Social protection coverage

Definition

The share of individuals in the total population from households where at least one member participates in a social protection and labor market program, including non-contributory social safety nets (e.g. cash transfers, school feeding), contributory social insurance (e.g. old-age pension, health insurance), and labor market programs (e.g. job training, unemployment insurance).

Relevance

Social protection supports food systems through demand and supply channels for both labor and food items. For example, social protection supports healthier diets when implemented in the form of school feeding, contains nutrition sensitive programming, or provides income support for increased consumption of nutrientdense foods, dietary diversity, and micronutrient intake. Cash transfers, especially when combined with skills development interventions and entrepreneurship support programs, may have positive impacts on supply of products from food systems, including through spurring entrepreneurship in nonfarming businesses and increasing the smallholder farmer productivity by providing a safety net to take risks and try new technologies or invest in assets or capital improvements.