Why is social protection important for agriculture and resilience? Watch our colleagues explain! (Parts 3-4, Sheri Arnott, Bart Minten)

WHY IS SOCIAL PROTECTION IMPORTANT FOR AGRICULTURE AND RESILIENCE? WATCH OUR COLLEAGUES EXPLAIN! (PARTS 3-4, SHERI ARNOTT, BART MINTEN)

by Evgeniya Anisimova | May 2, 2018

In these two brief video interviews, we asked our colleagues Sheri Arnott (World Vision) and Bart Minten (IFPRI) to talk about the great work that our IFPRI team and partners have been doing to support the implementation of Ethiopia's Productive Safety Net Programme.

Sheri Arnott is Director for Research, Policy and Strategy for Food Assistance at World Vision International (WV). She is also member of the PIM’s Management Committee. Sheri speaks about the collaboration between WV, IFPRI, and PIM in Ethiopia, and how PIM-supported research on social protection has benefited World Vision operations.

Bart Minten is Senior Research Fellow at IFPRI and Program Leader of the IFPRI's Ethiopia Strategy Support Program. Bart speaks about the Ethiopia’s Productive Safety Net Program (PSNP), why it is important for the country, and how IFPRI/PIM research has influenced the PSNP.

Ethiopia’s Productive Safety Net Programme (PSNP)

Ethiopia’s Productive Safety Net Programme (PSNP) is a large-scale social protection intervention that delivers benefits annually to approximately 8 million people. The PSNP includes a mix of public works employment and unconditional cash and food transfers to promote food security and stabilize asset levels for very poor households. IFPRI has worked with local researchers since the program began in 2005 to study key aspects of design, track benefits, and measure impact.

Lessons from the research have since been incorporated into the program. For example, although PSNP has helped to improve household food security, it has not reduced stunting or wasting among participating children, according to an IFPRI-led assessment of the program’s impact on child nutritional status. The assessment drew attention to issues of diet quality and the fact that PSNP did not encourage children’s consumption of pulses, oils, fruits, vegetables, dairy products, or animal-source proteins. Most mothers had not had contact with health extension workers, nor had they received information on good feeding practices. Their water practices, such as boiling drinking water, were poor as well. These findings, along with work by other researchers, informed recent changes to the program. Ongoing research will track the impact of these reforms.

-- Strengthening resilience of rural households through improved social protection. PIM Outcome Note (2017). Washington, D.C.: International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).

 
Visit Flagship 4 page to learn more about PIM’s research on social protection for agriculture and resilience.

Stay tuned for more videos to follow!

See also:

Video: Why is social protection important for agriculture and resilience? Watch our colleagues explain! (Part 1, Daniel Gilligan)

Video: Why is social protection important for agriculture and resilience? Watch our colleagues explain! (Part 2, Harold Alderman) 

PIM Outcome Note:  Strengthening resilience of rural households through improved social protection

PIM Webinar: Cash transfer programs and intimate partner violence – Lessons from 3 case studies around the globe

Related publications:

Berhane, G., D. O. Gilligan, J. F. Hoddinott, N. Kumar, and A. Seyoum Taffesse. 2014. “Can Social Protection Work in Africa? The Impact of Ethiopia’s Productive Safety Net Programme.” Economic Development and Cultural Change 63(1): 1–26. https://doi.org/10.1086/677753

Berhane, G., J. F. Hoddinott, and N. Kumar. 2017. “The Impact of Ethiopia’s Productive Safety Net Programme on the Nutritional Status of Children: 2008–2012.” ESSP Working Paper 99. Washington, D.C. and Addis Ababa, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) and Ethiopian Development Research Institute (EDRI). https://ebrary.ifpri.org/cdm/ref/collection/p15738coll2/id/131051

Hoddinott, J. F., G. Berhane, D. O. Gilligan, N. Kumar, A. Seyoum Taffesse. 2012. “The Impact of Ethiopia’s Productive Safety Net Programme and Related Transfers on Agricultural Productivity.” Journal of African Economies 21(5): 761–786. https://doi.org/10.1093/jae/ejs023

Sabates-Wheeler, R., J. Lind, and J. Hoddinott. 2013. “Implementing Social Protection in Pastoralist Areas: How Local Distribution Structures Moderate PSNP Outcomes in Ethiopia.” World Development 50(1): 1–12. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.worlddev.2013.04.005