Annual Report

Resilience and Economic Growth in the Sahel - Enhanced Resilience REPUBLICS OF NIGER and BURKINA FASO

REGIS-ER

Annual Report

OCTOBER 1, 2017 TO SEPTEMBER 30, 2018

Revised, December 2018

Cooperative Agreement No. 625-A-14-00001

Blvd. Mali Béro, Rue IB-73 B.P. 12 909, NIAMEY Tel.: (227) 20.35.16.48

Table of Contents

I. Executive summary.………………………………………………………………… 3

II. Programs………………………..………………………………………………….... 7

Program 5 – Governance Sub-Section A: Promotion of Local Institutions ...... 7 Program 1 – Habbanayé plus Animal Health and Feed ...... 9 Program 2 - Horticulture ...... 12 Program 3 – Access to Financial Services ...... 15 Program 4 - Resilient Production Systems ...... 17 Program 5 – Governance Sub-Section B: Natural Resource Management, Disaster Risk Management, Conflict Management and Land Tenure Security ...... 19 Program 6 – Water Services ...... 21 Program 7 – Hygiene and Sanitation ...... 24 Program 8 – Community-based Health and Nutrition ...... 25

III. Cross-cutting activities ………………...……………………………………….... 30

Monitoring and Evaluation ...... 30 Gender ...... 31 Communications ...... 32 Implementation of the Environmental Mitigation and Monitoring Plan (EMMP) ...... 35

IV. Project management ………………………………………………………………37

Program Support ...... 37 Grants management ...... 37 Cost share ...... 38

V. Appendices ………………………………………………………………………..…….40

Annex 1: Table on Indicators of Project Performance ...... 40 Annex 2: Results Achieved by CBSPs in FY18 ...... 59 Annex 3 (P2): Home, Community, and Oasis Gardens ...... 60 Annexe 4 (P3) : FY17 and FY18 Results on SECCA Implementation and on access to MFIs…. 64

Annex 5 (P4): Comparative CF - Non-CF Yields in 2017 Growing Season and Soil Protection and Restoration Actions at Pastoral Sites ...... 65 Annex 6: Status of Local Conventions ...... 71 Annex 7: (P8) – Granaries and C-QI Achievements ...... 76 Annex 8: List of Success stories developed during FY18 ...... 79 Annex 9: Success stories ...... 81 Annex 10: Inventory ...... 87

List of tables: Table 1: Placements Made in FY18 Table 2 Breakdown of project staff at the end of FY18 Table 3: List of sub-grants and large grants closed as of September 30, 2018 Table 4: List of sub-grants and large grants extended through December 31, 2018 Table 5: Comparison of cost share reported in FY18 against FY18 targets.

I. Executive summary

Implementation of the Sustainability Strategy In FY18, REGIS-ER managed a major transition from its successful scaling-up phase to its sustainability phase, during which the project concentrated on resilience systems through a lens of local governance and institutions and narrowed its geographic focus in order to consolidate its achievements. REGIS-ER’s sustainability strategy is based on the empowerment of local institutions which provide services to their communities, notably in the 12 communes of concentration (CCs) targeted (six each country) and in the 232 villages of concentration in those communes where the project has achieved its best results.

Below is a summary of REGIS-ER’s major interventions in support of the 3 targeted local institutions: ● Municipal Councils (Conseils Municipaux, CMs): REGIS-ER launched its initiative to promote this local institution (IL) by meeting collectively with the Mayors, the elected leaders of the CMs, of the 6 communes of concentration in each country. The Mayors unanimously agreed that their communes should take on the ownership of REGIS-ER's successful activities and selected the 8 most successful project activities to be carried forward by the communes. The CM of each commune supported their Mayors’ actions. Subsequent discussions between the project and the CMs involved the preparation and the implementation in FY19 of Commune Resilience Plans (Plan Communal pour la Promotion de la Résilience, PCPR); ● Citizen Working Groups (CWGs) in the communes, plus their community-level “branches”, the Local Development Committees (Niger) / Village Development Councils (Burkina) (CLDs/CVDs). REGIS-ER adopted a bottom-up approach, strengthening the CLDs/CVDs in the communities before setting up the CWGs and working to ensure their functionality in the communes; and ● Service Providers – specifically, Community-Based Solution Providers (CBSPs) and Local Resource Persons (PRLs): The project has supported CBSPs in establishing commune-level platforms (clustering, networking, and diversification of goods and services), which will help them bring affordable solutions to villagers and grow demand. The project strengthened capacities, including the leadership of project groups (water point management committees/water user associations, Mother-to-Mother [MtM] groups, husband schools [EdM], village savings and loan groups [SECCA], etc.) in order to consolidate results. REGIS-ER also connected the groups with the appropriate local institutions to make sure that this human capital is recognized locally and will continue to benefit the community after the project ends.

REGIS-ER also improved linkages with national institutions, notably the High-Commission of the 3N Initiative (HCi3N) in Niger and the Ministry of Agriculture in Burkina Faso, via regular meetings. For instance, our experience with Conservation Farming or Farmer-Managed Natural Regeneration (CF- FMNR) was shared with HCi3N in Niger and the relevant ministries in Burkina Faso, with a view to integration into the national agricultural outreach system. At the local level, representatives from various ministries (Decentralization, Public Health, Agriculture and Livestock, etc.) attended the CM sessions on resilience activities, which were co-financed by the communes (50%).

The project implemented a graduation approach with the Municipal Councils of the 12 communes of concentration (CCs). The process consists of periodic and progressive assessments which use specific criteria to determine the institution’s capacity to promote resilience to food and nutrition insecurity. REGIS-ER also applied the graduation process to its own field agents in order to help them transition from a mode of direct intervention to an indirect one in which they coach PRLs.

Key program achievements

Program 5 (P5) – Promotion of local institutions: In FY18, the promotion of Local Institutions brought the project into a new phase. This programmatic change caused a corresponding structural change within the project, which began a restructuring process that required staff to adopt new ways of working. REGIS-ER succeeded in obtaining the full buy-in of the 3 local institutions targeted in the sustainability strategy. Innovation: REGIS-ER initiated the process of creating a public-private partnership between the Municipal Council and CWG, a civil society organization (CSO) at the commune level. This alliance creates a synergy between two complementary local institutions seeking practical solutions to resilience-related problems.

P1 – Habbanayé plus Animal Feed and Health: The project focused on empowering habbanayé entities through training and guidance. REGIS-ER provided the habbanayé management committees (at the village level) and the communes with the capacity and tools to take ownership of habbanayé activities (choice of beneficiaries, and properly manage habbanayé assets and transfers).

Sustainability: REGIS-ER developed a habbanayé tracking tool in excel for communes to monitor “animal placements and livestock asset transfers”, which provides up-to-date snapshots of the situation by village.

P2 – Horticulture: At REGIS-ER’s request, CLDs/CVDs conducted a survey of home gardens in their villages to familiarize themselves with the activity, to track active garden groups and to better provide support to practitioners without the project. 214 participated (NE 137, BF 77). Findings of this survey are in the report.

Sustainability: The project achieved a milestone in its effort to foster multi-stakeholder links in the realm of horticulture; CBSPs played a central role and CLDs/CVDs were involved. In Zinder region, CBSPs improved access to, and availability of, small packets of seeds and crop protection products and services for nearly 1,000 women farmers. Those CBSPs had sales revenues of 1,314,400 FCFA ($2,326). Ten CBSPs based in Dori, Fada, and Kaya regions, completed training on organic and crop protection products with the firm Bioprotect. The 10 CBSPs had combined sales revenues of over 3,000,000 FCFA ($5,309).

P3 – Access to Financial Services: REGIS-ER assisted SECCA groups in consolidating their performance and results by providing literacy training for 106 secretaries in partnership with REGIS-AG and coaching for 9 emerging commune networks of Community Relay Agents that aim to improve and expand services. The CMs also support SECCA, by disseminating information about commune-level events and events involving SECCA.

Sustainability: In Burkina Faso, REGIS-ER launched an initiative to build, without any project subsidy, animal assets through credit with MFIs as an alternative to the project’s habbanaye approach which targets “less vulnerable women”. The evaluation of the initiative showed that it is a success because the groups see this model as a means of making a profit while they build a livestock capital, which strengthens their resilience.

P4 – Resilient Production Systems: The additional production obtained through CF in 2017 contributed to nearly 20% of the food requirements of 48,132 households. With support from the Technical Services, CMs and CWGs shared the results of the evaluation of the 2017 CF-FMNR growing season with Lead Producers.

Sustainability: CLD/CVDs drew up action plans for implementation of CF-FMNR and/or BDL which included continuing their efforts to add new CF-FMNR groups, opening bank accounts to access the inputs mechanism, getting producers to use best practices, extending the duration of the land loans made to

4 women’s groups for BDL sites, and strengthening linkages between Community-Based Solution Providers (CBSPs) and producers (both CF-FMNR and BDL).

P5 – NRM, Disaster Risk Management, Conflict Management and Land Tenure Security: To date, REGIS-ER has assisted 16 communes (7 in NE, 9 in BF) in the preparation (and in some cases implementation) of Local Conventions (Conventions Locales, CLs). In FY18, 11 new CLs (NE: 6, BF: 5) were signed.

Sustainability: In FY18, REGIS-ER provided support to Gayéri, one of Burkina’s 6 CCs, with the process of integrating its Local Convention and Commune Resilience Plan into its Commune Development Plan.

P6 – Water Services: REGIS-ER finalized and began implementation of its strategy to promote direct payment of water or a system of periodic payments of set fees that is based on the estimated costs and that enables a community to cover the total cost of rehabilitating its water point and human-powered pump.

Sustainability: REGIS-ER supported the development of formal relationships with the communes on water point management. In Niger, in accordance with government regulations, management agreements were signed between 57 existing Water Point Management Committees (CGPEs) and their respective communes. Twelve other CGPEs received agreements issued by the communes.

P7 – Hygiene and Sanitation: In FY18, 116 villages were declared Open Defecation-Free (ODF), or 112% of the FY18 target (104), thanks to project support and partnerships with partner NGOs. In Barsalogho (Kaya region), the project organized the World Toilet Day event that was attended by 472 people. The Mayor’s Office of Barsalogho made a significant contribution to the event: 184,000 FCFA ($326).

Sustainability: The project encouraged ODF certified communities to draw up 122 post-certification action plans and monitoring plans to avoid reverting to pre-ODF bad practices.

P8 – Community-based Health and Nutrition: The project rewarded more than 2,000 model husbands in Niger and Burkina and 300 model mothers in Niger for having initiated meaningful changes in their villages. In addition, REGIS-ER produced and broadcast a radio serial drama in 5 local languages in the 2 countries on “the first 1,000 days of life” (with initial involvement of RISE partners and health/nutrition national institutions of the 2 countries).

Sustainability: As mothers in MtM groups in Niger became more knowledgeable about what it takes to improve their children’s nutrition, they began, on their own initiative, to establish “Greniers nutritionnels” (nutritional granaries) to stock bulk food. This allowed them to continue the practice of community meals during the lean season, when ingredients often lack, thus demonstrating increasing community ownership.

Collaboration with REGIS-AG, REGIS-ER’s main RISE partner, increased and improved in FY18. On the small ruminant and poultry value chains (VC), the partnership centered on the private networks for animal health, business plans for Producer Organizations (POs) and buyers, and livestock fairs. As for the cowpea VC, the two projects collaborated closely on the REGIS-AG-led warrantage operations, which were conducted jointly with MFIs. In BF, MFIs awarded loans totaling 30,157,000 CFA ($53,364) to 67 POs and CF groups during the 2018 growing season. In Niger, however, MFI loans to 11 REGIS-ER- supported POs totaled only 9,126,000 CFA ($16,149). This disappointing result was due mainly to POs’ unrepaid loans from the previous season and to the fact that MFIs did not honor their commitments to POs. As part of the warrantage collaboration, REGIS-ER connected approved suppliers of PICS bags

(promoted by REGIS-AG) and CBSPs. The project and the CBSPs organized trainings on the cowpea storage technique with PICS bags for 2,612 producers. As a result, 20 CBSPs sold at least 2,151 PICS bags to more than 642 producers for a sum exceeding 2,334,800 CFA ($4,132).

II. Programs Program 5 – Governance Sub-Section A: Promotion of Local Institutions

In FY18, REGIS-ER managed a major transition from its successful scaling-up phase to its sustainability phase, during which the project concentrated on resilience systems through a lens of local governance and institutions and narrowed its geographic focus in order to consolidate its achievements. This work, which mobilized the entire project staff, had internal and external dimensions. Internally, the activities involved: (a) finalizing REGIS-ER’s sustainability strategy (Stratégie de Renforcement de Durabilitié, SRD), (b) obtaining the buy-in of project staff on the SRD, (c) selecting communes and villages of concentration and (d) establishing support mechanisms for local institutions (“Institutions Locales”, ILs). Externally, the activities involved (a) getting the 3 targeted ILs (CMs, CWGs, Service Provider Platforms [CBSPs/PRLs]) to take ownership of the SRD and (b) starting the turnover process with them. The whole-hearted buy-in / ownership of the internal and external actors enabled REGIS-ER to achieve impressive results in FY18.

Finalization of the sustainability strategy (SRD) In late October/early November 2017, REGIS-ER brought in NCBA CLUSA’s Governance Advisor on the USAID|Yaajeende project, Abderhamane Djiré, to finalize its sustainability strategy. (Mr. Djiré had in fact worked on REGIS-ER’s sustainability strategy in June 2017 when he proposed a graduation strategy for project field agents and local institutions.) Mr. Djiré used a participatory process, organizing a workshop to obtain input from the project’s Senior Management Team (SMT), its Regional Coordinators, and its National and Regional Program Managers. In mid-November 2017, he submitted his report on the SRD, which recommended that REGIS-ER target four local institutions – the 4th being community-level platforms, such as CF or MtM groups. The REGIS-ER (field and NCBA CLUSA home office) Team decided that, given the sheer number of these platforms, it would be too ambitious to include them among the ILs and that it would be best for the project to support these community platforms indirectly – i.e., through the CMs, CWGs (including their community-level branches, the CLDs/CVDs), and CBSPs/PRLs. The sustainability strategy was revised accordingly towards the end of the first quarter of FY18.

Buy-in of the project staff on the sustainability strategy REGIS-ER made a considerable effort to gain the buy-in of project staff on the sustainability strategy. Following a meeting of the project’s Senior Management Team in Fada in February 2018, REGIS-ER organized a series of meetings in each national and regional office to ensure a common understanding of the SRD and to obtain the staff’s commitment for its successful implementation. This was successful.

Selection of the Communes and Villages of Concentration In its request to USAID for a 13.5 month no-cost extension, NCBA CLUSA stated that the additional time would allow REGIS-ER to better consolidate its achievements. This consolidation process entails both a programmatic and geographic prioritization (a narrower focus). Consequently, REGIS-ER decided to select the communes and communities where it had achieved its best results and where it should concentrate its interventions. The selection of “communes of concentration” and “successful villages” was conducted in a participatory manner by REGIS-ER’s regional teams under the guidance of the Senior Management Team, which had established specific criteria. In the end, the project selected 12 of its 25 total communes (6 per country) and 229 successful villages (NE: 130, BF: 99) within these communes. REGIS-ER then contacted the leaders of the proposed communes to gauge their interest in the project’s sustainability strategy and their willingness to take ownership for consolidating and scaling-up successful

7 resilience activities in their communes as the project withdraws its direct support and after it ends. Not surprisingly, the reaction of the various commune leaders was overwhelmingly favorable. In the 13 communes (of non-concentration) from which REGIS-ER decided to withdraw by December 31, 2018, the project nonetheless selected “successful villages” where it began to concentrate during the final quarter of FY18.

Support mechanisms for local institutions (ILs) At the aforementioned meeting in Fada in February, 2018, the project’s Senior Management Team (SMT) decided to divide its members into 4 (project-wide) support teams, one for each of the 3 local institutions (CMs, CWGs, and Service Provider Platform) and a 4th for studies and capitalization. The SMT also decided to establish IL support teams within the 7 regions1 to provide direct support to the ILs. Each of the regional teams immediately developed a quarterly action plan in order to help its IL develop its institutional capacity and play its intended role. Subsequently, each team met after the end of the quarter to assess the progress made in implementing the action plan and to develop an action plan for the coming quarter.2 The project’s regional teams also asked the local institutions to develop their own action plans (in relation to their role and missions) so that REGIS-ER can support their initiatives.

With the adoption of the sustainability strategy, the roles of the project field agents evolved; they began to coach and train CLDs/CVDs. (This coincided with the graduation process, which marked the transition from the field agents’ existing role to that of a Coach of Local Resource Persons [PRLs].)

In late August (NE) and late September (BF), REGIS-ER organized a 3 day training of trainers on how to develop a Commune Resilience Plan (Plan Communal pour la Promotion de la Résilience, PCPR) for about 20 staff members (Regional Coordinators and some Program Managers and M&E staff) per country. The goal of the training was to make the project staff capable of facilitating the preparation of PCPRs in the 12 Communes of Concentration, a process that will begin during the first quarter of FY19. Those who were trained then organized follow-up training sessions in their respective regions for the field agents and other Program Managers.

Results of the implementation of the sustainability strategy in FY 18 After a year of implementation of the SRD, REGIS-ER has achieved the following results:

Municipal Council (CM) ● the existence of an inventory of the activities carried out (in each community of the commune) and of the materials provided by the project in the 12 communes; ● the graduation of 12 CMs with a plan to assume ownership for the monitoring of REGIS-ER- initiated activities during the remainder of and after the project; ● a document on coordinating actions that promote resilience to food and nutritional insecurity (including the consolidation and scaling-up processes) is being prepared; ● the start of a partnership (a process of consultation) among the 3 local institutions; and ● the strong involvement of the CM in the monitoring (project) activities. Citizen Working Group (CWG) and its village-level branches, the CLDs / CVDs

1 Tillabéri North and South are considered within REGIS-ER to be two separate regions. 2 Since this process began in the middle of a quarter, the action plans did not correspond to the normal reporting periods. Rather, the quarters were irregular: February-April, May-July, August-October, etc.

● developed texts that have been officially recognized and implements its (rolling) action plan; ● acquired an office equipped with desktop, inverter, printer, table and chairs (for each CWG); and ● supported CLDs/CVDs in the preparation, implementation, and monitoring of their action plans. Local Development Committees / Village Development Councils (CLDs / CVDs) - are operational and implement their (rolling) action plan; - coordinate the activities of the community-based platforms (such as CF and MtM groups); - supported women’s groups in their efforts to extend the duration of 18 temporary land acts (i.e., loans of land); and - mobilize their communities (both socially and financially) in support of development actions.

