Social Assessment of the proposed Agricultural Growth Programme

The Government of Ethiopia and the World Bank are preparing the Agricultural Growth Programme (AGP) that will be implemented in more than 80 woredas with a high potential for agriculture-led growth and broad-based poverty reduction. The SA will assess any potential adverse social impacts of the AGP and determine whether the project is likely to trigger the World Bank social safeguards policies and provide decision-makers with advice on steps to be taken to mitigate risks early on in the project implementation.

In 8 woredas of 4 regions, the SA assesses the social characteristics of local communities and establishes socio-economic baseline information, including determining the existence and characteristics of particularly occupational minorities and other vulnerable segments of society in the AGP intervention areas. It also comprises a gender analysis of the opportunities and constraints of women, men and youth to participate in agricultural growth and in local organizations that are active within various agricultural value chains already identified. An institutional capacity analysis of government units and private sector actors responsible for AGP implementation is another element of the assignment.