The Study on Opportunities and Challenges of Productive Safety Net Program/PSNP/ in Southern Ethiopia: A Case Study of Three Selected Woreda’s in Wolaita Zone

The study discussed the opportunities and challenges of Productive Safety Net Programme in three selected districts in Wolaita zone, Ethiopia. The study utilized cross sectional survey research design to attain the objectives. Primary and secondary data were used and analyzed by using SPSS, version 20. Sample size determined by using Cochran formula (Cochran 1963:75) and 374 households selected using multistage sampling techniques. According to the study, the major opportunities of the programme to poor households are saving life of poor households, economic changes at household and community level, the changes in social inclusion, gender equality and community health and nutrition. The key challenges of the PSNP are targeting, cash transfer problems, and low economy base of the poor households, low graduation performance and weak management of appeals. The study proposed the way forward to enhance the opportunities and to minimize the challenges faced at the implementation stage of the programme.

transitorily food insecure. The programme provides cash and/or food transfers to these households (MOArd, 2014).
The food security problem in Ethiopia has been outsized degree which was addressed by annual emergency food aid from different worldwide development agencies. Nowadays Ethiopia has more than 10 million poorest household across the country those who need both chronic and temporal food insecurity (World Bank Report 2018).The fundamental reason behind the program was to provide cash for food insecure people with direct support beneficiaries and public work during agricultural slack seasons, in doing so preventing them from selling productive assets and enhancing their livelihoods. (Andersson, Mekonnen et.al, 2011) Donors and the government of Ethiopia agreed to involve for the success of the program to attain its objectives. While entering into the implementation stage, the programme encountered some factors affect the implementation of the program. The factors that hampered the program were capacity, ideologies of graduation and dependency and timeliness of transfers and donor funding (Brown and Teshome, 2007). In the same idea Fiseha 2014 explained the other problem or challenge that faces implantation of the program was inadequate financial resources. As result, a small number of beneficiaries were allowed to participate in the program. According to Mohamed (2017), accessibility of assets has influence on the government strategies to be under taken. Besides, study results indicate that geographical location, administrative (selection mechanism used for eligible household), and exclusion of poor with inclusion of rich, weak institutional linkages and lack of active community participation in the decision making process were the challenges for the program (Fekadu and Ignatius, 2009).
According to the Teshome (2013), some of the challenges of the program were targeting of beneficiaries and inability to distinguish between acute and chronic food insecurity at grassroots level, application of single wage rate at national level, lack of the capacity to manage, unprecedented amount of cash flowing into the district and linkage problem at grassroots level. The challenges that face PSNP implementation were inclusion and exclusion of beneficiaries, poor conservation, and limitation of awareness of beneficiaries, linkage problem of officials, lack of manpower in remote areas, lack of monitoring and evaluation of locally constructed infrastructures for their sustainability (Welteji et al., 2017).
Wolaita Zone is one of implementing zone of Ethiopian productive safety program in Southern Ethiopia; the numbers of total clients in the zone are 199,999. But the implementation of Productive Safety net program has its own opportunities and challenges. (Wolaita Zone Food Security Department, 2016) The major opportunities of this programme are labor based humanitarian aid (direct and public works transfers); the program beneficiaries encompass access of getting money by participating in public work projects such as Water shade development management, community development projects such as sustainable land management, small rural road constructions, and capital budget projects such as community pond development, Farmers training centers (FTCs) developments, small Water spring developments works, ,School maintenance and Health post construction are the major opportunities of the program in wolaita the zone. The program has also other opportunities in order to change poor households' livelihood. These are access to get finance through MFIs, RUSSACOs and VSLAs, ease of doing rural business through prepared income generating activities/IGAs), Skill training to poor households on Business plan, financial management, are the major opportunities of the programme in the zone.
Major Challenges of the programme implementation includes weak targeting system, payment problems (timeliness, unknown deductions), low level of graduation, and attitudes for adaptation of poverty on poor households due to low economy bases and less using appeal request system and its management. This study was designed to assess the opportunities and challenges of the productive Safety Net Programme in three selected districts in Wolaita zone, Ethiopia.
According to the study of Gilligan et al. 2008, the Ethiopian government and a consortium of donors (including the World Bank, U.S. Agency for International Development, Canadian International Development Agency, and several European donors) launched a new social protection program called the Productive Safety Net Program (PSNP). With an annual budget of nearly US$ 500 million, the PSNP is a huge program, reaching more than 7.5 million Ethiopians (Gilligan et al. 2008).  (2014) indicates that PSNP has positive impact through preventing households from selling productive assets; facilitating new investment, income increase, reductions in stunting and an increase in household food provisions, infrastructure as well as food security for households. Hence, it has improved food security, use of educational and health services and agricultural productivity. PSNP has positive effect on consumption, livestock holdings and productive assets of the household as indicated by Gebresilassie (2014). The participation of household in PSNP has positive and statistically significant effect on food consumption and on their livelihood (Mohamed, 2017). The PSNP has positive effect on the participant household. Therefore, that it helps beneficiaries for consumption smoothing and asset accumulation (Welteji et al., 2017). According to Debela and Holden ( 2014), the PSNP has positive effect on children through providing short-term nutritional benefits. However, some scholars conclude that PSNP has negative impact on the rural community (. Some of the negative consequences of the PSNP program were developing sense of dependency syndrome (Hayalu, 2014). According to Mamo (2011), household failed to enhance asset accumulation if they are incorporated under PSNP. According to the earlier researchers (Beshir, 2011; Gilligan et al., 2009; Sabates-Wheeler and Devereux, 2010), PSNP has negative effect on welfare/asset building and consumption. Adimassu and Kessler (2013) reported that PSNP has also negative effect on soil erosion control measures.

