Provision of emergency food security and livelihood support to the underserved most vulnerable 7,550 flood affected households  (women,children  elderly and persons with disability) in Baac, Madhol, Malualbai, Mangar Tong, Yargot and Wunlang payams of Aweil East County Northern Bahr El Ghazal state. Aweil East County continues to face food insecurity with a household hunger score of 3% and the population 335,201 estimated to be in IPC phase 3 according October and November 2020 report. There is noted high levels food dietary deficiency for average household size of 10 persons and mostly youthful population. The current driver of food insecurity in Aweil East is mainly flooding in addition to other factors such as climatic changes, declined crop production, diseases and pests, the effects of COVID-19, persistent poor macroeconomic conditions on livelihoods which has affected an estimated 14,281 households displacing at least 19,056 individuals and destroying at least 36,658 feddans of crops (Inter-cluster IRNA report August 2021). The worrying trend is likely to plunge vulnerable household into stress and poor nutrition thus increasing diet-related chronic diseases and avoidable deaths. The local copying mechanisms a number of households have resorted to include among others: borrowing food, fishing,engaging in household labor in exchange for food, collecting wild fruits and sale of existing household items.   

With the funding support from SSHF, HeRY proposes to reach out to 7,550 vulnerable households in Baac, Madhol, Malualbai, Mangar Tong, Yargot, Wunlang. Payams of Aweil East Targeting women, boys, girls, men and persons with disability with lifesaving dry season FSL activities- distribution of vegetable and fishing kits, training on climate smart agronomic practices as well as good post-harvest handling and nutritious food preparation techniques. The proposed project will complement the EU supported Sustainable Agriculture and Livestock Production Initiative (SALPI) project in the area that contributes to improved food and nutrition security, livelihoods and incomes of smallholder agro-pastoralist communities in the five counties of Northern Bhar el Ghazal state. SALPI project is implemented in a consortium with VSF Suisse, VSF Canada and HeRY.

The proposed project implementation methodology in this action  is floodplain agriculture commonly practiced in sub-Saharan Africa  where either receding or rising floodwaters provide water for crop cultivation and fishing. This approach is selected because it enables the vulnerable households have a low-investment and low-skill interventions of vegetable cultivation and fishing production under a farmers led learning methodology of maximum of up to 30 farmers per group who are trained as  lead farmers in each Boma. HeRY will form the groups, equip the farmers with skills to improve water distribution by putting in place water control structures, thus allow better control of water and reduce soil erosion, water logging and other risks dikes and soil bunds will be constructed in the group farming locations and individual farms to protect fields from unexpected floods and also allow farmers to drain or retain water as needed drainage ditches will be used to channel away excess floodwaters. Each farmer is expected to undertake the same activities in their gardens and will be encouraged to make use of groundwater through hand-drilled tube wells or boreholes as floodwaters dry up to sustain the vegetable gardening. 

HeRY will also share knowledge with farmers on better suited flood-based farming systems, such as very fast-growing floating rice varieties and other multi-functional use of flood-based farming systems:  fishery, flood pastures, root tubers planting, fuel wood collection and water supply on the positive side of the flood water and risk mitigation awareness of climate change, fruit tree planting e.t.c will be mainstreamed. Fishponds and aquaculture management tips will be advocacy issues to local communities for ease of access to fish (protein) while requiring fewer inputs than other agricultural practices. This will enhance production capacities of vulnerable holds with nutritious food and improve their incomes.