Since 2005, the Government of Ethiopia has implemented a Productive Safety Net (PSNP), with the objective to ‘graduate’ millions of chronically food insecure Ethiopians to productive livelihoods, supported by donors including DFID, the World Bank and USAID.

By 2010 the graduation debate had become polarised, between the Government’s desire to meet targets set in its Growth and Transformation Programme (GTP) at all costs; and a donor consensus that graduation requires a solid evidence base. In 2010, Future Agricultures began a project aiming to broaden understanding of social protection as requiring both long-term safety nets for the most vulnerable, as well as flexible interventions to support food insecure people to develop sustainable livelihoods.

Drawing on an ‘enablers and constrainers’ of graduation framework, research was undertaken with households and communities to deepen understanding of their perceptions and experiences of graduation. Results were shared with regional and district officials, NGOs and donors, and subsequently published as a FAC working paper, and later in journal articles.

FAC’s research on social protection in Ethiopia has been one of a number of influences on thinking about graduation and has shaped FACs involvement in other research activity (with IFPRI and other donors) and in donor dialogue with government about modifications to existing and the design of future policy and programmes.

Source: FAC Evaluation, December 2014

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