Livelihoods and food security

Every person has the right to a standard of living adequate for his or her health and wellbeing. This includes the right to food and livelihood protection. Food security rests on four key pillars:

• Availability of diverse and nutritious foods
• Physical, economic, and social access to nutritious foods.
• Adequate utilization of food items consumed to maintain healthy nutritional wellbeing.
• Strengthening stability of the pillars and systems people rely on overtime.

During conflicts, disasters, and displacement, food production and market systems face potential collapse. People lose their assets and their ability to earn a living is disrupted.

Our expertise in livelihoods and food security

We provide food assistance to prevent loss of life and to contribute to the rehabilitation of local food and market systems. We promote livelihood strategies that protect, recover, and strengthen individuals' and households' abilities to earn a living. To prevent repeated displacement, we support engagement in social and economic opportunities that reinforce the adaptive capacity of systems, individuals, families, and communities affected by displacement.

We follow the UN Food and Agriculture Organization’s (FAO) definition of food security:

"Food security exists when all people, at all times, have physical, social and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food which meets their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life."

In both emergencies and protracted crises, we analyses the livelihood vulnerability context and situation. This analysis enables us to better understand vulnerability, needs, and preferences and is key to the development of holistic integrated responses that contribute to durable solutions.

Livelihood interventions must be undertaken in combination with other sectors.

Our livelihoods and food security work focus on the following thematic areas:

• Emergency food assistance
• Creating local assets that reduce food insecurity and build livelihood opportunities
• School meals and gardening
• Nutritious food production systems
• Integrated natural resource management
• Food infrastructure systems
• Employment and income generation and/or diversification
• Credit and finance facilitation
• Initial business and value chain development
• Integrated risk reduction

We work in three areas to enable livelihoods that are in support of durable solutions:

Meeting basic needs/livelihoods provisioning

Protect and stabilize affected households against further effects of risks and crises by ensuring access to adequate and appropriate nutritious food. Provide other essential livelihood needs required for survival.

Livelihood’s protection

Support affected households and communities in protecting household and livelihood systems, avert erosion of productive assets and support households and communities in restoring productive assets.

Livelihood promotion

Enhance household and community capacity to manage risks and shocks and to leverage their adaptive, financial, and human capabilities. Invest in lasting solutions for improved economic and social wellbeing and dignity.