Service Provider Platforms (CBSPs / PRLs) ● existence of a database of CBSPs and PRLs by type of services offered and by commune; ● established horizontal links, diversification and complementarity among CBSPs: group purchases, exchanges of products / services needed to have a profitable business; ● CBSPs received support from Agro-dealers (capacity building) to better sell their products, ● facilitated access to seeds and fertilizers for producers, in accordance with the action plan on the provision of agricultural inputs which they prepared for the 2018 growing/rainy season; ● in the 2 countries there are 93 “promising CBSPs”, 159 Auxiliary Veterinarians (AV) who are members of networks of local private veterinarian services, and at least 99 other CBSPs3 (including Community Relay Agents [Agents Relais Communautaires, ARC] and community-level CBSPs who have links to the central-level CBSPs) who do business with 63 suppliers (agro- dealers and firms). The fact that in FY17, the project monitored a total of 439 CBSPs, who had collaborated with only 9 suppliers (1/7 of the FY18 figure), is a clear indication of how far REGIS- ER has advanced in its work with CBSPs. o N.B. – Please see the table in Annex 2 which presents tangible results achieved by the “promising CBSPs” who implemented their Action Plans on the provision of agricultural inputs for the 2018 growing season, as well as the AVs, and other CBSPs. ● almost 57,000 clients (versus an estimated 39,215 clients in FY17) benefitted from the products and services provided by these CBSPs, whose sales revenues exceeded $ 522,000 (versus an estimated 90,000,000 CFA, or $ 159,259 in FY17).

As for the PRL network, the project work is less advanced than it is with the CBSPs for the moment.

Program 1 – Habbanayé plus Animal Health and Feed

Towards ownership of the habbanaye heritage by the various entities involved in habbanaye REGIS-ER developed a commune-level habbanaye tracking tool in excel for monitoring “animal placements and habbanaye asset transfers”. It has been completed and is ready to be transferred to the communes in Tillabery North and Centre-Nord/Kaya regions. This tool presents a snapshot of the situation of habbanaye placements and transfers by village. The tool, which comes with training and coaching and a habbanaye guide, will be provided to the Municipal Councils (CM) and Citizen Working Groups (CWGs) to facilitate implementation of the habbanaye activity in collaboration with the village habbanaye monitoring committees. This transfer should also lead to improvement of habbanaye

3 All of the "other CBSPs" are not necessarily counted here (in this figure).

9 operations, especially in addressing the problem of inconsistent statements made by certain beneficiaries about the number of habbanaye animals (goats, poultry). In villages where the habbanaye monitoring committees are coached by the project, one observes strong ownership of habbanaye. This is demonstrated by the fact that these committees The habbanaye tracking tool for communes; this example is from take full ownership for organizing Barsalogho Commune, Centre-Nord/Kaya Region, BF. the transfer of animal assets -- the selection of beneficiaries, the scheduling of the transfers, and the monitoring of the animals. REGIS-ER is only informed by the committees when everything is ready. At the commune level, the CMs designated focal points who are beginning to monitor and report on the various transfers involving the habbanaye heritage. One CM

Best practices of local institutions and entities involved in habbanaye: - In several villages of Tillabery North and Maradi, funds were set up at the initiative of the habbanaye monitoring committees and beneficiaries to cover any losses suffered during the placement of the animals. - Some village monitoring committees (Koïra in Sahel Region, Kossoghin and Sidogo in Centre-Nord Region) pair the beneficiaries -- a women who receives and one who will receive. These villages achieved transfer rates of 95 to 100%. Moreover, this practice promoted a strong sense of solidarity between the beneficiaries, thus contributing to the social capital which is so important for resilience. - In BF, the monitoring committees regularly request the services of animal health care agents on behalf of habbanaye beneficiaries -- Village Poultry Vaccinators (VVVs), Auxiliary Veterinarians (AVs), or agents of the government technical services (STDs), depending on the proximity of the particular agent. - Some village monitoring committees advise -- or in some cases require – that animals be vaccinated before they are transferred. They use the government livestock services for vaccinations. In the case of Kossoghin, in Barsalogho Commune (Centre-Nord Region), the poultry in the village were vaccinated before the transfer in order to limit the risk of mortality and ensure the sustainability of the activity. This action benefited all of the poultry breeders in the village, who seized the opportunity to vaccinate their own poultry. The transfer rate of habbanaye assets in the village is 100%. This impressive result is the product of collaboration and the well-organized village monitoring committee that meets every month to assess the status of the activity. - The villages of Komboassi, Komboassipéri and Poudiari in Manni Commune (Est Region) came up with an innovative means of expanding habbanaye operations in their communities. Each village had 6 beneficiaries of placements and 6 other beneficiaries of the first transfer of animal assets. The village chiefs, CVDs, and advisors suggested to their communities that they increase the number of animal assets to be transferred so that there could be 10 recipients instead of 6 and the communities accepted. The beneficiaries of the habbanaye placements transferred 167% more chickens than they had received so that the habbanaye operation within their communities could expand. (Bouroum, in Centre-Nord Region) even requires the presence of one of its members whenever an asset transfer is organized. Some actors have raised questions about the financial resources needed to monitor habbanaye operations in the commune. The answer to this concern is that the entities involved will have to come up with internal solutions to this problem.

Although the project’s focus in FY18 was on the sustainability of the habbanaye system, REGIS-ER placed some animals in order to honor commitments made to various communities in FY17. The table below presents the status of these placements.

Table 1: Placements Made in FY18 Operation Planned (No.) Implemented (No.) Comments Animals Animals Beneficiaries Villages NE FY17 goats 2426,704 6,075 1,520 76 Small ruminant pest caused (2nd round) some mortalities and implementation difficulties in Tillabéri (North and South) BF FY17 goats 3,600 3,600 900 60 FY17 8,140 5,720 520 52 In Gayéri, suppliers failed to poultry deliver 770 poultry to 70 beneficiaries in 7 villages. In Manni, the operation in 1 village was cancelled due to a dispute within the village. In the Sahel region, the delivery of 1,540 chickens to 140 beneficiaries in 14 villages was delayed due to the procurement process.

Three strong areas of REGIS-AG and REGIS-ER collaboration: Private Networks for Animal Health, Business Plans for Producer Organizations (POs) and Buyers, and Fairs REGIS-AG, -ER, and private networks for animal health signed 6 tripartite agreements in FY18 -- 5 in Niger with local private veterinary services (Services Vétérinaires Privés de Proximité, SVPPs) and 1 in BF with a Local Network for Animal Health (Réseau de Santé Animale de Proximité, RSAP). Three such agreements were signed in BF in FY17. Under the terms of the agreements, which are being implemented, (i) REGIS-ER acquires 91 kits to support Auxiliary Veterinarians (AVs), (ii) REGIS-AG will builds the capacity of the animal health networks (it has conducted several trainings or retrainings), (iii) the veterinarian monitors the performance of animal health networks at quarterly meetings (the 2 projects gradually decrease their financial support for the meetings4), and (iv) REGIS-ER provides support for vaccination campaigns (67 radio messages in 3 languages in Tillabéri North Region and 133 information and awareness sessions for breeders in Sahel (51) and Est (82) Regions5). It should be noted that REGIS-ER used these agreements to build the capacity of these networks by awarding them with contracts to conduct quarantines and health monitoring for habbanayé operations. Under REGIS-AG’s lead, -ER helped to connect actors in the small ruminant and poultry value chains. With REGIS-ER’s assistance, 40 poultry POs in Niger completed business plans and 11 small ruminant POs in Burkina Faso began preparation of theirs. The business plans include the following activities:

4 The results are presented in the Local Institutions section of this report. 5 In the 3 regions in BF, 4 RSAPs (and 68 AVs) had sales exceeding 28,000,000 CFA ($49,547) during the national vaccination campaign. More than 3,000 cattle, 8,000 small ruminants, and 295,000 poultry belonging to 12,000 breeders from 222 villages were vaccinated.

11 training of MFI agents in Sahel/Dori region on fattening techniques to facilitate MFIs’ loan granting procedures and training of POs from several regions (Maradi, NE and Sahel, BF) on poultry raising and on poultry feed manufacturing techniques using local ingredients and biosecurity. The 2 projects also assisted the Regional Chambers of Agriculture in the joint organization of several animal fairs: ● 4 poultry fairs (one per region) in Niger before Ramadan: 60 participants from ER-supported POs sold more than 3,000 chickens. Their combined sales totaled 9,412,825 CFA ($16,656); ● 3 small ruminant fairs in Niger before Tabaski: 30 participants from ER-supported POs sold 250 small ruminants were. Their combined sales totaled 16,800,500 CFA ($29,729); ● 1 small ruminant fair (Dori) and 1 poultry fair (Kaya) in BF: 53 breeders participated and sold 257 small ruminants and 697 poultry (as well as guinea fowl eggs, animal feed, and salt licks). Their combined sales totaled 15,599,000 CFA ($27,603). It should also be noted that several small poultry fairs were organized in some places, such as Zinder and Tillabéri, before the larger fairs. These fairs allowed the members of the POs to sell their animals without having to travel long distances and were very popular among local buyers and breeders.

Program 2 - Horticulture

Home Gardens: Excellent performance in Zinder and Centre-Nord Regions; variable elsewhere REGIS-ER initiated the home garden activity to improve the nutrition of families, particularly among pregnant and breastfeeding women and children under the age of 5, by increasing access to varied and highly nutritious foods throughout the year. In its early years, the project provided technical supervision (training, monitoring, advice), inputs (seeds, seedlings), small equipment / materials (tools), and fencing for community home gardens. In FY18, and even as early as FY17 in some regions, REGIS-ER’s support was limited to technical supervision, which was often provided independently by Local Resource Persons (PRLs) and / or Community-Based Solution Providers (CBSPs). In late March/early April 2018, the Mayors of REGIS-ER’s 12 Communes of Concentration selected gardening (Oasis, community, and home gardens) as one of the successful activities to be continued in the closing stages of the project and beyond and scaled up. The CMs validated this proposition. The project followed up by asking Local Development Committees/Village Development Councils (CLDs/CVDs) to survey / inventory the home gardens in their communities so that they could take ownership of this activity and understand how the activity had evolved to the point where outside support was no longer necessary. Some 214 CLDs/CVDs (NE 137, BF 77) participated in this survey. The results of the survey showed that the evolution of the home garden activity had varied from commune to commune and even within communes. Here are some of the results of the survey: ● In some communes, the number of gardens and villages with gardens significantly increased. In NE -- Bandé: + 52% over 2 years; and Droum: + 131% over 2 years. In BF -- Barsalogho: + 83%; Bouroum: + 65%; Tougouri: + 379%; and Tankougounadié: + 14%. ● In some communes in Niger, there was mixed progress: a decrease in the number of gardens, but instances of communities that initiated garden activities on their own (i.e., a spillover effect). Kourtheye: + 40%; Guidan Roumdji: + 26%; Tagazar: + 22%; and Tondikandia: + 27%. ● In some communes, the number of gardens remained stable (about the same), indicating that the activity has taken root (Seytenga, Sebba, Titabé, and Solhan Communes in BF); and

● In some communes, the number of home gardens decreased, and the number of villages where gardening is practiced remained stable or decreased. The results of a qualitative survey conducted on a repre- The detailed results of the survey can be sentative sample of home gardens in Zinder revealed that: found in Annex 3. The average size of a home garden is 28 m². 36% of the gardens are used year-round; 44% for 9 Based on REGIS-ER’s experience, these months; and 20% for 3-6 months. variations are due to the following factors: The crops grown by order of priority are baobab, (i) the quality of the support from the moringa, okra, tomatoes and orange-fleshed sweet REGIS-ER team, (ii) the level of involvement potatoes. of CBSPs in supplying inputs and/or 45% of the women producers received only training and providing services (in Zinder’s 2 communes 55% received seeds, fruit tree seedlings and training. and in Kourtheye in NE, CBSPs package 71% of the women consumed or gave away the food they vegetable seeds based on the purchasing produced, while 29% consumed, gave away and sold the food they produced. Their sales revenues averaged 2,850 power of the women producers), (iii) the CFA ($5) per producer per growing season. degree of ownership / involvement of the 78% of the women producers receive help from their CMs, Citizen Working Groups (CWGs) and husbands in maintaining their gardens / garden plots CLDs/CVDs (and PRLs) in promoting garden 31% of the women producers pay for services and activities and attracting clients (in Zinder, products (seeds) from CBSPs the CLDs organized guided tours and congratulated the gardeners with the best scores on an informal assessment. In Kaya, the communes are looking for ways to support collective home garden groups in new villages), and (iv) limited water availability for irrigation in certain areas (Est/Fada region, BF).

Oasis and Community Gardens – There is room for improvement In Niger, annual net income per woman, derived from oasis gardens, ranges from 30,150 to 75,520 CFA ($53 to $134) on 200m², and reported net revenues per hectare vary from 1,507,500 to 3,776,000 CFA ($2,668 to $6,682) (excluding depreciation). The project forecasts were 11,000,000 CFA ($19,465) / ha (excluding depreciation). In BF, annual net income per woman, derived from the community gardens, varies from 9,700 to 58,500 CFA ($17 to $104) on an area equivalent to 200m², and reported net income per hectare ranges from 485,000 to 2,925,000 CFA ($858 to $5,176) (excluding depreciation). The project forecasts were 3,200,000 CFA ($ 5,663) / ha (excluding depreciation). It is obvious that there is considerable room for improvement in both countries. (The income/operating/profit and loss statements in Annex 3 provide details.) Three innovations were introduced in FY18 to increase income per producer and per unit area: (i) the garden support model of the Farmers of the Future (FOF) Program / NGO LIBO (a grant recipient); (ii) solar pumps installed by PRACTICA Foundation (a grant recipient) on about 2,500 m² (see P6); and (iii) the granary developed by NCBA CLUSA’s old Arziki project for onion storage. The call out box presents results. Improving the business environment (as proposed below) will also help to improve garden results.

Building a Resilient System by Increasing Business Relations among Actors in the Irrigation Sector

A major outcome achieved by the project is Here are some results achieved using the FOF/LIBO the development of multi-stakeholder links model: in the realm of horticulture. These links The average income per woman is 122,000 CFA ($216) on between/among institutions, especially 200 m², more than double the average income obtained business linkages, are a promising on an Oasis Garden supported directly by REGIS-ER in development in terms of sustainability. Niger (51,000 CFA; $90) on the same surface area. The income obtained in situ is well below the expected CBSPs play a central role in the irrigation theoretical income (500,000 CFA; $885) per woman for sector. In Zinder region, for example, CBSPs 350 m²) contribute to the increased availability and The irrigation system with watering cans (148,000 accessibility (affordability) of inputs CFA/$262 for 150 m²) outperforms the one with flexible (fertilizers, seeds, and fruit tree seedlings) hoses (146,000 CFA/ $258 for 300 m²); and also costs less and services (crop protection treatments) for almost 1,000 women producers. The Here are the results achieved at 2 onion storage granaries CBSPs had combined sales revenues of (a 250,000 CFA/$442 investment for a 5 ton capacity): At Garie Bakobé (Tillabéri South), storage of 1,207 kg of 1,314,400 CFA ($2,326) and provided, along onions worth 253,470 CFA ($449) at harvest, sold after 6 with their products, advice to producers on months (including losses of 5.9%) for 482,800 CFA ($854) topics like sowing techniques in the rainy In Timboram Hatta, the value of the onions stored at season. In BF, 10 CBSPs from the 3 project harvest was CFA 436,000 ($772) ; they were sold 3 regions have close ties to the firm months later for 1,314,170 CFA ($2,325). Bioprotect which trains and supplies them with organic pesticides and which supports the development of their businesses (radio advertising, for example). Together these 10 CBSPs had sales revenues exceeding 3,000,000 CFA ($5,309). Other companies are interested in these CBSP networks. One, Nankosem, trained CBPSs from the Centre-Nord Region on certain technical directions / crop management sequences (e.g., sowing onions in the rainy season). In Est region, 3 dynamic nursery owners/managers adapted their products to meet the needs of their clients, which enabled them to triple their annual sales (5,284,000 FCFA, $ 9,350), and succeeded in popularizing the “pomme du Sahel” (apple of the Sahel) tree which had previously been unknown in the region. Several nursery owners/managers from other regions invested in their businesses to grow them. They purchased the following equipment: a tricycle by the nursery manager in Tafgo, Centre-Nord Region, a motorcycle by the nursery manager in Namissiguim, Centre-Nord), and solar-powered irrigation equipment by the nursery manager in Guidan Roumdji, Maradi Region. The role of the buyers is, of course, equally important. In BF, the producers undertook several initiatives. From October 2017 to September 2018, the market gardening group in Seytenga continued to honor their contract to supply onions to the Essakane gold mine. They delivered 18 tons of onions for 13,500,000 CFA ($23,889). They encountered 2 main difficulties: the company’s late payment of their invoices and the fact that demand for their products is weaker than their production capacity. To address these challenges, the group decided to look for new customers. They targeted Bioprotect, which is training CBSPs in Centre-Nord Region, proposing to supply organic onions to the firm. (The group was, of course, aware that producers in Centre-Nord were already supplying Bioprotect with organic vegetables.) At the end of FY18, the 2 parties were in the process of developing a production plan. Loading of onion bulbs for Bioprotect in Kuini (Centre-Nord, Kaya)

In addition, the CMs, CWGs, and CLDs/CVDs are involved in (i) developing business relations (in Maradi, a women’s gardening group was put in contact with a company specializing in solar systems so that any potential problems with the solar system at the garden could be repaired quickly), (ii) providing advisory support (in Maradi, at the site of Elkolta, the CLD helped a group to revise its internal rules; in Fada, the CM advised a group on the financing of the site; and in Zinder the CLDs organized guided tours of home gardens), (iii) securing land tenure at the garden sites, and (iv) granting sales stands / space in markets for the display of fruit tree seedlings (examples of the nursery owners/managers in Chiwil and Djongo Fandou, Tillabéri South Region).

