Rural Livelihoods Recovery Initiative for the Greater Horn of Africa

1. Building Back Better: Rural Livelihoods
Recovery Initiative for the Greater Horn of
Africa
Responding to on-going shocks to livelihoods among rural agro-pastoralist
communities led by IFAD, Seed Systems Group, and the Ministries of Agriculture of
Djibouti, Eritrea, Somalia, and South Sudan.

2. Rural farming communities in the Greater Horn of Africa are
highly vulnerable to on-going threats to local livelihoods.
 Over 40% of people in the Horn of Africa are undernourished; in Eritrea and Somalia the
proportion rises to 70%.
 Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) indicates the region hosts 12-24
million food insecure people due to climate, economic, conflict factors. These were
aggravated by the COVID-19 pandemic.
 Competition over natural resources is a key source of conflict and is exacerbated by
climate change.
 However, recent breakthroughs in breeding high-yielding, climate-resilient crops and
advances in farmer outreach at-scale offer a potential solution.
 In response IFAD, SSG, and the Ministries of Agriculture of Djibouti, Eritrea, Somalia,
and South Sudan have established “Building Back Better: Rural Livelihoods Recovery
Initiative for the Greater Horn of Africa.”

3. • Project countries are highly dependent on food aid and imported food - Food supply disruption is
causing food shortages in urban areas.
• COVID-19 containment measures closed off the limited channels that had previously allowed some
farmers to obtain quality seed in the Horn of Africa region.
• Desert Locusts have decimated crops and pastures in the region, impacting negatively on crop and
livestock production for the agro-pastoral livelihoods in the Horn of Africa, giving impetus to increasing
the development of forage and pastures.
• Covid-19 has exacerbated the challenges of accessing advisory services by farmers.
• Strong priority given by governments to seed systems development as the most effective means of
reaching large numbers of poor farmers and agro-pastoralists with new technologies.
• The Building Back Better initiative provides rapid and innovative solutions to rebuild and stabilise
rural livelihoods by stimulating localised solutions to input markets.
• Project components will help expedite recovery of rural livelihoods impacted by the pandemic and
other crises in the region.
Rationale for the Building Back Better Initiative

4. The BBB has engaged and mobilized public and private sector
groups to deliver rapid results on the ground.
Rapid Identification of Improved
Technologies by NARIs (Somalia and Eritrea)
Training of Village Based Advisors and
Production of Improved Seed (South Sudan)
Availing Improved Seed and Production
Practices to Farmers (South Sudan and Eritrea)

5. Project Delivery, August to December 2021.
Activity Somalia South Sudan Eritrea Djibouti Total
Achieved % of target Achieved % of target Achieved % of target Achieved % of target Achieved % of
Target
Production of Improved Seed 550 MT 55 500 MT 50 - - - - 1050 30
Village Based Advisors Trained and
Deployed
120 50 250 69 80 44 50 100 500 60
No. of Small Packs Distributed 56,200 78 15,951 15 3,890 7.2 6,000 50 82,041 33
Number of Farmers Reached with Small
Packs
18,733 78 11,749 32.6 1,945 10.8 1,500 30 33,927 41
On-farm demo, Eritrea Local seed production, South Sudan Planting variety trials, Somalia Planting variety trials, Djibouti

6. Tracking funds disbursements by country and organization type.
$176,633.40,
30%
$102,446.00,
17%
$85,000.00,
14%
$51,932.00, 9%
$40,670.80, 7%
$132,376.40,
23%
Fig 1. Disbursement by country.
South Sudan Cross-cutting Djibouti
Eritrea Regional Somalia
$15,000.00,
3%
$182,172.00,
31%
$201,115.80,
34%
$40,670.80,
7%
$150,100.00,
25%
Fig 2. Disbursements by entity type.
CGIAR Govt/NARS NGO Regional body Seed company

7. Tracking outputs by component.
Component 1. Provide emergency support to local seed
and technology value chain service providers to produce
and disseminate improved seed.
Component 2. Promote alternative livelihood
opportunities for youth as service providers in seed
technology dissemination at local levels.
360
240
180
50
250
120
80
50
-
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
400
South Sudan Somalia Eritrea Djibouti
Number
Fig 2: No. of VBA Recruited and Trained to-Date.
Target Reached
108,000
72,000
54,000
12,000
16,176
56,200
3,890 6,000
-
20,000
40,000
60,000
80,000
100,000
120,000
South Sudan Somalia Eritrea Djibouti
Number
Fig 1. Small Packs Distributions to-Date.
Target Reached

