Specialising in food security, social protection and rural and agricultural development, Rachel has particular expertise in Southern Africa (especially Lesotho, Malawi, South Africa and Zambia) and has also worked in Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda and Nigeria. Her most recent work, has included strengthening food staples and fertiliser markets in sub-saharan africa, addressing chronic food insecurity and HIV/AIDS, developing innovative social protection instruments, and understanding linkages between agricultural growth and social protection.

Jump to: | Opinion Papers | Briefing Papers | Working Papers | Journal articles | Books | Others | Current Projects | Completed Projects

Opinion Papers
Cash Transfers: Just giving them the money? ODI Opinions 55
'The notion of making cash payments to those unable to afford life's basic necessities is gaining ground rapidly. It seems such an obvious idea that one wonders why it had never been thought of before.'
John Farrington, Paul Harvey and Rachel Slater		September 2005
Briefing Papers and Natural Resource Perspectives
Linking social protection and the productive sectors ODI Briefing Paper 28
Agricultural productivity can be supported by well-designed social protection programmes In relation to the productive sectors, social protection can enhance resilience in the face of threats, limit disinvestment, and, by reducing perceptions of high risk, promote investment by the poor. Though some of the links between social protection and growth are specific to the agricultural sector, others are more generic. Agriculture can be more socially protecting, and social protection more sensitive to impacts on production, if ministries of finance can leverage joined-up thinking and action.
John Farrington, Rachel Slater and Rebecca Holmes October 2007
Climate change, agricultural policy and poverty reduction – how much do we know? ODI Natural Resource Perspective 109
Projections suggest that, by the end of the 21st century, climate change could have had substantial impact on agricultural production and thence on the scope for reducing poverty. This paper seeks to trace the likely impacts through changes in the quality of the physical asset base, access to assets, and impacts on grain production and on agricultural growth more generally. At moderate degrees of warming, impacts are likely to be negative in some regions, but positive in others, making it important to understand the possible implications for trade between the regions. The short term impacts of climate change, particularly changes in the frequency and severity of adverse weather events, remain uncertain, but their impacts on many developing countries are likely to be negative. There is likely to be time to make appropriate policy responses to some of the longer-term impacts.
Rachel Slater, Leo Peskett, Eva Ludi and David Brown		September 2007
Biofuels, Agriculture and Poverty Reduction Natural Resource Perspective 107
The development of biofuels has generated vigorous debate on economic and environmental grounds. Our attention here is on its potential impacts on poverty reduction. The potential is large, whether through employment, wider growth multipliers and energy price effects. But it is also fragile: it will be reduced where feedstock production tends to be large scale, or causes pressure on land access, and its success can be undermined by many of the same policy, regulatory or investment shortcomings as impede agriculture. Whilst some of the factors facilitating, and impacts of, biofuels can be tracked at global level, its distributional impacts are complex, and point to the need for country-by-country analysis of potential poverty impacts.
Leo Peskett, Rachel Slater, Chris Stevens and Annie Dufey		June 2007
Responding to HIV/AIDS in agriculture and related activities ODI Natural Resource Perspectives 98
HIV/AIDS has multiple impacts on agriculture and the livelihoods of rural households which are only slowly being understood. This will gradually help in identifying the kinds of agricultural policy instrument that could offer appropriate support to HIV/ AIDS-affected households. At the same time, responses are also urgently required to ensure that hard-won gains in poverty reduction are not eroded by the pandemic’s effect on agricultural growth. This NRP explores the challenges posed for agriculture by the pandemic and considers a range of policy options.
Rachel Slater and Steve Wiggins		March 2005
Cash transfers – Mere ‘Gadaffi Syndrome’, or serious potential for rural rehabilitation and development? ODI Natural Resource Perspectives 97
There has been a stark dichotomy between development approaches concerned with the productive sectors, usually focusing on enhancing the ‘supply side’, and those concerned with social protection, which have been widely regarded as a drain on public resources. This paper argues that the two are complementary and that social protection is less of a ‘drain’ than previously thought.
Paul Harvey, Rachel Slater and John Farrington		March 2005
Social Protection and Pro-Poor Agricultural Growth: What Scope for Synergies? ODI Natural Resource Perspectives 91
Social protection (SP) and livelihood promotion have conventionally been handled by different departments within governments and donor organisations. Taking the example of agriculture, this paper argues that the scope for synergy between them (when narrowly defined as ‘making the whole bigger than the sum of its parts’) is limited. However, there is substantial unexploited scope for introducing the perspectives of the one into the design and implementation of the other, i.e. for giving aspects of SP more of a growth-promoting dimension, and for designing agriculture initiatives in ways aiming to reduce risk and vulnerability.
