Accessing Aswesuma: Key findings on Sri Lanka’s new social protection program from the bright 2024-25 national survey
• We use the nationally representative BRIGHT 2024-25 survey to document Aswesuma access at the national and subnational level, and among poor and food-insecure households • At the time of the BRIGHT 2024-2025 survey, the Aswesuma program covered 29.1% of the Sri Lankan population compared to just 1...
| Autores principales: | , , , , , , , |
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| Formato: | Brief |
| Lenguaje: | Inglés |
| Publicado: |
International Food Policy Research Institute
2025
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| Materias: | |
| Acceso en línea: | https://hdl.handle.net/10568/178136 |
| _version_ | 1855515803159363584 |
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| author | Hülsen, Vivien Klas, Nicolas Headey, Derek D. Munasinghe, Dilusha Ranucci, Immacolata Sabai, Moe van Asselt, Joanna Weerasinghe, Krishani |
| author_browse | Headey, Derek D. Hülsen, Vivien Klas, Nicolas Munasinghe, Dilusha Ranucci, Immacolata Sabai, Moe Weerasinghe, Krishani van Asselt, Joanna |
| author_facet | Hülsen, Vivien Klas, Nicolas Headey, Derek D. Munasinghe, Dilusha Ranucci, Immacolata Sabai, Moe van Asselt, Joanna Weerasinghe, Krishani |
| author_sort | Hülsen, Vivien |
| collection | Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace) |
| description | • We use the nationally representative BRIGHT 2024-25 survey to document Aswesuma access at the national and subnational level, and among poor and food-insecure households
• At the time of the BRIGHT 2024-2025 survey, the Aswesuma program covered 29.1% of the Sri Lankan population compared to just 18.8% of the population under Samurdhi in 2016: a 10.3 percentage point improvement. However, at the time of the survey, the Aswesuma program has still not reached its target of 35% national population coverage.
• Encouragingly, the largest expansion of cash transfer access was in upland (Estate) districts, who had limited access to cash transfers under the previous Samurdhi program
• Aswesuma access among poor populations was highest in the Estate sector (56%), followed by the rural (46%) and urban populations (44%)
• Aswesuma transfers are unlikely to reduce employment or other income-generating activities among the poor, as Aswesuma cash transfers only represent 19% of the expenditures of the poorest 20% of households, and just 10% for the next poorest group.
• While Aswesuma transfers may protect households against low calorie intake (hunger), Aswesuma households still have low-quality diets, under-consuming fruits, vegetables, dairy, and legumes in particular
• Nutritional knowledge is also much poorer among Aswesuma beneficiaries than the rest of the Sri Lankan population, particularly knowledge of key micronutrient-rich foods
• These results imply the need for a wide range of policy-oriented research and follow-up surveys on drivers of access to Aswesuma, but also impacts of Aswesuma on key welfare indicators
• There is also a need to explore and improve multisectoral coordination between Aswesuma and other programs on child nutrition and development, as well as women’s empowerment. |
| format | Brief |
| id | CGSpace178136 |
| institution | CGIAR Consortium |
| language | Inglés |
| publishDate | 2025 |
| publishDateRange | 2025 |
| publishDateSort | 2025 |
| publisher | International Food Policy Research Institute |
| publisherStr | International Food Policy Research Institute |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | CGSpace1781362025-11-26T02:01:42Z Accessing Aswesuma: Key findings on Sri Lanka’s new social protection program from the bright 2024-25 national survey Hülsen, Vivien Klas, Nicolas Headey, Derek D. Munasinghe, Dilusha Ranucci, Immacolata Sabai, Moe van Asselt, Joanna Weerasinghe, Krishani social protection social safety nets welfare food assistance households • We use the nationally representative BRIGHT 2024-25 survey to document Aswesuma access at the national and subnational level, and among poor and food-insecure households • At the time of the BRIGHT 2024-2025 survey, the Aswesuma program covered 29.1% of the Sri Lankan population compared to just 18.8% of the population under Samurdhi in 2016: a 10.3 percentage point improvement. However, at the time of the survey, the Aswesuma program has still not reached its target of 35% national population coverage. • Encouragingly, the largest expansion of cash transfer access was in upland (Estate) districts, who had limited access to cash transfers under the previous Samurdhi program • Aswesuma access among poor populations was highest in the Estate sector (56%), followed by the rural (46%) and urban populations (44%) • Aswesuma transfers are unlikely to reduce employment or other income-generating activities among the poor, as Aswesuma cash transfers only represent 19% of the expenditures of the poorest 20% of households, and just 10% for the next poorest group. • While Aswesuma transfers may protect households against low calorie intake (hunger), Aswesuma households still have low-quality diets, under-consuming fruits, vegetables, dairy, and legumes in particular • Nutritional knowledge is also much poorer among Aswesuma beneficiaries than the rest of the Sri Lankan population, particularly knowledge of key micronutrient-rich foods • These results imply the need for a wide range of policy-oriented research and follow-up surveys on drivers of access to Aswesuma, but also impacts of Aswesuma on key welfare indicators • There is also a need to explore and improve multisectoral coordination between Aswesuma and other programs on child nutrition and development, as well as women’s empowerment. 2025-11-24 2025-11-24T18:43:40Z 2025-11-24T18:43:40Z Brief https://hdl.handle.net/10568/178136 en Open Access application/pdf International Food Policy Research Institute Hülsen, Vivien; Klas, Nicolas; Headey, Derek D.; Munasinghe, Dilusha; Ranucci, Immacolata; et al. 2025. Accessing Aswesuma: Key findings on Sri Lanka’s new social protection program from the bright 2024-25 national survey. BRIGHT Sri Lanka Project Note 6. Washington, DC: International Food Policy Research Institute. https://hdl.handle.net/10568/178136 |
| spellingShingle | social protection social safety nets welfare food assistance households Hülsen, Vivien Klas, Nicolas Headey, Derek D. Munasinghe, Dilusha Ranucci, Immacolata Sabai, Moe van Asselt, Joanna Weerasinghe, Krishani Accessing Aswesuma: Key findings on Sri Lanka’s new social protection program from the bright 2024-25 national survey |
| title | Accessing Aswesuma: Key findings on Sri Lanka’s new social protection program from the bright 2024-25 national survey |
| title_full | Accessing Aswesuma: Key findings on Sri Lanka’s new social protection program from the bright 2024-25 national survey |
| title_fullStr | Accessing Aswesuma: Key findings on Sri Lanka’s new social protection program from the bright 2024-25 national survey |
| title_full_unstemmed | Accessing Aswesuma: Key findings on Sri Lanka’s new social protection program from the bright 2024-25 national survey |
| title_short | Accessing Aswesuma: Key findings on Sri Lanka’s new social protection program from the bright 2024-25 national survey |
| title_sort | accessing aswesuma key findings on sri lanka s new social protection program from the bright 2024 25 national survey |
| topic | social protection social safety nets welfare food assistance households |
| url | https://hdl.handle.net/10568/178136 |
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