creating an evidence base for safety net policy reform – implementing the transfer modality...

Better Prepared And Ready to Help

Emergency Preparedness Mission Nepal February 2011

Creating an Evidence Base for Safety Net Policy Reform – Implementing the Transfer Modality Research (rural)

Dhaka, 1 October 2014 – Evidence-Based Policy Options for

Food and Nutrition Security in Bangladesh

Christa Räder, WFP Representative



BUT

• 50 million poor, 25-30 million extreme poor

• 60 million food insecure, 30 million severely food insecure

• 41% of children <5 stunted, 36% underweight, 16% wasted

Country Context

• Sustained economic growth

• Poverty and food insecurity continue to decrease

• Economic growth alone is not enough; need pro-poor growth and investment in social protection

• Nutrition interventions in the first 1,000 days needed



Priorities for Social Safety Net Reform

Decrease the number and duplication of SSN programmes;

Move towards a life cycle based but yet poverty targeted Social Protection/Security Strategy;

Improve targeting and effectiveness, reduce leakage;

Move towards cash based transfer systems (electronic cash transfer systems);

Achieve better balance between different types of SSNs for rural and urban areas;

Establish advanced monitoring and evaluation systems;

Establish more effective disaster prevention and response;

Focus also on graduation out of extreme poverty;

Mainstream nutrition - nutrition sensitive SSNs – first 1,000 days.



Creating an Evidence Base: Transfer Modality Reseach Initiative

Provide evidence that can be used to enhance

the social safety net system in Bangladesh?Overall objective

Measure the impact and cost-effectiveness of different transfer modalities on (a) Household Income; (b) Household Food Security; (c) Child Nutrition (especially stunting)

Evaluate the process of delivering benefits; solicit feedback from participants

Specific objectives

Food or cash; combined with behaviouralchange communication (BCC) on nutrition

Explore different transfer modalities

Explore innovative approaches

Intensive Nutrition Training (BCC) Mobile banking for cash transfers

Which kinds of social safety net transfers are most effective for the

rural ultra poor?



Creating an Evidence Base: Testing different Transfer Modalities

Which kinds of social safety net transfers are most effective for the

rural ultra poor?

5 ‘arms’

Cash

Cash & Nutrition

BCC (North)

Food & Nutrition

BCC (South)

Food

Food & Cash

Baseline vs Endline (1 yr; 2 yrs) Process – delivery as planned?

Participants: Women with children < 2yrs



BCC: Nutrition Behavioural Change Communication

In two ‘arms’ 1,000 women with children < 2 years received intensive, holistic Nutrition training.

Transfers were conditional on the women’s engagement in the nutrition behavioural change communicationsessions.



Nutrition Behavioural Change Communication

1st year: all modules repeated twice - knowledge transfer

1. Overall importance of nutrition and diet diversity for health

2. Micronutrients: diversifying diets - Vitamin A

3. Micronutrients: diversifying diets - iron, iodine, and zinc

4. Feeding young children: breastfeeding

5. Feeding young children: complementary feeding

6. Maternal health care and nutrition

7. Hand-washing/hygiene for improving nutrition and health

Aim: to improve the nutritional status of small children

7 Modules

2nd year: participants led the

sessions



Improved Nutrition <2s

1. Primary Audience: mothers

2. Influential household members

3. Influential community members

Locally recruited Community Nutrition Workers (CNWs) delivered messages to:

Group Meeting

&2 HH visits/

month

Monthly Group Meetings

Monthly Group Meetings

Delivery Method



Delivery of transfers

Cash • transferred through mobile phone

Food•30 kg of rice;

•2 kg of mosur (red lentil) pulses; and

•2 kg of micronutrient fortified cooking oil

Food-cash combination

•50% food (15 kg of rice; 1 kg of mosurpulses; and 1 kg of fortified cooking oil)

•50% cash (750 taka)

The value of transfer per household was the same for each of the 5 transfer modalities: 1,500 taka ($18.75)/household/month

Transfers within the first week of the month Transfers to women only (the “mothers”)



TMRI upazilas in the northwest and the southern regions

Upazilas in:

2 districts in the North:• Rangpur• Kurigram

5 districts in the South:• Bagerhat• Bhola• Khulna• Patuakhali• Pirojpur

Total sample size: 500 clusters (villages) –randomly assigned to treatment arms and control - RCT5,000 households – 4,000 treatment and 1,000 control households



Implementation structure

Food and cash transfers at same time in all treatment arms

Maintain the standard of the transfer in each treatment arm

Ensured special packaging for food Distributed mobile phones to all women participants;

also to control group women Reviewed and reinforced BCC after initial period Kept the BCC groups separate from other groups Monitored food prices at local level – across ‘arms’ Checked for sale of food transfers



Implementation structure

Dedicated programme team in the WFP Country Office Sub-office involvement with dedicated assigned staff Strong partnership with NGO Active engagement of Government officials Technical Committee –chaired by Government centrally Close monitoring of implementation Continued follow-up on BCC with periodic assessment



Thank you!

creating an evidence base for safety net policy reform – implementing the transfer modality...

Documents

food insecure41

evidence base

evidencebased policy

safety net policy reform

nutrition security

bangladesh christa rder

wfp representative

powerpoint presentation