Social safety nets for a nutrition-sensitive food system in South Asia: Lessons from India

Andaleeb Rahman

from International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI)

Abstract: Social protection programs in South Asia are essential for addressing poverty, undernutrition, and food insecurity but are constrained by limited coverage and weak implementation capacity. • India’s expansive welfare architecture — spanning food, nutrition, health, and livelihoods — and its political economy (genesis, design, and effectiveness) offer critical lessons for the region. • Maternal and child-related social protection must prioritize the nutritional content of food over calorie sufficiency. • Digital tools, critical to improving welfare delivery, must avoid the risk of exclusion through decentralization and stronger bureaucratic accountability. • Social protection must be framed as part of an economic security “system” and not treated as stand-alone schemes.

Keywords: social safety nets; food systems; social protection; welfare; digital technology; India; Asia; Southern Asia (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025-12
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:fpr:ifpric:178088

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