FAQs

The LEGS approach focuses on supporting the livelihoods of livestock keepers before, during and following a crisis. LEGS technical interventions support crisis-affected communities to:

• obtain immediate benefits using existing livestock resources
• protect key livestock assets and/or
• rebuild key livestock assets

LEGS follows a rights-based approach that aims to respect, protect and fulfil internationally agreed human rights. LEGS response options also ensure good animal welfare by linking each technical intervention to an animal welfare protocol, the Five Animal Welfare Domains, which are explained in the ”What does LEGS say about” section on this page.

LEGS guides practitioners through four key stages of emergency response planning:

• Stage 1: initial assessment
• Stage 2: response identification
• Stage 3: analysis of technical interventions and options
• Stage 4: monitoring and evaluation

These four stages are all underpinned by monitoring, evaluation, accountability and learning (MEAL).

There are participatory tools to help the user to work through each stage, including the Participatory Response Identification Matrix (PRIM), which is used to facilitate discussion and planning among stakeholders—including representatives from affected communities—to determine the most appropriate, timely and feasible options to support livestock keepers in any particular crisis.

The LEGS Handbook offers step-by-step guidance on how to use the LEGS tools to develop an emergency response plan. The third edition, published in 2023, has a greater focus on the eight principles that underpin LEGS. The first three chapters focus on general principles and decision making:

• Chapter 1 introduces LEGS and provides an overview of emergencies, livestock and livelihoods.
• Chapter 2 presents the eight LEGS Principles that underpin all LEGS-based interventions.
• Chapter 3 provides step by step guidance and tools for emergency response planning.

The remaining chapters focus on the six LEGS technical intervention areas: feed, water, veterinary support, shelter, livestock offtake, and the provision of livestock.

LEGS discusses the eight principles in relation to each of the six technical interventions. LEGS also provides a review of the advantages and disadvantages of various sub-options, and a decision tree to highlight key questions that need to be addressed. These are followed by specific standards, key actions and guidance notes for each intervention and option.

LEGS is not operational and hence does not intervene directly in emergencies. We are able to connect interested people and agencies with LEGS Trainers in a particular country and share information on the LEGS Approach.

LEGS is a member of the Humanitarian Standards Partnership (HSP) alongside Sphere and other humanitarian standards initiatives. 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 standards initiative. The current partners are:

• Sphere –  Sphere Handbook: Humanitarian Charter and Minimum Standards in Humanitarian Response
• The Inter-agency Network for Education in Emergencies (INEE) – Minimum Standards for Education: Preparedness, Response, Recovery
• The SEEP Network’s Minimum Economic Recovery Standards (MERS)
• The Alliance for Child Protection in Humanitarian Action’s Minimum Standards for Child Protection in Humanitarian Action (CPMS)
• The Cash Learning Partnership’s (CaLP) Minimum Standard for Market Analysis (MISMA),
• The ADCAP programme’s Humanitarian Inclusions Standards for Older People and People with Disabilities (HIS)
• The Camp Coordination and Camp Management Cluster’s Minimum Standards for Camp Management
• The Standards for Supporting Crop-related Livelihoods in Emergencies – SEADS Handbook
• CHS Alliance – Core Humanitarian Standard

Interested organisations can commission a LEGS Core Training Course: In-person (formerly called the “3-Day LEGS Training Course”) from any of the LEGS Trainers in their country or region.

Contact details for LEGS Trainers can be obtained from the LEGS Finance and Admin Manager. LEGS Trainers who have successfully carried out two LEGS Training Courses after graduating from a TOT become “Accredited Trainers” and are listed on the Accredited In-person Trainers page.

In 2021, the LEGS Core Training was developed into an online learning course, LEGS Core Training Courses: Online, which is carried out by Accredited Online Trainers. For more information, contact the LEGS Finance and Admin Manager.

