Social Protection

Policy Support

FAO works with governments and actors at the country level to integrate social protection into national rural development and food security strategies.

How? 

  • Developing a solid analytical base to help influence policy decisions on the expansion of social protection coverage to the rural areas, strengthening coherence between social protection, agriculture, food security and nutrition, and the role of social protection in building resilient livelihoods;
  • Integrating social protection perspectives into wider rural development, poverty reduction, food security and nutrition, natural resource management, resilience and climate change strategies, polices and plans;
  • Building strong partnerships at global, regional and national levels to advocate for the effective reach of the rural poor in all agricultural sub-sectors;
  • Widening the audience and scope of social protection agendas: facilitating dialogue between social and agriculture, natural resource management and resilience-related sectors.

Here are some of the highlights of FAO policy work at country level:

In West Africa and the Sahel (Burkina Faso, Chad, Niger and Senegal), FAO supports the governments in promoting stronger linkages between social protection and resilience building, particularly for vulnerable populations in rural areas.

In Malawi, in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), UNICEF and the World Food Programme (WFP), FAO is facilitating policy dialogue on strengthening the linkages between agriculture and social protection.

In Lebanon, FAO is facilitating dialogue between the ministries of Agriculture, Social Affairs and Labor, to ensure access to social protection for farmers and fisher folk.

In Lesotho, FAO is strengthening the links between agriculture and social protection by providing technical advice to the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security and the Ministry of Social Development in implementing the National Food Security Policy and the National Social Protection Strategy.

In Kyrgyzstan, FAO is working with the International Labour Organization (ILO) and other partners to establish a nationally defined social protection floor.