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Despite recently legislating the right of all citizens to food security, India continues to suffer high food-insecurity rates. With respect to several measures, food insecurity in India appears to be actually higher than in Ethiopia, a country with only one-fourth of India's average per-capita income. This article examines comparatively the two countries' food-security challenges and governance mechanisms and identifies several relevant policy areas for mutual learning - dietary diversity, maternal and infant nutrition, and sanitation as well as food production and programmes' external oversight. Beyond India and Ethiopia, these findings are pertinent also to other developing countries facing similar food-security challenges, such as Pakistan, Nigeria or Sudan.

Despite the popularity of public works programs in developing countries, there is virtually no evidence on the value of the infrastructure they generate. This paper attempts to start filling this gap in the context of the PSNP – a largescale program implemented in Ethiopia since 2005. Under the program, millions of beneficiaries received social transfers conditional on their participation in activities such as land improvements and soil and water conservation measures. We examine the value of these activities using a satellite-based indicator of agricultural productivity and (reweighted) difference-in-differences estimates. Results show that the program is associated with limited changes in agricultural productivity. The upper bound of the main estimate is equivalent to a 3.6 percent increase in agricultural productivity. This contrasts with existing narratives and calls for more research on the productive effects of public works. (This abstract was borrowed from another version of this item.)

This study aims to compare household food security and its determinants among PSNP beneficiary, graduated, and non-beneficiary. Data was collected from 396 sample households using a structured questionnaire and key informant interview. Binary Probit regression was used to analyse the determinants of household food security. Household food security was measured using Food Insecurity Experience Scale (FIES) and Household Hunger Scale (HHS). The study found significant differences in household food security among beneficiary, graduated and non-beneficiary both in FIES and HHS. The mean raw scores of FIES and HHS for graduated households were lower than both beneficiary and non-beneficiary households. Graduated households had the highest percentage of food secure households (67.4%), followed by non-beneficiary households (61.5%) and beneficiary households (34.3%). The binary probit model showed the number of clinic visits by household head was the only factor that negatively associated with all the three groups. The number of years benefited from PSNP had a negative influence on both beneficiary and graduated households' food security. Whereas livestock had a positive effect on the food security of both graduated and non-beneficiary households, unlike dependency ratio. Livelihood zone, drought, and credit were only associated with beneficiary household food security, while crop diversification determined only graduated households' food security. Hence, the findings suggest that policymakers and practitioners should focus on improving access to health care, limit the duration of PSNP participation, promote crop diversification, and provide proper credit use training to enhance household food security. Effective food security interventions play a significant role in addressing chronic food insecurity. In Ethiopia, Productive Safety Net Program (PSNP) has been implemented to provide predictable and reliable support to chronically food insecure households. Hence, this study compared the household food security and its determinants among PSNP beneficiary, graduated, and non-beneficiary. The findings showed that the household food security status of PSNP beneficiary, graduated, and non-beneficiary were significantly different. Graduated households had better household food security status than both beneficiary and non-beneficiary households. Moreover, the factors that determine the household food security status also vary among PSNP beneficiary, graduated, and non-beneficiary. The number of years benefited from PSNP had a negative effect on both beneficiary and graduated households' food security. Comparing graduated households to current beneficiaries and non-beneficiaries provides insights on the long-term effects of PSNP. This study helps policymakers and practitioners to make changes on PSNP and design effective food security intervention considering the differences in food security status and determinants among PSNP beneficiary, graduated and non-beneficiary.

Though social protection in sub-Saharan Africa is intensive to alleviate food insecurity of the vulnerable group such as women, its impact on the food security status of female-headed rural households has not been well documented. Accordingly, the present study aims to evaluate the effect of the Productive Safety Net Program (PSNP) on the food security of female-headed farm households. The study employs the Propensity Score Matching (PSM) method to identify the comparable beneficiary and non-beneficiary sample households. The study finding indicates that PSNP improves the food security status of female-headed farm households. Moreover, the study suggested that the food security status of the beneficiary household is better than the non-beneficiary household even after controlling the potential heterogeneity. Based on the findings of the present study, we recommend that PSNPs should focus on building a sustainable income-generating livelihood system.

Background Productive Safety Net Program (PSNP) is a livelihood intervention to improve food insecurity among the poor and has been implemented in Ethiopia. However, there is inconsistent evidence on the impacts of PSNP on improving the nutritional status of vulnerable segments (children). The current review was to synthesize evidence on the effects of PSNP on the nutritional status of children in Ethiopia. Methods A comprehensive search for Google, Google Scholar, PubMed, and other relevant repositories, coupled with a manual search (till March 15, 2024), was done using a combination of relevant key words. Hence, the search was conducted on “productive safety net,” “Ethiopia,” “nutritional status,” and “undernutrition.” An updated systematic review without meta-analysis guideline was used to select relevant literature. Data were extracted using MS Excel format by two reviewers and cross-checked. The extracted data were grouped, and summarized in narrative summaries, descriptions, and quantitative summaries whenever applicable. The risk of bias was assessed, and the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluations (GRADE) was used to assess the strength of the evidence. Results A total of nine studies ( n  = 14,114) were included in this review, and the studies assessed the risk of undernutrition among PSNP members and non-PSNP members, in the form of pre- and post-design, survey, and cohort studies. The program has the potential to improve income, food security, dietary diversity, and reduce the occurrence of acute malnutrition, with a limited effect on stunting reduction. Moreover, food aid or cash transfer plus food aid was found to be superior compared to cash transfer mode in improving child nutrition than cash transfer alone, which could be frustrated by food inflation, subjects’ knowledge and attitude about child feeding. Overall, evidence from survey studies reporting the comparative risk of undernutrition could limit the conclusiveness of the causation which could be confounded. Conclusion PSNP could improve wasting with limited evidence on stunting reduction, where the causal pathway could be frustrated by the purchasing power of cash vouchers, household income expenditure patterns, and subjects’ knowledge and attitude limiting its impact. Well-designed implementation research could further help. A comprehensive review, considering more recent evidence, could help. Clinical Trial registration Not applicable.

