Overview

The Hunger Safety Net Program (HSNP) launched in Northern Kenya provides reliable cash transfers to poor

households. Given the considerable risk faced by households in the arid and semi-arid lands (ASAL) of Kenya,

theory and empirical evidence both suggest that there may be considerable value added from augmenting HSNP

with a productive safety net (PSN). The project evaluates the impact of both the HSNP and the PSN programs. The goal is to design interventions that

not only serve the immediate needs of vulnerable households, but also put them on a long-term path to asset

protection and improved productivity. The evaluation looks at households receiving both the HSNP and PSN

interventions, those receiving only one, and those households that are not involved in either program. This will help

inform the design of future cash transfer programs, and assess the utility of including PSN programs with them. The

project looks at standard headcount/poverty gap measures, as well as asset accumulation, child education and health,

and income and consumption to assess the household benefits of program participation.