Improving smallholder production involves improving smallholder consumption. ⢠Missing/poorly functioning markets (e.g
2015
FAO Economic and Social Development Department
The State of
Food and Agriculture
Social protection and agriculture: breaking the cycle of rural poverty Marco Knowles World Food Day, 2015 Brussels, EU-DEVCO Infopoint
#sofa15
Both social protection and agriculture are needed to break the cycle of rural poverty and hunger • Despite recent progress, almost 1 billion live in extreme poverty, and almost 800 million are hungry • Extreme poor and hungry increasingly concentrated in Sub Saharan Africa and in rural areas and depend on agriculture • Both social protection and agricultural interventions are needed to break the cycle of rural poverty and hunger
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Combating hunger and poverty involves improving smallholder production • Support to small holder farming should be dominant approach on grounds of hunger and poverty reduction
• Kick-starting poverty reduction requires accelerated growth in smallholder production and diversification
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Improving smallholder production involves improving smallholder consumption • Missing/poorly functioning markets (e.g. credit, insurance) link production and consumption activities – Constrain economic decisions in investment, production, labor allocation, risk taking – Safety first, rather then profit maximization
• Implications for “social” side—you cannot separate from production/livelihoods – Labor allocation (adults and children), including domestic chores and care giving – Investment in schooling and health – Food consumption, dietary diversity and nutrition
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Social protection improves immediate access to food and reduces poverty • Social protection reduces poverty • Social protection programmes reduce food insecurity and seasonal hunger
• Having a social protection system in place allows governments to react quickly in times of crisis
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But social protection does more than improve food consumption: It can transform individual’s capacities to take their lives into their own hands.
from Protection to Production #sofa15 #sofa2014
Social protection improves livelihoods …… and does not foster dependency! • Long-term effects on improved human capital and thereby labour productivity and employability • Increases on- and off-farm investment and production • Helps households manage and take risks
• Influences labour choices, but does not reduce work effort #sofa15 #sofa2014
Social protection benefits communities and the local economy • Public works programmes can provide important infrastructure and community assets • Reduce burden on social networks and renew participation in these • Stimulate the local economy
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Context, design and implementation matter
• • • • •
Sufficiently large transfer levels Regular and predictable Know who to target….and reach them Messaging matters Design AND implementation
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Social protection by itself is not enough to move people out of hunger and poverty • Agricultural interventions necessary to address structural constraints that limit access to: – – – – – – – –
Natural resources Inputs Credit Information Markets Technologies Producer organizations Etc. #sofa15 #sofa2014
Need coherent agricultural and social protection interventions • Coherent interventions have greater impacts • Avoid friction and counter productive outcomes
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Three programming avenues for strengthening coherence • Adapt the design of social protection/ agricultural interventions • Combine agricultural and social protection interventions into a single programme • Coordinate and align multiple programmes & policies
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But social protection coverage is low and lowest in areas with highest poverty
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And more needs to be done to strengthen collaboration between the two domains • Similar goals but different strategic approaches • Increasing but limited understanding of the productive potential of the poor • Coordination mechanisms • Capacity constraints #sofa15 #sofa2014
Need action at political, policy and operational levels • Mobilize political support
• Strengthen coordination mechanisms • Harmonize targeting • Support programme design and implementation • KEEP IT SIMPLE #sofa15 #sofa2014
FAO is not a social protection agency but has a specific comparative advantage • Nexus between agriculture and social protection
• Mandate for agricultural development, eradicating hunger, malnutrition and poverty • Social protection is targeted to the extreme poor, most of whom depend on agriculture • Proven ability to provide evidence-based advice on strengthening coherence between agriculture and social protection
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For more information … The State of Food and Agriculture 2015 Social protection and agriculture: breaking the cycle of rural poverty FAO‘s major annual flagship publication
Available in: Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish
www.fao.org/publications/sofa
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