This year’s World Food Day on 16 October underlines the importance of social protection programmes that boost local communities and contribute to a positive circle of economic growth, reduced poverty, improved food security and healthier lives.
A new report from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations entitled Social protection and agriculture describes how social protection programmes put families on a firmer financial footing, enabling them to increase their investments and engage in more profitable livelihoods, cushioning them against risks and shocks.
Social protection programmes also have benefits for people’s health, making them less vulnerable to infectious diseases such as tuberculosis and HIV. At the same time, people living with HIV are more likely to adhere to and benefit from treatment for the virus when they are well-nourished and secure.
A study in South Africa found that adolescent girls who received food as part of a social protection programme were 50% less likely to report taking part in transactional sex, while adolescents taking antiretroviral therapy were 61% more likely to continue taking their medicines if they had food security. Malnourished people living with HIV are two to six times more likely to die during the first six months of treatment.
“Effective social protection encourages food security, generates income for households and communities and, crucially, promotes healthier lives, reducing the risk of HIV infection and improving the benefits of treatment,” said Mariangela Simão, UNAIDS Director of Rights, Gender, Prevention and Community Mobilization.
HIV and tuberculosis are often present in regions and among people most susceptible to food insecurity. Both HIV and tuberculosis infection compound the impact of malnutrition on health by increasing nutritional needs. This cycle is often made worse by the impact of illness on household incomes.
As well as access to quality health-care services and effective social protection programmes, strong infrastructure, sustained credit lines and functioning markets all play a key role in building resilient economies and communities.
