Alemayehu Seyoum Taffesse International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI)

May 2014

Resilience Policy - Some Lessons from Ethiopia’s PSNP

Outline

Premise and aim;

The PSNP – a brief description, impact;

Key lessons;

Introduction Policy

Goals – objectives or targets that are to be attained or promoted; Instruments – means deployed to achieve policy goals or targets; Causal framework – summarises the expected link between

instruments and goals;

Resilience

the capability to anticipate risk, limit impact, and bounce back rapidlythrough survival, adaptability, evolution, and growth in the face of,sometimes considerable, change.

Resilience policy

Premise and aim Premise

Significant commonalities in East Africa - chronic foodinsecurity and attendant causes and consequences;

Lessons can be distilled from country-level experiences;

These lessons may inform other initiatives at the countryand/or regional levels;

Aim

highlight key lessons from the PSNP for future resilience-related interventions; particularly those involvingcooperation between donors, governments, and otherstakeholders;

The PSNP Motivation the drought of 2002-03; New Coalition for Food Security in Ethiopia (2003)

Features Coordination and commitment – donors (9), government; Predictability - multi-year planning and financing; Combine transfers with asset building – PW plus direct support ; Integrated with the broader development agenda; Large

o Beneficiaries - Up to 8 million persons, nearly 300 woredas (40%);o Cost - US$1.5 billion (2005-09); US$2.1 billion (2010-14)

The PSNP Impact

Five years (2006-2010) of participation in the PSNP-PW:o reduced the length of the last hungry season by 1.29 months;o raises livestock holdings by 0.38 tropical livestock units;

Impact of access to the PSNP along with the OFSP/HABP iseven higher:o length of the last hungry season lower by 1.5 months per year; ando livestock holdings higher by 0.99 TLU;o fertilizer use rose, investments in agriculture increased, and crop

yields increased

Note: these impacts occurred against the background of risingfood prices and widespread drought

Key Lessons

Crisis can be an opportunity – 2002-03 drought and PSNP;

Principles:

Ownership – Government program;

Integration – part of the national development effort/plan;

Coordination – among donors, donors and government,within government;

Complementarity – addressing emergency, enhancingresilience, and promoting development (E.g. Drought RiskFinancing (DRF))

Key Lessons Process Dialogue – genuine; What and how – implementation strategy;

Monitoring and evaluation a part of the initial design and mutual understanding; independent but collaborative – government, donors, the

national statistical agency, external evaluators; interim rigorous evaluations – three so far;

o Create opportunities to learn and adjust (Payroll and Attendance SheetSystem (PASS), Client cards )

o Help bridge results-based budgeting and longer term programmingdesigned to achieve impact