The LEGS process grew out of the recognition that livestock are a crucial livelihood asset for people throughout the world - many of whom are poor and vulnerable to both natural and human-induced disasters - and that livestock support is an important component of emergency aid programs.

The publication of the first edition of LEGS in 2009 responded to the need to help donors, program managers, technical experts, and others to design and implement livestock interventions in emergencies. At the same time, LEGS recognized the need to plan for climatic trends affecting communities that rely heavily on livestock. The first edition drew on multi-agency contributions, on wide-ranging reviews, and on collations of practitioner experiences of using evidence-based good practice. This second edition builds on the first edition by incorporating new experiences and evidence obtained since 2009 as well as user feedback provided as a result of a broad consultation process. The handbook has also been redesigned to make it easier to use.