John Farrington, Rachel Slater and Rebecca Holmes		January 2004
Food Policy Old and New ODI Briefing Paper
The character of the food system and the nature of food policy are both changing, as urbanisation, technical change and the industrialisation of the food system transform the way food is produced, marketed and consumed in developing countries. The challenges are daunting and immediate – and need to be on the agenda of policy-makers throughout the developing world.
Simon Maxwell and Rachel Slater		November 2003
Working Papers
Malawi Social Protection Status Report World Bank Working Paper 40027-MW
This status report provides a stocktake of social protection in Malawi over the period 2003- 2006, and aims to help Malawi move towards a long-term social protection policy and program.
Rachel Slater (ODI) and Maxton Tsoka (CSR)		October 2007
Climate change and agriculture Donor reports
Series of five outputs produced under a small project for the Renewable Natural Resources and Agriculture Team of the UK Department for International Development (DFID). The objective of the project was to identify the implications of climate change for key areas of DFID's Agricultural Policy and the Renewable Natural Resources and Agriculture (RNRA) Team portfolio and to produce a series of practical outputs to assist the RNRA team in programme implementation and communication. The five papers are: A rough guide to climate change and agriculture Climate change: Implications for DFID's Agricultural policy Climate change, agricultural growth and poverty reduction Climate change and agriculture: Agricultural trade, markets and investment Access to assets: Implications of climate change for land and water policies and management
Leo Peskett, Rachel Slater, Martin Prowse, Nanki Kaur-Mann, Eva Ludi, Christopher Stevens, Lídia Cabral, David Brown, Tom Slaymaker		March 2007
The Search for Synergies between Social Protection and the Productive Sectors: the Agriculture Case ODI Working Paper 232
The study looks at the scope within which positive interaction between social protection and livelihoods can be maximised.
John Farrington, Rachel Slater and Rebecca Holmes		April 2004
Food Security and the Millennium Development Goal on Hunger in Asia ODI Working Paper 231
A rapid overview of food security issues in relation to the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in 7 Asian countries
Gerard J. Gill, John Farrington, Edward Anderson, Cecilia Luttrell, Tim Conway, N.C. Saxena and Rachel Slater		December 2003
Hidden Livelihoods? Natural Resource-Dependent Livelihoods and Urban Development Policy ODI Working Paper 225
This report explores ‘hidden’ livelihoods for better understanding of urban-based natural resource-related livelihoods.
Rachel Slater and Chasca Twyman		September 2003
Journal articles
Cash Transfers Joint Theme Issue of Development Policy Review (24:5) and Disasters
Emerging evidence on the role of cash transfers in poverty reduction means that they are on the agenda in emergency and developmental contexts across the developing world.  In a unique initiative Development Policy Review and Disasters have published simultaneous theme issues on cash transfers.
John Farrington and Rachel Slater		September 2006
Innovation, agricultural growth and poverty reduction International Journal of Technology and Globalisation 2 (3/4): 281-290
There is increasing agreement that agricultural growth matters for poverty reduction and has a significance extending well beyond the agriculture sector. Examples of successful research and innovation support by DFID show the central role of science and research in technological innovation. Technology cannot be viewed in isolation from innovation in policies and institutions. These provide incentives for farmers to adopt new ideas and ensure that institutional structures enable delivery of technologies. Examples of how DFID is addressing these broader concerns highlight the importance of the public sector and also the role of the private sector and NGOs.
Gareth Thomas and Rachel Slater		2006
Food Policy: Old and New Development Policy Review
The core message of this volume is that what we term the ‘new food policy' cannot be ignored. In this issue, we explore why this should be so.
