THE USAID YALWA ACTIVITY USAID AGREEMENT NUMBER: 72068520CA00003 FISCAL YEAR (FY) 2020 ANNUAL PROGRESS REPORT (MARCH 18, 2020 – SEPTEMBER 30, 2020) Implemented by Cultivating New Frontiers in Agriculture (CNFA) Submission Date: December 23, 2020 Submitted to: Doudou Ndiaye Acting Agreement Officer’s Representative (AOR) Deputy Director and Regional Agriculture Officer Sahel Regional Technical Office, USAID/Senegal Period of Performance: March 18, 2020 – March 17, 2025 This Annual Progress Report was made possible by the support of the American people through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The contents are the responsibility of CNFA and do not necessarily reflect the views of USAID or the United States Government. i Table of Contents LIST OF ACRONYMS .................................................................................................................................................. III 1. INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................................................... 1 2. OVERVIEW OF ACHIEVEMENTS ........................................................................................................................... 3 3. ACTIVITIES IMPLEMENTED IN FY20 ...................................................................................................................... 4 3.1 - PRODUCTION OF KEY TECHNICAL DELIVERABLES OF THE REFINEMENT PERIOD......................................................... 4 3.2 – OTHER TECHNICAL ACTIVITIES OF THE REFINEMENT PERIOD .................................................................................. 7 3.3 - COLLABORATIVE ACTIVITIES WITH USAID IMPLEMENTING PARTNERS ................................................................... 15 4. PROJECT MANAGEMENT .................................................................................................................................... 17 4.1 - PROJECT STAFFING ............................................................................................................................................. 17 4.2 - OPERATIONS, FINANCE AND ADMINISTRATIVE START-UP .................................................................................... 18 4.3 – PROJECT COMMUNICATIONS ............................................................................................................................. 19 4.4 – PROJECT REPORTING AND PLANNING ................................................................................................................. 19 5. KEY PROBLEMS ENCOUNTERED AND RESOLUTION ..................................................................................... 19 6. KEY SECURITY ISSUES/CONCERNS AND IMPACT ON INTERVENTIONS..................................................... 20 7. PERFORMANCE IN FY20 AND PROGRESS TOWARDS ACHIEVING LOP PERFORMANCE RESULTS ......... 20 ANNEXES .................................................................................................................................................................... 22 ANNEX 1 : LIST OF USAID YALWA, DFS, AND TEV INTERVENTION COMMUNES ......................................................... 22 ANNEX 2 : CHARACTERISTICS OF 15 LIVESTOCK MARKETS PREVIOUSLY SUPPORTED BY REGIS-AG AND NOW SUPPORTED BY YALWA .............................................................................................................................................. 24 ANNEX 3 : LIST OF YALWA EMPLOYEES AT THE END OF FY20 ...................................................................................... 28 ANNEX 4 : PROJECT PERFORMANCE AND PROGRESS TOWARDS ACHIEVING LOP PERFORMANCE RESULTS ...................... 31 ANNEX 5 : FY20 FINANCIAL TABLE ............................................................................................................................ 32 ANNEX 6 : SUCCESS STORIES ...................................................................................................................................... 33 ANNEX 7 : USAID YALWA ENVIRONMENTAL MITIGATION AND MONITORING REPORT ............................................... 34 ANNEX 8 : USAID YALWA ACTIVITY CONTINGENCY PLANNING REPORT ................................................................... 