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).

Pays/région Thème Période Budget
Soudan du Sud
Agriculture et sécurité alimentaire
Santé
Développement agricole
Services agricoles & marché
Éducation sanitaire
Coopératives agricoles & organisations d’agricultrices/eurs
01.02.2023 - 31.01.2026
CHF  2’000’000
Contexte

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.

Objectifs 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.
Groupes cibles

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)

Effets à moyen terme

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.

Résultats

Principaux résultats attendus:  

-    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.


Principaux résultats antérieurs:  

-    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%.


Direction/office fédéral responsable DDC
Partenaire de projet Partenaire contractuel
ONG internationale ou étrangère
  • Other international or foreign NGO North


Autres partenaires

Mercy Corps South Sudan;

UN agencies (FAO and WFP)

Coordination avec d'autres projets et acteurs

Ministry of Agriculture, Food Security and Livelihood (FSL) Cluster;

Nonviolent Peaceforce (NP);

Partnership for Peace, Resilience and Recovery (PfPRR);

Active Youth Agency (AYA).

Budget Phase en cours Budget de la Suisse CHF    2’000’000 Budget suisse déjà attribué CHF    720’000
Phases du projet Phase 2 01.02.2023 - 31.01.2026   (Phase en cours)