Livelihoods Assessment and Analysis
Livelihoods Indicators
Learning objectives
At the end of this lesson you will be able to:
• identify indicators for each aspect of the
livelihood framework;
• understand the criteria for selecting and
collecting livelihoods indicators;
• be aware of the skills and knowledge
required to select, collect and interpret
livelihood indicators.
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Livelihoods Assessment and Analysis
Livelihoods Indicators
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Introduction
In order to analyze the livelihood status of
a group it is necessary to choose and
interpret indicators.
Let’s see how...
Livelihoods Assessment and Analysis
Livelihoods Indicators
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Aspects of livelihoods
A livelihood group is “homogenous”:
the main livelihood strategies will be similar
amongst households.
The mix of indicators should cover all aspects
of livelihoods of a livelihood group:
Vulnerability context
Livelihoods resources or assets
Policies, institutions and processes
Livelihood strategies
Livelihood outcomes or goals
Livelihoods Assessment and Analysis
Livelihoods Indicators
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Aspects of livelihoods
Therefore, we should select indicators which reflect:
main risk and vulnerability;
key assets;
livelihood strategies;
key policies/institutions and processes which may impact livelihoods,
livelihood outcomes.
Example
CONTEXT
EXAMPLE OF INDICATORS
Vulnerability context
Drought proneness or High levels of HIV
Livelihood resources or
assets
Education or Membership of a large extended family
Key policies, institutions
and processes.
Land tenure system or Subsidies on main staple
crop
Livelihood sustainable
strategies
Petty trading and Agro-pastoralism
Livelihoods Assessment and Analysis
Livelihoods Indicators
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Selecting livelihood indicators
Information should not be collected on too many
indicators, but mainly on key indicators.
Indicators should be prioritised on the basis that
they provide as much information about a
livelihood as possible.
Example
Suppose the livelihood strategy of a population
group is predominantly wage labour.
Key information:
wages, e.g. daily rates, seasonal fluctuations,
relationship to labour availability.
Livelihoods Assessment and Analysis
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Selecting livelihood indicators
It may not be worthwhile collecting data on:
Practices not important for an understanding of food security.
Strategies which only contribute a small amount towards food security.
Phenomena which may have an impact on livelihoods and food security
but there is no framework for determining what this impact might be.
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Selecting livelihood indicators
Livelihoods are influenced:
at community and household level, and
at macro-level (national and international).
We should select indicators that allow to make
linkages between micro and macro-levels.
Example
Suppose land-holding is an important indicator for
subsistence farmers.
Useful indicators could be:
information on land-holding size at household level,
ownership and inheritance practices at community level,
government taxation and land holding legislation at the
macro level.
Livelihoods Assessment and Analysis
Livelihoods Indicators
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Selecting livelihood indicators
Indicators on livelihood strategies should
reflect a sustainable
element of livelihoods.
Example
To be included in a set of livelihood indicators:
• selling small livestock
(which may be a sustainable part of a system)
NOT to be included:
• taking out massive loans or selling off oxen
(which is not a sustainable part of a system)
Livelihoods Assessment and Analysis
Livelihoods Indicators
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Selecting livelihood indicators
Ease of collecting indicator data varies considerably:
easy to collect
Data on price and wage.
Terms of trade.
Government devaluations.
difficult to collect
Data on wage rates
from petty trading
or on remittances
Data to be collected
in conflict situations
Livelihoods Assessment and Analysis
Livelihoods Indicators
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Selecting livelihood indicators
Information may need to be contextualised within normal
seasonal variations.
It is important to collect data at key seasonal points.
Especially for indicators like:
prices,
migration and grazing patterns,
malnutrition, and
mortality.
Livelihoods Assessment and Analysis
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Selecting livelihood indicators
Data on outcomes, e.g. stunting, anaemia and mortality,
require carrying out surveys.
Consequences:
substantial investment of resources;
it may be difficult to collect data at the level of a livelihood zone.
Livelihoods Assessment and Analysis
Livelihoods Indicators
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Selecting livelihood indicators
What is important for accuracy?
•the experience of those conducting the
assessment, and
•means of triangulation.
To triangulate information means to compare
information obtained from different
sources.
Therefore, in some situations we should select
indicators that can be collected from multiple
sources.
Livelihoods Assessment and Analysis
Livelihoods Indicators
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Selecting livelihood indicators
Livelihoods assessment must employ participatory methods.
In case this is not possible for all indicators:
use a mixture of indicators
that allow participatory methods to be employed.
Common participatory methods include:
community meetings,
focal group discussions,
men’s and women’s groups discussions,
key informant interviews.
Tools include:
semi-structured interviews,
community mapping,
historical profiles,
ranking, case studies,
time lines,
seasonal calendars, etc.
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Selecting livelihood indicators
How are indicators selected in a specific context?
Example : Nias mountain people
See pages 9-11in the Learner Notes to read a
complete description of the situation.
Indicators selected for this livelihood group are:
Terms of trade between rubber and pig income and essential food and
non-food purchases
Access/income from rice cultivation/share cropping
Access/income from labour in Nias town or Sumatra
Disease outbreaks amongst pigs/other livestock
Levels of stunting and anaemia amongst children
Livelihoods Assessment and Analysis
Livelihoods Indicators
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Selecting livelihood indicators
Why have these indicators been selected?
