Does the ‘heifer-in-trust’ model work for social protection?

Posted on April 26, 2013 by - Growth and Social Protection

goats1An article in Development Policy Review by James Sumberg and Gountiéni Damien Lankoandé examines the ‘heifer-in-trust’ or ‘livestock-in-kind credit’ model through a social-protection lens.

Specifically it seeks to engage with debates about the use of asset-based strategies to support graduation from social protection. Drawing on project experience with dairy goats in Ethiopia and dairy cattle in Tanzania, the article concludes that while the asset-ness of livestock may in principle allow them to make a unique contribution to livelihood transformation and thus graduation, the most obvious target group is least likely to be able to handle the demands and risks associated with livestock assets.

Download the article

Heifer-in-trust, Social Protection and Graduation: Conceptual Issues and Empirical Questions

by James Sumberg and Gountiéni Damien Lankoandé
Development Policy Review, Volume 31, Issue 3, pages 255–271, April 2013

Related articles

Working Paper 24: Heifer-in-trust, Social Protection and Graduation: Conceptual Issues and Research Questions
by James Sumberg and Gountiéni Damien Lankoandé

Photo: Goats by ccf4980 on Flickr (by-nc-nd)