Reference Document Nr. 14: Social Transfers in the fight against hunger

This Reference Document was prepared by Nicholas Freeland and Cécile Cherrier. Preparation was coordinated by Hervé Busschaert, Quality Manager in the Natural Resources Unit in Directorate E (Quality of Operations) of EuropeAid,  now Rural Development, Food Security and Nutrition Unit.

A European Commission Reference Document aims to deepen the understanding of a concept, develop knowledge, provide orientations for aid implementation, and present good practices (1). This Reference Document is intended as a resource to support the practical integration of social transfers into programmes addressing hunger in development cooperation and aims to build a better understanding of the potential role of social transfers in addressing food insecurity and, in particular, the logic behind the idea of social transfers within the access-to-food component. It seeks to take stock of good practices, experiences, and academic literature on social transfers in the fight against hunger and is based on a review of the international literature on social transfers, food security and social protection, as well as a number of case studies based on current EU Delegation and EU Member States’ interventions on social transfers.
This Reference Document is targeted primarily at development practitioners and aid administrators working within country teams — EU Delegations and offices of Member States. In addition, it is anticipated that the discussions likely to emerge from the guidance here may prove of use to national counterparts and other stakeholders. Where the EC or Member States have funds that are centrally planned and managed, this Reference Document can also be used by head office staff to explore how social transfers could be incorporated into the projects/programmes concerned. It is intended that this Reference Document offers background (terminology and basic features, arguments in favour of social transfers, field-level insights, etc.) for those who are not familiar with social transfers. It can also be a tool to stimulate and guide discussions for individuals already familiar with these types of interventions.

This Reference Document also contains references to a number of useful existing materials for readers who would like to deepen their knowledge on a specific topic. It is, therefore, a resource for practitioners to refer to when they require information on a particular topic: it is not intended to be read through like a report.

This document is currently available in EN only but a French version might be published at a later stage.