1. The mix of indicators covers most aspects of
livelihoods, i.e. vulnerability, livelihood strategies,
processes and outcomes.
2. They reflect sustainable livelihood strategies.
3. They provide the maximum amount of information on
livelihood status.
4. They are generally easy to measure.
5. They can easily be incorporated into a framework to
assess livelihood and food security status.
Livelihoods Assessment and Analysis
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Selecting livelihood indicators
Group discussion
Which indicators have been selected for the following
situation?
Artisanal fishers in Benin
Full time sedentary fishers in Benin live without land in
settled fishing communities on the seacoast, where sandy soil
precludes agricultural activity and fishing is the main source
of family income.
See Learner Notes to read the complete description of the situation. You can also
choose to read further and find out which livelihoods indicators can be selected,
and/or start a discussion about it.
Livelihoods Assessment and Analysis
Livelihoods Indicators
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Selecting livelihood indicators
Group discussion
Which indicators have been selected for the following
situation?
Pastoralists in southern Somalia
Pastoralists in southern Somalia derive the majority of their
food needs from the purchase of cereals, sugar, and oil.
Milk and milk products from cattle comprise a significant
additional food source. Income is mainly obtained from sale
of livestock and livestock products.
See pages 13-15 in the Learner Notes to read the complete description of the
situation. You can also choose to read further and find out which livelihoods indicators
can be selected, and/or start a discussion about it.
Livelihoods Assessment and Analysis
Livelihoods Indicators
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Selecting livelihood indicators
Group discussion
Which indicators have been selected for the following
situation?
Agro-pastoralists in southern Somalia
Agro-pastoralists in southern Somalia derive the majority
of their food from their own crop production, livestock milk
production and some purchase.
See pages 15-16 in the Learner Notes to read the complete description of the
situation. You can also choose to read further and find out which livelihoods indicators
can be selected, and/or start a discussion about it.
Livelihoods Assessment and Analysis
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Interpreting livelihood indicators
Group discussion
How can indicator data be interpreted in the following
situation?
Farchana refugee camp in Chad
Most refugees in this refugee camp originated from
around Geneina town.
Refugees arriving in Chad from villages within one
or two days from the border brought assets with
them from home, including animals, household
utensils, basic furniture, food stocks and
sometimes cash.
See pages 17-19 in the Learner Notes to read the complete description of the
situation, and to find out how indicators have been interpreted.
Livelihoods Assessment and Analysis
Livelihoods Indicators
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Skills required
What knowledge and skills are required for collecting, analysing
and interpreting livelihood indicators?
Prior and possibly local
knowledge of a livelihood system
To understand the local livelihood
strategies and to identify the
appropriate sources of information.
Awareness of political, social and
gender issues
To deal with political divisions and
tensions at community and intracommunity level.
Awareness of the potential
relevance of policies, institutions
and processes.
To make linkages between the
macro and micro-level.
Specific skills
To collect information on market
indicators.
See Annex I at the end of the Learner Notes for this lesson. You will find information
about the skills that are required for collecting, analysing and interpreting livelihoods
indicators.
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Summary
Ideally, the mix of indicators should cover all aspects of livelihoods of a livelihood
group.
Key indicators should be selected which:
• can be incorporated into the analytical framework;
• allow linkages between micro and macro-levels;
• reflect a sustainable element of livelihoods;
• can be collected from multiple sources to allow triangulation, if needed; and
• allow participatory methods to be employed.
Knowledge and skills required for collecting and interpreting livelihoods indicators
include:
• local knowledge of a livelihood system,
• awareness of political, social and gender issues,
• experience of market and analysis, and
• ability to make links between macro and micro-level.
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If you want to know more...
Suggested references:
• Corbett. J (1988): Famine and household coping strategies. World Development 16 (9)
• Hastie (undated). Using indicators to monitor protective impact. Oxfam G.B.
• Jaspars. S and Shoham. J (2002): A critical review of approaches to assessing and monitoring
livelihoods in situations of chronic conflict and political instability. ODI Working Paper 191.
• WFP (2005): Emergency Food Security Assessment Handbook
• Young. H et al (2001): Food security assessment in emergencies: A livelihoods approach. ODI
HPN Network Papers 36. ODI, London
• Jaspars. S (2006): From food crisis to fair trade. Livelihoods analysis, protection and support in
emergencies. ENN Special Supplement No 3
• Westley. K and Michalev. V (2002): The use of participatory methods for livelihood assessment
in situations of political instability: A case study from Kosovo. ODI Working paper 190
• Narbeth. S and McLean. C (2003): Livelihoods and protection. Displacement and vulnerable
communities in Kismaayo, southern Somalia. HPN Network paper No 44, December 2003
• Pain. A (2002): Understanding and monitoring livelihoods under conditions of chronic conflict:
Lessons from Afghanistan. ODI working paper 187
• Boudreau.T and Coutts. P (2002): Food economy in situations of chronic political instability.
ODI working paper 188
• WFP (2003): Key issues in emergency needs assessment. Volume 1: Report of the Technical
Meeting. 28-30 October 2003, Rome, Italy.
• Montania. A and Majid. N (2002): Conducive conditions: Livelihood interventions in southern
Somalia. ODI working paper 193
• F. Pittaluga, E. Corcoran, and J. Senahoun:Poverty profiles of artisanal fishers: methods based
on the SLA model.