Program 3 – Access to Financial Services

Continued Growth and Empowerment of the Self-Managed Community Savings and Loan System (Système d’Epargne et de Crédit Communautaire Autogéré, SECCA) For the consolidation and empowerment of SECCA actors, the project has directly provided the following support: i) literacy training for 106 secretaries (and other members) (NE 116, BF 95) in partnership with REGIS-AG, ii) coaching of 9 (5 in NE, 4 in BF) commune networks of Community Relay Agents (Agents Relais Communautaires, ARCs) which have emerged to improve and extend services7 (some are officially recognized bodies and/or have developed action plans), iii) technical support / supervision as needed for training delivered by the ARCs (see below), iv) production of 23 (NE 4, BF 19 8) community videos that will serve not only as practical training tools for ARCs, but also to sensitize local institutions and communities on this system, v) training of 67 ARCs (Maradi, Dori, Balleyara) on the animation techniques of adult groups and the use of pico-projectors / cell phones for the dissemination of ARC award ceremony in these videos. ARCs independently support SECCA groups (at the Seytenga latter’s request) in two ways: i) they conduct training supported in whole9 or in part by the participants themselves (including training of SECCA secretaries and group assistants on keeping and recording financial data (617 trained: NE 257, BF 360); ii) they provide advisory services at the regular weekly group meetings.10 The Commune / Municipal Councils (CMs) also support SECCA, by disseminating information about commune-level events or events involving SECCA (such as the SECCA promotional day organized in Seytenga and Sebba).

6 In addition to the 11 secretaries, 311 other people received literacy training in collaboration with REGIS-AG.

7 Especially in connection with the network of promising CBSPs / wholesalers

8 4 in Hausa, 9 in Mooré (the language of the Mossi), 5 in Fula / Fulfuldé (the language of the Fulani), and 5 in Gourmanchéma (the language of the Gurma / Gourmantché)

9 For example, in Maradi, participants paid for their lunch, each one contributing 100 CFA ($0.18), because they considered the training to be important. And the members of the groups in the host villages made the arrangements for the preparation of the meals.

10 Some regions even report an increase in the number of ARCs, which confirms the vitality of the sector.

The performance of SECCA groups continues The SECCA Group of Haddin Kan Matassa Group in Dan to improve (compared to FY17). In the two Gado (Maradi) SECCA, with 40 male members, continues countries, 2,344 groups (+ 14%) of 47,550 (+ to be the pride of the village. With its members’ weekly 14%) members saved 304,784,734 CFA contributions of 250 CFA ($0.44), the group contributes to ($539,331) (- 6%) and awarded loans to the socio-economic development of the village. It has just members totaling 155,968,323 CFA built a mosque (which cost about 1,000,000 CFA ($1,770), ($275,993) (+ 82%). (See details in annexes.) has granted its members loans of 270,000 CFA ($478), and These results demonstrate the members’ has accumulated food stocks (millet and baobab leaves) conviction about the importance of this that are sold to the community. The main objective of the community-based micro-finance system as a group is to make the village resilient to food insecurity. means of enhancing their resilience, and as an "instrument of economic empowerment" for women11. The increase in the total amount of loans granted by SECCA groups confirms a better, more productive use of the savings made by their members. This is undoubtedly the result of the support provided by the project on this aspect.

Formal Loans: Stagnation in Burkina Faso, and a Continuing Decline in Niger REGIS-ER continued to facilitate linkages between clients and Micro Finance Institutions (MFIs), while trying to get CBSPs to take on that role. (For example, CBSPs who specialize in facilitating the groups’ access to credit – linking groups with MFIs and providing support to groups on preparing loan applications and handling other administrative formalities – could play this role.)

In Burkina Faso, after an exponential increase in savings and loans in FY17 (respectively + 646% and + 1,300% compared to FY16), the amount of credit has stabilized at 164,621,950 CFA ($291,306), but the amount of savings decreased (34,817,125 CFA ($61,611)). In Niger, after the stagnation of FY17, savings (18,925,875 CFA ($33,490) and credit (91,707,100 CFA ($162,280)) levels continue to drop, mainly because of unpaid debts. This occurred despite the new relationships established with the Agricultural Bank of Niger (BAGRI) and Tanaadi.

The Success of the Animal Asset Building Mechanism by Credit, for Resilience Several months ago in Burkina Faso, REGIS-ER launched an initiative to help beneficiaries build animal assets through credit, without any project subsidy, as an alternative to the project’s habbanayé approach which targets “less vulnerable women”. Several cycles were conducted in the 3 regions.12 The evaluation of the implementation of this animal fattening model showed that it is a success. The model is highly The CBSPs also position themselves appreciated by the groups and allows the members of the downstream of production. For example, solidarity groups to achieve profit margins while constituting in Bandé (Zinder), 6 CBSPs routinely a livestock capital, which strengthens their resilience. As of collect okra at the BDL sites that they the end of FY18, loans totaling 101,650,000 CFA ($179,875) then aggregate with a central-level CBSP, had been made to 612 members of 53 groups that for the who supplies 8 retailers (vegetable sel- lers) in the cities of Magaria and Zinder. most part have just started their third fattening cycle. For the completed cycles (a total of 3,405 animals were purchased / fattened), the members created assets of 1,284 head of

11 See SAREL study "Analysis of Good Empowerment Practices for Women and Adolescent Girls Promoted by the RISE Program: From Design to Results," 2018.

12 It should be remembered that having animal assets is one of the key elements for household resilience.

16 livestock, while reaching a 100% reimbursement rate, and achieving a profit margin of 8,263,000 CFA ($14,622). It should be noted that this system has even been copied / adapted by SECCA groups, such as the Kumtal Haaju group in the village of Gongorgouol (Sebba, Sahel Region). A success story about this was published at this NCBA CLUSA website: https://ncba.coop/ncba-international/2087-a-community- savings-and-loan-group-builds-resilience-in-burkina-faso

Development of Warrantage in Burkina Faso in Partnership with REGIS-AG and MFIs The 2018 warrantage operation was conducted jointly with REGIS-AG and in collaboration with the MFIs. In Burkina Faso, loans totaling 30,157,000 CFA ($ 53,364) were awarded by MFIs to 67 Producer Organizations (POs) and CF groups. In Niger, however, the results were tenuous because some loans had not been repaid and because some MFIs had not honored their commitments: loans totaling 9,126,000 CFA ($ 16,149) were made to 11 POs directly supported by REGIS-ER.

Program 4 - Resilient Production Systems Additional Production Obtained from the Practice of Conservation Farming (CF) in 2017 Contributes to Nearly 20% of the Food Requirements of 48,132 Households The 2017 CF evaluation conducted in collaboration with the Technical Services of the Ministry of Agriculture showed that CF yields for sorghum, millet and cowpeas, compared to non-CF, increased significantly both in Niger and in Burkina Faso. Nevertheless, these yields are lower than those of previous years (2015 and 2016) because of the poor rainfall recorded in some areas. However, the difference between CF and non-CF yields was greater in 2017 than in previous years, which confirms that the technology enables producers to adapt optimally to climatic variations. In other words, CF guarantees increased production (versus non-CF) and thus allows households to be more resilient. The increase in the quantities of sorghum, millet, and cowpea harvested by 48,132 households (NE 11,923, BF 36,209) that practiced CF 2017 is estimated at 13,352 tons (NE 3,663, BF 9,689). Using the standards of the Permanent Inter-State Committee for Drought Control in the Sahel (CILSS), REGIS-ER can state that CF contributed 19% in Niger and 20% in Burkina Faso to achieving food security for these households. It is noteworthy that these households practiced CF in fields whose average area was only 0.78 ha in Niger and 0.56 ha in Burkina Faso. See the detailed results in Annex 5.

In addition, the evaluation of the effect of micro-doses of compost and mineral fertilizer on crop yields, conducted with ICRISAT (in accordance with the MoU signed in June 2017), shows that the micro-dose intake of compost and NPK fertilizer -- combined or separated -- and in association or not with mucuna gives better results compared to the usual technique of the producers. CF-Farmer Managed Natural Regeneration (FMNR) and Bio-Reclamation of Degraded Lands (BDL): More Ownership Taken on by Local Institutions for the Sustainability of these Practices Local Institutions are taking ownership of the CF-FMNR activity (and the BDL activity, particularly in Niger). CMs and/or Citizen Work Groups (CWGs), with the support of the Technical Services, shared the results of the (aforementioned) evaluation of the 2017 CF-FMNR growing season with Lead Producers. Local Development Committees (NE) / Village Development Councils (BF), CLD/CVD, drew up action plans for implementation of CF-FMNR and/or BDL which included continuing their efforts to add new CF-FMNR groups, opening bank accounts to access the inputs mechanism, getting producers to use best practices, extending the duration of the land loans made to women’s groups for BDL sites, and

17 strengthening relations between Community-Based Solution Providers (CBSPs) and producers (both CF- FMNR and BDL).

At the end of the 2017 growing season ended, the CBSPs immediately began to organize training and to sell PICS bags (see below) for storing cowpeas. An input supply plan (seeds and fertilizer) was developed by the CBSP networks for the 2018 season to facilitate access to inputs for producers. More than 4,667 (NE 1,267, BF 3,400) producers bought 5,574 (NE 2,199, BF 3,375) kg of improved sorghum, millet and cowpea seeds to practice CF and certified seeds of okra and sorrel (183 kg in Niger) to practice BDL. The total purchase exceeded 6.6 million CFA ($ 11,679) -- 3.5 million CFA in NE and 3.1 in BF (NE: $ 6,196; BF $ 5,486). Note that these seed purchases provide clear evidence of a positive behavior change among producers, who usually prefer to wait for subsidized seeds from the government or NGOs. In addition, CBSPs, mainly in Kaya, played an active role in promoting the CF input mechanism by facilitating access for over 1,898 producers to more than 103 tons of NPK fertilizer worth over 37 million CFA ($ 65,473), including loans from MFIs totaling more than 25 million CFA ($ 44,239). At the same time, to help support these Local Institutions, the project trained the nine Heads of Agricultural Districts (CDA) in the Departments of Dakoro and Guidan Roumdji (Maradi), the head of extension services at the Department-level Directorate of Agriculture in Dakoro and a representative of the 3N Initiative (i3N). A Successful REGIS-AG - REGIS-ER Collaboration: Introducing Warrantage in Burkina Faso and Promoting PICS (Purdue Improved Crop Storage) Bags REGIS-ER helped to connect approved suppliers of PICS bags (promoted by REGIS-AG) and CBSPs by setting up introductory meetings. The project and CBSPs organized trainings on the cowpea storage technique with PICS bags for 2,612 (NE 1,220, BF 1,392) producers. As a result, 20 (NE 11, BF 9) CBSPs sold more than 2,151 (NE 1,310, BF 841) PICS bags for an amount of over 2,334,800 CFA ($ 4,132) (NE 1,409,700 CFA ($ 2,495), BF 925,100 CFA ($ 1,637)) to more than 642 (NE 333, BF 309) producers. In Burkina Faso, the warrantage activity significantly benefited from the synergy between the two projects. After workshops at which producers reviewed and assessed the 2017 growing season and at which REGIS-AG launched its warrantage operation, this collaboration provided representatives of producer groups with training that helped them become more professional. This included training on marketing and negotiation techniques (NE 18, BF 8), pricing techniques (BF 15), stock management in warehouses (BF 21), and agricultural entrepreneurship (BF 61). Some CF groups (NE 14, BF 10) also participated in cowpea promotional days / fairs organized with REGIS-AG’s support. The producers of 79 CF groups in the 3 regions of Burkina Faso participated in warrantage operations, storing more than 122 tons in at least 19 warehouses. 47 of these groups received loans from MFIs totaling over 27.3 million CFA ($ 48,309) to conduct Income-Generating Activities (IGAs). The loan repayment rate was 100%!! The subsequent sale of the crops stored under the warrantage operation provided an estimated minimum added value of more than 9 million CFA ($ 15,926) (in comparison with the price at the time when the cowpea was stored) -- i.e., on average an added value of more than 7,500 CFA ($13) per 100 kg bag. Since a bag of cowpea was worth on average 25,000 CFA ($ 44) at the time it was stored, this is an added value of more than 30%. In both countries, cowpea CF groups were also able to participate in workshops connecting them with buyers. REGIS-AG and -ER also collaborated in an effort to get CF cowpea groups to develop business plans. This activity has not achieved the desired results. Lastly, it is important to highlight (i) REGIS-ER’s contribution to the national forums on the seed sub- sector in Niger and to the seed and fertilizer sub-sectors in Burkina Faso (input on the preparatory study

18 and participation in the forums) which were organized by REGIS-AG in conjunction with the host government ministries, and (ii) REGIS-AG and REGIS-ER’s co-facilitation of the Cost-Benefit Analysis study (on the cowpea, millet, sorghum, sheep, goat, chicken, and guinea fowl value chains) commissioned by USAID in the two countries.

Cash for Work Activities (including in partnership with WFP) and Response to the Food Crisis The 2017 agreement with the World Food Programme (WFP) in Burkina Faso was extended from October to December 2017. During this period, the beneficiaries completed more than 304 ha of stone bunds and 281 ha of half-moons at pastoral sites. They also performed ravine treatment work on over 3,570 m³ for the protection of investments such as the banks of the Tamassogho (Kaya) and Seytenga (Dori) dams. WFP paid more than 112,873,200 CFA ($ 199,735) in Cash for Work to 2,946 beneficiaries, including 1,994 women. Under the 2018 agreement with WFP/BF, by the end of FY18, 3,071 beneficiaries, including 2,263 women, had completed more than 599 ha of stone bunds, 515 ha of half- moons, 589 ha of revegetation, 27 ha of seeding for 143,000,000 CFA ($ 253,045) in Cash for Work payments. These cash payments helped to relieve the difficulties of vulnerable households during the lead-up period to the lean season and during the lean season itself. In Niger, in Sabon Machi Commune (Maradi region), the project conducted Cash for Assets activities (such as making/repairing half-moons, burning Sida Cordifolia, and FMNR) which followed up on the WFP-funded activities implemented in previous years. These activities were carried out on 327 ha and benefited 1,837 people, who were paid 31,045,300 CFA ($ 54,936) for their labor-intensive work. The Mayor, the commune agent in charge of the environment, and representatives of the 46 villages set up 7 management committees at the various sites where pastureland was recovered. They also organized a study trip to nearby Dargué (Chadakori Commune, Guidan Roumdji Department), where a similar WFP- funded activity had been quite successful, to learn about the use of straw (cutting/ reaping and marketing). In the Balleyara area, 108 ha of pastoral half-moons were constructed with 13,521,600 CFA ($23,927) in Cash for Work benefiting 820 people.

Program 5 – Governance Sub-Section B: Natural Resource Management, Disaster Risk Management, Conflict Management and Land Tenure Security

In FY18, REGIS-ER continued to strengthen Natural Resource Management (NRM) through its support to communes on the preparation, adoption, and implementation of Local Conventions; developed its contingency plan in the framework of USAID’s “Operational Strategy for Shock Response for the RISE Portfolio”; and increased its efforts to improve land security for women, which required the project to address the issue of temporary land acts (land “loans”) for women. Local Conventions (Conventions Locales, CL) During the life of the project, CLs have been prepared in 16 communes (NE: 7, BF: 9) and signed in 11 (NE: 6, BF: 5) of those communes. (See the table with the status of CLs in each of REGIS-ER’s 25 communes in Annex 6.) However, only 1 of those 11 communes (Tondikandia, Tillabéri South) has integrated its CL into its Commune Development Plan. Eight (NE: 3, BF: 5) of the remaining 10 with a signed CL are “communes of concentration”. In those communes REGIS-ER urged the CMs to integrate both the CL and the Commune Resilience Plan (Plan Communal pour la Promotion de la Résilience, PCPR), which will be developed during the first quarter of FY19, into the Commune Development Plan

(PCD/ PDC) and set up regional and commune-level teams for that purpose. This approach is efficient since the communes could integrate the 2 documents into their PCD/PDCs in a single deliberative session. At the same time the CMs could use the tools designed for the integration process, which promotes sustainability. It is important to note that the majority of PCD/PDCs need to be updated because the validity of the document is limited in time. In 5 of the 8 communes of concentration in question, the PCD/PDC expired between 2012 and 2014 (!); in 2 others the PCD/PDC will expire at the end of 2018. The need to update the PCD/PDC creates a real opportunity for REGIS-ER for the integration of the CL and the PCPR. Parenthetically, the process of updating the PCD and integrating the CL into it started in Gayéri Commune (Est region, BF) before the approach of integrating 2 documents was adopted. (A private firm has been contracted to assist the commune in this process.)

During the second half of FY18, REGIS-ER, the Mayor of Tagazar Commune, and the CL Steering Committee in the commune began work on the preparation of a CL. The project adopted a new approach by associating Nigerien NGOs rather than consultants in this process in order to transfer skills that would enable them to sustainably play this role in other communes of Tillabéri Region after the completion of REGIS-ER. Following the dissolution of the Municipal Council by the Government on September 25, 2018, the Prefect of Balleyara designated the Secretary General of the commune and other actors familiar with the work to continue the preparation of the CL, given its importance for the commune in terms of sustainable management of natural resources, conflict prevention and building community resilience.

Disaster Risk Management: Contingency Plan and Early Warning Systems In accordance with USAID’s “Operational Strategy for Shock Response for the RISE Portfolio”, REGIS-ER developed its contingency plan, which it submitted to USAID on March 14, 2018. The project revised the contingency plan following USAID’s feedback and submitted the revised document in early June. The contingency plan drew upon the work conducted by the project team in each region. It is divided into three separate documents: the shock response strategy, the annual programming, and the action plan.

Two Community Early Warning and Emergency Response Entities (Structures Communautaires d’Alerte Précoce et de Réponse aux Urgences, SCAP/RU) established in Kourtheye Commune (Tillabéri North) with REGIS-ER’s support received funding (a total of 485,000 CFA/$858) from another project (Scaling- Up Resilience to Climate Extremes for 1 million people in the Niger River Basin [SUR1M]) to conduct preventive flood control actions along a seasonal/intermittent stream. Ten other SCAP/RUs covering a cluster of 32 villages were also set up in the same commune.

Conflict Management and Land Tenure Security In FY18, REGIS-ER increased its efforts to improve land security for women, which required the project to address the issue of temporary land acts – i.e., loans of land to women’s groups. (Most of these sites were for Bio-reclamation of Degraded Lands, BDL.) Specifically, the project sought to engage a process that would enable the women’s groups either to move from temporary to definitive/permanent land security (i.e., a donation or purchase of the land) at these sites or, if that best-case scenario was infeasible, to extend the duration of the short-term loans.

