2. The livelihoods approach
The livelihoods approach has its origins partly in a literature concerned with understanding the differential capability of rural families to cope with crises such as droughts, floods, or plant and animal pests and diseases. This literature focuses attention on the assets of rural people, and how different patterns of asset holding (land, stock, food stores, savings etc.) can make big differences to the ability of families to withstand shocks [28]. This set of concerns also links to the concept of
vulnerability; defined as a high degree of exposure to risk, shocks and stress and proneness to food insecurity [29,30]. Vulnerability has the dual aspect of external threats to livelihood security due to risk factors such a climate, markets or sudden disaster; and internal coping capability determined by assets, food stores, support from kin or community, or government safety net policies