Food Security and Social Protection in Sub-Saharan Africa

Food security in Sub-Saharan Africa remains a critical challenge, characterised by persistent undernourishment, frequent exposure to climatic shocks and fragile livelihoods. The concept encompasses four pillars: availability of sufficient food, economic and physical access to it, its nutritional utilisation, and stability of these conditions over time. In response, governments and development partners have scaled up social protection measures to strengthen resilience and buffer vulnerable households against food crises. These measures include cash and in-kind transfers, public works programmes and school feeding schemes, often targeting chronically food-insecure communities. Evidence indicates that well-designed interventions can smooth consumption, protect assets and foster incremental improvements in dietary diversity. However, programme effectiveness varies with transfer size, targeting accuracy, market integration and complementary services such as agricultural extension or health insurance. Integration across sectors, coherent national policies and adaptive delivery mechanisms have emerged as key factors in translating social protection into sustainable food security gains. Amid rapid urbanisation and protracted crises, there is growing recognition that both rural and urban populations require tailored approaches, blending short-term relief with longer-term livelihood support.

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Food Security and Social Protection in Sub-Saharan Africa publication trend

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Technical terms

Food security: A condition in which all people have physical, social and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food for an active and healthy life.

Social protection: Public measures, including transfers and services, designed to prevent or reduce poverty and vulnerability by enhancing people’s capacity to manage risks and shocks.

Cash transfer: Unconditional or conditional payments in cash provided to eligible households to support consumption smoothing, investment or access to basic services.

Dietary diversity: A measure of the variety of foods consumed over a reference period, used as a proxy for nutrient adequacy.

Productive Safety Net Programme (PSNP): A large-scale social protection intervention in Ethiopia combining public works and direct support to chronically food-insecure households to protect assets and foster resilience.

References

1. Cash for assets during acute food insecurity: an observational study in South Sudan. Agriculture & Food Security (2023).
2. Food security intervention mechanisms in the drought-prone rural areas of Tigray. Frontiers in Nutrition (2024).
3. Impact of urban productive safety net programme on poverty reduction and food security: Evidence from major cities of Eastern Ethiopia (Dire Dawa, Harar and Jigjiga). Food and Energy Security (2024).