Project profile — Rural Social Protection: Productive Safety Net Program 2016-2021

• Ethiopia (100.00%)

• Agriculture: Agricultural services (31191) (25.00%)
• Developmental Food Aid/Food Security Assistance: Food aid/food security programs (52010) (75.00%)

• Gender equality (significant objective)
• Environmental sustainability (cross-cutting) (principal objective)
• Participatory development and good governance (significant objective)
• Trade development (not targeted)
• Biodiversity (not targeted)
• Climate change mitigation (significant objective)
• Climate Change Adaptation (significant objective)
• Urban issues (not targeted)
• Desertification (not targeted)
• Children's issues (significant objective)
• Youth Issues (not targeted)
• Indigenous Issues (not targeted)
• Disability (not targeted)
• ICT as a tool for development (not targeted)

This project represents Canada's continuing support for Ethiopia's Productive Safety Net Program (PSPN). Led by the Government of Ethiopia, with support from Canada and other partners, this initiative aims to enhance household and community resilience to shocks, such as droughts, and improve household food security, nutrition and economic well-being in Ethiopia's most vulnerable communities. To achieve these objectives, the project provides food insecure households with predictable food or cash transfers. In exchange for these transfers, beneficiaries participate in public works activities to build community assets and improve watershed management; a number of these activities build resilience to climate change. The most vulnerable beneficiaries (e.g. elderly people and pregnant and lactating mothers) receive transfers without contributing their labour for public works. The project reach is up to 10 million rural beneficiaries. Project activities include: (1) providing cash and food transfers to food insecure households; (2) conducting livelihoods interventions (e.g. crop and livestock production, and off-farm income generating activities); (3) providing key health and nutrition services (e.g. behaviour change communication activities); (4) construction of community assets (e.g. land rehabilitation, health posts); and (5) offering capacity development activities. Canada's support to this program is provided through the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) and the World Bank.

The expected intermediate outcomes for this project include: 1) enhanced livelihoods and resilience to shocks for rural female/male-headed households vulnerable to food insecurity; and 2) improved food security and nutrition for rural female/male-headed households vulnerable to food insecurity.

Results achieved as of August 2018 include: (1) the provision of food or cash transfers to approximately 8 million beneficiaries (approximately 4 million women); (2) out of the total number of beneficiaries, 6.9 million people were part of the public works and temporary direct support component of the project; (3) these persons helped rehabilitate over 193,596 hectares of degraded lands; (4) the remaining 1.1 million persons were part of the permanent direct support component of the project, and were provided with 69,105 tons (Mt) of food grain. A total of 235,043 (45% of which were female) beneficiaries were targeted for livelihoods support, based on their interests and capacity. These results have contributed to an enhanced livelihood and resilience to shocks for rural female and male-headed households vulnerable to food insecurity. These results have also contributed to an improved food security and nutrition for rural female and male-headed households.

• Proactive disclosure