The Study Area
Wolaita zone is located in southern Ethiopia , between 6.4°-7.1°N and 37.4o° -38.20°E geographical position and 360 Km south of Addis Ababa, capital of Ethiopia. The zone is one of the thirteen zonal administrative structures in south regional state of Ethiopia, covering an area of 4471.3 Km 2 (BoFED, SNNPRS, 2010). The zone is divided into sixteen woredas (districts) six town administrations.
Source: Areal Map developed by the researcher: 2020 The total population of the zone is estimated about 1,907,079 with average density 385 inhabitants per square kilometers (CSA, 2017) being is one of densely populated areas in Ethiopia.

Research Design
As part of the study to address the stated objectives a cross sectional household survey was used since Cross sectional survey enables to effectively manage and collect the data collection. According to LeUnes(2002), Survey study is preferable to undertake research employing large numbers of people or respondents questions their perception, characteristics and opinions towards a specific issue. Triangulation has been employed for it helps to increase the reliability of the results by comparing the data obtained from one source with the other sources.

Target population
The study area consists of the total population of 48,203 public work beneficiaries and 14,873 HHs in the productive safety net program /PSNP/of the three study districts. Therefore, the total population of the study covers three districts public work clients/beneficiaries/ those who are registered in the monthly payroll and attendance spread sheet (PASS).

Sampling Design and Procedure
This study mainly focuses on the opportunities and challenges of PSNP in rural community. The three districts (Sodo Zuria, D/Gale and B/sore) were purposely selected the study among 16 districts in the wolaita zone. The study covers different stages to collect the sample size. Due to large size area multi-stage sampling was used. Multistage sampling used because the research applied at different stages i.e. at Zone,Woreda(districts) and kebelle levels. The key challenges of the program were presented by focused group discussion members (5-10).Nine (9) focus group discussions (FDGs) were selected and one from each kebelle's were prepared and named by codes.

Sample size
To achieve the objectives of the study 9(nine) kebeles were purposely chosen from the three districts. According to Cochran (1963:75) developed the equation to yield a representative sample for proportions of large sample. Since the numbers of productive safety net program clients are more than 10,000 in the three districts, we can use the sample size formula (Cochran 1963:75) mp Which is valid where n0 is the sample size, Z 2 is the abscissa of the normal curve with 95% confidence level and 5% precision e is the desired level of precision, p is the estimated proportion of an attribute by assuming p=.5 (maximum variability)that is present in the population, and q is 1-p. The value for Z is 1.96 which is found in statistical tables which contain the area under the normal curve. By using the above formula, we have; Using infinite population sample size determination formula the total numbers of samples included in the study were = 384. Since the study targeted three districts PSNP clients, the study used finite population sample size Developing Country Studies www.iiste.org ISSN 2224-607X (Paper) ISSN 2225-0565 (Online) Vol. 10, No.4, 2020 determination formula (Cochran 1963:75), we have:

Data types, Sources and Analysis
The data collection method relied on primary data which has been collected mainly through FGDs, interviews and open and closed ended questionnaires. Secondary data are: program documents, manuals, reports, proclamations, profiles, and statically data and other national and international reviews. Data was analyzed by using SPSS 20 version, the responses of the participants was analyzed by using tables, frequency, percentages, mean and standard deviations.

