Growing evidence suggests that disaster occurrences have undermined progress towards the Millennium Development Goals. Reducing poverty and hunger is contingent on the establishment of a set of policies and associated programmes that support peoples livelihood systems and strategies and „proof these against ongoing expected and unexpected hazards. It is well recognized that a failure to address inter-annual disaster risks can undermine years of investment in poverty reduction measures. What is less well recognized is that a similar failure to take into account intra-annual – or seasonal – variability can also erode efforts to protect lives and livelihoods. An understanding of when certain things happen in the annual cycle of rural livelihoods is an important basis for programming development and emergency assistance. The goal of humanitarian and development assistance – to protect and support lives and livelihoods – presupposes that we know when productive activities occur throughout the year so we can ensure timely support; that we avoid imposing unsustainable labour or investment demands at critical times of the year; that we ensure aid is delivered during periods when it will be of most use, and create the least harm.