The practical application of livelihoods approaches is still relatively new in development work and guidance is much sought by field teams. The concept aims to build a comprehensive picture of how people within communities live, rather than approaching development planning from a sectoral perspective such as agriculture, forestry or fisheries. Livelihoods approaches provide ways for people in communities, as well as their external supporters, to share understanding and develop approaches to get out of poverty that are adapted to local social and natural conditions and to try to make beneficial changes now and for future generations. We will discuss the concepts of livelihoods and sustainable livelihoods analyses with these objectives in mind.