Questionnaire response rate
Three hundred seventy four (374) questionnaires were distributed across the three districts. Out of which 352 were completed and retrieved successfully, representing 94.12% response rate.  Table 4.1.represents the socio-demographic characteristics of productive safety net program beneficiaries in the three selected districts in wolaita zone, Ethiopia. Accordingly, the age of respondents from the 352 respondents, (202)57.39 % were under age group of 35-44 years, and (102)28.98% were under age group of 25-35 years. The age category under 46-60 were 11.93% and above 60 were few in number (1.70%). From the table information, we can conclude that the major households were at the age range of 35-44(57%) years groups and the least age is 1.7% with age range of above 60.When we see the gender composition of the study the majority of the respondents were males (59.09%) and the remaining 40.91% were females.

Socio -Demographic characteristics of PSNP Households
The table also presents the educational status of the poor households, 43.18% of the respondents were illiterate, 36.93% attended primary education and the remaining 15.35% and 4.55% were secondary and diploma holders respectively. The majority (78.41%) of the respondents were married, large percentage of the households (50.57%) hold the family size range of 4-6, followed by the range of 1-4(29%) and 20% of the respondents have = Developing Country Studies www.iiste.org ISSN 2224-607X (Paper) ISSN 2225-0565 (Online) Vol. 10, No.4, 2020 more than six family members.81% of the respondents have less than 0.25hectare farmland, 12%,7% have hectares of 0.25-0.5 and 0.5-0.75 hectares. This shows most of the poor households selected in safety net programme have less than 0.25 hectares. This data implies that low farmland is one the challenge that made them to stay at the poorness altitude.

Analysis of Opportunities of PSNP
This section analyzes Household and Community level Economic and Social opportunities of the productive safety net program opportunities indicators of the three selected districts in wolaita zone, Ethiopia.  Table 4.2 indicates the impact of public work payment (transfers) on their livelihood of respondents. The households were asked to explain change in their livelihoods in the last five years when they compare before and after joining to the programme. They quoted that the majority portion (mean of 3.88 and standard deviation of 1.102) of public work payments was on fulfilling food gap and tolerate shocks of their family. The total mean score of 3.24 and standard deviation of 1.010 which implies that safety net payment has immense economic opportunity for poor households to sustain their lives.  Table 4.3 presents the majority (69.32%) of the respondent owned home using equipments after joining safety net. Before joining safety net they do have only 15.91% of major home using equipments. Targeting to productive safety net program made them an opportunity to fulfill their essential home using equipments.

