Within the CGIAR Challenge Program on Water and Food (CPWF), PN37 (Nile basin livestock water productivity) set out to assess the contribution of livestock water productivity at scales ranging from households to the entire basin while taking into account the great diversity of countries, cultures, landscapes and agricultural production systems that make up the Basin. The project was premised on literature review that indicated a huge knowledge gap existed at the nexus of water and livestock management. To a large degree, water research and development has given little attention to livestock while livestock research and development have largely ignored the importance of water with the exception of some work on animal drinking requirements. Thus, PN37 aimed to fill this void and, in doing so, to contribute to the CPWF’s goal of improving agricultural water management for the purpose of ensuring environmentally sustainable food security and reducing poverty.