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Feed the Future Ghana Agriculture and Natural Resources Management Project Annual Progress Report Fiscal Year 2017 | October 1, 2016 to December 31, 2016

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Feed the Future Ghana Agriculture and Natural Resources Management Project Annual Progress Report Fiscal Year 2017 | October 1, 2016 to December 31, 2016 Agreement Number: AID-641-A-16-00010 Submission Date: January 31, 2017 Submitted to: Gloria Odoom, Agreement Officer’s Representative Submitted by: Julie Fischer, Chief of Party Winrock International 2101 Riverfront Drive, Little Rock, Arkansas, USA Tel: +1 501 280 3000 Email: [email protected] DISCLAIMER The report was made possible through the generous support of the American people through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) under the Feed the Future initiative. The contents are the responsibility of Winrock International and do not necessarily reflect the views of USAID or the United States Government. FtF Ghana AgNRM Quarterly Progress Report (FY 2017|Quarter 1) i ACTIVITY/MECHANISM Overview Activity/Mechanism Feed the Future Ghana Agriculture and Natural Resource Name: Management Activity/Mechanism Start Date and End May 2, 2016 – April 30, 2021 Date: Name of Prime Implementing Partner: Winrock International Agreement Number: AID-641-A-16-00010 Names of Sub- TechnoServe, Nature Conservation Research Centre, awardees: Center for Conflict Transformation and Peace Studies Government of Ghana | Ministry of Food and Agriculture Major Counterpart and Forestry Commission Organizations Geographic Coverage Upper East, Upper West and Northern Regions, Ghana, (States/Provinces and West Africa Countries) Reporting Period: October 1, 2016 – December 31, 2016 FtF Ghana AgNRM Quarterly Progress Report (FY 2017|Quarter 1) ii Table of Contents Acronyms and Abbreviations .................................................................................. iv 1. ACTIVITY IMPLEMENTATION PROGRESS ............................................... 1 1.1 Progress Narrative & Implementation Status..................................................................... 2 1.2 Implementation Challenges .................................................................................................... 3 1.3 Monitoring and Evaluation ...................................................................................................... 3 2. INTEGRATION OF CROSSCUTTING ISSUES ......................................... 4 2.1 AgNRM Official Launch and Team Building ........................................................................ 4 2.2 Stakeholder Engagement and Partnerships ......................................................................... 5 2.3 Communications ....................................................................................................................... 7 2.4 Gender Integration ................................................................................................................... 7 3. ACTIVITY PROGRESS BY OUTCOME ....................................................... 7 Outcome 1 – Increased incomes from natural resource products......................................... 7 Outcome 2 – Improved food and nutritional security ............................................................. 10 Outcome 3 – Increased natural resource access and tenure security ................................. 11 Outcome 4 – Environmental stewardship strengthened ......................................................... 13 4. LESSONS LEARNED DURING REPORTING PERIOD ......................... 18 5. REPORTED RESULTS FOR FY 2017|Q1 .................................................. 18 6. PLANNED ACTIVITIES FOR THE NEXT REPORTING PERIOD ...... 19 7. PROJECT EXPENDITURES AND PROJECTIONS – Q1 & Q2 ........... 21 Annex A. FY 2017|Q1 Deliverables ……………………………………………………. 23 Annex B. Progress on FY 2017|Q1 Operations Plan ..…………………………………. 24 Annex C. AgNRM Staffing – FY 2017|Q1…………..……………………………….……29 Annex D. FY 2017|Year 2 Q1 and Q2 AgNRM Gantt Chart …………………………...32 FtF Ghana AgNRM Quarterly Progress Report (FY 2017|Quarter 1) iii ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS ADVANCE USAID Agricultural Development and Value Chain Enhancement Project AgNRM USAID Agriculture and Natural Resource Management Project AGRA Alliance for Green Revolution for Africa AMEP Activity M&E Plan AOR Agreement Officer’s Representative ATT USAID Agriculture Technology Transfer Project BA Business Advisors CA Conservation Agriculture CECOTAPS Center for Conflict Transformation and Peace Studies CMC CREMA Management Committees COP Chief of Party CREMA Community Resource Management Area CRIG Cocoa Research Institute of Ghana CRMC Community Resource Management Committee CSA Climate Smart Agriculture DCOP Deputy Chief of Party ECO Winrock Ecosystem Services Team EPA Environmental Protection