Before Crisis Hits : Can Public Works Programs Increase Food Security?

Fighting famine is basic to ending poverty and saving lives. Emergency aid, which arrives after the food has run out, isn't enough. Households most in need of emergency aid often don't have enough food during other times of the year, posi...

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Main Author: World Bank
Format: Brief
Language:English
en_US
Published: Washington, DC 2014
Subjects:
Online Access:http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2012/09/16728501/before-crisis-hits-can-public-works-programs-increase-food-security
http://hdl.handle.net/10986/17089
id okr-10986-17089
recordtype oai_dc
spelling okr-10986-170892021-04-23T14:03:33Z Before Crisis Hits : Can Public Works Programs Increase Food Security? World Bank AGRICULTURAL OUTPUT AGRICULTURE ARABLE LAND ASSET BUILDING BENEFICIARY HOUSEHOLDS EMERGENCY AID EMPLOYMENT PROGRAM EXTREME POVERTY FAMINE FEED FOOD CONSUMPTION FOOD GAP FOOD NEEDS FOOD POLICY FOOD POLICY RESEARCH FOOD SECURITY FOOD SHORTAGES FOOD SUPPLIES HOUSEHOLD SIZE HUMAN DEVELOPMENT HUNGER INCOME-GENERATING ACTIVITIES INTERNATIONAL FOOD POLICY RESEARCH INSTITUTE LIVELIHOODS POOR HOUSEHOLDS SAFETY NET SAFETY NETS SHEEP SMALL-SCALE IRRIGATION SMALL-SCALE IRRIGATION SYSTEMS SOCIAL PROTECTION STARVATION Fighting famine is basic to ending poverty and saving lives. Emergency aid, which arrives after the food has run out, isn't enough. Households most in need of emergency aid often don't have enough food during other times of the year, posing a broader challenge for devising programs that can cut hunger and build food security. Social protection programs, including grants, social assistance and public works programs are one way to transform people's lives and protect them both before and when disaster strikes. What works and under what circumstances is what policymakers and development experts want to know, especially those focused on famine breakouts in Africa and Asia. In 2003, the Ethiopian government partnered with donors and Non-Government Organizations (NGOs) to create a working coalition to improve food security for the poor. The result was the Productive Safety Net Program (PSNP), which went into effect in 2005. This program, the largest of its kind in Africa, initially targeted 7.6 million people (8 percent of Ethiopia's population) who suffered chronic food shortages and lived in areas prone to drought. Through a public works component and direct grants for those who can't work, the program aims to help households meet their food needs, keeping people fed and reducing the need to sell off productive assets. Ethiopian policymakers and international donors have long struggled with the challenge of reducing poverty amid weather shocks that disrupt harvests and threaten households with starvation. After years of emergency aid programs designed to provide short-term relief, both Ethiopia and donors wanted to create a program that could help people secure and build their lives, rather than just react to disaster. The result is Ethiopia's PSNP, which uses public works employment, social transfers and an agricultural asset-building program, to stabilize and strengthen poor households. 2014-02-18T22:27:14Z 2014-02-18T22:27:14Z 2012-09 http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2012/09/16728501/before-crisis-hits-can-public-works-programs-increase-food-security http://hdl.handle.net/10986/17089 English en_US From evidence to policy; CC BY 3.0 IGO http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/igo/ Washington, DC Publications & Research :: Brief Publications & Research Africa Ethiopia
repository_type Digital Repository
institution_category Foreign Institution
institution Digital Repositories
building World Bank Open Knowledge Repository
collection World Bank
language English
en_US
topic AGRICULTURAL OUTPUT
AGRICULTURE
ARABLE LAND
ASSET BUILDING
BENEFICIARY HOUSEHOLDS
EMERGENCY AID