Economic opportunities at Household level
The percentage of ownership of livestock before and after PSNP has an immense variation. Most of PSNP clients have not owned livestock (88.64%) before entering PSNP and only (11.36%) were owned livestock. But after PSNP they got financial support and accessed to credit and livestock accumulation was increased from 11.36% to 91.64%. According to this study, PSNP has made tremendous changes in accumulation of livestock and hence the total livelihood poor households. consultations will cover the above topics for each type of livelihood: Table 4.4 gives an overview of community consultation its impact on poor households. Accordingly, the technical difficulty of poor household holds with mean and standard deviation 3.84 and 1.176 respectively. This indicates that technical difficulty has great influence on poor food insecure households. On the same manner they face with many potential challenges that occurring daily with mean and standard deviation 3.74 and 1.082 respectively. Understandings of income patterns, knowledge to market opportunities and investment requirements increased with mean/ standard deviation of 3.67/1.144,3.64/1.098, 3.68/1.098. Access to credit to the clients in microfinance institutions increased from 11.93 percent to 40.34 percent. This refers poor productive safety nets clients were not accessed to credit before they join to the progrmme and on contrary to this, after entering into productive safety net their opportunity to credit by microfinance was increased by 40.34%. Equivalently Rural Saving and Credit Organizations (RUSACOs) provided a few credit (6.8%) to clients before they entered into safety net programme and after the clients were being member of safety net program, access to credit brought a significant change (51.14%). Village Saving and Loan Associations were not allowing the poor's to access credit (0%) before PSNP, this is because the VSLAs has assumption of poor HHs do not have ability to repay the loans. Oppositely, after PSNP membership 30(8.52%) beneficiaries were accessed credit from VSLAs. Comparing the three financial institutions in the area accessing credit to poor households, RUSSACOs performs better according to this study (51%).  Table 4.7 shows comparison of saving culture before and after PSNP. Before Safety net, almost all respondents said 'yes' or not created a culture were (3.4%) in microfinance's, 5.7 %( 20) in RUSACOs, and (0%) in VSLAs. On contrary to this, the saving culture of the respondents was increased, (from 3.4% to 27.84%) in Microfinance's, (from 5.7% to 38.63%) in RUSACOs, and from 0% to 27.27%). The reason behind this is the program gave tremendous training packages as it indicated in table 9 for the poor households. According to the findings of this study, the saving culture of the PSNP members increased and this could be explained as one of great opportunity for poor households to transform from food insecurity to food security.  100.00 Source: survey report, 2020 Table 4.8 presents the total assets accumulated in Ethiopia Birr (ETB) and the assets were not include the livestock's and major home using equipments and its only of the amount of money that they have on their hand(pocket). 25% of the participants were accumulated the range of 2000-3000 ETB, 28.98% of the respondents accumulated a wealth of 3001-4000 ETB, 24.43% of the respondents accumulated a wealth of 4001-5000 ETB, 17.04 % of the respondents accumulated a wealth of 5001-6000 ETB only 4.55% of the participants accumulated ETB more than 6000. The table also indicates that large portion of the participants (53.41%) were accumulated ETB 3001-5000. Even though the accumulated amount was not enough to graduate from food security, but it counted as one of the opportunity for poor households it has own shares to transform the rural community.  Table 4.9 presents the perception of poor households about the community changes of the program in their local area. 85% of the participants' perception indicates that the community was absolutely PSNP has been made a great change to their community. Productive safety net program has an objective of rehabilitating the community by constructing community based projects which are the planned and prioritized by the community. This study analyzed the capital budget performances of the three districts during the five years from 2015/16-2019/20.Accodngly, 90.32% of community ponds (5000m 3 ) achieved, the community pond is very important to drink cattle's at the season of winter (Bega) time of less rain and help youth groups as irrigation source to produce agricultural inputs, 90.20% of local small road construction, in which the community using day to day activities. 100% of farmers training center (FTC) achieved which is very important to farmers in near area(kebele level), 80% agricultural inputs storing warehouse construction was achieved, 100% health post construction and 73.5 % of school expansion activities have been performed in the programme. The table 4.10 shows the integrated community-based projects Developing Country Studies www.iiste.org ISSN 2224-607X (Paper) ISSN 2225-0565 (Online) Vol. 10, No.4, 2020 16 built by the Productive Safety Net Program. This can be seen as good economic opportunity that fundamentally helps the community in three districts in wolaita zone. One of the objectives of Productive Safety Programme is to see all Ethiopians enjoy social and economic well-being, security and social justice. According to table 4.11 the respondents emphasized that PSNP helped them to participate in social community events such as funeral, kebele meeting with the mean of 3.22 and standard deviation of 0.924. Moreover, as they replied PSNP created a capacity to build social equity with the highest mean and standard deviation of 4.02 and 1.002 respectively. The programme also reduced social discriminations before joining to PSNP, helped to drop out from local informal creditors who lend some amount of money to the poor households and receive the money with large interest rate. In general productive safety net programme/PSNP/ helped the households to participate with different social aspects with the total mean of 3.52 and standard deviation of 0.952. Insuring gender equality is also foremost activity in productive safety net programme. According to the above table 4.12, the respondents were asked to answer whether they are participating or not in different levels of PSNP activities. The response shows women's participation in planning of PSNP the mean of 4.02 and standard deviation of 0.860, followed by BCC training and decision making ability with the mean of 3.91 and standard deviation of 0.915 kebele food task force committee membership with the mean of 3.81and standard deviation of 0.997 and finally the respondents were using soft conditionality's allowed of the programme manual with the mean and standard deviation of 3.79 and 1.047 respectively. From the above data we can refer that PSNP assisted gender equality mainstreaming with total mean of 3.88 and standard deviation of 0.954.  Table 4.13 analyzes community health and nutrition concepts. 63.07 % of the respondents replied that they were participating in community health and nutrition sensitive issues, 36.93% answered 'no' this question. 86.93% of participant responded that they do have better understanding of post and antinatal health care services for women's, large portion of participants (69.32%) increased knowledge to nutrition sensitive agriculture. The programme has been remarkable positive impact on health and nutrition issues.

Key Challenges of PSNP in the three selected Districts
The key challenges were analyzed by focused group discussion (FGDs) of the respondents. The respondents were full of beneficiaries of PSNP. Nine (9) focus group discussions (FDGs) one from each kebelle's were prepared and named by codes.

