Impact of Productive Safety Net Program on Rural Household Dietary Diversity and Wealth: The Case of Misha Woreda, Hadiya Zone, Southern Region, Ethiopia

Abstract

Chronic food insecurity is one of the main problems which affected millions of Ethiopians for centuries. To solve this problem, the government of Ethiopia has been undertaking different programs incluiding Productive Safety Net Program. This study was conducted to evaluate the impact of productive safety net program on households’ food security and asset building in Misha Woreda of Hadiya Zone, Southern Nations Nationalities and People’s region, Ethiopia. It was intended to identify the factors affecting participation in productive safety net program and evaluate impacts of Productive Safety Net program on household food security and asset building. A two stage sampling technique was employed to select 155 households from four kebeles. Both primary and secondary data sources were used in the study. Primary data was collected from household heads through semi-structured interview schedule. In addition, data collected from different secondary sources were used. Data was analysed by using both descriptive statistics and Propensity Score matching method. Results from descriptive statistics indicated that program beneficiary households’ asset and dietary diversity intake have increased due to program participation. The logistic regression estimation of Propensity Score Matching result showed that age of household, dependency ratio, education level, land size, off/non-farm income, sex of household head, and livestock ownership were the variables that significantly affected the participation of households in Productive Safety Net Program. Furthermore, the impact estimation result showed that, the program intervention had positive and significant impact on household food security and asset building as participating households’ dietary diversity intake on average increased by 31% and the asset increased by 38%. Thus, the study suggests that the program should be encouraged by the government and other concerned bodies’ inorder to benefit other nonparticipant resource poor households in future