Impact of Productive Safety Net Program on Household Food Security: in Kenna Woreda, Konso Zone, Southern Ethiopia

Chronic food insecurity is one of the main problems which affected millions of Ethiopians for centuries. In 2005, to solve the problem of food insecurity and move away from the previous system of annual emergency appeals, the Ethiopian government in collaboration with development partners launched social protection program called productive safety net program. This study was conducted to identify factors affecting participation in productive safety net program and to evaluate its impact on household food security in Kenna Woreda, Konso zone, Southern Ethiopia. Multi-stage sampling techniques were used to select 264 households with equal number of beneficiary and non- beneficiary of the productive safety net program. The study used both primary and secondary data sources. The primary data was collected using structured questionnaire. Relevant secondary data also reviewed. The descriptive statistics and an econometric model propensity score matching has been applied to evaluate the impact of the productive safety net program on household food security. A Logit model were used to analysis potential covariate variables affecting household participation in productive safety net program. The result indicated that, participation in productive safety net program were negatively influenced by livestock holding, credit, and cultivated land size. Whereas, positively influenced by shock experience, and agricultural extension. The propensity score matching resulted in matching 125 control households with 130 treated households. In other words, matching comparison based on outcome variables (Calorie intake and total household income) were performed on these households who shared similar pre-intervention characteristics except participation in the program. Result of the average treatment effect on treated (ATT) shows that as compared to non-beneficiary households the program intervention increase the beneficiary household calorie intake and total income by 12.36 percent (244.86 Kcal/AE/Day) and 36.5 percent(1894.25 ETB), respectively. This shows that program has brought significant change on household calorie intake and total income and hence to be encourage in the future. Therefore, the development intervention should give emphasis on the improvement of the benefit to the program beneficiary