The Pro-Poor Livestock Policy Initiative (PPLPI) has engaged in policy processes in focus countries from five strategically chosen regions: the Andean Region, the Horn of Africa, West Africa, South Asia and the Mekong Region, representing a range of socio-economic, agro-ecological and cultural settings. Selected focus countries in each of these regions are: Peru, Uganda, Senegal, the State of Andhra Pradesh in India, and Vietnam.

The objectives of the Initiative’s country engagement are threefold. First, it provides the opportunity for closer contact with policy makers and livestock-dependent poor, allowing the Initiative to get a grounded understanding of their concerns and constraints. This country-based interaction helps identify recurrent national and regional issues affecting poor livestock keepers that need to be dealt with at higher levels of policy-making. The experiences obtained at national level thus also constitute an important input into the thematic work carried out by the Initiative.

The second objective is to learn, by engaging in national policy processes, how the Initiative can most effectively inform and influence national, regional and international policy making to achieve pro-poor outcomes. As most policies that affect livestock keepers are made at national level, a sound understanding of the processes involved, based on partnerships and experience, is essential.

By engaging successfully at national and regional levels, i.e. actually effecting pro-poor policy change, the third objective is achieved, which is to gain the credibility needed for the PPLPI to be recognised widely as point of reference for livestock-related pro-poor policy development.

The work carried out in the focus countries encompasses the following four main elements: (a) assessment of where livestock is a livelihood priority; (b) evaluation of the policy context within which the poor have to make their living; (c) identification of both existing policy measures and policy gaps that affect them; and (d) facilitation of a network of partners to capitalise on opportunities to achieve pro-poor policy shifts.