Rural Social Protection: Productive Safety Net Program 2016-2021

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.