• Situation
• Impact

• Survival and livelihoods protection threshold
• Economic Security Situation

The Coping Strategies Index (CSI) measures behavior, in particular the things people do when they cannot access enough food, which is converted into a single index. There are a number of regular behavioral responses to food insecurity that people use to manage household food shortage. The CSI comprises a series of questions about how households manage to cope with a shortfall in food, that looks at both the frequency of a coping behavior (how often is the strategy used) and severity (what degree of food insecurity do they suggest). Can be used for targeting and monitoring. Can be measured by several indicators including the reduced Coping Strategy Index, the Household Hunger Scale or similar hunger experience indicator. Also the livelihood component can be included. Affected households may use coping strategies to deal with a reduced ability to access food. Understanding the extent to which coping strategies are used can provide an providing a quick, current status indicator of the extent of food insecurity that is immediately useful for programmatic decision making. Coping strategies can also me used the measure the impact of humanitarian assistance. Understanding the extent to which coping strategies are used can provide an providing a quick, current status indicator of the extent of food insecurity that is immediately useful for programmatic decision making. - Includes various food assistance modalities, through general ration food distributions, food vouchers, food for work, cash grants, etc. - Includes cash transfers through vouchers, cash grants, direct cash, conditional and unconditional cash transfers, cash for work, etc. - Includes education training and capacity building activities. - Includes various levels of interventions at community and household level, e.g. staple crop, vegetable and agroforestry production, livestock, pisciculture, aquaculture, apiculture, cuniculture, fuel efficient stoves, soil erosion protection, dam and water retention structures, pasture/water production and management, fodder or grain storage, etc. - Includes seasonal or regular hunger and social safety nets, this can be in form of food, cash, income/employment support, etc. Main underlying objective should always be nutrition, food and livelihood security. - Includes any type of agro based, non-agro based, or service based income generating activity, can include market chain support, value addition or transformation etc. - Includes group and individual income generating activities for contribution to household economy.

Geography/Livelihoods zone; Head of household’s gender, age, disabilities, chronic diseases, dependency ratio, and any other relevant criteria, such as urban/rural context, religious, ethnic or political identities; Wealth groups; Livelihoods group (e.g. pastoralist, farmers, traders); Period to achieve the objective;

• Decrease (distance)

Both secondary and primary data collection can be used according to context. Baseline/Endline. If multiyear programme depending on comparison requirements between lean season and other seasons, consider an interim reporting/evaluation Secondary data. Reliable/relevant sources from other actors, clusters or government. Data Collection methods: Secondary data analysis; Households Survey, Focus Group Discussion;

• Economic Security

Can be measured by several indicators including the reduced Coping Strategy Index, the Household Hunger Scale or similar hunger experience indicator. Also the livelihood component can be included. CSI measures are context dependent, even though there are five standard coping strategies applicable to all context (see Coping Strategies Index Field Methods Manual) > Number of coping strategies used relative to baseline > Frequency of use of coping strategies relative to baseline - Standard CSI for food security and livelihood is preferred. - Ranking can support assessing change and importance of coping strategy pattern. - Expanded context-adapted CSI for livelihoods can be developed if time and means allow. Note that comparison across livelihood zones might be compromised. - Needs to consider potential changes in seasonal coping and explanation of the same, e.g. normality vs abnormality. Require a preliminary assessment to ensure that all the potential answers to the question what do you do when you don't have enough food or enough money to buy food are known. This is then concerted onto a questionnaire and asked of beneficiaries. Watch Out For! - Coping strategies may vary between cultural contexts and should be verified and adapted where necessary. - Coping strategies vary in terms of severity. Accordingly, the use of coping strategies over a long period will have a different effect on a household's ability to recover. For more details on methodology: Coping Strategies Index Field Methods Manual: http://home.wfp.org/stellent/groups/public/documents/manual_guide_proced/wfp211058.pdf or http://www.seachangecop.org/sites/default/files/documents/2008%2001%20TANGO%20-%20Coping%20Strategies%20Index.pdf Household Hunger Scale: http://www.fao.org/fileadmin/user_upload/wa_workshop/docs/HH_Hunger_Scale.pdf