LEGS has received funding and in-kind support* from the following organisations:

• African Union*
• Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance, USAID
• Donkey Sanctuary
• European Union – DG Development and Cooperation – EuropeAid
• European Union – Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection department (ECHO)
• Feinstein International Center, Tufts University*
• Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
• Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO)
• Improved Global Governance for Hunger Reduction Programme
• Humanitarian Policy Group, Overseas Development Institute*
• International Committee of the Red Cross*
• Oxfam GB
• Projet Régional d’Appui au Pastoralisme au Sahel (PRAPS)
• Projet de Developpment de l’Elévage (PRODEL) Cameroon
• Sphere India*
• The Brooke
• Trócaire
• Vetwork UK
• VSF-Belgium*
• World Animal Protection (formerly WSPA)

No, LEGS does not have any funds to disperse.

The LEGS Secretariat is based in the UK, with team members all over the world.

…resilience?

The concept of resilience builds on the sustainable livelihoods approach, the principles of which underpin LEGS. Resilience aims to integrate the impact of emergencies and the need to strengthen the ability to recover

See the discussion paper: LEGS and Resilience: Linking Livestock, Livelihoods and Drought Management in the Horn of Africa.

…animal welfare?

LEGS is based on humanitarian principles and law, hence its starting point is the welfare of people, rather than the welfare of animals. LEGS response options also aim to ensure good animal welfare, and each of the technical chapters of the LEGS Handbook outlines how interventions relate to the Five Domains, commonly used as a framework for assessing animal welfare:

1. Nutrition
2. Environment
3. Health
4. Behaviour
5. Mental State

See also: the LEGS Briefing Paper on Animal Welfare.

…cash transfers?

With the increasing use of cash transfers in humanitarian programmes, the use of cash-based responses constitutes an option for achieving the LEGS objectives. Chapter 3 of the LEGS Handbook summarises the most common types of cash transfer and Appendix 3.6 of this chapter presents some of the response modalities and delivery mechanisms for Cash and Voucher Assistance (CVA) that may be used in LEGS technical interventions. Further information is given in each technical chapter. Detailed guides on market assessment and cash response mechanisms are listed in the References section of Chapter 3.

See also: LEGS Cash and Voucher Assistance.

…gender?

“Responding to climate change and protecting the environment” is another of the eight principles presented in Chapter 2 of the LEGS Handbook. The chapter recognises current climate trends and their differential impact in different parts of the world and highlights the importance for agencies involved in disaster risk reduction among livestock keepers, to keep abreast of developments and future trends in this area. Further guidance is provided in the specific technical chapters.

See also: the LEGS Gender e-module

…climate change?

“Responding to climate change and protecting the environment” is another of the eight principles presented in Chapter 2 of the LEGS Handbook. The chapter recognises current climate trends and their differential impact in different parts of the world and highlights the importance for agencies involved in disaster risk reduction among livestock keepers, to keep abreast of developments and future trends in this area. Further guidance is provided in the specific technical chapters.

…companion animals in disasters?

While companion animals are not explicitly mentioned in the LEGS Handbook, it is recognised that these animals provide important social benefits for their owners. Many of the LEGS Standards and Guidance Notes apply to companion animals, and specific guidance is available from the Animal Welfare Information Center at the United States Department of Agriculture (AWIC).

See also World Animal Protection.  

In general, low-income countries are at greater risk of humanitarian crises and disasters where substantial numbers of people are affected. Similarly, the term “humanitarian disaster” is partly defined by the capacity of local people and governments to respond. Such capacity is more likely to be insufficient in low-income countries, which tend not to have the emergency planning and response capabilities, or national insurance schemes for disasters.

Furthermore, high-income countries’ priorities for emergency response may differ from those of livestock keepers in low-income countries. For example, issues relating to insurance or companion animals may be prioritised in high-income countries, and LEGS does not focus on these issues.

However, the key principles of the LEGS approach, including the importance of consultation and participation, building on existing local knowledge, and supporting livelihoods remain relevant to any livestock-based response to an emergency.