Publication record
- Original publication period
- July–December 2021
- Digitized / uploaded online
- August 10, 2026
The digitization/upload date records when this file was added to the website; it is not the article's original publication date.
Abstract
Community livelihood programs can provide relief, but an activity is not viable merely because participants receive training, equipment, or start-up capital. This conceptual review proposes a Livelihood Viability Ladder that moves from household stabilization to capability, a tested market offer, a workable operating system, financial control, and resilient transition. Evidence through 2021 suggests that crisis programs fail when they begin with a standard product, count distribution as success, ignore care and health constraints, or provide debt before demand and cash flow are understood. The framework recommends participatory screening of household goals and constraints, small market tests, transparent group roles, unit-cost and cash-horizon tools, buyer and supply alternatives, and predefined continuation or exit decisions. Community institutions are positioned as coordinators and accountability structures, not substitutes for customer demand. The article distinguishes social protection from enterprise finance and warns against shifting market risk to vulnerable families. It does not estimate income effects or evaluate a named program. Its contribution is a staged method for determining whether support should stabilize, test, strengthen, scale, redesign, or stop a livelihood activity.