FOOD SECURITY
Concepts, Basic Facts,
and Measurement Issues
June 26 to July 7, 2011
Dhaka, Bangladesh
Kazal 5f:
Options for Raising Entitlements &
Reducing Vulnerability in Bangladesh
Learning: Trainees will learn about existing
entitlements to social protection and
available safety net programs in Bangladesh.
Evaluating policy options in raising total
entitlements and reducing vulnerability will
be considered on the basis of a number of
key planning and policy documents of
Bangladesh.
Brief Contents
• social protection framework and interventions
• targeted social protection interventions
• risk reduction, risk mitigation and risk coping
measures
• social protection and the PRSPs
• social safety net programs in Bangladesh
• policies and institutional measures for reducing
vulnerability and poverty
• key challenges and policy options for reducing
vulnerability and poverty
Social protection and Social Safety Nets
Social protection is defined by the World Bank as “public interventions
to assist individuals, households, and communities better manage
risk, and to provide support to the critically poor” (Holzmann and
Jørgensen 2000:2).
“Social protection refers to the public actions taken in response to
levels of vulnerability, risk and deprivation which are deemed socially
unacceptable within a given polity or society” (Norton, Conway and
Foster 2002:543).
This definition is fairly similar to the World Bank’s, which emphasizes
the two elements of risk management (social insurance), and support
to the chronically poor (social assistance):
Social protection and Social Safety Nets
Social safety nets aimed simply at “raising the consumption of the
poor through publicly provided transfers”, but more recently the
focus has shifted to “helping low-income households cope with
income fluctuations as well” (Morduch and Sharma 2002:569).
The World Bank identifies “two compelling reasons for using public
transfers to reduce risk: one is that the poor are often more
susceptible to variations in income and less able to withstand
shocks and the other is that some form of insurance may allow
them to take on the greater risk that leads to higher long-term
income” (Smith and Subbarao 2003:12).
Social protection and Social Safety Nets
Three key elements of social protection
 Vulnerability
 unacceptable levels of deprivation and
 public action
Social protection framework and interventions
A framework for social protection analysis and interventions
Vulnerability
Categories
Affected Groups
Category of
Interventions
Types of Programs
Chronically
Poor
•Severely disabled
•Terminally ill
•Ethnic minorities
•Urban unemployed
•Pastoralists
Social Assistance
•Disability benefit
•Single parent allowances
•Social pensions
•Food aid
•Food-for-work
Economically at
Risk
•Cash crop farmers
•Internally displaced persons
•Orphans
•Informal sector workers
•Widows and the Elderly
Social Insurance
•Formalized pensions
•Unemployment benefits
•Health insurance
•Maternity benefits
•Accident insurance
Socially
Vulnerable
•Ethnic minorities
•People living with AIDS
•Victims of domestic abuse
•People with disabilities
•Female-headed households
•Abducted children
Social Equity
•Sensitisation campaigns
•Changes to regulatory
framework to protect
vulnerable and minority
groups against
discrimination and abuse
•Operationalising economic,
social and cultural rights
Targeted social protection interventions in Bangladesh
Social protection interventions can be designed to address
one or more of three broad objectives: risk reduction, risk
mitigation, and risk coping
Social risk management matrix
Arrangements and
strategies
Risk reduction
Risk mitigation
-portfolio
Informal
Market-based
Public
*migration to less drought *food market
prone areas
integration
*disaster prevention
infrastructure
*drought resistant
*micro-finance
varieties; multiple activities
*research and
extension regarding
drought resistant
varieties
*mandating insurance,
including old age
pensions payments
-insurance
*marriage/family
*rainfall and commodity price based
insurance
Risk coping
*sale of assets
*consumption credits
*sending children to work
*public works
Social protection and the PRSPs
A strong and expanded social safety net program (SSNP) is the main emphases of
Vision 2021, which will protect the poor from all sorts of social, economic
and natural shocks.
The social safety net includes all kinds of cash and kind transfers to the poor, all
welfare activities, unemployment benefits for retrenched workers, subsidized
health care, shelters for the homeless, and pension benefits, which prevent
individuals from falling into poverty.
The major goals of SSNPs in PRSPs are:
(i) achieving the protection of all types of poor people and the prevention of
chronic poverty as well as transient poverty. It will target the extreme poor
first;
(ii) the government will encourage NGOs, CBOs and the private sector to
augment their role and contributions to expand the social safety net; and
(iii) attempts will be made to increase coverage through increased budgetary
allocation each year.
Social protection and the PRSPs
Poverty Reduction Strategy Framework
Social protection and the PRSPs
Social protection and the PRSPs
Social protection and the PRSPs
Monitoring and Evaluation Indicators
Social safety net programs in Bangladesh
Bangladesh has a wide spectrum of social safety net programs. There are 30
specifically designed social safety net programs directly operated by the
Government of Bangladesh. In addition to these, there are 15 funds to provide
further assistance to improve the overall condition of the poor.