Targeting challenges
Focus group discussion (FGD1) in Lasho kebele ( sodo zuria districts) responded that targeting of PSNP was not according to program implementation manual, the manual says targeting households should be poor of poor, low Developing Country Studies www.iiste.org ISSN 2224-607X (Paper) ISSN 2225-0565 (Online) Vol. 10, No.4, 2020 land size (less than 0.025 ha) but most the safety net programme clients were not fulfilling the above mentioned criteria's. (FGD members, Lasho, 2020), The focus group discussant also replied that '' The local kebele authority (leaders) were intentionally target some of their friends, relatives and those people who benefit the leaders indirectly, the targeting procedure is unknown for us, not clear, not in time, the leaders were retarget as they wish, there is invisible corruptions." (FGD2 members, Shasha Gale, 2020)

Payments(transfer) challenges
The program adopted technological system (electronic payments) in order to facilitate the problem cash transfer. All PSNP clients were listed in this payment list (PASS), but some obstacles were raised by the discussants such as lack of knowledge to PIN code, the payment was not on the time (timeliness of the payments), some unknown deductions from public work participants, insufficient cash transfer for our full families (FGD3 Members,Gacheno and Buge of D/Gale districts, Waja Kero of Sodo Zuria districts,2020)

Weak appeal management
The productive safety net program has its own appeal request system to the clients about the problem of selection, payments (transfers), credit access and the others. The respondents were asked to introduce the appeal request and management system and highlighted that "There were no appeal systems to tell our problems regarding the program apart from kebele level, when we go to the higher levels districts (woreda, zones), local leaders don't want this, some of our neighbors' were reduced from the program unnecessarily or illegal by telling their problems, the appeals were not getting response on time, sometimes not managed totally, if there is system for us to ask and tell our questions it will be good for us". (FGD4 members, Dubo, 2020).

Low economy base
Even though productive safety net program selects poor households from the community, the focus group discussant noted that they persist with some challenges such as low land size, low capital amount (low amount of cash gaining from crop and livestock), low saving culture in aggregate, natural shocks shock due to the above challenges the clients economy base was falling down and made substantial challenge for households and due to this some of them were adapted to the program(FGD5,Buge,Shaha gale of D/Gale Districts,2020)

Graduation
It expected that the program clients at the end of the program years have to graduate from food security. The program has its own rule and procedure to graduation. The clients have to collect cash for three years continuously and at the final year the client has to be accessed with credit. According to this procedure the FGD members were asked to respond that their feelings to graduation and noted that actually our livelihood currently changed before we joining PSNP, but nowadays we have less ability to graduate, many problems we face such as food gap, clothing, children schooling, livestock feeding and we don't have enough money. The discussants were replied they were not happy to graduate. The reason for this is the criteria of graduation is not fulfilling (FGD Members,Dubo,Gurumo Koysha, Shasha Gale, 2020)

Conclusions and recommendations 5.1. Conclusions
The study analyzed the opportunities and challenges of Ethiopian Productive Safety Net Programme/PSNP4/.Accordingly, the major findings of the study were: the socio-demographic characteristics of the participants, the majority of the respondents were males (59%), and 41.18% of the respondents were illiterate and 36.93% attended primary education, large portion (78.41%) of the respondents were married, large percentage of the households (50.57%) hold the family size range of 4-6,and 81% of the respondents have less than 0.25hectare farmland.
Productive Safety Net Programme (PSNP) has a vast opportunity to the community. According to this study, the major opportunities of PSNP to the society are household and community level economic opportunities. At household level the economic opportunities are consumption payments, ownership of major home equipments and livestock's, consultations and financial literacy trainings, the beneficiaries become accustomed to saving, access to credit, accumulation of capital from PSNP, and at the community level the opportunities are the construction of communal ponds, farmers training center (FTC) construction, school expansion and health center construction are the majors. It is also concluded that the study assures social opportunities, gender equality (participation of females), community health and nutrition.
The key challenges when implementing at grass root level, weak targeting system, and payments (transfer) problems such as not paid on time (timeliness), low economy base, low level of graduation and low level of appeal management.

Recommendations
Based on the results obtained from the study, the following points are recommended: -The households, community and government of Ethiopia should keep up the economic and social opportunities of PSNP. The local administration should give attention to awareness in the community about the public works and their importance in advance. -Targeting process should be implemented according to programme implementation manual, the kebele and woreda administrators have to collect the data before deciding who poor ane who is not is. To decide targeting effective recording of wealth of whole kebele members those are exist in the kebele. It should not be in some relations or other corruption assumptions. It is better the government should also collect the baseline data in the use of technological data management systems that minimizes the errors of targeting. -The Payment of public work clients should be on the time, sufficient and fair. The woreda and zonal level authorities have to oversee the payment performance on the time and have to take a remedial actions to those body who suspected by illegal activities. -To transform food insecurity to food security, it is advisable that the government has to increase support to those PSNP members who have low economy base by initiating other national and country wide projects in addition to PSNP. -The appeal management system have to strengthen, the poor household have to told their feelings, problems and even can ask questions. The main of PSNP is graduation of poor households from food insecurity. Hence, graduation processes performance has to be renewed, should be based on the wealth ranking of each households.