Emergency Support to Vulnerable Households Affected by the Early Agropastoral Lean Season in Nara District, Mali
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Emergency Support to Vulnerable Households Affected by the Early Agropastoral Lean Season in Nara District, Mali COOPERATIVE AGREEMENT 72DFFP18GR00060 Sixth Quarterly Report October 1st, 2019 – November 30th, 2019 Submitted to: Office of Food for Peace, USAID Submission Date: 30 January, 2020 1. Key information Implementing Agency: International Rescue Committee National Office: Badalabougou Est, Bamako, Mali Franck Vannetelle, IRC Mali Country Director Email: [email protected] Telephone: +223 71287791 Agency Headquarters: International Rescue Committee 122 East 42nd Street, New York, NY 10168, USA Telephone: + 1 (212) 551-3015 Fax: + 1 (212) 551-3185 Erika Pearl, Program Officer Email: [email protected] Project Title: Emergency Support to Vulnerable Households Affected by the Early Agropastoral Lean Season in Nara District, Mali Project Duration: August 1st, 2018 – November 30th, 2019 Program Goal: To contribute to the sustainable improvement of food security and nutritional status for vulnerable households in Nara district, Mali Budget: $ 2,701,968 Total beneficiaries targeted: 4,936 households (34,552 individuals) Total beneficiaries reached in the reporting period: 4,936 households (34,552 individuals) Total beneficiaries reached cumulatively: 4,936 households (34,552 individuals) IRC Mali – Sixth Quarterly Report Cooperative agreement 72DFFP18GR00060 I. Background Security The security situation in Nara’s district remained volatile during the reporting period and has been marked by violence and tensions. The back-to-school season for the schoolyear 2019-2020 has started on October 1st, 2019 and has been impacted by the increase of insecurity with four of the 279 schools of the district closed by militants. These four schools are all located in Niamana commune and have been closed on October 21st. To date, no decision has been taken by the State representatives to receive the displaced pupils in the other schools, and under pressure from armed individuals, several teachers and administrations have left certain localities in the commune of Niamana. Moreover, the night of October 20th, 2019, armed men attacked the checkpoint of the national gendarmerie of Bale and the home of the sub-prefect, in a village located in the commune of Dogofry, located 200 km from the town of Nara, and which is not a commune targeted by this project. These security incidents did not directly impact the implementation of the IRC project. Faced with the increase of insecurity in Nara district, the authorities have increased military patrols, including the communes where the present project is operating, but this has not had a direct effect on the implementation of the activities. In addition, two new military camps were set up by the authorities, one five kilometers from Mourdiah (Niamana commune) and the other at the Kwala crossroads (on the Nara-Kwala axis), at the end of October 2019. These new military camps will allow the securitization of the area, and especially of the construction site and the asphalting teams of the Kwala-Mourdiah-Nara road, work which began in October 2019. Finally, the organization and celebration of a religious celebration for the commemoration of the birth and baptism of the Islamic prophet Mohammed at the beginning of November 2019 also led to an increase in military patrols in the communes of Dilly and Nioro to ensure the safety of the roads as many worshippers moved to the festival sites. Agriculture The October-November 2019 period was marked by the harvest of cereals (millet, sorghum, groundnuts) in Nara’s district. The 2019-2020 agricultural season was considered very poor on average by 96% of farmers1. In fact, it is characterized by a 31% reduction in the agricultural area farmed this year (2019)2 compared to a year considered normal (2015), when the farmer farms the entire area of his field. The average quantity harvested is 1,000 kg this year, compared to 1,900 kg last year, a decrease of 47%3. Moreover, the average duration stock availability is falling years after years; at the end of 2015 it was of seven months, at the end of 2018-2019 agricultural season is was at three months, and currently, in the 2019-2020 agricultural year, it is at two months4. With the low harvest levels, food prices are likely to rise in the next months. Moreover, as a corollary, the analysis of the evolution of the level of income of the agricultural populations also highlights a constant degradation of the populations’ incomes in Nara’s district. Livestock Poor rainfall has led to an overall decrease (-14%) in the size of the livestock herd of the Nara’s district herders over the 2019-2020 agricultural year5. This decline in livestock is also partly linked to the effects of the early pastoral hunger gap experienced by Nara’s district herders during the past agricultural season (2018-2019). The number of head of cattle, goats, sheep, horses and poultry has fallen between 7% and 38%6. According to the farmers, this significant drop is due to an unusual and early destocking 1 IRC, Rapport d’évaluation des besoins dans le cercle de Nara, novembre 2019. 