At least a number of 13 ministries are engaged in the planning and implementation of
these projects. These include:
•Ministry of Social Welfare
•Ministry of Women and Child Affairs
•Ministry of Liberation Affairs
•Ministry of Food and Disaster
Management
•Ministry of Local Government
•Ministry of Agriculture
• Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock
•Ministry of
Affairs
•Ministry of
•Ministry of
Education
•Ministry of
•Ministry of
•Ministry of
•Ministry of
Chittagong Hill Tracts
Education
Primary and Mass
Finance
Health and Family Planning
Commerce
Labor and Manpower
In addition to these ministries, the Bangladesh Bank and Palli Karma-Sahayak
Foundation (PKSF) are also operating social safety net programs.
Social safety net programs in Bangladesh
Budget 2010-11, 2010-11 (Revised) Budget 2011-12
(A.1) Cash Transfer (Allowances) Programmes & Other
Activities:
(A.2) Cash Transfer (Special) Programme
(B) Food Security Programmes: Social Protection
(C.1) Micro-Credit Programmes: Social Empowerment
(C.2) Miscellaneous Funds: Social Empowerment
C.3) Miscellaneous Funds: Social Empowerment
(C.4) New Fund: Social Protection
(D) Development Sector Programmes: Social Empowerment
D.1 Running Development Programmes
D. 2 New Development Programmes
Major food social safety net programs in
Bangladesh
Open Market Sales (OMS). Essentially a self-targeted food subsidy
scheme in urban areas, when operational, it allows any person queuing
up for a fixed amount o f food grain per day at a fixed price, which i s
lower than the prevailing market price.
Test Relief (TR) Food. Test Relief i s administered by the Ministry
o f Food and Disaster Management. It operates much like the
Government’s Food for Work program. Participants are largely selfselecting, with wages and labor requirements set to discourage the
non-poor from participating. Workers are paid approximately 3.5
kilograms o f rice or wheat for every day o f work.
Major social safety net programs in Bangladesh
Gratuitous Relief (GR) for Food. Administered by Union Parishads (the lowest
unit o f local Government) together with central Government officials based
at the Upazila (sub-district), this scheme provides immediate food grants to
households following disasters.
Food Assistance in CTG-Hill Tracts Area. This program operates in three
districts of the Chittagong Hill Tracts area. The program i s targeted to ultra
poor women who get 3.5 kilograms o f rice or wheat on a daily basis for 30
days for doing public work.
Food for Works (FFW). FFW operates in rural areas. This fiscal year the
program will provide employment at a cost of Taka 5.84 billion for food. The
beneficiaries are generally women selected by Union Parishad who must be fit
and willing to participate in the training provided and in the infrastructure
projects in the area. The work includes planting trees, digging canals, building
embankments, developing ponds, road building and road maintenance.
Major social safety net programs in Bangladesh
Vulnerable Group Development (VGD). This program assists about 750,000
women with a provision o f 30 kilogram of rice or wheat. These women are
enrolled in two-year cycle. In collaboration with NGOs, it provides food for
the poor as well as training for life-skills and for developing the skills needed
to undertake income generation activities.
Vulnerable Group Feeding (VGF). Until recently the largest safety net
program in the country, VGF i s a means-tested program designed to provide
food resources to a selected number of women in a period of distress.
Usually, the women selected by the Chairman of the Union Parishad receive a
card that entitles them to a given amount o f grain a month for a period o f
two months. Each VGF card holder is entitled to 10 kilograms o f rice per
month.
Major social safety net programs in Bangladesh
Vulnerable Group Development (VGD). This program assists about 750,000
women with a provision o f 30 kilogram of rice or wheat. These women are
enrolled in two-year cycle. In collaboration with NGOs, it provides food for
the poor as well as training for life-skills and for developing the skills needed
to undertake income generation activities.
Vulnerable Group Feeding (VGF). Until recently the largest safety net
program in the country, VGF i s a means-tested program designed to provide
food resources to a selected number of women in a period of distress.
Usually, the women selected by the Chairman of the Union Parishad receive a
card that entitles them to a given amount o f grain a month for a period o f
two months. Each VGF card holder is entitled to 10 kilograms o f rice per
month.
Major social safety net programs in Bangladesh
Budget allocation in social safety net
programs
Bangladesh Safety Net Programs: Objective
and Beneficiary Selection Criteria
Bangladesh Safety Net Programs: Objective and
Beneficiary Selection Criteria
Bangladesh Safety Net Programs: Objective
and Beneficiary Selection Criteria
Bangladesh Safety Net Programs: Objective
and Beneficiary Selection Criteria
Bangladesh Safety Net Programs: Objective and
Beneficiary Selection Criteria
Bangladesh Safety Net Programs: Objective and
Beneficiary Selection Criteria
Policies and institutional measures for
reducing vulnerability and poverty
The Policy Framework
Poverty in Bangladesh needs to be addressed through different
channels. The strategic elements of anti-poverty policies and
institutions cover four broad avenues.