35 USAID YALWA ACTIVITY | FY20 – Q3 REPORT ii List of Acronyms 2M Invest Promotion of Entrepreneurship of Women and Young People AOR Agreement Officer Representative AMELP Activity Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Plan ACP Activity Contingency Plan AREN Association for the Revitalization of Livestock in Niger CDC US Center for Disease Control and Prevention CMU Crisis Management Unit COP Chief of Party DCOP Deputy Chief of Party DFSA Development Food Security Activity EMMP Environmental Mitigation and Monitoring Plan FAFPA Fonds d’Appui à la Formation Professionnelle et à l’Apprentissage FY Fiscal Year GoN Government of Niger HKI Hellen Keller International HQ Headquarters IPA Innovations for Poverty Action IR Intermediate Result Karkara Nigerien Association for the Revitalization of Local Initiatives LUXDEV Luxembourg Agency for International Development MEL Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning M&N Markets and Nutrition MSDD Market Systems Development Director NYC Conseil National de la Jeunesse PO Producer Organization PEA Political Economy Analysis PRAPS Projet Régional d’Appui au Pastoralisme au Sahel PRODAF Programme de Développement de l’Agriculture Familiale PRODEC Projet de Développement des Compétences pour la Croissance REGIS-AG Resilience and Economic Growth in the Sahel – Accelerated Growth REGIS-ER Resilience and Economic Growth in the Sahel – Enhanced Resilience RESEAN Réseau des Structures d’Accompagnement en Entreprenariat au Niger RISE Regional Resilience in the Sahel Enhanced SCC Sahel Collaboration and Communication USAID YALWA ACTIVITY | FY20 – Q3 REPORT iii SDFA Sr. Director of Finance and Administration SHIGA Sahel Human Voice in Governance Activity TC Technical Committee TEV Terres Eau Vie TOR Terms of Reference USAID United States Agency for International Development WFP World Food Program WHO World Health Organization YEPS Youth Entrepreneurship Promotion Strategy USAID YALWA ACTIVITY | FY20 – Q3 REPORT iv 1. Introduction Activity Name USAID Yalwa Start Date and End Date March 18, 2020 – March 17, 2025 Cooperative Agreement Number 72068520CA00003 Name of Awardee CNFA Name of Sub awardees HKI, Karkara, AREN, IPA Geographic Coverage Niger: Maradi, Tillabéri, Zinder Focus Value Chains Small Ruminants, Poultry, Cowpea, Local Nutritious Foods USAID Yalwa objective and Results areas - The five-year United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Yalwa activity is designed to strengthen food market systems, sustainably increase household incomes, and improve the nutritional status of women and children in the Tillabéri, Maradi and Zinder regions of Niger.1 To achieve its goal, USAID Yalwa implements interventions across the following mutually reinforcing results (IR) areas: ▪ IR1: Enhanced performance of commodity market systems; ▪ IR2: Increased utilization of quality inputs and services; ▪ IR3: Increased local consumption of nutritious, safe foods. USAID Yalwa technical approach - USAID Yalwa technical approach is grounded on an innovative market system strengthening approach that is facilitative and focused on sustainability – implementing the exit strategy from day one – while consolidating the progress made during the five years of the Resilience and Economic Growth Program in the Sahel - Accelerated Growth (REGIS-AG). A market system consists of all the market actors that collaborate, coordinate, and compete for the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. Structurally, a market system is made of multiple interconnected parts that are further interconnected to other systems. In particular, commodity market systems are linked to supportive market systems (or cross-market functions) such as those for agricultural inputs, technical services, and financial investment. USAID Yalwa market system strengthening focuses on enhancing linkages, building capacity of market actors (especially their business, financial, and organizational effectiveness), and establishing supportive environments that create incentives for more efficient, competitive, and inclusive markets. Actors’ capacities are enhanced to allow them to assess market opportunities, plan their approach, obtain necessary resources and services, implement, and then adjust based on how well they are achieving their short- and long-term business goals. The sustainability focus is based on collaboration with influential local actors and networks that catalyze change at key points in the system. More specifically, USAID Yalwa's core approach to ensuring sustainability is to work through Unions to provide services to producer groups (e.g. access to agro-inputs, finance, market and climate information, skills development, group sales). To this end, USAID Yalwa builds the capacity of Unions to continue the provision of such service without project support. The approach also leverages commercial investments to build long-term linkages between buyers and sellers, and to ensure the 1 Yalwa means “fulfillment” or “blossoming” in the Hausa language. 1 consistent delivery of inputs and services over time. In addition to developing the skills of farmers, the approach also builds the skills of traders, processors, and other buyers so that they can earn a profit from their businesses,