Multi-sectoral Program on Food Security COVID-19 Multi-sectoral Program on Food Security COVID-19 World Food Programme (WFP) in Bangladesh has, together with Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) applied to Sida for funding of 30 million SEK to carry out the "Cross-sectoral response to the COVID-19 instigated food and nutrition security crisis in Bangladesh" during the period 2020-2021, starting in November 2020.

The project is a part of the larger country strategic programme of World Food Programme, Bangladesh and aims to responds to critical food security needs for ultra-poor following the COVID-19 outbreak and the following socio-economic effects. The project specifically aims to increase access to, and availability of, fresh food commodities at affordable buying prices for urban poor, and to strengthen the supply chain of the commodities so that the rural farmers can produce and sell those commodities at reasonable prices. 

The project will target a total population of 17,500 (3500 households from urban areas and 2500 farmers from rural areas) people living in low-income, at-risk, urban (Dhaka north) and rural areas (neighborhoods in Dhaka). The interventions in urban areas will focus on at-risk, low-income urban areas, where there will be an effort to (1) (re) establish a regular supply of fresh food to the inhabitants of the identified and targeted areas, and (2) provide direct cash assistance to poor and vulnerable living in these areas (and who meet specific selection criteria) . The interventions in rural areas will focus on the protection of the food and nutrition security and livelihoods of vulnerable rural households through (re) establishing linkages with market and food supply-chains to the targeted areas in urban centers. These activities will increase income and employment opportunities, create access to poor and vulnerable people to work as a producer, worker and/or consumer in the entire supply chain. World Food Program (WFP) i Bangladesh har, tillsammans med Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), ansökt om finansiering från Sida om 30 miljoner kronor för att genomföra projektet "Cross-sectoral response to the COVID-19 instigated food and nutrition security crisis in Bangladesh" under perioden 2020-2021, med start i november 2020.
 
Projektet är en del av av det strategiska landprogram som World Food Programme genomför i Bangladesh och syftar till att svara på kritiska livsmedelssäkerhetsbehov för extremt fattiga efter COVID-19-utbrottet samt påföljande socioekonomiska effekter. Projektet syftar specifikt till att öka tillgången till och tillgången på färska livsmedelsvaror till överkomliga priser för fattiga i städerna och att stärka distributionskedjan för råvaror så att landsbygdens jordbrukare kan producera och sälja sina varor till rimliga priser.
 
Projektet kommer att rikta sig till en total befolkning på 17 500 (3 500 hushåll från stadsområden och 2 500 jordbrukare från landsbygdsområden) låginkomsttagare i urbana områden (Dhaka norr) och landsbygdsområden (stadsdelar i större Dhaka). Insatserna i stadsområden kommer att fokusera på särskilt utsatta stadsområden, där projektet kommer att syfta till att (1) (åter-) etablera en regelbunden leverans av färsk mat till invånarna i de identifierade och riktade områdena, och ( 2) ge direkt kontanthjälp till fattiga och utsatta boende i dessa områden, som uppfyller specifika urvalskriterier. Insatserna på landsbygden kommer att fokusera på skydd av livsmedels- och näringsförsörjning och försörjning hos utsatta landsbygdshushåll genom att (åter-) upprätta kopplingar till livsmedels- och distributionskedjor till riktade utsatta områden. Dessa aktiviteter avses öka inkomsterna och sysselsättningsmöjligheterna, skapa tillgång till fattiga och utsatta människor att arbeta som matproducent, arbetare och/eller konsument i försörjningskedjan. The overall aim of the project is to target (urban) households and (rural) farmers most impacted by COVID-19 and restore broken supply chains. The expected outcome is: Enhanced food and nutrition security and improved diets of nutritionally vulnerable household members, including pregnant and lactating women and young children.

The contribution will address the food security needs of 20,000 beneficiaries; i.e. 17,500 individuals (3500 households) in at-risk low-income urban areas of Dhaka and smaller urban municipalities near Dhaka, with a focus on establishing linkages with 2,500 local smallholder farmers in semi-rural and rural areas of Dhaka North City Corporation (linking to smallholder farmers and producer organizations in Cumilla district, Chittagong). 

The programme is designed over a ten-month period, in order to sustain the short-term impact of the programme on household-level food security, and to create a model that the government can replicate and scale up. Recognising that the COVID-19 crisis is ongoing, and at risk of escalating, and that the full repercussions of the national lockdown is not yet known, the project has a built-in flexibility to adjust to a changing situation. 

The programme has following objective and outcomes:
Objective: Enhance Food security for households most affected by the COVID-19 crisis in at-risk low-income urban areas
Outcome 1: Most affected HHs by the COVID-19 crisis have enhanced food security
Outcome 2: Re-established and regular supply of fresh food to the inhabitants of the identified and targeted areas