2 IRC, Rapport d’évaluation des besoins dans le cercle de Nara, novembre 2019. 3 IRC, Rapport d’évaluation des besoins dans le cercle de Nara, novembre 2019. 4 IRC, Rapport d’évaluation des besoins dans le cercle de Nara, novembre 2019. 5 IRC, Rapport d’évaluation des besoins dans le cercle de Nara, novembre 2019. 6 IRC, Rapport d’évaluation des besoins dans le cercle de Nara, novembre 2019. 2 IRC Mali – Sixth Quarterly Report Cooperative agreement 72DFFP18GR00060 of their livestock due to the early unavailability of pasture and water points. The decline in livestock numbers was more marked for horses (-30%) and donkeys (-38%)7, which both play a key role in the economy of Nara’s district households. Indeed, these animals are used for economic activities both during the agricultural season (ploughing) and during the lean season (transport and delivery of food and non-food products to the various weekly markets in the district). II. Summary of activities Cash Food Voucher transfer Planned number of transfer/vouchers for the reporting period 1 Value of Individual Transfer (USD) $73 Total amount approved (USD) for cash/vouchers for reporting period $360,328 Actual number of vouchers/cash distributed for reporting period 59,232 Actual number of vouchers/cash redeemed for reporting period 59,684 # of months of distribution 3 Average cost per participant $73 Cost per month $24.30 Frequency of transaction 1 Total actual cost USD for cash/vouchers for reporting period $343,929 Planned participants for the quarter (male) 3,345 Planned participants for the quarter (female) 1,591 Actual number of participants reached (male) 3,345 Actual number of participants reached (female) 1,591 Time from signed agreement to the first distribution to beneficiaries if N/A applicable to this reporting period a) Identification of beneficiaries The identification of the beneficiaries took place during the June-September 2018 quarter. Please see the previous reports submitted for more information. b) Cash distribution Fourth distribution of paper vouchers (4,736 beneficiary households) Similarly to the previous distribution, the fourth and last distribution of paper vouchers for three months benefitted to 4,736 beneficiary households. Each of them has received 40,000 XOF ($73) in the six communes targeted by the project (Nara, Dilly, Koronga, Niamana, Ouagadou and Fallou). The cash transfer has been divided in two rounds: the first one of 13,333 XOF ($24.30) representing one month of food assistance, and the second one of 26,667 XOF ($48.60) representing two months of food assistance. These distributions were carried out by the IRC team between October 1st and 7th and October 22nd and November 4th, 2019. With the two rounds of distribution, each beneficiary household has received 12 food vouchers for a total of 40,000 XOF ($73) to cover the food ration for three months and were composed of: Three vouchers for cereals (corn, rice, etc.) which is approximately representing 20 kg of millet or 12 kg of rice for 18,000 XOF ($32.70) 7 IRC, Rapport d’évaluation des besoins dans le cercle de Nara, novembre 2019. 3 IRC Mali – Sixth Quarterly Report Cooperative agreement 72DFFP18GR00060 Three vouchers for animal proteins (meat or fish), representing 1.5 kg of meat or 1 kg of fish for 12,000 XOF ($22) Three vouchers for cooking oil representing two liters for 6,000 XOF ($11) Three vouchers for condiments representing 4,000 XOF ($7.30) In total, 56,832 food vouchers have been distributed to the 4,736 vulnerable beneficiary households for a total amount of 189,440,000 XOF ($345,728). Fifth and sixth electronic vouchers distribution (200 beneficiary households) 200 beneficiary households in the communes of Nara and Ouagadou (159 and 41 beneficiary households respectively) each received a transfer of 40,000 points of electronic vouchers, representing 40,000 XOF ($73) and three months of food assistance. Similarly to the paper vouchers, this distribution was also been split in two rounds: a first round of 13,333 points (one month of food assistance) and a second round of 26,667 points (two months of food assistance). The value of the 40,000 points was divided according to the same ratios as the paper vouchers (18,000 FCFA for cereals, 12,000 FCFA for animal proteins, 6,000 FCFA for cooking oil and 4,000 FCFA for condiments). The distributions were carried out by the IRC team in collaboration with the Local Service for Social Development and the Solidarity Economy (SLDSES) between October 14th and 17th and November 12th and 14th, 2019. The process of the vouchers exchange between the local traders and the beneficiary households was supervised by the IRC and SLDSES to ensure strict compliance and respect of the electronic voucher exchange procedures, control the quality of the products exchanged and the quantities distributed to each household, and guarantee the proper use of the dedicated electronic devices used for this activity (tablets, beneficiaries’ electronic cards, and MasterCard Aid terminals).