Food security and safety nets 

My research on food security and safety nets has mostly been carried out in Ethiopia, a country that suffered from severe droughts and famines in the 1970s and 1980s. With a high population growth after that the country and its people still faces severe threats due to climatic risks, and safety nets play a vital role protecting against human disasters. At the same time markets and infrastructure have been improved and the way forward will require a green revolution to increase the land productivity in an increasingly land scarce environment. Climate change and increasing global food prices may also increase the pressures on these safety nets and their financial basis.

The research includes studies of safety nets and their impacts drawing on household panel data and bio-economic modelling to explore the consequences of alternative policies, new technologies, demographic changes, land degradation and climatic shocks.

Some recent publications:

Legesse Debela, B. and Holden, S. T. (2014). How Does Ethiopia’s Productive Safety Net Program Affect Livestock Accumulation and Children’s Education?. CLTS Working Paper No. 8/2014. Centre for Land Tenure Studies, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Aas, Norway.

Legesse Debela, B. Shively, G. and Holden, S. T. (2014). Does Ethiopia's Productive Safety Net Program Improve Child Nutrition? CLTS Working Paper No. 1/2014. Centre for Land Tenure Studies, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Ås, Norway.

Ghebru, H. and Holden, S. T. (2013). Links between Tenure Security and Food Security: Evidence from Ethiopia. CLTS Working Paper No. 2/2013. Centre for Land Tenure Studies, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Ås, Norway.

Bezu, S. and Holden, S. T. (2008). Can Food-for-Work Encourage Agricultural Production? Food Policy 33(5): 541-549.

See: Abstract

Holden, S. T., Barrett, C. and Hagos, F. (2006). Food-for-Work for Poverty Reduction and Promotion of Sustainable Land Use: Can it Work? Environment and Development Economics 11, 15-38. See: Abstract. Paper

Holden, S. T., Shiferaw, B. and Pender, J. (2006).Policies for Poverty Reduction, Sustainable Land Management and Food Security – A Bio-economic Model with Market Imperfections.  In J. Pender, F. Place and S. Ehui (eds.), Strategies for Sustainable Land Management in the East African Highlands. International Food Policy Research Institute, Washington, D. C.

See: Paper

Holden, S. T., Shiferaw, B. and Pender, J. (2005). Policy Analysis for Sustainable Land Management and Food Security – A Bio-economic Model with Market Imperfections. Research Report 140. International Food Policy Research Institute, Washington D. C. See: Abstract and Full Report

Barrett, C., Holden, S. and  Clay, D. (2005). Can Food-For-Work Programs Reduce Vulnerability? In S. Dercon, (ed.), Insurance Against Poverty. Oxford University Press, Oxford.

See: Book. Chapter

Holden, S. T. and Shiferaw, B. (2004). Land Degradation, Drought and Food Security in a Less-favoured Area in the Ethiopian Highlands: A Bio-economic Model with Market Imperfections. Agricultural Economics 30 (1): 31-49. See: Abstract