In Niger, the average duration of these loans was 4.5 years and many loans were about to expire. REGIS- ER’s gender specialist monitored, in collaboration with the project’s regional teams and the various Local Development Committees concerned, the situation on approximately 50 ha (44 sites) made available to women with project support. This exercise led some women’s groups to renegotiate (on their own) the remaining duration of their loans, which increased from an average of 5 months to 10 years (!). The

20 average area of their land also increased (in absolute value) to 1.22 ha. However, most of the land area (72%) registered in women’s names remains a loan, so the land security problem has not been resolved.

In Burkina, ONF-BF (Observatoire National du Foncier au Burkina Faso / National Observatory for Land Tenure in BF) held a forum in Kaya on May 8-9, 2018 to discuss how to ensure land security of REGIS-ER investments in the country. In addition, 50 ha of BDL sites, 2 ha of market/vegetable garden sites, and 257 ha of pastoral sites have been marked off in Barsalogho and Bouroum Communes as a prelude to securing that land. The Rural Land Service (Service Rural Foncier, SFR) in 6 Communes (Barsalogho, Bouroum, Nagbingou, Seytenga, Manni, and Gayéri) received kits with a computer, a GPS, a mobile phone Android, software for spatial data processing, and several registers to record Rural Land Transactions, Ownership, Conciliations, and Charters. REGIS-ER also supported the swearing in of 2 SFR agents, 1 in Barsalogho and 1 in Bouroum. This banal bureaucratic event is in fact a key step in the operationalization of the government entity responsible for land tenure security in rural Burkina Faso. Parenthetically, the REGIS-ER/ONF-BF partnership began in January 2017 and the results obtained through this collaboration are the subject of a success story that will be shared in FY19 with USAID. The story will give an overview of the changes and positive contribution that ONF-BF has made to the process of land tenure security and to increasing people’s knowledge of land tenure regulations. Unfortunately, the project has little data on conflict management. However, REGIS-ER did obtain positive data from local authorities (notably the Canton Chief) on the apparent effects of the Local Convention in Tondikandia Commune on conflict prevention. The number of reported cases of conflicts decreased by two-thirds in just a two year period, from 60 in 2015 to only 20 in 2017. There is also some anecdotal evidence that deserves our attention. In Droum Commune (Zinder Region, NE), more than two years after the signature of its CL, local authorities have also observed a decrease in the number of conflicts. In Bouroum Commune (Centre-Nord Region, BF), villagers proposed, on their own initiative, to paint trees at their own expense to mark off livestock corridors. The operation was a complete success: neither the Village Development Council (CVD), nor the commune has received a single case of conflict between farmers and herders!

Program 6 – Water Services In FY18, the Water Service Program continued to focus on improving access to high quality potable water and affordable water (and pumping technologies) for productive use as a means to strengthen resilience. To implement this approach, the P6 team increased integration and collaboration with other REGIS-ER programs. P6 activities in FY18 can be divided into “hard” and “soft” categories: ● The construction or rehabilitation of the remaining hydraulic works to be carried out prior to the end of the project. Some of these works (Human-Powered Pumps [Pompes à Motricité Humaine, PMH]) were completed and received; others will be completed in FY19. ● The initial stages of activities that promote the sustainability of water service management at the village and commune levels. These include the management methods used at sites with PMHs and the functioning of Water Point Management Committees (Comités de Gestion des Points d’Eau, CGPE) / Water Users' Associations (Associations des Usagers de l’Eau, AUE). The objective of these actions, in line with the project’s sustainability strategy, is to leave in the hands of beneficiaries, good quality works that are managed in an efficient and sustainable manner. Improving Access to Potable Water Construction / Rehabilitation of high priority water points

The planning for the construction/rehabilitation of the hydraulic works was done in order to make PMHs available to the communes before the end of the project. Accordingly, in Niger 20 boreholes were rehabilitated; in Burkina, 8 new boreholes were installed and 82 boreholes were rehabilitated. In all, 110 operational boreholes were made available to communes. Work on other boreholes was planned, but not completed, and will be performed in FY19. All of the work was carried out under the technical supervision of the regional directorates of the government technical services for water on a contractual basis. The partner communes, whose statutory role in the water sector is to serve as project manager, were associated in the process. In terms of cost-share related to the construction/rehabilitation of the boreholes in Niger, a total of $16,066 was mobilized (vs. $16,811 planned). The remainder ($745) remains to be collected in the Tillabéri North area. In BF, the total cost-share collected was $8,494 -- $3,583 in Centre-Nord/Kaya Region, $3,052 in Est/Fada Region, and $1,858 in Sahel/Dori Region.

Support on water quality assurance for the works made available to communities by REGIS-ER The project is committed to monitoring the quality of water drawn from human-powered pumps at least once during their first year of operation. Accordingly, in Niger water extracted from 89 boreholes (31 in Zinder, 24 in Maradi, 34 in Tillabéri) and 18 cement-lined wells (11 in Tillabéri and 7 in Maradi) was analyzed. The results revealed that water from 17 of the boreholes and 9 of the wells contained coliform (E-coli and total coliforms); these boreholes and wells were disinfected. However, in BF, the analyses were not conducted in FY18. The service provider was identified and the analyses will be conducted during the first quarter of FY19.

Improving Governance and Management of Water Points Supporting communes in ensuring effective management of their water services REGIS-ER conducted the following activities to strengthen the governance of water service at the commune and village levels: ● REGIS-ER built/strengthened capacities of the Water Point Management Committees/ Water Users' Associations (CGPEs/AUEs). In Niger, 128 CGPEs were established with project support and submitted requests to the communes for official recognition. 92 of those CGPEs (72%) received official recognition. In BF, 28 existing AUEs in Sahel Region held elections for their managing body with REGIS-ER’s support. The same process is underway in Centre-Nord Region. ● The project finalized and began implementation in both countries of its strategy to promote payment of water service fees based on an income/operating/profit and loss statement. The objective of this long-term strategy is to have direct payment of water or a system of periodic payments of set fees that is based on the estimated costs and that enables a community to cover the total cost of rehabilitating its PMH.

Strengthening a Sustainable System for the Provision of Water Services In Bartiébougou, Foutouri, and Gayéri Communes in Est Region of BF, the project provided toolboxes to 3 artisan repairmen, who had received training in collaboration with CRS’s FASO Program. In Niger, the project connected CGPEs and artisan repairmen for interventions whenever there was a need.

Building Agricultural and Animal Production Capacities Support in accessing water for 10 new market/vegetable gardening groups

REGIS-ER contributed to the construction of wells and boreholes at oasis and community garden sites. In BF, at 7 such sites, 15 wells were dug and 13 of them received -- 5 in Dori, 4 in Fada and 6 in Kaya. In NE, 3 boreholes were officially received at market garden sites -- 2 in Tillabéri, 1 in Maradi. For the water points of the shallowest depth, the solar pumping technologies proposed by PRACTICA Foundation were installed for demonstration purposes, which contributed to the development of the supply chain. (See below.) However, 12 conventional, deep boreholes in NE (2 each in Tillabéri North and South/Balleyara and 8 in Maradi) have not yet been equipped with pumps because of budget constraints. REGIS-ER encourages the women’s groups and local institutions to take ownership of the investments to be made (example of the Bankor CLD in Sakoira Commune, Tillabéri North Region). If this is infeasible, REGIS-ER will explore the possibility of helping the communities to fence the sites and equip the boreholes with human-powered pumps for the provision of potable water.

Establishment of a solar pump supply chain for small producers Through its grant to PRACTICA Foundation, REGIS-ER set up a supply chain of 3 solar pump models for small producers. The “Centre Sainte Famille” (CSF) of Saaba (in the Ouagadougou metropolitan area) imports the parts and manufactures the pumps. USAID and some 50 participants attended the official launch on March 7. (See http://lefaso.net/spip.php?article82320#formulaire_forum .) This supply chain will benefit the entire REGIS-ER zone of intervention area (ZOI) -- NE as well as BF -- and even neighboring countries. With Dutch support, CSF developed a business plan for a regional operation and received technical training on manufacturing the pumps. PRACTICA and CSF then conducted the following activities to establish the chain: i) the training of 11 (NE 6, BF 5) artisans to install and repair the pumps in the 7 project regions, ii) installation, for demonstration purposes, of 52 (NE 24, BF 2813) pumps of all 3 models in NE and BF, iii) demonstrations on related water application technologies (installation of 5 Rainmakers and 4 low-cost basins, including the training of a mason in this technique), and iv) participation in several commercial and promotional events (the launch ceremony, the National Water and Sanitation Forum of Ouagadougou, the water fair in Fada).

SF1 and Mini-Volanta solar pump models installed at market gardening sites in Burkina Faso These commercial and promotional activities enabled CSF to sell 10 SF1 pumps for 400,000 CFA ($708) apiece and 2 Mini-Volonta pumps for 457,840 CFA ($810) apiece. The clients were individuals, associations, and NGOs.

The 8 CBSPs in Balleyara trained in manually drilling boreholes continued to grow their businesses

13 One complementary pump remains to be installed because the site was inaccessible during the rainy season.

The 8 CBSPs trained in June 2017 to manually drill boreholes continued to develop their businesses.14 In FY17, they drilled 132 boreholes for 3,767,500 CFA ($6,667). In FY18, they drilled 138 boreholes for private irrigation and 797 others for mixed use (drinking water and small market gardening) for a total of 935 clients. The CBSPs received 25,713,000 CFA ($45,500) for their work; 2 of them did most of the drilling (858 boreholes) and earned 24,845,000 CFA ($43,964), 97% of the total. It should also be noted that most of the drilling was done for 4 NGO clients (Alhéri, Muslim, Arabia and Farhan) outside the home communes of these 2 CBSPs and the project zone of intervention (Birnin N'Gaouré Department, Dosso Region; the urban community of Niamey; Ouallam Department, Tillabéri Region).

Program 7 – Hygiene and Sanitation In FY18, 116 villages were declared open defecation free (ODF), or 112% of the FY18 target (104). In addition, 18,232 (NE: 15,247; BF: 2,985) latrines were built or rehabilitated, providing 106,456 people (NE: 85,708; BF: 20,748) access to improved sanitation facilities.

Promotion of Hygiene and Sanitation Practices Community-Led Total Sanitation (CLTS) REGIS-ER worked closely with 2 NGOs (ACD/PDE in Burkina Faso and Eau Vive in Niger), which has helped tremendously in making progress toward the target for ODF villages. In FY18, 116 villages reached ODF status (NE: 81 vs. 81 planned; BF: 35 vs. 23 planned), for a completion rate of 112% and bringing the total for life of project to 149 (NE: 114; BF: 35). The lower results in Burkina Faso may be in part due to the country’s institutional framework, which does not favor the traditional (non-subsidized) approach to CLTS, which REGIS-ER implements. As a result, REGIS-ER found itself in a kind of competition with other stakeholders who subsidize the construction/rehabilitation of latrines. Although the number of OFD villages in BF is only about one-third of that in Niger, the project considers 33 ODF villages to be a satisfactory achievement in the current Burkina context.

An annual survey conducted by REGIS-ER showed that in FY18, 84% of the latrines constructed/ rehabilitated over the life of the project were functional, giving access to an improved sanitation facility to 106,456 people, representing an achievement rate of 92% of the annual target (115,500).

In Burkina, the village of Komboisskperi (in Est Region), which is close to a REGIS-ER village that was declared ODF, reached the ODF stage without having been triggered (spillover effect). At the request of its residents, REGIS-ER submitted the documentation on the village to government authorities so that it could be officially certified as ODF.

Presentation of ODF certificates by the Prefect of Mirriah (left photo) and the Canton Chief of Droum (right photo) at the certification ceremony in Droum (Zinder region)

14 These CBSPs generally have a drilling team with 4 or 5 workers.

Post-certification Follow-up for ODF Villages In Burkina, the village of Komboisskperi (in Est Region), which is close to a REGIS-ER village that was declared ODF, reached the ODF stage without having been triggered (spillover effect). At the request of its residents, REGIS-ER submitted the documentation on the village to government authorities so that it could be officially certified as ODF.

Collaboration with Local Institutions/Partnerships In Niger, REGIS-ER provided support to a locally elected official in each of its 2 project communes in Tillabery North so that they could take an active role in following up on community commitments after the triggering phase of CLTS. The project also supported the development of 122 post-certification action plans in all regions. In Barsalogho (Kaya Region), the project organized the observance of World Toilet Day, an event that was attended by 472 people. It is important to note that the Mayor’s Office of Barsalogho made a significant contribution to the event: 184,000 FCFA ($ 326).

“Model Home” Contest The “Model House” competitions, organized in 14 CLTS villages in Sahel region (Dori), helped to speed up the attainment of ODF status in these villages. In Niger, 351 households in 124 villages received the “Model House” award. REGIS-ER also supported the community-based sanitation committees in organizing monthly clean-up days in both countries. Hygiene and Sanitation Services REGIS-ER trained 483 masons (NE: 278; BF: 205) in slab-making, entrepreneurship, and marketing. In addition, 25 women from the Bouroum-Nagbingou area (Centre-Nord/Kaya Region) produced soap for sale at the local market, after having received appropriate training and having been linked to suppliers who provide the necessary inputs for making soap.

Observed Changes Communities appear to be more aware than ever of the importance of good hygiene and sanitation practices. For example, some villages, as a measure of solidarity, collected contributions in order to help vulnerable households construct a latrine.

Other villages have reached ODF status without having been previously triggered.

Program 8 – Community-based Health and Nutrition REGIS ER promotes good health and nutrition practices for pregnant women, breastfeeding women, adolescent girls, and children under 5 years of age. In FY18, REGIS-ER achieved the following key results: ● Over 62,000 children under 5 reached by health and nutrition interventions. ● Over 28,000 children under 2 years (0-23 months) reached by health and nutrition interventions. ● Approximately 4,400 pregnant women reached by specific nutrition interventions. Dietary Diversification REGIS-ER promotes community meals where families learn about putting together locally available ingredients for a diversified diet as well as about proper hygiene and food preparation. In FY18,

25 communities organized approximately 12,500 community meals (NE 11,800; BF 700), involving about 175,000 Mother-to-Mother (MtM) members (NE 163,000; BF 12,000).

When community meals started, REGIS-ER offered a subsidy of up to 5,000 CFA (almost $9) to the group to cover the purchase of ingredients that were not always readily available in households (oil, sugar, meat, etc.). Some MtM groups did not need the subsidy and others only used a portion of it. For those who used the subsidy, it was gradually reduced, at first to 2,500 CFA (almost $4.50) then to no subsidy as a group became established and realized the importance of the community meals. In FY 2018, only 33% of the organized community meals were subsidized by the project.

As the mothers in the Niger MtM groups became more aware of what it takes to improve the nutrition of their children, they began, on their own initiative, to establish ‘Greniers nutritionnels’ (nutritional granaries) to stock bulk food products (millet, cowpeas, peanuts, sesame, etc.) to cover the lean season. The granaries make it possible to continue community meals during this difficult period without subsidies. As of September 2018, 116 villages have these granaries and have used this food stock in over 4,900 community meals, demonstrating increasing community ownership. (See Annex 7 for more details).

Processing/Producing Foods Enriched with Local Products for Infants About 2,800 (NE 1,550; BF 1,250) sessions on group production of enriched flour were carried out by the MtM groups, reaching approx. 23,200 people (NE 17,000; BF 6,200). In Burkina Faso, REGIS-ER trained 4,866 mothers of children 6-23 on the production of enriched flour and the preparation of orange-fleshed sweet potato marmalade. In Niger, nearly 3,700 mothers from 300 MtM groups were trained on infant food processing and preservation techniques (cowpea, moringa, etc.). In addition, REGIS-ER identified 11 Community-Based Solution Providers in Zinder, Maradi, and Dori to produce enriched flour. (See Section ‘CBSP Promotion’ for more details.)

Social and Behavior Change Communication (SBCC) Mother-to-Mother support groups (MtM) As of September 30, 2018, nearly 2,800 MtM groups are functional (NE 1,600, BF 1,200). In FY18, over 39,000 women (NE 26,000, BF 13,000) took part in MtM group discussions. To bring wider recognition to mothers who adopt key behaviors and to encourage wider adoption of these behaviors, REGIS-ER instituted a graduation and certification system for mothers who complete the program (mothers with children who are under 2 years of age) and adopted 80% of promoted behaviors. These model mothers receive official acknowledgement Figure 1: Sabon Machi certification ceremony for model mothers based on predefined criteria during a certification ceremony. Over 300 MtM members were certified as model mothers in Niger in FY18.

With REGIS-ER’s support, community health workers (CHWs) support the MtM group messages by working with significant influencers of mothers’ health and nutrition practices. In FY18, CHWs held over

800 education sessions (NE 610, BF 190) on health and nutrition of women, infants and young children with nearly 20,000 grandmothers and mothers-in-law.

Husbands’ Schools (Ecoles des maris; EdM) In FY16, the focus of the EdM approach was redirected to align with the social learning model, which asserts that people are more apt to learn new behaviors by observing their peers. The EdM is based on a model that encourages men/husbands to take part in actions that support the key health and nutrition actions promoted in MtM groups, which are usually performed solely by women. The first phase starts with 10 small, doable actions (PAFs). Men graduate to phase 2 (10 different small, doable actions) once they are practicing at least eight of the 10 specified actions. The 663 existing EdM (NE 288, BF 375) have about 8,100 members (NE 3,450, BF 4,650), with over 1,300 leaders facilitating the community conversations to support husbands in completing the PAFs. Approximately 690 EdM members in Niger and over 1,500 in Burkina Faso completed at least 80% of the PAFs and were certified as model husbands. Certification as a model husband takes place at a community gathering where the model husbands can be seen as role models and encourage other men to be more supportive for the health and nutrition of their families.

Adolescent Girls’ Learning and Support Groups (Groupes d’Apprentissage et de Soutien aux Adolescentes; GASA) in Maradi Region Fifty GASA groups are in place in two communes in the Maradi region, with 848 adolescent girls participating. In FY18, capacity building for mentors and adolescent girls continued with the addition of two topics: life skills and basic financial education. Since the incorporation of these two topics, 175 adolescent girls reported initiating an open dialogue with adults, especially mothers, aunts and sisters; 262 adolescent girls aged 15-18 started a savings plan, with an average monthly saving of 4,744 CFA (about $8.40); and 108 adolescent girls that are not members of GASA were educated on various topics by GASA group members. In addition, 20 GASA members were trained on henna ornamentation and tattooing and provided with a start-up kit.

