What is social protection?
The director of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation's Social Protection Division in Rome, Rob Vos, explains.
"Social protection, we usually refer to all government programs that try to help vulnerable people, in particular, to protect them against economic shocks and also natural shocks that may cause them losses of income, assets and, through that, deterioration of their livelihoods. Programs could range from the kind of programs that developed countries have, pension schemes, guaranteed health insurance and so on."
The UN organisation's annual State of Food and Agriculture report has found, in poor countries, social-protection measures can dramatically impact people's well-being.
That includes helping them move away from extreme poverty and hunger.
The report also details the impact of social-protection schemes such as cash transfers, school feeding and public works on vulnerable people's lives.
The organisation's director-general, José Graziano da Silva, says there have already been many examples of positive results from programs such as free school meals.
"We saw in a few months, after implementing the programs -- and we are doing that in many countries in Latin America now and also in Africa -- that the children want to come to the school, stimulated by those meals, and the performance also improves a lot."
The report indicates such social-protection schemes are benefiting 2.1 billion people in developing countries, including keeping 150 million people out of extreme poverty.
The report says expanding those programs in rural areas and linking them to inclusive agricultural-growth policies would rapidly reduce the number of poor people.
The agency estimates only about one in three of the world's poorest people are covered by any form of social protection.
It argues most countries, even the poorest, can afford some kind of social-protection program.
It estimates $67 billion a year in income supplements -- mostly from social-protection programs -- combined with other targeted investments in agriculture, could end hunger by 2030.
That is less than one-tenth of a per cent of world Gross Domestic Product.
Rob Vos, from the UN organisation's Social Protection Division, says that is possible if international agencies work together.
"The challenge out there is enormous. It's not just the government that has to do things, but it has to be done in a way that really fits the needs of the people. So you have to look (at) what the needs are, and, that, you can only do by bringing all the stakeholders together. So if we as international agencies support countries better, together, that stimulates more concerted action at a national level. Our promise to the world is to end hunger and poverty by 2030, so that's 15 years to go, and, through these measures, I think there's a lot of potential to actually get it done."
The International Food Policy Research Institute recently released its 2015 Hunger Index report.
It shows hunger in developing countries as a group has fallen 27 per cent since 2000.
But the institute says the state of hunger is still serious or alarming in 52 countries, including East Timor and several African states.
World Vision's senior humanitarian-policy adviser, Majella Hurney, says the Horn of Africa is most at risk of extreme hunger.
"The Horn of Africa, which we know was struck by a devastating food crisis five years ago, is most at risk. The UN has warned that there's over 19.2 million people in the Horn of Africa at risk of extreme hunger, due to the combination of El Nino and also climate-change-related weather patterns. So increased drought is causing crops to fail, it's causing livestock to die and local prices to soar, and we're facing a very, very dangerous situation, indeed."
Ms Hurney says World Vision is providing emergency food to prevent communities from facing famine.
"There are so many situations, unfortunately, where emergency food aid is still required, so, whilst we are trying to deal with them and help communities move out of poverty in the longer term, emergency food distribution, social protection -- including cash transfers -- are still being provided by World Vision to just help those who are in extreme conditions."
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