 The first set of policies expands the scope for pro-poor economic
growth for increasing income and employment of the poor.
 The second fosters human development of the poor.
 The third provides social safety net to the poor against various
anticipated and unanticipated income (consumption) shocks.
 The fourth set favorably influences participatory governance and
enhances voice of the poor by strengthening women’s
empowerment, by improving the performance of the existing antipoverty institutions and by removing the institutional hurdles that
stand in the way of social mobility of the poor.
Policies and institutional measures for reducing
vulnerability and poverty
A. Increasing Pro-Poor Economic Growth
 Macroeconomic Stability : The strategy of non-inflationary pro-poor
economic growth requires a stable macroeconomic framework.
 New Technology for Agricultural Growth : Agricultural growth may be
encouraged through various policies, ranging from new technology to credit
for small farmers.
 Agricultural Diversification : Crop diversification with considerable
potentials for employment generation has failed to take off in Bangladesh.
 Credit Access : If the poor had access to credit, they could have financed
educational expenses of their children as a way of climbing out of poverty.
 Rural Non-Farm Activities and Urban-Rural Links : Rural non-farm
activities have played an important role in generating new sources of
employment for the poor, but the productivity growth in the sector has been
modest.
 Road, Power and Telecommunication
 Technology Policy
Policies and institutional measures for reducing
vulnerability and poverty
B. Increasing Human Development of the Poor
Human Development
First, considerable quantitative expansion of education, health and
nutrition
Second, the introduction of National Nutrition Program (NNP) to
address the malnutrition of children under two as well as pregnant and
lactating mothers through the provision of food supplements,
nutrition and health counseling is a positive step to address the
problem
Third, incentives that are currently provided for enrollment of children
from the poor households as well as for girl’s education need to be
strengthened in the future.
Fourth, more emphasis needs to be given to vocational and technical
education, including dissemination of improved agricultural practices.
Policies and institutional measures for reducing
vulnerability and poverty
C. Strengthening Social Safety Nets
First, providing access to credit to the poor in times of emergency to ease the
burden of shocks, reduce distress sales and “negative” methods of coping.
Second, ensuring good public health services to reduce health hazard related
income and consumption shocks.
Third, strengthening disaster preventing and mitigating mechanisms to enhance
the coping capability of the poor in times of natural disasters.
D. Enhancing Participatory Governance
The first group of measures focuses on empowering the women.
The second group of measures relates to strengthening the system of good
governance, especially decentralization at the local level.
A third group of measures are also needed for building grassroots level
initiatives—outside the domain of local.
E. Policies and Institutions for Reducing Inequality
Key challenges and policy options for reducing
vulnerability and poverty
Incidence of Poverty in Bangladesh
Year
Upper Poverty Line
Lower Poverty Line
Rural
Urban
National
Rural
Urban
National
1991-1992
59.0
42.6
56.8
44.0
23.6
41.3
1995-1996
54.5
27.8
50.1
39.4
13.7
35.1
2000
52.3
35.2
48.9
37.9
19.9
34.3
2005
43.8
28.4
40.0
28.6
14.6
25.1
2010
35.2
21.3
31.5
21.1
7.7
17.6
BBS: Household Income and Expenditure Survey, various years
The overall incidence of poverty in the country has been
declining though the rate of decline is slow at less than 2 per
cent per year
Poverty Trends (Head Count Rates)
Upper Poverty Line
Lower Poverty Line
70
50
Headcount rate (%)
40
44
41.3
39.4
upper
37.9
25.1
23.6
20
21.1
19.9
17.6
14.6
13.7
10
7.7
0
1995-96
2000
Year
2005
30
20
5
1991-92
national
40
28.6
15
lower
50
34.3
30
25
national
60
35.1
35
lower
Headcount Rate (%)
45
upper
2010
10
0
1991-92
1995-96
2000
Year
2005
2010
Key challenges and policy options for reducing
vulnerability and poverty
Direct efforts to reduce poverty cover several routes e.g. capability–
raising of the poor by education, health and nutrition interventions;
targeted employment, and safety nets programs; and improvements
in non-material dimensions of well-being including gender gaps,
insecurity, powerlessness and social exclusion.
In short, the approach sets three broad imperatives in the fight against
poverty:
 First, opportunities for employment and productivity growth are
created so that incomes rise and the poor are able to move out of
poverty;
 Second, measures are put in place to ensure that access to basic
services is equitable so that the poor can benefit; and
 Third, special measures are taken to reduce the vulnerability of the
poor to unforeseen events and shocks.