REGIS-ER trained mentors in a variety of facilitation techniques to keep girls engaged and create opportunities to enhance self-expression and negotiation skills, such as games, songs, role plays, and stories. GASA members meet weekly to discuss topics related to good hygiene and sanitation practices, including menstruation, adolescent nutrition, utilization of health services, and consequences of underage marriage. A GASA member raising awareness on hygiene

Several initiatives are taking place in project- supported villages. A graduated GASA member requested her husband’s support in creating a GASA group that she would facilitate in order to mentor adolescent girls in her village.

Radio Serial Drama on the First 1,000 days: The primary focus of REGIS-ER’s radio serial drama (RSD) is “The First 1,000 Days of a Child’s Life,” although it also addresses other resilience-related themes. In Burkina Faso, 20 episodes were produced in 3 local languages (Gurma/Gourmantché, Fula/Fulfulde and Mooré) and broadcast/rebroadcast 280 times on 7 partner radio stations. In Niger, 20 episodes were produced in 2 languages (Hausa and Zarma) and broadcast/rebroadcast 810 times on 9 partner radios. To promote listening, the project disseminated the episodes by distributing memory cards and USB flash drives to the sentinels15 and other resource persons (Lead Mothers [MLs], EdM mentors and CHWs) in targeted villages and by organizing questions and answers sessions.

Community Videos: Dissemination of videos continued, reaching over 7,700 people in Maradi and Zinder in Niger and approximately 6,000 people in Fada and Kaya in Burkina Faso. The videos covered the themes of early and exclusive breastfeeding, dietary diversification for children aged 6+ months, importance of the construction and proper use of latrines (vision ODF), conservation and use of iodized salt, production of enriched flour, and handwashing with water and soap. Assessment on the adoption of promoted behaviors: The project carried out a rapid assessment on promoted behaviors within supported community platforms. Preliminary findings (which are not generalizable, but useful in identifying gaps) show that:

- 86% of lactating women from MtM groups practice or practiced exclusive breastfeeding; - 91% of children 0-23 months of MtM group members slept under a bed net the previous night; - 99% of husbands from EdM encouraged their pregnant wife to consume at least an additional meal per day; - 52% of GASA members led or facilitated an awareness raising session on different topics; - 66% of GASA members developed a savings plan. The final report will be completed during the first quarter of FY19.

Community-based Quality Improvement (C-QI) The project has been implementing a community-based quality improvement (C-QI) approach to promote community involvement and commitment to health and nutrition for women and young children. Communities have demonstrated a willingness to solve their problems and, in this way, they become agents of their own development.

With support from URC’s regional office in Niamey, REGIS-ER reframed its C-QI approach using simplified tools, so that C-QI teams can better assess their situation and track progress towards defined targets. These teams worked on two priority problems: consumption of enriched porridge by children age 6-23 months and handwashing with water and soap. In collaboration with health workers, the project carried out nearly 920 coaching visits (NE 600; BF 320) and 9 learning sessions to support C-QI teams. Together with communities, best practices were identified and were shared during learning sessions.

Some communities took on other problems using the C-QI approach. Achievements include (See Annex 7 for more details):

- In FY18, in the Kaya region of BF, five C-QI teams achieved an increase in consumption of enriched porridge by children from 43 to 66% and hand washing with soap from 33 to 58%.

15 The sentinels are people who encourage their fellow villagers to listen to the radio serials.

- Thanks to the C-QI teams, neighborhood sessions of group production of enriched flour and awareness raising sessions on handwashing with soap in places of worship were organized in 2 villages in the Sahel region (Dori) and 6 villages in Est Region (Fada), with spillover effect. - 13 home gardens were planted in the village of Gocholo (Zinder). - In FY18 in the village of Dongon Farou (Maradi), 90% of children aged 6-23 months consumed enriched porridge and the referral of malnourished children from the local health facility to the integrated health center (CSI) decreased from 25% to 15%. - The village of Angoual Manda (Zinder) reached ODF status thanks to competitions between the different areas/neighborhoods of the village (Operation Clean Neighborhood) which were organized by the C-QI team.

CBSP Promotion REGIS-ER identified and coached 9 CBSPs (Zinder 6; Maradi 3) in Niger working in health and nutrition- related fields. These female producers of enriched flour were linked to other CBSPs during a meeting at the commune level. In Burkina Faso, two PRLs (Lead Mothers [MLs] of MtM groups) are selling enriched flour in Sebba Commune (Sahel Region, Dori). They were linked to health and social promotion centers (CSPSs) to supply enriched flour, as needed, to women seeking care at the health facility. REGIS-ER field agents coached them to ensure the production of quality enriched flour.

Program Integration, Collaboration, and Partnership REGIS-ER strengthened collaboration with the Ministry of Health at the local level as well as with communes through joint supervisions of community platforms (MtM, EdM, and GASA), coaching, data collection for C-QI teams, the certification process for model husbands, and several C-QI learning sessions at the commune level.

In Niger, REGIS-ER participated in a workshop to develop harmonized tools with RISE-FP/Pathfinder International.

In Tillaberi South, REGIS-ER worked in collaboration with REGIS-AG to finalize the first phase of a functional alphabetization program for 90 MtM members from three villages.

In Burkina Faso, REGIS-ER trained 30 trainers from CRS’s FASO Program on the preparation of orange- fleshed sweet potato marmalade. These trainers then trained about 2,000 MLs of “care groups”.

III. Cross-cutting Activities

Monitoring and Evaluation

Training of regional teams Following the review of the project's indicators and targets in FY17, the M&E unit updated tools during the first quarter of FY18 and trained the regional teams the following quarter (February-March 2018) to ensure their comprehension of the changes and to improve data quality. At the training, the participants not only reached a shared understanding of the tools and of roles and responsibilities in the data flow process, they also examined the tools to prevent duplication of data and those to monitor the performance of field agents (RADAR ATP). As a result of the training, the project improved data collection and quality. Review of the indicators and of the data collection system In April 2018, USAID Senegal invited REGIS-ER to a three day meeting to examine all of the issues involving the project indicators, the performance levels of the indicators and the methods of calculating them, and the targets. Pursuant to the recommendations made at the meeting, the project updated the indicators in accordance with FtF's current handbooks, revised FY18 targets, set FY19 targets and agreed to use surveys and similar techniques to collect data on certain indicators. Annual Survey In August-September 2018 (and also in early October), the M & E unit organized an annual survey to inform the performance levels of 16 project indicators identified during exchanges with USAID. The table of indicators was revised to include the new indicators recommended by USAID and to report on annual performance levels in FY18. The document was submitted to USAID for approval.

REGIS-ER’s Data Quality Assessment (DQA) In July 2018, SAREL conducted, on behalf of USAID, REGIS-ER’s DQA. It examined 23 project Indicators. It is important to note that unlike in previous years, when the DQA was conducted towards the end of the calendar year, this DQA was carried out in advance. Although the DQA revealed some shortcomings, particularly on double counting, the preliminary report noted a lot of improvement on data quality. As of the end of FY18, REGIS-ER had not yet received the final report validated by USAID. Learning and Capitalization REGIS-ER undertook different types of learning and capitalization initiatives to improve the implementation and results of the project. Use of the results of the project’s Mid-Term Evaluation (MTE) The draft report of the project’s MTE was shared internally during the year. Based on the initial results derived from the MTE in terms of the performance levels of project indicators, REGIS-ER decided to conduct a follow-up study in October 2018 that would use the “Outcome Harvesting” methodology. The results of this study will enable the various stakeholders to learn more about project interventions and to improve the design and implementation of future interventions (RISE II).

Mission to support the Sustainability Strategy NCBA CLUSA’s Director of Resilience and Food Systems and former COP of Yaajeende, Todd Crosby, conducted a mission to BF and Niger during the period April 23-May 6 to assess the implementation of

30 the project’s sustainability strategy and the status of its 3 targeted local institutions. His conclusions and recommendations helped to orient the project in a holistic way (an ‘ecosystem’) about the support to be provided and the role to be played by the targeted Local Institutions and to develop action plans for each of the ILs for the next 18 months.

Production of a video success story in Zinder region on local governance approaches and results In July 2018, the Communication Manager at NCBA CLUSA headquarters, Sarah Crozier, conducted a mission to Zinder Region to produce a short video on REGIS-ER’s contribution to, and community successes in, strengthening local governance and collaboration between communities and local institutions. The video, which is based on two examples of successes in Bandé Commune, will be finalized during the first quarter of FY19.

Gender In addition to its interventions in support of gender equity and equality, which are reported on in the various program sections, REGIS-ER focused on empowering adolescent girls and ensuring land security for (and by) women, and collaborated with government and RISE partners on gender-related issues.

Strengthening the empowerment of adolescent girls In Niger, 50 adolescent girls between the ages of 15 and 18, who came from 44 villages in 4 project communes, were trained in tattoo designs and preparation and application of henna, in embroidering bed sheets of various sizes, in knitting (balaclavas, baby clothes, and tablecloths). Each also received a kit during the training so that they could apply their training and post-training follow-up confirmed that 45 of the 50 girls were engaged in Income Generating Activities – i.e., the training had created jobs for these teenagers. The majority of them acquired productive assets such as chickens and roosters in some cases or young goats for others.

The project also continued its support to the Adolescent Girls’ Learning and Support Groups (GASA) – which evolved from the project’s initial work with Safe Space groups. GASA is based on the concept of self-help within a teenage group and addresses the specific needs of adolescents in accordance with their age categories. A mentor, usually a woman who is respected within the community, especially by the GASA members, provides guidance to the group and its members and facilitates group discussions. As of the end of FY18, the project supports 50 GASA groups, with 848 teenage members in all, in the two project communes in Maradi region. Some of the main learning topics of the groups are as follows: ● hygiene and sanitation: best practices; bodily hygiene, especially regarding menstruation; etc. ● reproductive health ● the consequences of early marriage ● health and nutrition of adolescent girls ● life skills: leadership among adolescents, how to engage in an open dialogue with adults (mothers, aunts, older sisters, etc.), etc. ● (basic notions of) financial education, including how to develop her own savings plan ● vocational training ● how to promote best practices among girls who are not GASA members and within the community at large.

The project supported certain communes of concentration in their celebration of the National Day for Nigerien Women. This event provided an opportunity for 700 rural women and teenagers to exchange

31 with commune authorities and religious and traditional leaders about their specific interests and needs. The local authorities made firm commitments to address the concerns of women and adolescent girls in terms of strengthening their resilience to food insecurity. The Mayor of Guidan Roumdji made a specific commitment: "This initiative will henceforth be included in the Commune’s Annual Investment Plan.”

REGIS-ER staff has observed 2 important changes that were clearly induced by GASA: i) more adolescent- led initiatives (for example, raising awareness among peers and within the community at large about early marriage); and ii) the emergence of financially autonomous adolescent girls with a strong entrepreneurial orientation.

A rapid assessment conducted in April 2018 on the adoption of GASA-promoted behaviors shows that: ● 45% of GASA members use at least a piece of cloth or some other reusable absorbent to absorb menstrual bleeding; ● 53% of GASA groups have already organized and facilitated an awareness session; ● 66% of GASA members have a financial savings plan.

Land Tenure Security for Women This was a high priority issue for REGIS-ER in FY18 and was discussed earlier in the report. See the first 2 paragraphs under the heading “Conflict Management and Land Tenure Security” in the Section “Program 5: Governance Sub-Section B: Natural Resource Management, Disaster Risk Management, Conflict Management and Land Tenure Security”.

Collaboration with key government actors and RISE partners In Niger, REGIS-ER strengthened its collaboration with the Ministry of Women's Promotion and Child Protection through its support for the celebration of the National Day for Nigerien Women and for the Ministry’s presentation at the 62nd session of the Commission on Women’s Condition at the UN. At the first event, the Ministry disseminated REGIS-ER’s strategy of empowering women and adolescent girls as a best practice. At the second, the Ministry shared that strategy with other participants.

As for RISE partners, the project collaborated closely with REGIS-AG on the issue of land security (conducting a joint survey) and with SAREL on gender-related studies and capitalization.

Communications Marketing Support for CBSPs REGIS-ER urged CBSPs to develop the communication dimension in their efforts to grow their businesses. For example, CBSP networks in the communes of concentration included local radio in their action plans for the 2018 growing season so that producers would be aware of the availability of inputs. In FY17, the project placed an ad promoting several tree nurseries in Maradi region on Anfani Radio. This year, a nursery owner in the region paid 50,000 CFA ($88) out of pocket for an ad promoting his nursery on the same station.

In February 2018, several project-supported CBSPs and PRLs were selected to participate in the Agriculture, Water, Environment, and Livestock Trade Fair (“SAHEL”) in Niamey, an essential showcase for actors in Niger’s agriculture sector. Among them, a ripper artisan from Droum commune (Zinder region) was featured in an article in the SAHEL bulletin No. 4 published by the Network of the Chambers of Agriculture of Niger (RECA): http://www.reca-niger.org/IMG/pdf/Journal_4.pdf (page 7).

Collaboration with the media – A fruitful partnership with local radio stations that strengthens Local Institutions and recognizes PRLs REGIS-ER supported more than 30 local radio programs (discussions, reports/news stories, ads), closely associating the local institutions that are at the heart of its sustainability strategy, especially the Municipal Councils (CMs). The media coverage included habbanaye asset transfers, awareness-raising campaigns for the CL in Sabon Machi Commune, shows on collective home gardens, the role of communes as the water sector’s project manager/contracting authority, the awarding of various prizes, promotional days of the micro-finance community. The radio partners were as follows: Radio Notre Dame of Kaya (Centre-Nord, BF), Radio Djawampo (Est, BF), Commune Radio of Sebba (Sahel, BF), Radio Anfani and Kornaka Community Radio (Maradi, NE), Radio Muryan Talaka of Filingué and Radio Dallol of Balleyara (Tillabery South, NE).

These radio programs highlight the human capital reinforced by the project and the role media can play as community catalysts at the local and regional level. Radio announcements to congratulate ODF- certified villages, SECCA groups, and other successful models stimulated healthy competition between communities on best practices related to resilience. These radio programs highlighted the human capital strengthened by the project (Lead Mothers, CF lead producers, model husbands and mothers, water users' associations, nursery managers, horticultural relays) so that the various actors and institutions would be aware of the existence of this local human capital and of how it could be utilized in actions promoting resilience. The programs also encouraged emulation among communities (awards ceremony of the best home gardens competition of 2017, congratulations of the villages having reached ODF status, information on the "model homes" contest, certification of model husbands, success of SECCA groups, etc.).

REGIS-ER's strong collaboration with local radio stations was recognized at workshops organized by SAREL in both Burkina Faso and Niger. (See the reports sent to the Sahel Resilience Community on October 3, 2018.) In January 2018, REGIS-ER drew national media coverage for the observance of World Toilet Day in the town of Barsalogho, for the Solar Pumping Demonstration Day in March 2018, and for the May 2018 signing of the Local Convention in Imanan Commune (Tillabéri South). In all, 5 articles appeared in Burkinabé publications (L'Obs Paalga, Sidwaya, and LeFaso.net) and 1 television report and 1 national radio report were broadcast in BF and Niger. The REGIS-ER/ONF partnership was highlighted in the ONF- BF newsletters of December 2017 and March 2018. The articles are online on the ONF/BF website.

Observance of World Toilet Day broadcast by Radio Notre Dame, Kaya

Left - 9 CVD presidents pledge to support their villages to reach ODF status by June 2018; Right – Interview with the Mayor of Barsalogho Commune

Knowledge Production and Sharing The project wrote 11 success stories in FY18 in French and English (see the list of success stories in Annex 8), almost all promoted on the websites of NCBA CLUSA and URC. One of them on handwashing

33 in Burkina Faso appeared in the RISE newsletter published in November 2017. NCBA CLUSA also published in the "Coop Weekly" newsletter of 19 June 2018 an article describing the collaboration between REGIS-ER and REGIS-AG: https://ncba.coop/ncba-international/2247-how-collaboration-is- building-resilience-in-west-africa (see Annex 9). This article also appeared NCBA CLUSA’s Facebook page. At the end of FY18, NCBA CLUSA was in the process of producing a video on REGIS-ER’s sustainability and governance approach, based on the story of the fruitful collaboration of the Community-based Quality Improvement (C-QI) Team and the CLD in Gamba (Zinder Region) and the commune of Bandé, which resulted in the creation of village health center. (See Annex 9, published on the NCBA CLUSA and URC websites).

In terms of documentation, REGIS-ER emphasized sharing of its knowledge products via the SAREL portal. This particularly involved success stories, but also included 4 briefs in English on support provided to CLDs (Niger), CF, the development and impact of CLs, and support provided to CBSPs, as well as a 2018 calendar on model husbands, a set of training manuals for GASA, etc. The dissemination of the project manual on CF received additional visibility when it was posted on various web-sites: RECA (Réseau des Chambres d’Agriculture, Niger) , Inter-Réseaux (international), Agriprofocus (international) and Niger’s food security center, CSAN.

REGIS-ER also participated in several events and meetings organized by the host governments and partner organizations. Noteworthy events included: ● "Land Use Mapping and Monitoring, Community-wide Conservation Practices for Land Management", The Government of Burkina Faso (GoBF) and the Government of Niger (GoN) ● National Water and Sanitation Forum in Ouagadougou, January 2018 ● The 8th consultative forum of partners working on climate change adaptation in Maradi, NE ● Workshop organized by the GoBF’s Directorate General of Cooperation for the Ministry of Finance to review and validate a 2016 report on the contribution that NGOs and development associations made to the implementation of public policy in BF Partner Organizations and Projects ● Water Fair organized by the Barka Foundation in Fada, March 2018; ● Knowledge fair on "Silvopastoral innovations for the emergence of local development" in Diabo (BF), April 2018; ● U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), EROS Center, CILSS / AGRHYMET Regional Center, and REGIS-ER jointly organized a seminar in Niamey on “Mapping and Surveillance of Land Usage and of Commune-level Conservation Practices for Land Management”, May 2018. During the seminar, REGIS-ER shared its experience on the use of cartography on implementation of Local Conventions. In order to improve the SECCA training modules and leave a product that can be useful to people with low literacy skills, the project has produced community videos on certain key points of managing a SECCA group, in partnership with the video hubs formed by the USAID-funded SPRING project. As of the end of FY18, six videos were being finalized in Hausa (NE) and Moore (BF) on such topics as: 1) Why join a SECCA group ?, 2) The different stages of a SECCA group meeting, 3) The roles and modes of election of the management committee of a SECCA group; 4) Management of the distribution at the end of the

34 cycle, 5) Management of conflicts within a SECCA group, etc. Five videos in Fulfulde (BF), Gourmantchema (BF) and Djerma (NE) are also being finalized.

