Introduction

This paper explores the potential benefits of integrating farmer registries and social protection information systems to improve outcomes for rural populations. It emphasizes the importance of data exchange and interoperability to maximize mutual benefits and better support smallholder farmers.

This resource matters because it addresses a critical need for more effective and coordinated policies and programs to tackle rural poverty, especially in the context of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Key Insights

Rural Poverty and the Need for Integrated Approaches

The vast majority of people living in poverty reside in rural areas. Confronting rural poverty requires a multi-sectoral approach that integrates agricultural and social policies, expanding social protection coverage while catering to specific profiles, risks, and vulnerabilities (FAO, 2016a; FAO, 2017a; FAO and ILO, 2021).

Farmer Registries as a Tool for Targeted Support

Farmer registries, typically managed by government stakeholders in the agriculture sector, provide data on farm holdings and holders. These registries support informed decision-making, enabling the design of tailored agricultural policies and access to various government programs (CTA, 2019).

Social Protection Information Systems for Poverty Reduction

Social protection information systems serve to design, deliver, and monitor social protection benefits and services, especially social assistance and social insurance. These systems comprise registries and software applications that facilitate eligibility determination, payment/delivery, and beneficiary management (Lindert et al., 2020).

Value of Overall Coordination

Coordinating farmer registries and social protection systems increases visibility to policymakers, enhances policy coherence, and facilitates strategic sequencing of programs across sectors. Moreover, it reduces data collection costs, improves data accuracy, and enhances accountability and transparency (FAO, 2016a, 2016b).

Benefits of Data Flow

Leveraging data from social protection systems can enhance the planning and prioritization of agricultural support activities. Socio-economic data from social registries can complement variables within farmer registries, supporting eligibility determination. Integrating farmer registry data can improve understanding of rural vulnerability and productive characteristics, leading to more effective social sector policies.

Key Statistics & Data

• “81 percent of people living in extreme poverty live in rural areas, with significant regional variation” (World Bank, 2022a).
• In Chile, the Social Information Registry (RIS) currently covers 98% of the country’s population (Digital Convergence Initiative, 2022a).
• In fiscal year 2022/23, Karnataka, India granted scholarships to 605,514 students from farming households using integrated farmer registry data (Hebbar, 2022).

Methodology

The paper leverages recent experiences across a range of countries to highlight how the two information systems serving the agricultural and social protection sectors can ‘speak’ to each other to maximise mutual benefits and enable better support to smallholder farmers and other groups.

Applications

Digital Public Goods and Infrastructure

This paper highlights the need for the interoperability of farmer registries and social protection information systems, this would need standardized APIs and data governance frameworks.

Social Protection

Better data and coordination between the two systems also allows for a wider array of social protection measures to be rolled out by governments, with better targeting for marginalized demographics.