Violent conflict affects the lives, livelihoods and health of almost 1.5 billion people in the world (World Bank 2011). The number of armed conflicts has declined in recent years (Themner and Wallensteen 2011), but few post-conflict countries have reached a situation of stability and credible peace. Feeding and protecting citizens is a major challenge in these contexts (FAO 2010). Many individuals and households leave areas of more intense fighting to refugee and displacement camps, migrate to safer urban areas or move abroad. At the same time, numerous people live in conflict areas and survive, sometimes for decades, carrying on their daily lives in the midst of conflict and violence.