The document summarizes WFP's early recovery interventions in arid and desert areas of North Darfur, Sudan. It discusses how populations have been affected by conflict over resources and drought, leading to declining livelihoods and food insecurity. The program engages communities to ensure food security, improve water and energy management, strengthen livelihoods, and protect the environment. Activities include creating water and livelihood assets, interventions around declining rainfall and deforestation, promoting forestry and fuel-efficient stoves, and providing microfinance and training. The program has reached close to 600,000 people, with outcomes like reduced firewood collection time, tree planting, increased crop production, improved water infrastructure, and microcredit access.

1. Early Recovery Interventions in Arid and Desert Areas in
Sudan
WFP in Sudan has been working with the Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Welfare and
Social Security and many other partners, including local community groups and the
private sector, to support the most vulnerable and food insecure communities of IDPs
and residents living in the arid region of North Darfur. Populations in this part of the
country have been affected by conflict (often due to competition over resources) as well
as the degradation of natural capital due to a high recurrence of drought which has led
to declining traditional livelihoods, food insecurity and of negative coping mechanisms
of the rural populations.
The programme engages local communities in a number of areas in an integrated
manner which seeks to ensure food security, improve energy and water resource
management, strengthen livelihoods and protect the environment. A number of
concrete activities have been carried out, including:
 Creation of assets related to water and livelihoods;
 Interventions linked to local environmental issues i.e. decline rain fall, rapid
deforestation for cooking and income generation (charcoal and brick making);
 Promotion of nursery and community forestry, provision of fuel efficient stoves and
alternative firefuel to reduce rapid depletion of forest;
 Provision of microfinance through government institution for restoration of
livelihoods and provision of trainings on climate smart agriculture and environmental
friendly livelihoods options.
Through its various activities, the programme has reached close to 600,000 people and
resulted in remarkable outcomes, many of them women. For example, a 50 per cent
reduction in time devoted to fire wood collection, savings on fire fuel expenditure,
planting of close to 500,000 trees, a 30 percent increase in crop production and
reduction in terms of agro input, construction and/or rehabilitation of around 50 haffirs
for improved water management, and providing access to micro-credit for over 26,000
farmers to re-establish agriculture based livelihoods.
There have been many important lessons learned in the programme. A key to success
has been the integration of water, livelihoods and the environment into a joint

2. programming framework to really maximize the impact on strengthening food security.
Another key factor has been to build the programme on the local context under the
parole ‘local solutions for local problems’, including locally available materials and skills,
financial resources and capacities for monitoring and follow-ups. Partnerships and
coordination has been fundamental to ensure that coherence and synergies were
captured and opportunities delivered where needed most. Much effort went into
aligning, both in terms of planning and in terms of implementation, activities with other
actors on the ground. These efforts have ensured an optimization of resource use, and a
higher sustainability and effectiveness of the programme. But, perhaps most
importantly, after 3-4 years, many communities no longer require WFP assistance.