Guest Editors: Simon Maxwell and Rachel Slater		(21:5-6) Sept/Nov 2003
Books
The challenges of HIV/AIDS for African agriculture Chapter in Commonwealth Health Ministers Book 2006
Steve Wiggins and Rachel Slater		2006
Others
Food Security and Social Protection Donor report
Paper commissioned as part of a project of the Overseas Development Institute (ODI) to assist the UK Department for International Development (DFID) in developing an institutional policy and approach to social protection programming. The objective of this paper is to inform DFID’s position paper on social protection about the ways in which food security issues should be taken into account in developing social protection policies, strategies and programmes. Interestingly, the international debates surrounding food security have already covered much of the territory now being explored for social protection: risk, vulnerability, hazards; differences between acute and chronic; behavioural response to risk; recovery and non-recovery processes; state and non-state responses; targeting; etc. This paper should be read in conjunction with the overarching position paper as well as the other background papers (available on the Social Protection resources page).
Elizabeth Cromwell and Rachel Slater		September 2004
The Implications of Hiv/Aids for Social Protection Donor report
Paper commissioned as part of a project of the Overseas Development Institute (ODI) to assist the UK Department for International Development (DFID) in developing an institutional policy and approach to social protection programming. Through a review of current understandings of the impact of HIV/AIDS and a brief analysis of emerging new perspectives on social protection, this paper demonstrates why it is important for policymakers and practitioners to explore the implications of HIV/AIDS for social protection. This paper should be read in conjunction with the overarching position paper as well as the other background papers (available on the Social Protection resources page).
Rachel Slater		September 2004
Review of the Government of Lesotho Emergency Response and Suggestions for future programming to address food insecurity in Lesotho Project report
Rudolf van den Boogaard, Rachel Slater, Mpetetsi Gugushe, Maurice Phakoana		February 2004

Current projects
Linking Growth and Social Protection: The Agriculture Case
How and how far complementarities can be achieved between policies designed to promote agriculture and those providing social protection, so that more desirable combinations of growth and poverty reduction can be achieved more efficiently?
Rachel Slater, John Farrington
Monitoring and evaluation support for the Government of Malawi 2006-2007 Agricultural Input Supply Programme (AISP)
ODI is part of a multi-institutional team providing support to the Government of Malawi assessing the implementation and outputs of AISP.  ODI and the Centre for Social Research in Malawi provide social protection expertise to the wider team which includes agricultural economists from Imperial College London, Michegan State University, Wadonda Consult.
Rachel Slater		2007
Cash Transfers
Evidence on how cash transfers can reduce poverty has made them the new hot topic in both development and relief circles. Some development agencies have gone so far as to make them the central plank of their social protection strategies.
Rachel Slater, John Farrington, Rebecca Holmes

Completed projects
Climate change impacts on agriculture and adaptation responses
Project to support the UK Department for International Development (DFID) on climate change impacts on agriculture and adaptation responses. A series of five papers were prepared by ODI on the impacts of climate change on agriculture in developing countries.
Rachel Slater, Leo Peskett, Eva Ludi and David Brown		March-May 2007
Biofuels, agriculture and poverty reduction
Project examining the potential pros and cons of biofuel production and trade for agricultural growth and poverty reduction in developing countries.
Rachel Slater, Leo Peskett and Chris Stevens		March 2007
Productive Safety Net Programme (PSNP), Ethiopia
Three studies to assess the first phase of implementation and to provide recommendations for the second phase of the Productive Safety Net Programme, starting in 2007.
Rachel Slater, Kay Sharp		March – Sep 2006
Livelihood Options
Rural people in South Asia are moving out of natural resource-based occupations. This study aimed to identify how policies can be changed to support positive exits via diversification, and how to reduce negative impacts.
John Farrington, Rachel Slater		2003
Forum for Food Security in Southern Africa
The Forum for Food Security in Southern Africa provides a platform for improved linkages between food security analysis, policy making and implementation in the Southern Africa region.
Rachel Slater, Steve Wiggins		2003
Review of the Government of Lesotho Emergency Response and Suggestions for Future Programming to Address Food Insecurities in Lesotho
Assisting the GoL to review its response to the (food insecurity) emergency in 2002.
Rachel Slater		2003
Food Security in Asia
Providing a rapid overview of food security issues in relation to the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in seven Asian countries (Bangladesh, India, Nepal, China, Indonesia, Cambodia and Vietnam). Three of the countries (Bangladesh, India, Cambodia) are treated in more detail and seminars were held to discuss preliminary findings in those countries.
John Farrington, Rachel Slater		2003
Food Insecurity Measurement, Livelihoods Approaches and Policy: Applications in FIVIMS
The aim of this project is to produce a policy paper which outlines best practice in the use of livelihoods analysis in influencing policy issues in relation to food security and the measurement of hunger.
Rachel Slater		2003