8. Tracking supply of small packs of new varieties by crop.

9. Lessons Learned through the Building Back Better Initiative.
1. BBB has demonstrated resilience building as part of recovery efforts – training, developing livelihoods &
strengthening local production systems (shortening the seed value chain and bringing inputs closer to the
farmers) – important in containment conditions.
2. Intermediary institutions (NGOs such as SSG) are critical to reaching the last mile – SSG has acted as a clearing
house i.e. i) bringing technologies from CGIAR closer to the farmers in the four countries & ii) providing
approaches to disseminate locally produced varieties to the farmers.
3. Different implementation modalities in different countries impact on performance – implementation faster
where private seed companies exist vs. implementation through Government.
4. Complexity of structuring multi-country initiatives & obtaining endorsement.
5. Critical importance of inter-governmental agencies such as IGAD which engages with all countries at a higher
level & addresses common policy challenges.

10. Long term contributions of the BBB initiative.
1. The Building Back Better initiative has created momentum for future achievements which will
contribute to long-term livelihood RESILIENCE and productivity among farmers, provided we can
continue the work for several years.
2. Identified a priority & Government-owned RECOVERY & REBUILDING intervention for IFAD in the
Horn of Africa – potential Regional Operation focused on Modernizing seed supply to significantly
increase food supply at national levels in Horn of Africa countries.
3. Delivering better technology to farmers is path-dependent, with improved seed quality and greater
scale of farmers reached achieved each season – addressing youth & women employment
challenge.
Cowpea multiplication, S Sudan Contract seed grower, S Sudan Certified seed production, Somalia Outreach training graduates

11. Images of Field Activities, BBB Initiative.
SOLO training of village-based advisors (VBAs) and seed
distribution in Afgoye District, South West State of Somalia.
SOLO training of village-based advisors (VBAs) and seed
distribution in Baidoa District, South West State of Somalia.

12. Village based Advisors (VBAs) in Imurok Payam, Torit County of
South Sudan displaying assorted seed packs.
Seed processing and packaging at FILSAN Seed
Company facilities in Somalia.
Images of Field Activities, BBB Initiative.

13. Extesion worker inspecting Longe 5 maize variety crop stand
in mother demo in Obbo, Magwi County in Eastern Equatoria
State of South Sudan.
Cowpeas (Secow 2WT) showing good stand in Suzan Apoko's
Demonstration Plot in Obbo, Eastern Equatoria State of South
Sudan.
Images of Field Activities, BBB Initiative.

14. FARM STEW staff were explaining about small packs and VBAs
methodology during the farmers field days in Mugali Payam,
Magwi county in Eastern Equatoria State of South Sudan.
VBAs awareness session on the project in Imurok, Torit County
in Eastern Equatoria State of South Sudan.
Images of Field Activities, BBB Initiative.

15. Session during joint supervision of demo plots of VBAs and
farmers for beans-Nabe 17, maize-Longe5 and cowpeas-
Secow2TW sites in Magwi County, South Sudan.
Field visit during fodder and pasture training held in Kenya at the
Arid and Range Lands Research Institute (ARLRI) of the Kenya
Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization (KALRO).
Images of Field Activities, BBB Initiative.

16. Mr. Zakaria Hagi, Plant Protection Officer in the Ministry of
Agriculture and Irrigation, shows sorghum variety trials at
Bonkai Research Station, Baidoa, Somalia.
Ms. Luwan Eyob, crop scientist with Eritrea's National
Agricultural Research Institute, shows her rape crop for
seed multiplication.
Images of Field Activities, BBB Initiative.

17. Images of Field
Activities, BBB
Initiative.
Farmers in Nimule and Magwi, South Sudan, shows their plots of bean and sorghum grown from an improved variety, respectively.

18. Field visits during fodder and pasture training at the Arid and Range Lands Research Institute (ARLRI) of the Kenya Agricultural and
Livestock Research Organization (KALRO).
Images of Field Activities, BBB Initiative.

19. Thank you