SECTION TWO
Livelihood coping strategies
Definition/RATION/ALE – what does it measure? (max 2 lines)
Livelihood coping strategies is an indicator to measure the extent of livelihood coping households need to utilise as a response to lack of food or money to purchase food.
Methodology for collection – How to collect information for indicator (max 4 lines).
Conduct interviews with a representative sample of households (one respondent per household) posing questions on use of different livelihood coping strategies over the last 30 days. In order to prepare a livelihood coping strategies index, (at least) 10 questions on livelihood strategies should be included in the questionnaire, four of them stress strategies, three of them crisis strategies and the remaining three emergency strategies. Appropriate categorisation of different strategies should be decided prior to data collection and if needed reviewed in connection with data analysis.
Methodology for analysis – How to analyse (Max 4 lines)
Visual demonstrations for thresholds
How to interpret: Urban v. rural, gender
- 1. Answers concerning utilisation of each strategy are recorded (no = 0, yes = 1). Exhaustion of a livelihood coping strategy in months prior to the data collection is also recorded as a ‘yes’ answer.
- 2. Household is allocated to one of the four groups: no use of (stress, crisis or emergency) livelihood coping strategies, use of stress strategies, use of crisis strategies and use of emergency strategies. Household is allocated to a group based on the most severe strategy used.
- 3. For IPC purposes households using no stress, crisis or emergency strategies are allocated to Phase 1, households using stress strategies are allocated to Phase 2, households using crisis strategies are allocated to Phase 3, and households using emergency strategies are allocated to Phase 4.
Notes on indicator –
What does the indicator not tell us.
How long is it reliable for?
- • Utility of livelihood coping strategies –indicator is tied to amount of available contextual information on the area and appropriate selection of livelihood coping strategies in the survey questionnaire. If contextual information e.g. on typical livelihood strategies is lacking, or selected livelihood coping strategies are not appropriate for the context, information received through this indicator can be of low value
- • Seasonal changes as well as any shocks affect the validity period of data on livelihood coping
When to use it/when not to use it:
Appropriate for use in food insecurity situations of varying severity. Collection of data on livelihood coping is especially useful when there is a good understanding of the strategies typically employed by households in difficult situations, and the relative severity of the strategies when compared to each other.
IPC Categories:
Livelihood Change Outcome
M&E: IMPACT, OUTCOME, OUTPUT, PROCESS
Impact/Outcome
