. Although different variations of the framework exist, all start with understanding the different ‘assets’ (see Glossary) that households use as the basis for their livelihood strategies. For humanitarian programming, assets are important because people with greater financial and social assets tend to be more resilient to crises. The ability of livestock keepers to use their assets to support their livelihoods is also affected by their vulnerability, by trends, and by external policies and institutions, all of which must be taken into account in any livelihoods analysis.

Livestock as financial and social assets

For many livestock keepers, animals are a critical financial asset, providing both food (milk, meat, blood, eggs) and income (through sale, barter, transport, draught power, and work hire). Livestock are also significant social assets for many livestock keepers, playing a key role in building and consolidating social relationships and networks within traditional social groups (clan members, in-laws, or friends, for instance), and they are commonly the currency of both gifts and fines.

Vulnerability

Vulnerability relates to people’s ability to withstand shocks and trends. The Sphere Handbook defines vulnerable people as those ‘who are especially susceptible to the effects of natural or manmade disasters or of conflict … due to a combination of physical, social, environmental and political factors’...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title
• Copyright
• Contents
• Praise for this book
• Introduction to LEGS and how to use this book
• 1. Livestock, livelihoods, and emergencies
• 2. Core standards and cross-cutting themes common to all livestock interventions
• 3. Initial assessment and identifying responses
• 4. Technical standards for destocking
• 5. Technical standards for veterinary support
• 6. Technical standards for ensuring feed supplies
• 7. Technical standards for the provision of water
• 8. Technical standards for livestock shelter and settlement
• 9. Technical standards for the provision of livestock
• Annexes