120 likes | 215 Views
Food Security Impacts of Ethiopia’s Food for Peace Title II Multi-Year Assistance Program.
E N D
Food Security Impacts of Ethiopia’s Food for Peace Title II Multi-Year Assistance Program • The Productive Safety Net Program (PSNP), 2005-2008, was developed through a collaboration of the Government of Ethiopia, USAID, non-governmental organizations and others to address recurring food crises that lead to annual emergency appeals. • The emergency appeal process lacked predictability and failed to address the chronic nature of food needs in a timely and adequate manner. • Under the PSNP, households that are unable to meet their basic food needs receive planned-in-advance monthly food rations in exchange for their work on building community assets. • Approximately 7 million participants annually.
Program Objectives The program was implemented by a group of private voluntary organizations: CARE, Catholic Relief Services, Food for the Hungry, Relief Society of Tigray, and Save the Children Program Objectives: • To meet food needs of the chronically food insecure while evening out household food consumption so households have adequate food year round. • To protect household assets (such as tools, cookware) by reducing or preventing the sale of those assets in food deficient periods. • To improve community food security through the construction of community assets, such as water catchments, terracing to preserve soil and market roads. • The long term goal is the graduation of participating households after they have become self reliant, e.g. able to produce and/or buy enough foods to meet their dietary needs.
USAID Partners’ Program Innovations • Promoting health and nutrition through mothers groups. • The introduction of high value crops and income generating activities to vulnerable households, including beekeeping, apples, peppers, and beans. • Training and services to help households increase production and sales by using improved varieties of crops, including a new variety of potato with high-yields.
An Example – Improved Potato Production • Potato is a major staple crops of N. Ethiopia. • It has a very high yield compared to the cereals and is traditionally grown in the area. • Potatoes require less time to develop than grain crops and can still be productive if the rainy season is short.
An Example – Improved Potato Production • The Ministry of Agriculture had developed improved varieties of potatoes but they were not reaching farmers or being disseminated from the research stations. • These varieties are resistant to disease and yield 2 to 3 times more than traditional varieties. • FH coordinated with the research centers to get these new varieties introduced to farmers.
Results • The improved varieties are producing 2 to 3 times the traditional varieties. • Average profits per household are up to $300 from a single potato plot. • Improved, high yielding potatoes are being made available throughout the area.
Overall Positive Results • Dietary diversity (a measure of the different types of foods consumed in the household) score increased from 3.3 to 5.0 - about a 50% increase. They now produce and buy a greater variety of foods and have a more nutritious diet. • Average household asset values increased from $342 to $413 – approximately a 20% increase, • Estimated months of food self-sufficiency increased from 5.9 to 7.6 – a 29% increase.