Public Works as Public Goods Ethiopia PSNP Team South-South Learning Forum 2010 14-18 June 2010
Part I Introduction to PSNP by Berhanu WMi W.Michael
Background: Food Insecurity and Vulnerability in Ethiopia Eh Ethiopia was traditionally associated with drought A 1999/2000 Poverty Assessment indicated that 42% of population p live below the poverty level; Some 75% of population rely on subsistence farming on small plots, frequently consisting of environmentally degraded land; Prior to recent upswings, long-term per capita food production has generally been in decline
Trends Population growth Decline in average farm size Significant environmental degradation Increased climatic variability, including flooding Health risks esp. malaria and HIV
Population in Ethiopia from 1900 to 2006, with projections backward to 1600, and forward to 2100, respectively 140.00 million Population in 120.0 100.0 80.0 60.0 40.0 20.0 0.0 1600 1700 1800 1900 2000 2100 Year
Land degradation 50% of highland hl area considered d significantly ifi eroded d 1.5 billion tons of top soil is lost annually due to soil erosion 30,000000 ha of farmland lost due to land degradation annually 30 kg nitrogen and 20 kg Phosphorus lost per hectare 62,000 ha/yr of deforestation
Emergency food aid For two decades Government launched frequent national emergency appeals But aid was unpredictable, and often late So households still sold assets to survive
Between 1996 and 2006 the number of people Between 1996 and 2006, the number of people requiring emergency food aid was rising.
As the numbers rose Vulnerable l households h tended to slide deeper into poverty Rural growth tended to stagnate
FSP The Government of Ethiopia launched a large scale consultation process to prepare, The New Coalition for Food Security, in 2003 Since 2003, the program has been under implementation PSNP was a result of this process
FSP has Four Components 1. Productive Safety Net Programme (PSNP) 2. Household Asset Building Programme (HABP) 3. Resettlement 4. Complementary Community Investment (CCI)
Objective of PSNP To provide transfers to the food insecure households in chronically food insecure woredas in a way that prevents asset depletion at the household level and creates asset at the community level. Two ways of effecting transfers: Labour-intensive Public Works (PWs), Direct Support
PSNP PSNP is a multi-donor funded d program designed to address short-term consumption gaps of chronically food insecure households through the provision of multi year predictable resources.
Nine donors World Bank CIDA DFID EC Irish Aid USAID World Food Programme SIDA Royal Netherlands Embassy
The PSNP Timetable Phase I: 2005 2006 Phase II: 2007 2009 Phase III: 2010 2014 Lessons learned from PSNP, which will be launched during this event, can be referred further.
Part II Public Works
Features of Public Works Eligible ibl beneficiaries i i are identified d each year: those who have repeatedly required food aid Public Works develop sustainable community assets They improve the natural resource base and the social infrastructure Ultimately, aimed at developing the watersheds thereby increasing productivity and improving livelihoods
Typical Public Works Sub-projects Soil & Water Conservation (SWC): Bunds, terraces, area closure, gully control, Tree plantation Water sub-projects: Ponds, hand-dug d wells, spring development, SSI Rural Roads Social infrastructures: School, health posts, Farmers Training Centers
Soil and Water Conservation Sub-projects Pond Construction
School Construction Health Post Construction
Roads and bridges
The Pattern of Watershed Development Level of Watershed Development Cumulative Impacts - Environmental transformation Degraded watershed Year 6/28/2010 24
Moving up the curve Reducing soil loss Reducing sedimentation Increasing woody biomass Improved access to markets Better health, education Cumulative impacts reaching a critical mass
Half-way up the Curve
Watershed Rehabilitation
Recent Achievements Examples in Annual Program Soil and Water Conservation 167,150 ha of Area Closure 276,186 kms bunds (Soil + Stone) 163,310 kms terrace More than 880 million seedling gp plantation, etc Small - scale irrigation 412 rivers diverted Rural roads constructed 23,736 km of rural roads constructed Social Infrastructure 2077 school constructed/ rehabilitated 232 health h post constructed
Public Works Planning PW planning is carried out by each community, based on Community- based Participatory Watershed Development principles p (CBPWSD) Community planning is facilitated by Min of Agriculture s Development Agents (DAs) Project technical designs are carried out by DAs and district i t government staff Public Works plans are integrated into the overall district planning framework
Why should the Public Works program succeed where its predecessor failed? There are key differences between the present program and the earlier Food for Work program: 1. Predictable and guaranteed funding for PSNP 2. The program operates at scale 3. The program promotes Holistic Environmental Transformation 4. Community Ownership 5. 20% budget to cover non-labour costs 6. Continuous training i at all levels l 7. Monitoring and Evaluation
Early Indicators of Success Rapid regeneration of both grasses and trees, leading to: forage and biomass production, Reduction in soil loss Reduction in flooding
In 2005.. and in 2008
Reforestation
Water harvesting Increased recharge in downstream areas More water for irrigation, livestock and human use
Check dams for water harvesting
Road and bridges Constructed by PSNP found to be useful Bridge
Impact Capacity Building 55% of beneficiaries trained in soil and water technologies 47% have already applied their knowledge on their own land
Small-scale Irrigation 77% of respondents reported imporved income due to irrigation 3% reported surplus produce for the market Improved farm practices, skills development and crop diversification and intensification
Education Impacts 80% of respondents have children attending a PSNP school 23% reported that they have children attending school who did not attend before Old school New school
Farmers Training Centers (FTCs) Positive impacts of FTC training noted in: Water harvesting, Improved agricultural practices Afforestation
Health 83% of respondents reported that there is a PSNP health post in their community
Economic Returns on Investment Watershed Benefit:Cost Econ IRR Bala, Tigray 1.39 16% Ganga, Amhara 2.6 44% Debaso, Oromia 123 1.23 11% Mofogna Kotico, SNNPR 1.69 24%
In conclusion: The PW programme is not just Food for work, or a government employment scheme. The PW programme is part of the solution to chronic food insecurity it that t the PSNP is designed to address.
Lesson learned: Placing the responsibility for the PW component under the Natural Resources Management Directorate achieves: Better management and coordination of the PW program Improved quality, performance, impact and sustainability of the PW Clear responsibility for PW programme Increased engagement of the Natural Resources sector and increase their scope of its involvement Increased focus on the development dimensions of the PSNP
Division of Responsibilities Food Security Remains responsible for managing Safety Net resources, including provision i of labour for executing the Public Works Natural Resources Takes overall responsibility for Public Works planning, capacity-building, implementation, monitoring, effectiveness and compliance with all necessary procedures 6/28/2010 46
Lessons learned: Inter-Sector Coordination can be a challenge
One solution: Regional Technical Coordinating Committees Established Coordination of different sectors and other stakeholders such as NGOs in the Public Works programme
A Typical Technical Coordinating Committee: Rural roads Food Security Education Health Women affairs Water EPA Dept of Agricultural Extension Implementing NGOs
Lesson Learned: h d d There is a need to ensure coordination with other programmes and projects