Mercy Corps: Strengthening Resilience in Agriculture, Livelihoods and Markets through Local Institutions in Greater Mundri
To sustainably move households out of chronic vulnerability, poverty and food insecurity by facilitating economic recovery and support for smallholder farmers and non-farm microenterprises. The support will consist of market system development (MSD), value chain development, vocational skills development and improved methods of agriculture, such as agro-ecology and conservation. The intervention will focus on women and youth and is highly relevant in a post-conflict context like Mundri (South Sudan).
Country/region | Topic | Period | Budget |
---|---|---|---|
South Sudan |
Agriculture & food security Health
Agricultural development
Agricultural services & market Health education Agricultural co-operatives & farmers’ organisations |
01.02.2023
- 31.01.2026 |
CHF 2’000’000
|
- Other international or foreign NGO North
-
Sector according to the OECD Developement Assistance Commitiee categorisation AGRICULTURE
HEALTH
AGRICULTURE
AGRICULTURE
Sub-Sector according to the OECD Developement Assistance Commitiee categorisation Agricultural development
Health education
Agricultural services
Agricultural co-operatives
Cross-cutting topics Crisis prevention
The project also supports partner organisation improvements
Aid Type Project and programme contribution
Project number 7F10474
Background |
South Sudan continues to face deteriorating humanitarian conditions. People’s livelihoods are severely impacted by endemic violent conflict, economic crisis, access constraints, operational interference, and epidemic diseases, such as measles, malaria, hepatitis, cholera and by climatic shocks (floods and drought). In Greater Mundri (Western Equatoria) the 2018 Revitalised Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan (R-ARCSS) brought a relative stability which allowed farmers to access farmlands and increase crop production (except in a few insecure areas). STREAM I demonstrated an agricultural potential not only for feeding the population, but also for commercial farming. With the deployment of ox-plough and power tiller (hand tractor), the harvest exceeded family consumption and was supplied to local markets. Successful crops were, among others, maize, groundnut, sesame, cassava as well as honey and lulu. STREAM II will build on these successes by facilitating the expansion and diversification of production and ensuring that supply meets demand, resulting in increased production, markets, and incomes. |
Objectives | To sustainably move households out of chronic vulnerability, poverty and food insecurity by facilitating economic recovery and growth for smallholder farmers and non-farm microenterprises in vulnerable and conflict-affected areas in Greater Mundri. |
Target groups |
STREAM II will target 35,000 (5,833 households) inclusive of participants of STREAM I (6-persons households): - Smallholder farmers practising rain-fed agriculture - Small entrepreneurs investing in honey and shea nut butter from lulu tree - IDPs, returnees, refugees, and host communities - Chronically poor rural households - Women, especially female headed households - Youth, including young women (18 – 30 years of age) |
Medium-term outcomes |
Objective 1) Improved, more efficient, and productive agricultural inputs and output markets, and reduce the impact of climatic shock by introducing agro-ecology. Objective 2) Enable non-farm enterprises and smallholder farmers to add market value and invest in expanded economic opportunities. Objective 3) Increase psychosocial capacities and social cohesion among communities and market actors. - 6 vocations, (carpentry, blacksmith, mechanics, tailoring, hair dressing and embroidery) involving 272 (144 F, 128 M) youth had been established. - Established value addition for honey and shea nut. - Identified and established honey (498 M, 157 F) and lulu nut (13M 169 F) groups as part of the value chain development. - 54 SHG trained in agronomic practices. In total, 57 SHG groups with a total number of 1,119 members, were supported. - Supported the local organization Active Youth Agency in community mobilization as part of localization agenda. |
Results |
Expected results: - Provide technical skills to improve crop production; - Create 34 additional oxen groups to increase land under cultivation; - Expand the project to Mvolo County; - Build capacity of 17 registered cooperatives and link them to financial service providers; - Upgrade producer groups into seven new co-operatives and cooperatives are combined to form a union; - Increase the number of producer groups to 88; - Support cooperatives and producer groups to become agents of agricultural input distribution; - Complete 4 storage facilities from STREAM I and construct 10 new storages; - Ensure that lulu and honey products are processed, packaged, branded and distributed to more markets; - Conduct additional capacity training tailored to AYA; - Support farmers and cooperatives with two financial institutions, Eden and Cooperative Bank. Results from previous phases: - Revived and formed 7 farmers’ cooperatives which comprises of 97 males and 161 females; - Improved extension services with the help of 11 trained extension officers who provided extension services to 1,362 farmers; - Farm size increased, in Mundri East (ME) from 2.4 feddans (f)1 to 4, in Mundri West (MW) from 2.1 – 4 (f) and in Koch from 2.0 – 3 (f) as per baseline; - Reduction in Post-harvest losses from 23% to 11% in MW, from 24% to 16% in ME and from 22% - 12%. |
Directorate/federal office responsible |
SDC |
Project partners |
Contract partner International or foreign NGO Other partners Mercy Corps South Sudan; UN agencies (FAO and WFP) |
Coordination with other projects and actors |
Ministry of Agriculture, Food Security and Livelihood (FSL) Cluster; Nonviolent Peaceforce (NP); Partnership for Peace, Resilience and Recovery (PfPRR); Active Youth Agency (AYA). |
Budget | Current phase Swiss budget CHF 2’000’000 Swiss disbursement to date CHF 720’000 |
Project phases | Phase 2 01.02.2023 - 31.01.2026 (Current phase) |