The document outlines findings from Ethiopia's Productive Safety Net Program (PSNP) and key lessons that can inform social protection programs. The PSNP aimed to address food insecurity and promote development. It provided predictable multi-year support to nearly 8 million people through public works projects, direct support, and other initiatives. Evaluations found the PSNP reduced food gaps and increased investments in areas like fertilizer and soil conservation. Key lessons included the importance of government ownership, integration with broader development goals, coordination among stakeholders, targeting approaches, monitoring and evaluation, and opportunities for ongoing learning and adjustment of programs.

1. Alemayehu Seyoum Taffesse
International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI)
Malawi Multi-partner Scoping Mission Agenda
UNCC,
September 19-23
Social Protection and Agriculture – Findings from
Ethiopia’s Productive Safety Net Program (PSNP)

2. Outline
 Premise and aim
 The PSNP –
 Description,
 Impact – food security, productivity;
 Key lessons –
 Design – ownership, integration, size,
 Broad – learning;

3. Premise and aim
 Premise
 Lessons can be distilled from country-level experiences;
 These lessons may inform other initiatives at the country
and/or regional levels;
 Aim
 highlight key lessons from the PSNP for future social
protection or other interventions; particularly those
involving cooperation between donors, governments, and
other stakeholders;
 emphasise the complementarity between interventions for
long-term growth and those for vulnerability (shocks)
‘emergency as failure of development’

4. The PSNP
 Motivation
 the drought of 2002-03;
 New Coalition for Food Security in Ethiopia (2003)
 Features
 Predictability - multi-year planning and financing;
 Coordination and commitment – donors (9), government;
 Combine transfers with asset building – PWs, DS, Nutrition-
focus (PSNP4);
 Integrated with the broader development agenda;
 Targeting – Geographic, Community
 Large:
o Beneficiaries - Up to 8 million persons, nearly 300 woredas (40%);
o Cost - US$1.5 billion (2005-09); US$2.1 billion (2010-14)

5. The PSNP
 Impact
 Food gap declined by (due to participation in the PSNP-
PW):
o 1.3 months between 2006 and 2010;
o further 1.4 months between 2010 and 2012;
 Lower distress sales of livestock;
 Increased use of fertilizers;
 Higher medical expenditures; and
 Investments in soil conservation such as stone
bunding;
 Faster yield growth due to community assets created
via PSNP;
 Local economy (general equilibrium) effects –

6. Key Lessons
 Features and impact a source of lessons that can improve
effectiveness of policies/programs
 Design:
 Ownership – Government program;
 Integration – part of the national development effort/plan;
 Coordination – among donors, donors and government, within
government;
 Complementarity – addressing emergency, enhancing resilience,
and promoting development (E.g. Drought Risk Financing
(DRF));
 Targeting – Geographic and community targeting

7. Key Lessons
 Design (cont’d)
 Process matters
o Dialogue – genuine;
o What and how – implementation strategy;
 Monitoring and evaluation
o a part of the initial design and mutual understanding;
o independent but collaborative – government, donors, the
national statistical agency, external evaluators;
o interim rigorous evaluations – Five;
Channel 1 – assess progress, rationalise continuity;
Channel 2 – create opportunities to learn and adjust (Payroll and
Attendance Sheet System (PASS), Client cards, );

8. Key Lessons
 Broad
 Learning I – nature of and linkages within and among:
o Goals – contradictory, complementary;
o Instruments – deficient, can be enhanced but at a cost;
o causal framework – necessary;
 Learning II – design and manage large development
programmes;
o Example - Targeting;

9. References
Journal Articles
Berhane et. al (2014). Economic Development and Cultural Change, volume
63:1, 2014, pages 1-26.
Hoddinott, et. al (2012). Journal of African Economies, Volume 21, Issue 5,
pp.761-786.
Gilligan, Hoddinott, and Taffesse (2009). Journal of Development Studies,
Volume 45, Issue 10, 2009, pp. 1684–1706.
Book chapters
Hoddinott et. al (2013) in Rahmato, Dessalegn, Alula Pankrust, and Jan-Gerrit
van Uffelen, Food Security, Safety Nets and Social Protection in Ethiopia, Forum
for Social Studies.
Coll-Black et. al (2012) in Dorosh, Paul, and Shahidur Rashid (eds.), Food and
Agriculture in Ethiopia: Progress and Policy Challenges, University of
Pennsylvania Press (in collaboration with IFPRI).
Hoddinott, Gilligan, and Taffesse (2010) in Sudhanshu Handa, Stephen
Devereux, and Doug Webb, eds. Social Protection for Africa’s Children,
(Routledge).
Reports – 2007, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2015.

10. References
Journal Articles
Berhane et. al (2014). Economic Development and Cultural Change, volume
63:1, 2014, pages 1-26.
Hoddinott, et. al (2012). Journal of African Economies, Volume 21, Issue 5,
pp.761-786.
Gilligan, Hoddinott, and Taffesse (2009). Journal of Development Studies,
Volume 45, Issue 10, 2009, pp. 1684–1706.
Book chapters
Hoddinott et. al (2013) in Rahmato, Dessalegn, Alula Pankrust, and Jan-Gerrit
van Uffelen, Food Security, Safety Nets and Social Protection in Ethiopia, Forum
for Social Studies.
Coll-Black et. al (2012) in Dorosh, Paul, and Shahidur Rashid (eds.), Food and
Agriculture in Ethiopia: Progress and Policy Challenges, University of
Pennsylvania Press (in collaboration with IFPRI).
Hoddinott, Gilligan, and Taffesse (2010) in Sudhanshu Handa, Stephen
Devereux, and Doug Webb, eds. Social Protection for Africa’s Children,
(Routledge).
Reports – 2007, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2015.