The GIAHS Initiative uses the sustainable livelihoods framework (SLA) as an approach to understanding factors (shocks, trends, etc) affecting people’s livelihoods (expressed as five types of capital) and the way these factors are linked to each other. Within the SLA framework, resources available to a specific community can be divided into five different capital assets. Based on these assets, a list can be drawn up of what assets are available in the community. Economic, environmental, social and institutional forces as well as human behavior influence land-use decisions by local people and depending on the strength of the capitals, communities respond to internal and external forces that influence the positive or negative tendencies of any of the five capital assets. This in turns determines the outcomes (levels of income, health, nutrition, food security, sustainable resource use, etc) of the livelihood strategy adopted by the community.