To support efforts aimed at combatting poverty and hunger, FAO and its partners have developed guidance material for strengthening coherence between agriculture and social protection. This includes a Framework for Analysis and Action and a Diagnostic Tool.

Why strengthen coherence between agriculture and social protection?

Despite recent progress, still today 1 billion people are poor and 800 million are hungry. Extreme poverty is concentrated in rural areas, and the rural poor largely rely on agriculture. In sub-Saharan Africa 66% of the income of poor small family farmers comes from agriculture.

In this context, agriculture and social protection can play complementary roles in combatting poverty and hunger. 

However, despite increasing recognition of the importance of coherent agricultural and social protection interventions, the full potential of the two domains in working together is not yet completely understood and exploited. 

Why use the Framework and the Diagnostic Tool?

By drawing from concrete country experiences the Framework presents the benefits of bringing together agriculture and social protection and identifies options for doing this at policy and programming levels. 

The Diagnostic Tool assists users in identifying existing linkages between agriculture and social protection interventions in a given country and how to strengthen them. The Tool can also help understand people’s experiences and perceptions of the linkages between the two sectors and how these linkages (or lack of them) affect their livelihoods.

Who should use this guidance material?

The documents are intended for use by Government officials, development partners and civil society organizations who play an active role in improving the welfare of poor family farmers by supporting the design and implementation of policies, programmes and advocacy activities. 

Download the documents