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Marco Knowles

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Papers by Marco Knowles

2018 Conference, July 28-August 2, 2018, Vancouver, British Columbia, 2018

Journal of Development Studies, Oct 8, 2017

Global Food Security, Sep 1, 2016

Abstract Both agricultural interventions and social protection interventions are needed for comba... more Abstract 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.

Oxford University Press eBooks, Dec 20, 2007

RePEc: Research Papers in Economics, Oct 13, 2004

Global Food Security, Mar 1, 2018

Abstract Social protection programmes have expanded rapidly in many developing regions over the p... more Abstract Social protection programmes have expanded rapidly in many developing regions over the past two decades, covering about 2.1 billion people. The evidence shows social protection not only has positive welfare impacts, it also stimulates productive activity among beneficiary households and the local economy. Most of the extreme poor live in rural areas, with agriculture an important part of their livelihoods and policies to promote agricultural growth being essential. Both social protection and agricultural policies are needed for poverty reduction. However, the synergies inherent between the two are not yet fully understood. We review some of the key issues related to maximizing synergies between social protection and agricultural policies: targeting, informal support systems, gender, institutional demand, impact evaluation and research priorities.

Empirical findings show that access to adequate and sufficient food in developing countries is un... more Empirical findings show that access to adequate and sufficient food in developing countries is unstable, suggesting that whether a household or individual is food secure at any point in time is best thought of in a dynamic sense. The more widely used food security analysis methods mainly consider current access to food, failing to provide policy makers with forward-looking information. While drawing on household survey data, the vulnerability analysis model presented here provides estimates of the probability that a given household will lose or gain access to sufficient food in the near future. We propose a model of vulnerability analysis that can improve policy design and targeting. We test the model with data from a survey of Nicaraguan households.

The Food Security and Agricultural Projects Analysis Unit (ESAF) of FAO has undertaken a number o... more The Food Security and Agricultural Projects Analysis Unit (ESAF) of FAO has undertaken a number of pilot studies to develop a methodology for understanding why certain groups of people are vulnerable to becoming food insecure. The studies use the sustainable livelihoods approach adopted for food security analysis and are primarily based on qualitative information collection. The objective of these studies is to inform policy and programming decisions for reducing vulnerability to food insecurity. Drawing from these experiences and those of other FAO units involved in similar work, this paper identifies key lessons learnt and makes recommendations for strengthening future work on food security and vulnerability analysis.