This study assesses the impact of PSNP on soil and water conservation (SWC) practices in southern Tigray, Ethiopia. The propensity score matching technique was used to assess the impact of PSNP on soil and water conservation practices. The Nearest neighbor (4) matching estimator was selected as the best matching algorithm which has a large matched size, good balancing test, and low pseudo R 2 . 204 respondents from treated and 130 from control group matched respondents were used to come up with the final result. The estimated result of the nearest neighbor (4) matching estimator indicates that participation in PSNP did not bring any significant impact on SWC practices on the program beneficiaries. This might be due to the fact that a full targeting problem of beneficiaries by kebele food security force focuses on consumption smoothing rather than engaging in livelihood improvement, dependency seeing as supportive relief aid rather than productive and implementing SWC activities on communal lands public work transfer rather than doing at their private farm lands. Policymakers, governments, and donors are responsible for further improvement and should reconsider the implementation and design of the PIM of the program to bring a positive impact on beneficiaries.

Background Developing countries in general and Ethiopia in particular are affected by a growing problem of food insecurity. Millions of individuals and households especially the rural poor are the main victims of the problem. The government of Ethiopia together with other development partners launched the Productive Safety Net Program (PSNP) in 2005 to help chronically food-insecure households. This study discusses the role of PSNP on the improvement in consumption needs and asset base of the households, effect on community development and determinants of food insecurity level of beneficiaries. Methodology Three Woredas have been selected agro-ecologically. Both qualitative and quantitative data-generating techniques were employed. Qualitative data were analyzed thematically and using narration. Frequency distribution table and t test were used. Logistic regression was employed to analyze the determinants of food insecurity. Results and conclusion Results indicated that PSNP was helping beneficiaries for consumption smoothing, asset accumulation, and development of the local community. The effectiveness of PSNP was significantly determined by age and education level of the household head and occurrence of shocks on the last five consecutive years. The practice of PSNP was challenged by a lack of monitoring and evaluation of structures, low payment and limited awareness of beneficiaries. To assure the positive role of PSNP, culture of savings and accumulation of assets, engagement of beneficiary households in diversified asset building livelihood strategies, targeting and minimizing wrong inclusion and exclusion, and the management as well as monitoring practices of locally constructed community development infrastructures should be enhanced.

The study was carried out to identify constraints that women face for improving income-generating activities with particular reference to Productive Safety Net Program (PSNP) project areas in Daro Labu and Lasta Districts of Ethiopia. A qualitative research approach using a descriptive design was employed. Field observation, survey and focus group discussion, and key informant interview were used for collecting data from 98 respondents, and the data were analyzed using thematic analysis and narration. The study revealed that the support made to poor women through public works of Productive Safety Net Program is negligible to create productive asset. With the existing amount of payment for public work, it is less likely to create productive asset and thereby ensure food security in the areas. Similarly, inflation rate was not considered, and constant rate of payment is made for the public works throughout the project period. The constraints of women for improving income-generating activities are multi-faceted which include physical, economic, natural, and sociocultural factors. The identified constraints are not only affecting the beneficiaries but also are affecting the success of the Productive Safety Net Program (PSNP). Finally, the findings pinpointed areas that need due consideration in the process of implementing Productive Safety Net Program in developing countries particularly, in Africa. Thus, the Productive Safety Net Program actors need to be well synchronized with an effective linkage mechanism for improving the income of the poor women group.

Understanding the objectives, strategies and actions of the different actors that play a role in the implementation of rural development programmes is a key to explaining the latter's success and sustainability. Based on in-depth anthropological fieldwork and from an actor perspective this paper shows how the Rainwater Harvesting Pond Programme (RHPP) and the public work component of the Productive Safety Net Programme (PSNP) work out in practice in one district of the Tigray region in Ethiopia. Developers and farmers turn the two essentially unrelated rural development programmes into practically intertwined interventions, which leads to an undesirable set of outcomes. The RHPP's participants, who are conceived of as willing to improve, are favoured above other candidates for employment in the PSNP, which farmers compete for. Developers' and farmers' moves and countermoves result in targeting errors in the PSNP and in farmers massively constructing rainwater harvesting ponds, the large majority of which fail because farmers do not aspire to make them succeed, but merely see them as a stepping stone to employment in the PSNP. In addition both groups' perception of each other is affected. Our observations challenge prevailing interpretations of the effects of development interventions on Tigrayan people's livelihoods.