The interaction between social protection and agriculture: A review of evidence

Both agricultural interventions and social protection interventions are needed for combatting hunger and poverty among poor smallholder farmers. Yet, coordination between these two sectors is generally limited and, until recently, little attention has been paid to the interaction between them and how this potentially improves rural livelihoods. Our review analyses the empirical evidence on how social protection impacts agricultural production and how agricultural interventions reduce risks and vulnerability at the household and local economy levels. Most studies show that social protection can increase agricultural production while agricultural interventions can lower vulnerability. However, the availability of evidence is uneven across outcomes and developing regions. We conclude that existing evidence largely provides an empirical rationale for building synergies between social protection and smallholder agriculture.