Agency ES Ecosystem Services FC Forestry Commission FMNR Farmer-Managed Natural Regeneration FSD Forest Services Division FtF Feed the Future FY Fiscal Year GHG Greenhouse Gas GIS Geographic Information System GoG Government of Ghana GPS Global Positioning System GSA Global Shea Alliance IITA International Institute of Tropical Agriculture M&E Monitoring & Evaluation METSS Monitoring, Evaluation and Technical Support Services MoFA Ministry of Food and Agriculture MOU Memorandum of Understanding MUS Multiple-Use Water Services NASWG Northern Agriculture Sector Working Group NCRC Nature Conservation Research Centre NGGA Northern Ghana Governance Activity NGO Non-Governmental Organization NRM Natural Resource Management NRP Natural Resource Product NWP Nature, Wealth and Power PES Payment for Ecosystem Services REDD+ Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation plus FtF Ghana AgNRM Quarterly Progress Report (FY 2017|Quarter 1) iv RMSC Resource Management Support Centre SARI Savanna Agricultural Research Institute SFC Savannah Fruit Company Ltd SKGK Sanyiga Kasena Gavara Kara SLWMP Sustainable Land and Water Management Project USAID Strengthening Partnerships, Results, and Innovations in Nutrition Globally SPRING Project STTA Short-term Technical Assistance SWAT Soil and Water Assessment Tool SWOT Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats TNS TechnoServe ToR Terms of Reference UNFCCC United National Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) USAID United States Agency for International Development USGS United States Geological Survey VSLA Village Savings and Loan Associations WD Wildlife Division WITAMA Web Interactive Tool for AgNRM Management WRC Water Resources Commission ZOI Zone of Influence FtF Ghana AgNRM Quarterly Progress Report (FY 2017|Quarter 1) v 1. ACTIVITY IMPLEMENTATION PROGRESS The Feed the Future (FtF) Ghana Agriculture and Natural Resource Management Project (AgNRM) is a five-year, $24,900,000 program that will run from May 2, 2016, to April 30, 2021. It is the main vehicle within the United States Agency for International Development’s (USAID) Ghana FtF portfolio to address issues of environment and natural resource management in the north of Ghana. AgNRM is implemented by Winrock International in partnership with TechnoServe (TNS), Nature Conservation Research Centre (NCRC), and Center for Conflict Transformation and Peace Studies (CECOTAPS). The first quarterly progress report for Fiscal Year (FY) 2017 covers the period from October 1, 2016 through December 31, 2016, and presents a summary of the progress made during the quarter. The project supports USAID|Ghana’s Development Objective 2 and the Ghana FtF Multi- Year Strategy. Winrock’s AgNRM approach builds on USAID’s resilience strategy and its investments in the FtF Zone of Influence (ZOI). Our approach focuses on mutually reinforcing, systemic changes that align with and augment the Government of Ghana (GoG) Food and Agriculture Sector Development Policy, and the Nature, Wealth and Power (NWP) framework. Our conceptual model adds health as a fourth dimension to that framework. This ensures integration of food security and water systems and highlights the importance of these factors to nutrition and resilience. The Winrock AgNRM team will achieve the project goal of poverty reduction through sustainable increases in wealth and nutrition from natural and non-traditional agriculture products by addressing environmental, agricultural, governance, and natural resource management challenges. The AgNRM project interventions are expected to result in transformative change: adoption of improved practices, technologies, and behaviors; better functioning value chains and governance structures; more equitable access to land and resources; and increased capacity of organizations to improve natural resource management, address drivers of environmental degradation, and enhance rural livelihoods. AgNRM project activities are being implemented under four project outcomes: 1) Increased Incomes from Natural Resource Products; 2) Improved Food and Nutritional Security; 3) Increased Farmer and Community Security/Access to Land and Natural Resources; and 4) Strengthened Environmental Stewardship. The quarterly progress report focuses on progress made toward achieving results under these four interrelated outcomes during the first quarter of FY 2017. This report is divided into three main sections: activity implementation progress, integration of cross-cutting issues, and planned tasks/interventions for the next reporting period. The report marks a shift from a focus on the project’s inception period to full project implementation. FtF Ghana AgNRM Quarterly Progress Report (FY 2017|Quarter 1) 1 1.1 Progress Narrative & Implementation Status October 1, 2016 marked the start of the first full year of activity for the AgNRM project. The focus quickly
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