The Livestock Emergency Guidelines and Standards (LEGS) are a set of international standards and guidelines for the assessment, design, implementation, and evaluation of livestock interventions, in support of people affected by humanitarian crises. LEGS draws on evidence-based good practice from around the world, which is incorporated into its Handbook, training materials and other resources. The LEGS organisation, together with the LEGS Community of Practice, has been working to improve humanitarian action for livestock-keeping communities for nearly two decades. Drawing from a pool of international and local experts, LEGS works with local, national and international agencies to ensure that livestock-based livelihoods are not destroyed by well-meaning but inappropriate interventions during humanitarian emergencies. LEGS provides support, training and promotion for livestock emergency responses that are designed and implemented effectively.
Find Out More About LEGS
The LEGS Story
This short video provides contextual understanding of livestock emergencies and the risks brought on by inadequate and untimely responses.
10 Things You Should Know About LEGS
How we Work
LEGS Handbook
The LEGS Handbook provides standards and guidelines for appropriate and timely livestock-based livelihoods responses in emergencies, using a participatory and evidence-based approach.
Training and Awareness
LEGS has developed a range of training and awareness raising sessions on the purpose and contents of LEGS. Courses have been delivered in person across Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Middle East and also online to a global audience.
Resources and Tools
LEGS has published a series of reports and briefings, as well as videos and webinars recordings to help implement the LEGS approach.
Two Decades of LEGS
In the early 2000s, individuals and agencies involved in livestock emergency response began to question the quality, usefulness and sustainability of interventions. Responding to this, the LEGS approach emerged through extensive global consultation and field testing, with the 1st LEGS Handbook published then launched in Addis Ababa in 2009.
Since then, the Handbook has been translated into six languages and updated twice, ensuring the guidance has a global reach and keeps up with best practice. Over the course of LEGS’s history, more than 500 trainings have taken place, alongside the roll out of many webinars, briefing papers and tools to help agencies to use LEGS to better support livestock-keeping communities in emergencies. Visit our History page to read about 20 years of LEGS’ impact.
LEGS, Sphere and the Humanitarian Standard Partnership
In 2016 LEGS joined four other companion standards and Sphere to form the Humanitarian Standards Partnership (HSP). HSP has since grown to include 10 partners. The aim of the partnership is to improve the application of humanitarian standards through increased coherence and effectiveness of outreach, whilst each maintaining the independence of each standard’s initiatives.