Implementation of the Environmental Mitigation and Monitoring Plan (EMMP)

This section summarizes the main actions undertaken by REGIS-ER to mitigate the potential impacts of project activities as defined in the EMMP.

About the adverse impact “fertilizer, pesticide, and new seed use” In partnership with ICRISAT, soil analyses and tests on the effects of micro-dose intake of compost and mineral fertilizers on crop yields were conducted in Zinder, Kaya, and Dori regions. The ICRISAT report concludes that “the micro-dose intake of compost and NPK fertilizer – combined or separated -- and in association or not with mucuna gives better results compared to the usual technique of the producers. These methods need to be disseminated on a large scale in order to help producers improve their agricultural productivity.” (See the ICRISAT report for more details.)

REGIS-ER continues to promote the combined practices of Conservation Farming - Farmer Managed Natural Regeneration (CF-FMNR). The project not only works closely with producer groups, but also with Local Institutions for geographic expansion (scaling-up) and sustainability of CF-FMNR. REGIS-ER also approached government agencies in Niger, such as the 3N Initiative and the Directorate-General for Agriculture, to present the results achieved and to advocate for the large-scale adoption and dissemination of CF-FMNR. In addition, the project provided training on CF-FMNR to agents of the Technical Services in Maradi.

Several years ago, REGIS-ER introduced the practice of producing compost immediately after the harvest and this has begun to take root among the producers who practice CF-FMNR. Producers at market garden sites are also interested in compost production, particularly for the production of organic fruits and vegetables (see the example of the producers’ market for Bioprotect in Kaya). In FY18, REGIS-AG and REGIS-ER finalized the Pesticide Evaluation Report and Safer Use Action Plan (PERSUAP). In addition, REGIS-ER established links between the firm Bioprotect and CBSPs in BF to promote the widespread use of organic pesticides, including training and marketing support. CBSPs sold Bioprotect products for over 3,000,000 CFA ($5,309). In Niger, REGIS-ER provided 40 crop protection CBSPs who had been previously trained by the project with appropriate equipment for the delivery of quality services to their clients. The CBSPs play a major role in the marketing of certified seeds which are adapted to ecological conditions (example: purchase from Regional Unions of Seed Producers). In addition, producers exchange improved seeds produced in the community amongst themselves (as in Maradi).

About the adverse impact “livestock” REGIS-ER continued to use local breeds or ones adapted to the local environment for habbanayé.

The project continued to conduct the following activities on animal feeding: (i) training of breeders on haymaking and conservation of natural fodder techniques and fodder management; (ii) support to

CBSPs for production and/or marketing of fodder or feed (natural fodder, production and sale of cowpeas, marketing of cottonseed cake); and iii) reclamation of pastureland (NE 435 ha, BF 903 ha) to increase biomass (see the details included in the annex 5), and securing the land reclaimed. The practice of animal fattening makes it easier to keep the animals in one spot, which enables the breeders not only to collect manure for agriculture, but also to limit their negative impact on pastureland.

About the adverse impact related to “water services” In Niger, the project disinfected 17 boreholes and 9 cement-lined wells because of the laboratory results which revealed the presence of bacteria) and proceeded with testing of 89 other boreholes and 18 cement-lined wells. In NE, REGIS-ER also supported the establishment of 37 new Water Point Management Committees (CGPEs) and the restructuring of 30 others. The CGPEs and the project disseminated messages on hygiene around the water points. In Burkina Faso, REGIS-ER helped 28 Water User Associations (AUEs) organize a new round of elections of their management bodies, conducted awareness sessions on hygiene around water points, and marked off the sanitary protection zone around certain boreholes so as to prevent the presence of animals.

IV. Project management

Program Support

During FY18, program support focused on REGIS-ER’s close-out process in the context of the No Cost Extension, including planning for the NCE period and development of a realistic exit strategy.

Human Resources (HR) During this transitional phase, Human Resources Management focused on the following: ● Collaborating with national labor agencies to ensure compliance with local law (in each country) on terminating employment contracts “for economic reasons”; ● Communication and information sharing with project staff and partners; ● Staff recruitment for the consolidation phase of the project in 2019, including Project Coaches (Coaches Project, CPs) and Coaches [of] Local Resource Persons (CPRLs). ● Termination of (National and Regional) Program Manager positions as of December 31, 2018 and the creation of the Project Coach position; ● Termination of the Field Agent (ATP) position and the creation of the Coach/PRL position.

The table below presents REGIS-ER’s current staffing and the projected staffing as of September 2018:

Table 2: Breakdown of project staff at the end of FY18 Category of staff Country Niger Burkina Faso Total Expatriates 2 0 2 TCN (Third Country National) 1 3 4 National Staff : NCBA CLUSA 90 62 152 National Staff : Partners 31 21 52 Total 124 86 210

Administration, Finance, and Operations Throughout FY18, the Program Support team continued to fulfill its primary role of supporting implementation of project activities in an efficient, effective manner and in full compliance with NCBA CLUSA’s (and USAID’s) policies and procedures. The team focused its efforts on the following: ● Monitoring and enforcing internal control procedures; ● The timely production and submission of accurate financial reports to USAID and NCBA CLUSA.

Grants management In terms of grants management, REGIS-ER closely monitored project-supported activities at two levels -- beneficiaries and partners -- ensuring compliance with agreements. In the context of the NCE, several sub-grantees have been closed (as of September 30, 2018) or extended (through December 31, 2018):

Table 3: List of sub-grants and large grants closed as of September 30, 2018 Organization Country Activities Status AZND Burkina Faso Conservation Farming; Health and Nutrition Closed

SOS Sahel Burkina Faso Conservation Farming; Health and Nutrition Closed International ADCPDE Burkina Faso Community-Led Total Sanitation Closed RSAP Burkina Faso Animal Health Closed Eau Vive, Niger Niger Community-Led Total Sanitation Closed LIBO Niger Home and OASIS Gardens Closed KOKARI Niger Financial literacy and services Closed AREN Niger Livestock and pastoral systems management Closed

The project extended, at no cost, the performance period of the following local implementing partners through December 31, 2018.

Table 4: List of sub-grants and large grants extended through December 31, 2018 Organization Country Activities Status ONF-BF Burkina Faso Governance, securing land tenure Active MWANGAZA ACTION Burkina Faso/Niger Community health Active PRACTICA Foundation Burkina Faso/Niger Home and OASIS Gardens/Water Active A2N Burkina Faso Capacity building, conflict management Active ADROC Niger Governance, PO development, training Active APOR Niger Capacity building, PO development Active EAA Niger Water & Sanitation Active

Cost share In FY18, NCBA CLUSA reported $1,455,904.18 in cost share, bringing the total cost share collected as of September 30, 2018 to $6,142,448.87. Agricultural, Habbanayé and Latrine Construction activities, were the main sources of cost share during FY18.

Table 5: Comparison of cost share reported in FY18 against FY18 targets. Category A. Sept. 2017 B. FY18 C. FY18 D. Variance E. Sept. 2018 Cumulative Targets Actuals FY18 (C-B) Cumulative (A+C) Livestock and $138,649.50 $541,610.00 $85,639.67 -$455,970.33 $224,289.17 Poultry Agriculture $2,739,822.15 $1,883,384.00 $781,512.62 -$1,101,871.88 $3,521,334.77 Inputs and Labor Latrines, $631,602.24 $0.00 $562,390.82 $562,390.82 $1,193,993.06 Boreholes, Wells URC Cost Share $160,910.31 $263,983.00 $26,361.08 -$237,621.92 $187,271.39 Partnerships $568,954.09 $50,000.00 $0.00 -$50,000.00 $568,954.09 Trainings $9,596.41 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $9,596.41 Total $4,686,544.69 $2,738,977.00 $1,455,904.18 -$1,283,072.82 $6,142,448.87

V. Appendices

Annex 1: Table on Indicators of Project Performance ...... 40 Annex 2: Results Achieved by CBSPs in FY18 ...... 59 Annex 3 (P2): Home, Community, and Oasis Gardens ...... 60 Annex 5 (P4): Comparative CF - Non-CF Yields in 2017 Growing Season and Soil Protection and Restoration Actions at Pastoral Sites ...... 65 Annex 6: Status of Local Conventions ...... 71 Annex 7: (P8) – Granaries and C-QI Achievements ...... 76 Annex 8: List of Success stories developed during FY18 ...... 79 Annex 9: Success stories ...... 81 Annex 10: Inventory ...... 87

Annex 1: Table on Indicators of Project Performance

Annex 2: Results Achieved by CBSPs in FY18

Annex 3 (P2): Home, Community, and Oasis Gardens

Evolution of the number of home gardens

Table A: Evolution of the number of home gardens in Niger from FY16 to FY18 No. of No. of home No. of No. of existing home Villages No. of home No. of villages gardens that villages gardens in villages of where gardens that villages with received a with the commune in FY18 spillover Region Commune received a with home home REGIS-ER home (= that were worked in effect was REGIS-ER gardens gardens grant in FY gardens during all or part of observed grant in FY16 16 + FY17 FY18)) Tagazar 589 7 570 18 507 20 4 Tillabéri Tondikandia 0 0 601 11 466 12 3 South Imanan 317 3 66 7 52 7 0 Filingué 0 0 283 14 214 8 0 Sub-total 4 communes 906 10 1520 50 1239 47 7 Guidan 688 6 912 15 469 19 4 Maradi Roumdji Sabon Machi 60 3 308 13 146 15 0 Sub-total 2 communes 748 9 1220 28 615 34 4 Bandé 603 6 603 6 918 23 15 Zinder Droum 189 2 189 2 438 7 7 Sub-total 2 communes 792 8 792 8 1356 30 22 Tillabéri Sakoira 170 4 530 6 297 12 0 North Kourtheye 83 4 173 9 894 10 4 Sub-total 2 communes 253 8 703 15 119116 22 4 Total Niger 10 communes 2699 35 4235 101 4401 133 37

Table B: Evolution of the number of home gardens in Burkina Faso from FY17 to FY18 No. of Number of gardens in FY18 Region Commune gardens in Number with N. of gardens No. of collec- No. of indivi- Total number FY17 grant without grant tive gardens dual gardens Manni 590 493 460 33 493 0 Gayéri 1 050 823 460 459 674 149 Est (Fada) Bartiébougou 429 273 198 75 200 73 Foutouri 48 60 60 0 60 0 Sub-total Est 2 117 1 649 1 178 567 1 427 222 Barsalogho 411 755 0 755 740 15 Centre-Nord Bouroum 74 122 0 122 89 33 (Kaya) Nagbingou 168 102 0 102 44 58 Tougouri 19 91 0 91 91 0 Sub-total Centre-Nord 672 1 070 0 1 070 964 106 Seytenga 205 225 0 225 225 0 Sebba 195 201 30 171 201 0 Sahel (Dori) Titabé 45 45 0 45 45 0 Tankou. 380 435 0 435 435 0 Solhan 30 65 30 30 65 0 Sub-total Sahel 855 971 60 906 971 0 Total Burkina Faso 3 644 3 690 1 238 2 119 3 362 328

16 The gardens in Tillabéri North received a grant in FY18, unlike other gardens in the country. Thus, the results (the evolution of the number of home gardens) in this region are therefore to be treated differently from other regions.

Annual Operating / Income / Profit and Loss Statements of community and oasis gardens

Table C: Annual Operating Statements of oasis gardens in Niger (October 2017 - September 2018)

Operating Value of the Value of the Gross Net Land Site of Oasis costs per produce produce sold income income per area per Region Commune Garden/Village woman consumed per per woman per woman woman woman (CFA) woman (CFA) (CFA) (CFA) (CFA) (m²)

Kabé RC 10 780 19 860 32 500 52 360 41 580 200

Borgo K Zéno 33 830 4 090 87 745 91 835 58 000 200 Tagazar Tillabéri- Djongo Fandou 8 470 8 750 33 125 41 875 33 405 200 South Alkama Souley 28 885 35 875 68 530 104 405 75 520 200 Imanan Iguéfane 9 445 8 785 30 810 39 595 30 150 200

Average Tillabéri-South 18 280 15 470 50 540 66 010 47 730 Fadin Baya 32 800 20 000 68 300 88 300 55 500 200 Guidan El kolta 21 400 15 000 44 600 59 600 38 200 200 Maradi Roumdji Zabouré 24 000 15 000 42 500 57 500 33 500 200 Average Maradi 26 070 16 700 51 800 68 470 42 400 Bandé Kakitamma 58 790 28 250 93 350 121 600 62 810 200 Zinder Average Zinder 58 790 28 250 93 350 121 600 62 810 Average 3 Niger 9 sites regions 34 380 20 140 65 230 85 360 50 980 200

Table D: Annual Operating Statements of community gardens in BF (October 2017 - September 2018) Value of Net income Value of the Gross Net Net Site of Operating the per woman produce income income income Community costs per produce for an area Region Commune consumed per per per Garden/ woman sold per equivalent per garden garden garden woman Village (CFA) garden to 200 m² (CFA) (CFA) (CFA) (CFA) (CFA) (CFA) Alamou (0.8 ha; 84 389 000 62 000 1 223 750 1 285 750 896 750 10 675 22 500 women) Barsalogho Banguin- miougou 170 000 20 000 395000 415 000 245 000 3 300 25 500 (0.2 ha; 75 Centre- women) Nord Bissighin (Kaya) (1.5 ha; 105 gardeners 692 750 184 000 3 680 000 3 864 000 3 171 250 30 200 42 500 (including Nagbingou 102 women) Nagbingou 1 (0.5 ha; 147 950 42 000 835 000 877 000 729 050 48 603 58 500 15 gardeners

(including 10 women) Bougou (0.15 ha; 30 gardeners 84 750 7 500 150 000 157 500 72 750 2 425 9 700 (including 26 women) Kuini (0.7 ha; 55 252 000 40 000 807 250 847 250 595 250 10 822 17 000 women) Average Centre-Nord 289 408 59 250 1 181 833 1 241 083 951 675 17 671 29 283 Bandihossi Sebba (0.3 ha; 35 372 500 52 000 1 043 750 1 095 750 723 250 20 664 48 600 gardeners) Sahel Lontia (0,25 (Dori) Solhan ha; 30 384 000 50 000 1 010 000 1 060 000 676 000 22 500 54 000 gardeners)

Average Sahel 378 250 51 000 1 026 875 1 077 875 699 625 21 582 51 300 Burkina Average 2 8 sites 333 829 55 125 1 104 354 1 159 479 825 650 19 626 40 292 Faso regions

Main results of the Farmers Of the Future (FOF) / LIBO Innovation in Niger FOF / LIBO's market gardening model consists of giving women intensive training on a wide range of horticultural techniques that maximize income on small areas of land. The training emphases precision in applying best practices, starting with good soil preparation and ending with effective post-harvest and storage operations. This innovative model was implemented under a grant that REGIS-ER made to the NGO LIBO in Niger. (The FOF Program supports LIBO’s work on marketing gardening.)

According to the FOF concept, the use of a solar pumping system and a hose irrigation system can easily be used to irrigate 350 m² plots. The forecast studies indicate that a woman can make an annual profit of around 500,000 CFA ($ 885).

The results obtained by LIBO in the field under the REGIS-ER grant are presented in the table below.

Table E: Production and income generated over 3 growing seasons Oct.-Dec. Nov.-Mar. March-July 2018 2017 2017 Overall Land area Bell Hot Tomato Onion Okra Melon Moringa income per No. of peppers Peppers per woman # Sites Bene- Income Income per Income Income Income Income Income woman (m²) ficiaries per woman per per per per per woman woman woman woman woman woman CFA CFA CFA CFA CFA CFA CFA CFA m² Timboram 1 (watering 52 15 439 33 657 6 769 3 748 7 554 17 238 1 769 86 174 186 can syst.) Aibashi 2 (watering 47 20 287 6 456 38 383 17 837 18 834 20 809 9 952 132 558 125 can syst.) Izawitan 3 (hose 44 13 023 26 596 19 795 9 975 11 427 62 427 3 227 146 470 273 system)

Izawitan 4 (watering 30 34 483 21 953 22 433 9 702 8 380 48 680 3 067 148 698 157 can syst.) Tigri 1 5 (watering 37 3 582 19 637 35 027 20 966 18 784 35 481 5 750 139 227 179 can syst.) Tigri 2 6 (watering 26 9 152 19 495 22 577 6 009 3 577 15 462 3 558 79 830 207 can syst.) Average 122 160 200

An examinations of the data in the table shows that women who use a hose irrigation system on a 273 m² plot of land earn an annual income of 146,470 CFA ($ 259) versus 148,698 CFA ($ 263) when they use a watering can irrigation system on a 157 m² plot of land. In examining these results, we observe that the gardeners using the hose irrigation system earn an income far below the 500,000 CFA ($885) income forecast in the study. Thus, we can conclude that the watering can technology is the better option, as it less costly than the hose irrigation system in terms of the investment. Moreover, in comparing the income between the oasis gardens where the FOF/LIBO concept was used and the control sites at other oasis gardens where the FOF/LIBO model was not used, we observe a very significant difference. The income gained in the oasis gardens where the FOF / LIBO concept was used was 122,160 CFA ($ 216) versus only 50,980 CFA ($ 90) at the control sites in Niger.

