The Impact of Urban Productive Safety Net Program on the Households' Food Security: The Case of Debre Tabor City Administration

Abstract

The Ethiopian government has initiated the Urban Productive Safety Net Program to address poverty and chronic food insecurity affecting urban households. This study aimed to evaluate the UPSNP's impact on food security in Debre Tabor City. Three-stage sampling techniques were used to determine the sample size for the study. In the first stage, the researcher purposely selected all three sub-cities. Next, households within these sub-cities were divided into two strata. Finally, primary data were collected from a total of 338 sample households out of the total 2,171 households eligible for the urban productive safety net program using simple random sampling. The analysis utilized both descriptive statistics and econometric tools. Propensity Score Matching (PSM) methods have been applied to carry out impact evaluation. In addition, the PSM result was shown in relation to the participation model by Estimated Propensity Score, where among 11 explanatory variables in logistic modeling, 9 are significant. Key findings reveal that marital status, credit access, training opportunities, employment status, income, and home ownership negatively influence participation in the UPSNP. In contrast, age, family size, and dependents positively affect participation. The results indicated that participation in the UPSNP program significantly increased food consumption scores, Average treatment effect on the treated (ATE) (4.62 weights) at the 5% significance level, suggesting that it improved household food security compared to non-beneficiaries. Improving the UPSNP requires specific support for vulnerable households, better access to credit, and more training opportunities. By applying these strategies, the UPSNP can greatly enhance food security and economic conditions for its beneficiaries. The urban productive safety net is a new policy intervention in Debre Tabor City administration, as it started implementation in 2022. This study is unique because it explores the impact of this intervention, focusing on the Debre Tabor City administration as one of the cities involved.