Enhancing Food Security and Livelihoods of Vulnerable Agropastoralists Communities in Aweil South County, Northern Bahr el Ghazal State, South Sudan An estimated 5.82 million people are currently (December 2020-March 2021) projected to face IPC Phase 3/worse levels of food insecurity. This is projected to rise to 7.24 million people with at least 7,000 people projected to face IPC phase 5 between April-July 2021 in Aweil South County, Northern Bahr el Ghazal State (South Sudan IPC Report, December 2020). The recent Food Security Outlook (September 2020) Update has projected highest levels of food insecurity in 2021 ever recorded since 2014. This coupled with a persistently low food/ income sources in more than half of the population, urgent and sustained humanitarian aid through food assistance will be critical to preventing more extreme food security outcomes in 2021 including projected IPC Phase 5 across all the Payams of Aweil South County (South Sudan IPC, 2020). The lean season is likely to see a deterioration in food insecurity particularly in market dependent counties such as Aweil South as majority of households (HHs) deplete their food stocks and are unable to purchase sufficient food at extremely high prices (National Market Profile for South Sudan, December, 2020 FEWSNET Food Security Outlook, 2020-21).
Many vulnerable host and displaced families, especially women, widowed women, child headed HHs, the elderly, boys and girls including people with special needs solely depend on fishing among other coping strategies like vegetable farming along rivers and flood plains in Aweil South. Fishing resources and vegetable production are projected to deliver immediate/short term benefits and still play a very key role in saving lives and securing HH food and nutrition security in 2021 especially among children (boys and girls) under 5 years and pregnant women who are at risk of malnutrition.
VSF Suisse proposes an emergency response in line with the Reserve Allocation that will be critical in addressing urgent/critical projected food insecurity including projected IPC Phase 5 pockets in Aweil South County. Proposed initiatives will target Aweil South, which has been classified among Priority 1 Counties. The proposed action will prioritize the immediate and short term lifesaving activities via pre-positioning of emergency fishing and vegetable livelihood kits from FAO Core pipeline including inter-cluster synergies through setting up vegetable demonstration plots/ kitchen backyard garden demonstration sites at nutrition facilities, whose criteria will include areas with access to dry season vegetable production at nearby rivers/ hafir’s/ hand dug wells/ water points and training of nutrition volunteers and trainings in improved agronomic and fishing practices, including reducing post-harvest losses and cooking techniques. Key livelihood inputs will be prepositioning from FAO Core pipeline targeting populations in IPC 4, projected IPC Phase 5 who are also at risk of malnutrition in Aweil South. 
Targeted direct beneficiaries are made up of 13,867 households (83,202 people) comprised of 25000, 25000 boys, 16601 men and 16601 women – includes youth (male and female), elderly, people with special needs across all the Payams (Ayai, Gakrol, Nyieth, Nyocawany I, Nyocawany II, Panthou, Tarweng, Tieraliet, Wathmuok) of Aweil South County. 
VSF Suisse 24 years of experience/ presence and proven capacity will deliver high quality programming by leveraging on strong grass root networks, local knowledge, understanding of seasonal and location specific contexts. Other ongoing VSF Suisse programming in the area will further complement the action including inter-cluster synergies and collaborations that will ensure a multi-sectoral approach, quality programming, cost efficiency in addition to mainstreaming cross-cutting programmatic approaches that include application of AAP principles, protection including GBV mitigation measures, Do No Harm, context analysis, gender equity, HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention, environmental sustainability including COVID 19 risks spread mitigation.