Annex 4 (P3): FY17 and FY18 Results on SECCA Implementation and on access to MFIs

Table A: Results of SECCA Implementation in FY18 and FY17 No. of Total amount Total SECCA loans Number of members FY Region groups saved in CFA accumulated in CFA supported M W T (USD equivalent) (USD equivalent) 134 851 159 74 379 273 NE 1 374 5 600 24 645 30 245 ($238,626) ($131,618) 169 933 575 81 589 050 FY18 BF 970 3 309 13 996 17 305 ($300,706) ($144,376) 304 784 734 155 968 323 Total (2 countries) 2 344 8 909 38 641 47 550 ($539,331) ($275,993) 198 551 910 61 394 900 NE 1,075 2,856 20,102 22,958 ($334,195) ($103,338) 125 562 339 24 321 938 FY17 BF 973 4,377 14,198 18,575 ($211,342) ($40,938) 324 114 249 85 716 838 Total (2 countries) 2,048 7,233 34,300 41,533 ($545,537) ($144,275) FY17 - FY18 Variation +14% +14% -6% + 82%

Table B: Results of Access to MFIs in FY18 and FY17 Number of Number of individuals Aggregate value of Aggregate value Country groups affected (of which are savings in CFA (USD of loans in CFA affected women) equivalent) (USD equivalent) 18 925 875 91 707 100 NE 30 414 ($33,490) ($162,280) 34 817 125 164 621 950 FY18 403 5150 BF ($61,611) ($291,306) Total (2 53 743 000 256 329 050 433 5564 countries) ($95,101) ($453,587) 28 548 380 161 476 000 NE 32 596 ($48,052) ($271,790) 63 881 300 183 204 436 FY17 BF 318 6 142 ($107,523) ($308,363) Total (2 92 429 680 344 680 436 38 738 countries) ($155,574) ($580,153) -42% (NE -34%, -26% (NE -43%, Variation FY17 - FY18 BF -45%) BF -10%)

Annex 5 (P4): Comparative CF - Non-CF Yields in 2017 Growing Season and Soil Protection and Restoration Actions at Pastoral Sites

Comparative Yield Measurements – CF vs. Non-CF in 2017 and the Impact on Food Security In Niger, collaboration continued in Niger with the Ministry of Agriculture technical services during the 2017 rainy season to evaluate the impact of CF on sorghum, millet and cowpea yields. A total of 748 yield test plots were set up in CF and non-CF fields in the 4 project regions (Balleyara, Tillabery [North], Maradi and Zinder). The following table shows the results per region:

Yield increases in Balleyara: sorghum 233%, millet 109% and cowpea 88% Yield increases in Tillaberi: sorghum 6%, millet 107% and cowpea 72% Yield increases in Maradi: sorghum 13%, millet 52% and cowpea 37% Yield increases in Dori: sorghum 106%, millet 140% and cowpea 20%

In general, there was a significantly larger increase in yield in the CF fields than in the non-CF fields. Overall yields for 2017 are lower than those of previous years owing to poor rainfall recorded in some locations, especially in Tillabery (North). However, there is still a significant difference between CF and non-CF yields, showing that CF technology helps producers better adapt to climatic variations and guarantees sustainable productivity.

The main objective of evaluating each growing season's yields is to measure the impact of CF-FMNR on the amount of grains available to households that have implemented the techniques. The evaluation used a methodology based on the random selection of both farmers and of plots to be measured and on the recommended technique for setting up the plots used by CILSS member countries. The estimates are provided in the table below:

Estimation of the Impact of CF-FMNR on Production: 2017 Growing Season Location Crop Area (in ha) Average CF Estimated Average non- Estimated Increased cultivated yield in kg/ha quantity produced CF yield in production (in kg) production due to using CF (in kg) using CF kg/ha with non-CF practice of CF techniques techniques techniques (if this techniques in kg area had been cultivated without CF techniques) Millet 446 1,119 499,074 533 237,718 261,356 Balleyara Sorghum 103 1,380 142,140 414 42,642 99,498

Cowpea 344 988 339,872 547 188,168 151,704 Total 893 981,086 468,528 512,558 Millet 336 370 124,320 263 88,368 35,952 Sorghum 160 448 71,680 419 67,040 4,640 Tillabery (North) Cowpea 374 338 126,412 196 73,304 53,108 Total 870 322,412 228,712 93,700 Millet 2,066 1,451 2,997,766 954 1,970,964 1,026,802 Sorghum 362 1,291 467,342 1,136 411,232 56,110 Maradi Cowpea 1,196 1,009 1,206,764 735 879,060 327,704 Total 3,624 4,671,872 3,261,256 1,410,616 Millet 2,402 708 1,700,616 295 708,590 992,026 Sorghum 167 546 91,182 264 44,088 47,094 Zinder Cowpea 1,348 674 908,552 223 300,604 607,948 Total 3,917 2,700,350 1,053,282 1,647,068

An estimated 3,664-ton increase in sorghum, millet and cowpea production (512 in Balleyara, 94 in Tillabery, 1,410 in Maradi and 1,647 in Zinder) was recorded, owing to 11,923 households (1,298 in Balleyara, 2,118 in Tillabery, 4,632 in Maradi and 3,875 in Zinder) practicing CF techniques this season.

In regard to food security, given the average number of seven people per household in project regions, we estimate that 88,461 people (9,086 in Balleyara, 14,826 in Tillabery, 32,424 in Maradi and 27,125 in Zinder) will benefit from the impact of CF. Based on the CILSS standards that estimate grain needs at 231 kg per year per person, the targeted households need 19,279,491 tons of grains per year (2,098,866 in Balleyara, 3,424,806 in Tillabery, 7,489,944 in Maradi and 6,265,875 in Zinder). CF’s 3,663-ton contribution (24% in Balleyara, 3% in Tillabery, 19% in Maradi and 26% in Zinder) increased food security by 19% per household, with an average CF area of just 0.78 ha (0.69 ha in Balleyara, 0.41 ha in Tillabery, 0.78 ha in Maradi and 1 ha in Zinder).

In BF, collaboration also continued with the Ministry of Agriculture technical services during the 2017 rainy season to evaluate the impact of CF on sorghum, millet and cowpea yields. A total of 840 yield test plots were set up in CF and non-CF fields in the 3 project regions (Kaya, Fada, Dori) and in areas covered by 2 NGO partners (in Bam and Loroum Provinces). The following table shows the results per area:

Yield increases in Kaya: sorghum 138%, millet 112% and cowpea 67% Yield increases in NGO partner zones (Bam and Loroum): sorghum 62%, millet 37% and cowpea 61% Yield increases in Fada: sorghum 55%, millet 78% and cowpea 70% Yield increases in Dori: sorghum 80%, millet 64% and cowpea 88%

In general, there was a significantly larger increase in yield in the CF fields than in the non-CF fields. Overall yields for 2017 are lower than those of previous years owing to poor rainfall recorded in some locations. However, there is still a significant difference between CF and non-CF yields, showing that CF technology helps producers better adapt to climatic variations and guarantees sustainable productivity.

Estimation of the Impact of CF-FMNR on Production: 2017 Growing Season Estimated production (in Increased Area (in ha) kg) with non-CF Average non- production due cultivated Average CF Estimated CF techniques (if Region Crop CF yield in to practice of using CF yield in kg/ha yields in kg this area had kg/ha CF techniques techniques been cultivated in kg without CF techniques)

Sorghum 4,058 1,280 5,194,240 536 2,175,088 3,019,152

Kaya Millet 2,720 1,168 3,176,960 552 1,501,440 1,675,520

Cowpea 3,448 896 3,089,408 536 1,848,128 1,241,280

Kaya total 10,226 11,460,608 5,524,656 5,935,952 Sorghum 1,404 1,048 1,471,392 648 909,792 561,600 NGO zones Millet 460 876 402,960 640 294,400 108,560 (Bam and Loroum) Cowpea 714 900 642,600 560 399,840 242,760 NGO total 2,578 2,516,952 1,604,032 912,920 Sorghum 395 1,103 435,685 614 242,530 193,155 Millet 288 1,004 289,152 612 176,256 112,896 Dori Cowpea 251 851 213,601 452 113,452 100 149 Dori total 934 938,438 532,238 406,200 Sorghum 4,372 1,028 4,494,416 664 2,903,008 1,591,408 Millet 31 1,524 47,244 856 26,536 20,708 Fada Cowpea 2,265 880 1,993,200 516 1,168,740 824,460 Fada total 6,668 6,534,860 4,098,284 2,436,576

An estimated 9,692 ton increase in sorghum, millet and cowpea yields (5,936 in Kaya, 2,437 in Fada, 406 in Dori and 913 in the NGO partners’ zone) was recorded, owing to 36,209 households (15,770 in Kaya, 14,537 in Fada, 2,866 in Dori and 3,036 in the NGO partners’ zone) practicing CF techniques this season.

In regard to food security, given the average number of seven people per household in project regions, we estimate that 253,463 people (110,390 in Kaya, 101,759 in Fada, 20,062 in Dori and 21,252 in the NGO partners’ zone) will benefit from the impact of CF. Based on the CILSS standards that estimate grain needs at 190 kg per year per person, the targeted households need 48,156 tons of grains per year

(20,974 in Kaya, 19,334 in Fada, 3,811 in Dori and 4,037 in the NGO partners’ zone). CF’s 9,689-ton contribution (26% in Kaya, 12% in Fada, 11% in Dori and 22% in NGO partners’ zones) increased food security by 20% per household, with an average CF area of just 0.56 ha (0.65 ha in Kaya, 0.45 ha in Fada, 0.32 ha in Dori and 0.85 ha in the NGO partners’ zone).

Outcome of soil and water conservation / soil protection and restoration (Conservation des eaux et des sols / défense et restauration des sols, CES/DRS) actions undertaken to restore pastureland Before After Village of Ringuema, Barsalogho Commune (Centre-Nord Region, BF)

Photo: training session at the pastoral site in the Photo: after development of the pastoral site of village of Ringuema (Barsalogho Commune, Kaya) Ringuema (Barsalogho Commune, Kaya Region) Village of Sourgo Koira (Tillabéri South / Balleyara Region)

Photo: the site before it was restored (2014)… Photo: … and after it was restored (2018).

Assessment of the pastureland at the site of Sourgo Koira during 2018 production/

At the pastoral site of Sourgo Koira, 9,390 pastoral half-moons (PHM) were dug and then seeded with herbaceous plants, covering 30 ha. The dry matter was evaluated at this site by placing two transects, North-South and East-West, from the middle, and each transect was laid from the beginning to the end of the site. The number of half-moons that were collected and weighed on the 2 transects were drawn at random. The results are below.

Average yield Number of a PHM on 11 21 30 41 53 70 111 177 155 189 North- of PHMs this transect (in South kg) Transect Weight of dry matter 4 7 43 3.9 9.3 3.3 6.5 2.75 6.45 7 10.24 in kg Average yield Number of a PHM on 9 11 47 59 123 125 133 167 174 191 East- of PHMs this transect (in West kg) Transect Weight of dry matter 4.32 3.54 6.60 4.50 6.9 3.50 6.55 3.60 4.47 5.10 4.08 in kg The average yield of PHMs on both transects (kg of dry matter) 7.16 The estimated yield of the site of 30 ha (kg of dry matter) 67 232 The estimated yield of dry matter / ha (kg of dry matter / ha) 2 241

Calculation of the load capacity of the Sourgo Koira site in 2018 ● A goat consumes between 1.2 and 5 kg of dry matter per day, ● It is assumed that 1/3 of the yield at the site is lost because the grass is not cut and conserved ● The quantity of dry matter that can be used is: (67 232 / 3) * 2 = 44 821 kg ● Number of days that the site can support a herd of 60 goats without being degraded: (44 821 / 5) / 60 = 149 days Conclusion: In 2018, the pastoral site of Sourgo Koira can support a herd of 60 goats for 149 days without being damaged

Assessment of the pastureland at the site of Sourgo Koira during 2017 production At the pastoral site of Sourgo Koira, 6,260 pastoral half-moons (PHM) were dug and then seeded with herbaceous plants, covering 20 ha. The dry matter was evaluated at this site by placing two transects, North-South and East-West, from the middle, as described above. The results are below.

Average yield of a PHM Number of PHMs 5 25 36 39 57 72 101 127 151 197 on this transect (in kg) North-South Transect Weight of dry matter in 3 5 4.9 3.9 5.3 2.3 3.75 2.75 3.45 5.2 3.955 kg

Average yield of a PHM East-West Number of PHMs 1 9 57 69 81 125 132 157 164 171 on this transect Transect (in kg)

Weight of dry matter in 3.79 2.94 5.68 4.75 3.9 5.1 4.35 2.34 4.45 4.50 4.18 kg

The average yield of PHMs on both transects (kg of dry matter) 4.06 kg

The estimated yield of the site of 20 ha (kg of dry matter) 25 462

The estimated yield of dry matter / ha (kg of dry matter / ha) 1 273

Calculation of the load capacity of the Sourgo Koira site in 2017 ● A goat consumes between 1.2 and 5 kg of dry matter per day, ● It is assumed that 1/3 of the yield at the site is lost because the grass is not cut and conserved ● The quantity of dry matter that can be used is: (25 462 / 3) * 2 = 16 975 kg ● Number of days that the site can support a herd of 60 goats without being degraded: (16 975 / 5) / 50 = 68 days Conclusion: In 2017, the pastoral site of Sourgo Koira could support a herd of 50 goats for 68 days without being damaged.

Annex 6: Status of Local Conventions

Co Regio Comm Validation & Outreach/Sen- Integration of un n une Elaboratio Signature of Adoption of the CL sitization on CL into PDC Observations tr n of the CL¹ the CL (date)³ y (date/s)² CL⁴ (date)⁵ NE Maradi Guidan- completed 17/12/15 04/05/16 completed REGIS-ER and the Commune Roumdji agreed that both the CL and the Commune Resilience Plan (Plan Communal pour la Promotion de la Résilience, PCPR) will be integrated into the Commune Development Plan (PDC/PCD) at the same time by the regional and commune-level teams set up for this purpose. Maradi Sabon completed 16/10/17 13/02/18 completed REGIS-ER and the Commune Machi agreed that both the CL and the Commune Resilience Plan (Plan Communal pour la Promotion de la Résilience, PCPR) will be integrated into the Commune Development Plan (PDC/PCD) at the same time by the regional and commune-level teams set up for this purpose. Tlillabery Kourthey completed REGIS-ER has discontinued its work on the CL here until further notice because of the dysfunction of the Municipal Council. Tlillabery Sakoira REGIS-ER does not plan to work on a CL here. Tlillabery Filingué REGIS-ER does not plan to work on a CL here.

Tlillabery Imanan completed 05/10/18 05/11/18 Tlillabery Tagazar pending The Municipal Council was dissolved on Sept. 25, 2018. In the absence of a locally elected body, REGIS-ER and the (appointed) Prefect of Balleyara agreed that the CL process should nonetheless begin. Accordingly, a NRM diagnostic will be conducted in early FY19 (October, 2018). Tlillabery Tondi- completed 09/02/15 10/02/15 completed 07/15 kandia Zinder Bandé completed 19/12/17 22/05/18 In progress REGIS-ER and the Commune agreed that both the CL and the Commune Resilience Plan (Plan Communal pour la Promotion de la Résilience, PCPR) will be integrated into the Commune Development Plan (PDC/PCD) at the same time by the regional and commune-level teams set up for this purpose. Zinder Droum completed 26/09/15 17/11/15 completed REGIS-ER and the Commune agreed that both the CL and the Commune Resilience Plan (Plan Communal pour la Promotion de la Résilience, PCPR) will be integrated into the Commune Development Plan (PDC/PCD) at the same time by the regional and commune-level teams set up for this purpose. BF Centre- Barsa- completed 11/03/16 11/03/16 completed REGIS-ER and the Commune Nord logho agreed that both the CL and the Commune Resilience Plan (Plan Communal pour la Promotion

de la Résilience, PCPR) will be integrated into the Commune Development Plan (PDC/PCD) at the same time by the regional and commune-level teams set up for this purpose. Centre- Bouroum completed 02/06/17 02/06/17 completed REGIS-ER and the Commune Nord agreed that both the CL and the Commune Resilience Plan (Plan Communal pour la Promotion de la Résilience, PCPR) will be integrated into the Commune Development Plan (PDC/PCD) at the same time by the regional and commune-level teams set up for this purpose. Centre- Nagbin- completed 13/07/18 The CL was adopted by the Nord gou Municipal Council during the last quarter of FY18. Est Bartié- completed Validation 04/06/18; The signature of the CL was bougou Adoption 18/06/18 expected during the last quarter of FY18, but it did not happen. Est Foutouri REGIS-ER does not plan to work on a CL here. Est Gayéri completed Validation 24/11/16; 11/04/17 completed The commune began the dual Adoption 27/03/17 processes of updating its Commune Development Plan (PCD) and of incorporating its Local Convention into its PCD. The commune is receiving technical assistance from a consulting firm, CERFOM. Est Manni completed 22/11/16 23/05/17 completed REGIS-ER and the Commune agreed that both the CL and the Commune Resilience Plan (Plan Communal pour la Promotion de la Résilience, PCPR) will be integrated into the Commune

Development Plan (PDC/PCD) at the same time by the regional and commune-level teams set up for this purpose. Sahel Bani The elaboration of the CL was planned in FY17, but the Municipal Council was dissolved. As of the end of FY18, it is still not functional and the CL process has not begun. Sahel Dori REGIS-ER does not plan to work on a CL here. Sahel Sampelg completed Validation 22/05/18; The signature of the CL was a Adoption 23/05/18 expected during the last quarter of FY18, but it did not happen. Sahel Sebba completed Validation 29/05/18; The signature of the CL was Adoption 30/05/18 expected during the last quarter of FY18, but it did not happen. Sahel Seytenga completed 10/03/16 10/03/16 completed REGIS-ER and the Commune agreed that both the CL and the Commune Resilience Plan (Plan Communal pour la Promotion de la Résilience, PCPR) will be integrated into the Commune Development Plan (PDC/PCD) at the same time by the regional and commune-level teams set up for this purpose. Sahel Solhan REGIS-ER does not plan to work on a CL here. Sahel Tankou- REGIS-ER does not plan to work gounadié on a CL here. Sahel Titabé REGIS-ER does not plan to work on a CL here.

Stages of the Local Convention process: ¹ = CL elaborated. ² = CL validated by the Steering Committee and adopted by the Municipal Council. The 2 events generally occur the same day. (If not, separate dates are given.) Please note that all dates in the table are presented in the international manner: day/month/year. ³ = CL signed by the High Commissioner (BF)/Prefect (NE) and by the Mayor of the Commune. In order for the project to count a CL in indicators 2.A and 2.1.3, the CL must first be signed. (In other words, validation and adoption of the CL are not sufficient for the CL to be counted in the indicators.) ⁴ = Outreach to / awareness-raising of the communities in the commune by various means, including radio, forums, etc. ⁵ = CL integrated into the Commune Development Plan (PDC in NE; PCD in BF)

Annex 7: (P8) – Granaries and C-QI Achievements

Traditional Granaries REGIS-ER's community meals approach provides households with the knowledge and skills necessary to better combine locally available foods to optimize the nutritional value of their meal and to promote dietary diversity. Community meals have been endorsed by communities, with the approval of all community members, including men.