EMPLOYMENT PROGRAM
EXTREME POVERTY
FAMINE
FEED
FOOD CONSUMPTION
FOOD GAP
FOOD NEEDS
FOOD POLICY
FOOD POLICY RESEARCH
FOOD SECURITY
FOOD SHORTAGES
FOOD SUPPLIES
HOUSEHOLD SIZE
HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
HUNGER
INCOME-GENERATING ACTIVITIES
INTERNATIONAL FOOD POLICY RESEARCH INSTITUTE
LIVELIHOODS
POOR HOUSEHOLDS
SAFETY NET
SAFETY NETS
SHEEP
SMALL-SCALE IRRIGATION
SMALL-SCALE IRRIGATION SYSTEMS
SOCIAL PROTECTION
STARVATION
spellingShingle AGRICULTURAL OUTPUT
AGRICULTURE
ARABLE LAND
ASSET BUILDING
BENEFICIARY HOUSEHOLDS
EMERGENCY AID
EMPLOYMENT PROGRAM
EXTREME POVERTY
FAMINE
FEED
FOOD CONSUMPTION
FOOD GAP
FOOD NEEDS
FOOD POLICY
FOOD POLICY RESEARCH
FOOD SECURITY
FOOD SHORTAGES
FOOD SUPPLIES
HOUSEHOLD SIZE
HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
HUNGER
INCOME-GENERATING ACTIVITIES
INTERNATIONAL FOOD POLICY RESEARCH INSTITUTE
LIVELIHOODS
POOR HOUSEHOLDS
SAFETY NET
SAFETY NETS
SHEEP
SMALL-SCALE IRRIGATION
SMALL-SCALE IRRIGATION SYSTEMS
SOCIAL PROTECTION
STARVATION
World Bank
Before Crisis Hits : Can Public Works Programs Increase Food Security?
geographic_facet Africa
Ethiopia
relation From evidence to policy;
description Fighting famine is basic to ending poverty and saving lives. Emergency aid, which arrives after the food has run out, isn't enough. Households most in need of emergency aid often don't have enough food during other times of the year, posing a broader challenge for devising programs that can cut hunger and build food security. Social protection programs, including grants, social assistance and public works programs are one way to transform people's lives and protect them both before and when disaster strikes. What works and under what circumstances is what policymakers and development experts want to know, especially those focused on famine breakouts in Africa and Asia. In 2003, the Ethiopian government partnered with donors and Non-Government Organizations (NGOs) to create a working coalition to improve food security for the poor. The result was the Productive Safety Net Program (PSNP), which went into effect in 2005. This program, the largest of its kind in Africa, initially targeted 7.6 million people (8 percent of Ethiopia's population) who suffered chronic food shortages and lived in areas prone to drought. Through a public works component and direct grants for those who can't work, the program aims to help households meet their food needs, keeping people fed and reducing the need to sell off productive assets. Ethiopian policymakers and international donors have long struggled with the challenge of reducing poverty amid weather shocks that disrupt harvests and threaten households with starvation. After years of emergency aid programs designed to provide short-term relief, both Ethiopia and donors wanted to create a program that could help people secure and build their lives, rather than just react to disaster. The result is Ethiopia's PSNP, which uses public works employment, social transfers and an agricultural asset-building program, to stabilize and strengthen poor households.
format Publications & Research :: Brief
author World Bank
author_facet World Bank
author_sort World Bank
title Before Crisis Hits : Can Public Works Programs Increase Food Security?
title_short Before Crisis Hits : Can Public Works Programs Increase Food Security?
title_full Before Crisis Hits : Can Public Works Programs Increase Food Security?
title_fullStr Before Crisis Hits : Can Public Works Programs Increase Food Security?
title_full_unstemmed Before Crisis Hits : Can Public Works Programs Increase Food Security?
title_sort before crisis hits : can public works programs increase food security?
publisher Washington, DC
publishDate 2014
url http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2012/09/16728501/before-crisis-hits-can-public-works-programs-increase-food-security
http://hdl.handle.net/10986/17089
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