Livestock sector development has far-reaching externalities that give rise to conflict at many levels. Global concerns are increasingly influencing national agendas, while national concerns may become the subject of international debate. Informed public policy-making is therefore becoming increasingly complex, and the processes of negotiation around livestock and public goods issues need to be adapted such that they combine stakeholder engagement and negotiation with research and analysis.

To assist policy makers in tackling poverty through evidence-based policy and institutional reforms the Pro-Poor Livestock Policy Initiative (PPLPI) compiles information on livestock–poverty relationships and conducts and commissions research in four interrelated thematic areas.

The first thematic area encompasses the role of livestock in the household, community, and in national economies. A clear understanding of the role of livestock at various levels is essential to appreciate the choices made by the various actors at these levels, and to identify development pathways that are most likely to offer pro-poor benefits.

Second, the PPLPI conducts research into the political economy of livestock sector-related policy making. A detailed appreciation of actual vs. stated policies, their impacts, and the interests and influence of various players is a prerequisite for the project’s engagement in policy and institutional reform processes.

The third thematic area relates to markets and standards, which are key determinants of the balance between subsistence and market-oriented production. Markets provide the crucial link between sectors and sub-sectors and between rural and urban populations. Linking poor livestock keepers to expanding urban markets is likely to be one of the most promising avenues for rural poverty reduction.

The fourth major thematic area covers innovation capacity. Such capacity constitutes not only hard competencies, such as scientific and technical skills and infrastructure, but also soft competencies such as practices and routines, patterns of interaction and policies. This perspective offers new ways to explore how science, technology and other forms of knowledge can best be deployed to stimulate innovation in response to livestock sector dynamics whilst safeguarding public health and the livelihoods of poor people linked with the sector.

The PPLPI compiles information and conducts research and analysis relevant to these themes both in support of specific policy processes in selected countries, and generically, to enhance decision-making by the livestock development community as a whole. Results of these studies are published as PPLPI working papers and widely distributed in the form of policy briefs.