Resource information
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.