Discussions were initiated with the communities to find sustainable strategies to ensure the continuation of this approach. From these discussions, an idea surfaced to stock cereals and pulses at harvest for use during community meal sessions, especially during the lean season (April to September) when food is scarce in households.

Nutritional Granary Approach Establishment / Constitution of the stock: When the idea of stocking food was adopted, the communities wanted to call them "Nutritional Granaries.” The idea was that women and men of the community would contribute food (cereals and pulses) at harvest time (September-October), when it is accessible and available, for use during the community meals. The method of gathering stock differs from one village to another. However, the most common way to stock the granary is that each head of household contributes a fixed amount, which is then supplemented by the voluntary contribution of each MtM group member. In addition to this method, in some villages, stock has been donated by people who were born in the village—some who still live in the village and some who live elsewhere.

To date, 116 villages have nutritional granaries, which has enabled the realization of 4,917 community meal sessions with the participation of 24,032 people, including 22,711 women and 1,321 men.

Practices Identified by C-QIs and Leading to Changes at the Community Level A few examples of practices identified by C-Qis for improvement and results achieved by promoting community involvement.

Example 1 Village / C-QI Gamba Haoussa Problem that the C-QI team Access to a nearby health center (nearest integrated health decided to improve center is 11 Km). Action for Improvement (What?) Community will construct a health hut. Description of Implementation • All households in the community were asked to contribute to (How?) the purchase of construction equipment and other equipment necessary to operate the health hut. • All capable community members were asked to participate in the construction of the hut. Women were asked to help with meals and cleanliness/safety. • The community worked with administrative authorities to get permission to build the hut. • The community worked with the commune to have a health worker assigned, once the hut was constructed.

• Under the coordination of the Local Committee for Development (CLD), the C-QI team and other platforms in the community worked together to raise awareness of community members. Implementation Period (When?) November 2017 to February 2018

Results Achieved A health hut was built and equipped, and a health worker was recruited and assigned by the commune. Example 2 Village / C-QI Gocholo Problem that the C-QI team Spread of garbage in the village. decided to improve Action for Improvement (What?) Establish public health days to clean up the village. Description of Implementation • A village general assembly was organized to make members of (How?) the community aware of the project. • Two health sessions per week were carried out in the village, with the help of the village chief. • The garbage was removed from the village with carts. Implementation Period (When?) March to July 2018 Results Achieved Improvement in the health of the village, and the disappearance of dump heaps in the village. Example 3 Village / C-QI Gocholo Problem that the C-QI team Low accessibility of nutritious foods for pregnant and lactating decided to improve women. Action for Improvement (What?) Promotion of household gardens. Description of Implementation • Discussion were held with pregnant and lactating women on (How?) the importance of household gardens. • Guided visits of model household gardens were organized to encourage the participants to create their own household garden. • Nursery CBSPs demonstrated how to plant the garden. • Nursery CBSPs supplied/sold the seedlings. Implementation Period (When?) April to July 2018 Results Achieved 13 household gardens installed in the village. Example 4 Village / C-QI Kaouri Touareg Problem that the C-QI team Inadequate supplemental feeding in children 6-23 months decided to improve (consumption of nutritionally inadequate porridge). Action for Improvement (What?) Promote the consumption of enriched porridge for children 6-23 months. Description of Implementation • Learning sessions are organized by MtM leaders and (How?) community health workers for mothers of children 6-23 months, using counseling cards as aids. • All the ingredients for the dry porridge mix are collected from the participating households.

• Each month, the mothers come together to produce the enriched porridge mix, which is then shared among the mothers so that each one has a stock of the mix. • Mother leaders form the MtM groups conduct demonstrations on how to prepare the enriched porridge using the mix. • Community health workers and MtM mother leaders conduct home visits to ensure that mothers master the technique of making the enriched porridge and feeding it to their children. Implementation Period (When?) January to July 2018 Results Achieved Approximately 94% of children aged 6-23 months consumed enriched porridge in late July 2018.

Annex 8: List of Success stories developed during FY18

Name of the success story Distribution Channels Location, region, country Keywords, Languages 1 In Woulmassoutou, villagers come together to • URC website promote handwashing Sampelga, Sahel region, Burkina Faso Hygiene, Sanitation, Quality Improvement (QI) Team/FR, ENG 2 Kids take health in their own hands • NCBA CLUSA website (October 2017) Bandé, Zinder region, Niger • NCBA CLUSA website (December 2017) Hygiene, Sanitation, Gender, Leadership/FR, ENG • USAID Sahel Regional Newsletter (November 2017) 3 A community savings and loan group builds • NCBA CLUSA website resilience in Burkina Faso • Story was broadcasted on Sebba radio station Sebba, Sahel region, Burkina Faso Livestock production, Gender, Credit/FR, ENG 4 Reducing child marriages: Success through dialogue • NCBA CLUSA website and community video • URC website Tilla, Zinder region, Niger • Used in NCBA CLUSA’s Co-op Weekly GASA, Community Video, Leadership, Early Newsletter, June 2018 Marriage/FR, ENG 5 Developing a supply chain of solar pumping • Story was shared by Centre Sainte Famille to technologies for small-scale producers in Burkina celebrate the new year (January 2018, Faso Ouagadougou) Dori, Fada, and Sahel regions, BF • Shared with USAID Burkina Faso Supply Chain, Horticulture, Irrigation/FR, ENG 6 Ahmed Goumar proves that entrepreneurship in • Shared with REGIS-AG. Niger can succeed Imanan, Tillabéri Region, Niger Horticulture, Entrepreneurship/FR, ENG 7 Water users’ association ensure sustainability of • Used by the National Forum on Water and water services in Bombonyenga village Sanitation (January 2018, Ouagadougou) and Manni, Fada Region, Burkina Faso Water Festival (March 2018, Fada N'Gourma) Water Services, Governance/FR, ENG 8 Proud of their local convention, villagers in Droum • Used in the Program Highlight on Local commune Niger modified their natural resources Conventions management practices Droum, Zinder region, Niger Local Convention, Natural Resources Management, Commune Ownership/FR, ENG 9 With its local convention, the Bouroum commune • Used in the Program Highlight on Local is better equipped to manage its natural resources Conventions and mitigate conflicts • Shared with USAID Burkina Faso

Bouroum, Kaya region, Burkina Faso Local Convention, Natural Resources Management, Commune Ownership/FR, ENG 1 How collaboration is building resilience in West • NCBA CLUSA website 0 Africa All regions, Niger and Burkina Faso RISE, Collaboration, REGIS-AG, Livestock, Warrantage/ENG 1 Through citizen engagement, community groups • NCBA CLUSA website 1 build village health center in Niger • URC website Bandé, Zinder Region, Niger • A video was shot on this story, but it is not yet Health, Collaboration between Communities and finished. Local Institutions, Advocacy/FR, ENG

Annex 9: Success stories

Success Story No. 1 How collaboration is building resilience in West Africa

Too often, natural disasters, political upheaval, or household-level emergencies can erase development gains in agriculture and access to health and education services, setting already vulnerable families back to square one. Resilience means that individuals, households and communities have the ability to get ahead of, mitigate, and/or recover from these shocks and continue on the path to development.

The Sahel region of West Africa faces a number of development challenges including high rates of poverty, low agricultural production and productivity, low education levels, poor infrastructure and market access, limited access to safe water and health services, weak governance and rule of law, as well as significant gender inequality. In this environment, individuals and communities are limited in their ability to prepare for, recover from and mitigate the negative impacts of shocks and crises, whether at the household or regional level.

Two U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)-funded programs in Niger and Burkina Faso, Resilience and Economic Growth in the Sahel–Enhanced Resilience (REGIS–ER), implemented by NCBA CLUSA, and Resilience and Economic Growth in the Sahel–Accelerated Growth (REGIS–AG), implemented by CNFA, are addressing these challenges in close partnership.

With an integrated, system-focused approach that builds foundational skills—such as agricultural production and functional literacy—and promotes market linkages for the most vulnerable members of society, REGIS-ER and REGIS-AG are combining their expertise to build resilient communities.

The RISE of integration in the Sahel Beginning in 2013, USAID’s Resilience in the Sahel Enhanced (RISE) partnership, in alignment with national and regional programs, has worked to stop the cycle of recurrent crises and corresponding dependence on humanitarian aid in the Sahel. Based on joint analysis and planning, RISE brings together humanitarian and development assistance to address the root causes of persistent vulnerability.

Both REGIS-ER and REGIS-AG promote the resilience of local and regional food systems. As a multi- sectoral resilience project, REGIS-ER focuses on the following solutions: intensifying climate-smart agricultural and animal production, strengthening natural resource management, improving health and nutrition practices, increasing access to potable water, improving sanitation practices, and diversifying

81 economic opportunities along with promoting community-level savings and lending. All this is done through a self-reliance system of local institutions or platforms (including municipality councils and Community-Based Solutions Providers) to deliver and propose, in a sustainable way, these resilient solutions to people.

As a value chain development project, REGIS-AG builds on this system by strengthening vertical and horizontal market linkages in selected value chains, strengthening access to crop and livestock inputs and services, facilitating access to formal financial institutions, and improving the enabling environment for private sector investment. Both projects seek to empower women, promote disaster risk management and facilitate inclusive growth.

RISE investments are layered, sequenced and integrated with existing humanitarian and development assistance to give an estimated 1.9 million of the region’s most vulnerable individuals a real chance to break the cycle of crisis and decrease the need for humanitarian assistance in the future.

Increasing agricultural production Although most families in Niger rely on subsistence agriculture, agricultural production and productivity levels in the country are among the lowest in the world. Traditional orientation of production activities, the challenging production environment (erratic rainfall and high soil temperatures), low fertility in fragile and degraded soils, and insect pests all contribute to low yields. Moreover, farmers have traditionally relied on the local market to absorb their production, which causes prices to drop at harvest time and creates a disincentive for increasing production.

In 2015, REGIS-ER trained a producer organization of 22 farmers in Tanghin village of Burkina Faso’s central-north region in conservation agriculture and farmer-managed regeneration techniques that improve soil moisture and fertility. Through the hands-on demonstrations—which included techniques for minimizing soil disturbance, proper spacing and seed timing, and organic manure and fertilizer— Korgho Gouri, a farmer in Tanghin, relates the experience of his community: after piloting these techniques on 54 acres of cowpeas, average yields nearly doubled. With such impressive results, four new groups of farmers, including two women’s groups, decided to adopt the techniques during the next season. Groups were able to take advantage of a warehouse credit system, facilitated by REGIS-AG, to sell their crops at higher prices. This system allows producers to obtain credit with their stored cowpeas serving as collateral to purchase agricultural inputs or conduct income-generating activities.

Building literacy for market linkages Beyond cowpeas, livestock production and marketing hold great promise to help vulnerable families improve nutrition (by consuming animal byproducts such as milk), to build an asset base and to increase household income through sales. In particular, small ruminants are indispensable for food security and income generation in the Sahel. Goats and sheep are typically the only livestock owned by the poorest families and are often used as a “bank” from which animals can be withdrawn when there is a need for cash. However, small ruminant producers face droughts, limited access to land, insufficient water supplies, lack of quality grazing and difficulty obtaining quality animal inputs such as veterinary medicines.

In Niger, REGIS-ER provided the Soudji producer organization, founded in 2011, with small ruminant production training. Learning to care for, breed and keep goats and sheep healthy provides extra income for families and draws down the risk of their “bank” assets.

However, no members of the Soudji producer organization could read or write, hindering their ability to fully benefit from production training and market linkage facilitation. REGIS-AG trained all 30 of the groups’ members (28 women and two men) on reading, writing and basic numeracy in one of its functional literacy centers in Niger.

Increasing functional literacy builds participants’ capacity to manage their farms by accurately recording expenses and revenues. Literate participants can also better care for their animals by reading livestock medicine labels. It also increases participants’ capacity to enter into formal market transactions by developing marketing strategies and negotiating with financial institutions to obtain credit. Moreover, literate participants can make more informed decisions regarding a variety of household issues including nutrition, health care and sanitation.

After production training from REGIS-ER and participation in small ruminant value chain business market development workshops facilitated by REGIS-AG, in which producers and buyers have the opportunity to make deals, Soudji sold three sheep for 122,000 FCFA ($233 USD) to a local buyer. In a context where most households earn less than $400 USD a year, this sale represents a major enhancement to members’ livelihoods.

This small example has been replicated through enhanced market links for groups with the right training support and foundational skills, layered from both projects.

Supporting animal health to build an asset base The collaboration between REGIS-ER and REGIS-AG is also helping individuals profitably engage in poultry production and marketing, an income-generating activity that is almost universally practiced among poor households. Most poultry production is practiced by women at the household level for home consumption or sale in the local community. Village producers also sell birds when they need cash to pay for school fees, clothing, special events and food not produced at home, providing an important coping strategy for households facing regular and irregular economic burdens.

However, animal health presents a fundamental problem for traditional poultry producers with high bird morbidity and mortality, particularly in chicks. Access to veterinary services is limited and poor management practices are common. Newcastle Disease and Avian Influenza are of particular concern since they are highly infectious and can have high mortality rates. For example bird mortality due to Newcastle Disease can often reach 40-70 percent of unvaccinated rural poultry in Niger. The vaccination rate for Newcastle Disease is well below 10 percent in Niger and around 30 percent in Burkina Faso, putting producers at risk of losing their entire flock.

In Burkina Faso, Sambo Ouedraogo, a volunteer village extension worker, participated in REGIS-ER’s livestock-breeding program, known locally as habbanaye. He learned how to care for and breed the chickens, and then passed the original hens to another community member to breed their own flock. He started with 14 chickens in 2014; a year later, he had 80. Since then he has sold chickens for income and continued to pass off hens to other families, building his business while also spreading the assets throughout the community.

As a village extension worker, Sambo had been delivering quality poultry health services to many clients in his community for some time, but he wanted to expand his capabilities and increase his market. In

2016, he participated in a REGIS-AG training to become a livestock auxiliary service provider where he learned to vaccinate sheep and goats (in addition to refresh training on poultry) and how to sell animal health products and provide instructions on their safe use.

Sambo is now a part of a REGIS-AG and REGIS-ER supported private sector-led network of private vets who supervise livestock health auxiliaries. REGIS-AG and REGIS-ER signed a memorandum of understanding with the private vets to develop this network and, in this context, REGIS-ER invested in small kits for each livestock auxiliary, providing them with essential equipment to conduct their work.

REGIS-ER provided kits for over 80 livestock auxiliaries and 60 poultry vaccinators. In Niger, these entrepreneurs were serving more than 4,000 clients in 2018. This network brings animal health services closer to the project participants, increasing access for needed vaccinations and supporting local business entrepreneurs. Vets and livestock auxiliaries help to reduce animal mortality by increasing availability and use of immunizations, veterinary care and technical advice. Expanding the network of animal health services with auxiliary service providers gives entrepreneurs like Sambo the opportunity to develop their own business while also supporting increased livestock productivity in their communities.

Success Story No. 2 Through Citizen Engagement, Community Groups Build Village Health Center in Niger

Members of the Gamba village Mother-to-Mother group, in Niger's Zinder region, were wondering how to get a village health center, because the closest one was five kilometers away—too far to walk with sick children. The village had been requesting a local health center for decades.

Some of their husbands were members of the village Husbands’ School, a peer education group for fathers. They were also discussing the need for their wives and children to visit health facilities and clearly identified the lack of a village health center as a major obstacle. In December 2016, the village created a community-based health and nutrition quality improvement (QI) team, supported by the USAID-funded REGIS-ER project, implemented by NCBA CLUSA in Niger and Burkina Faso. The first baby to be born in the health center is now a healthy four-month-old. QI teams are made up of representatives from existing, diverse organizations/groups within the community. The team meets to collectively review relevant data and identify areas for improvement, set indicators, develop an action plan, and work with their respective organizations/groups to implement the action plan. They meet regularly to track their progress and make changes to the action plan, as necessary.

The QI team first focused its efforts on promoting enriched porridge consumption by all children between six and nine months old. They organized regular group sessions on making the enriched flour and porridge with the village Mother-to-Mother groups, and they performed home visits to ensure the adoption of the practice. They also promoted home garden visits by the Local Development Committee, or Comité Local de Développement (CLD).

The CLD also initiated a lobbying effort to establish the health center, targeting the office of the prefect of Magaria Department. The CLD successfully leveraged funds from three of the community’s savings and loan groups, and one community member offered the plot of land for the health center.

The CLD collected nearly 1,400,000 CFA francs ($2,600) from the community to contribute to building and equipping the health center. The money collected within the community helped purchase building materials, a professional mason to finish the building and install a latrine, furniture and equipment, and a startup stock of pharmaceuticals.

With the facility completed, the mayor’s office recruited a health agent for the center. During the official opening, the Magaria Department health district rewarded this initiative by offering a maternal delivery bed and a desk for the health agent. The health center has been functional since February 2018.

“Before, to visit the nearest health center, we had to spend 10,000 CFA francs ($20), and we lost a lot of time. Now, it takes less than 1,250 CFA francs for a visit, as we have the center just next to us. We feel relieved, especially pregnant women who can get prenatal care and professional support to give birth,” said Gamba resident Kanta Ibrahim.

Chamsia Kanta was one of the first women to give birth in the health center. Her husband had previously had to wheel her in a cart to the A health worker stands outside the Gamba's new health nearest center—now it's a quick trip next door! center Also, after the birth of her child, vaccination services were easily accessible. Over 10 women have given birth in the health center since it opened.

“Before, we had to go several times to the administrative center over 5 kilometers away so our children could get their immunizations. It was long and exhausting. My son is less than one month old today— look how healthy he looks,” Kanta said.

The new health center also benefits neighboring villages, which were even further away from a health center. Achi Moutari comes from Maiboukrou, five kilometers away, to have her children vaccinated. “We are impressed by what Gamba achieved. It is a unique example in our area. Thanks to the health center and the efforts of Gamba, we cut the journey in half. Such a major change!”

The Gamba CLD continues to organize development initiatives with the trust of the community. It has now taken over the management of the other activities in the community, including an animal transfer activity supported by REGIS-ER. The CLD also created a fund of 150,000 CFA francs ($300) to contribute to drilling a brand-new borehole in their village.

Gamba’s success lies in the community's collaboration with local institutions, building resilience and connecting to long term resources.