Laspeyres price index

An index that measures the change in the value of the basket of goods and services actually purchased in the earlier of the two periods.

Law of one price (LOOP)

A situation where the unit price of a product is the same in all locations and time points, after adjusting for transfer costs.

Lean season

The time of year when a household’s access to food and/or cash income is typically most constrained. This usually occurs during the months between harvests when food is scarce because household stocks have been exhausted and the harvest has not yet begun. During this period, households tend to be at greater risk of food insecurity. Use lean season and not hunger season or other terms.

Livelihood baseline

The quantified analysis of household livelihood options including a detailed breakdown of sources of food, cash and expenditure patterns, and coping capacity for households in each wealth group over a defined reference period.

Livelihood profile

Reports that describe wealth groups and compare their various sources of food and income.

Livelihood protection threshold

Also, Livelihood protection needs

The total income required to sustain local livelihoods. This means total expenditure to:

• Ensure basic survival (that is, all items covered in the survival threshold),

• Maintain access to basic services such as health and education,

• Sustain livelihoods in the medium to longer term, for example, purchasing of seeds or veterinary drugs, and

• Achieve a minimum locally acceptable standard of living, for example, purchasing basic clothing or coffee/tea

See Survival threshold.

Livelihood strategies

The ways in which households utilize and combine their assets to obtain food, income and other goods and services.

Livelihood zone maps

Maps that illustrate the country by zone, showing areas where people generally have the same options for obtaining food and income and engaging in trade.

Livelihood zones (LZ or LHZ)

Geographical areas within which people share broadly the same patterns of access to food and income, and have the same access to markets.

Livelihoods

The means by which households obtain and maintain access to essential resources to ensure their immediate, medium-term, and long-term survival.

Livelihoods protection needs

Amount of food and cash income required to sustain local livelihoods. This means total expenditure to:

• Ensure basic survival

• Maintain access to basic services (health, education)

• Sustain livelihoods in the medium to longer term, e.g. purchase of seeds or veterinary drugs

• Achieve a minimum locally acceptable standard of living (e.g. purchase of basic clothing or coffee/tea)

Logistics

The management of the flow (distribution) of products, information, resources or people between the point of origin and the point of consumption with an aim to meet the requirements of consumers.

Long-cycle crops

Crops that mature in greater than 90 days, such as sorghum and corn.