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This brochure highlights the important role that social protection has to play in addressing many of the barriers poor rural households face in building resilient and sustainable livelihoods. Despite progress in recent decades, 736 million people worldwide still live in extreme poverty. Most are in rural areas, possess few or no assets and depend on agriculture and the use of natural resources for their livelihoods. A number of programmes have demonstrated not only that social protection can have significant impacts on poverty, but also that even low-income countries can afford to provide it for their citizens, if they commit to doing so.

FAO has positioned social protection as a major element in its efforts to reduce rural poverty, respond to climate change, promote resilient livelihoods and achieve Zero Hunger.

Social protection spans the entire 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development architecture, from eradicating poverty and reducing income inequality, to increasing social inclusion, promoting gender equality and improving access to health, education and water. FAO is firmly committed to supporting countries in extending and scaling up social protection in order to build a future that leaves no one behind.