Livelihood recovery for returnees and vulnerable host communities affected by drought in places of origin in Badghis Province. The drought that affected Afghanistan in 2018 led to displacement of more than 250,000 people from Badghis, Ghor, Farah and Herat provinces. These displaced households were residing in informal displacement sites in the outskirts of Herat city and Qala I Naw town in Badghis. It is known that natural disasters and displacement mostly affect women and children. Displaced women and children suffer additional barriers to productive livelihoods, such as increased domestic tensions, domestic violence, forced marriage or early marriages and exposure to the risks of diseases and malnutrition.

In Badghis, some of the displaced households have already returned to their places of origin and the majority (76%) of the remaining ones have indicated willingness to go back home provided they are assisted with food and employment opportunities in their places of origins. (IOM DTM- Drought Response Situation Report. 26. Apr.2019). These returnees return to their places of origin with huge expectations and diverse needs, a failure to address these, will definitely result in their chronic displacement. 

In April-May 2019 WV conducted rapid food security and multi sector needs assessments in 6 districts of Badghis province (Muqur, Qale e Naw, Abkammari, Ghormach, Jawand and Bala Murghab), where most displaced households return to. In the multi-sector assessment, 63.7% of the total households indicated that agriculture and livestock is their first source of income and almost same percentage of the surveyed households reported that their income decreased when compared to the previous year. 2018-2019 drought was indicated as the most frequent reason for the decrease in household income with 63% as result of drought and 33.4% due to conflict. A market assessment conducted by NRC shows that Qala e Naw food market is accessible, stable and well-functioning, with no food shortages reported, prices which are in line with national trends, and wholesale and retail traders who seem able to respond to an increase in demand. Given these conditions, it is safe to conclude that a cash intervention would be appropriate and will not cause food shortages or price inflation.

WV proposes to provide livelihood recovery options for returnees and vulnerable host communities affected by drought and flood in 5 districts of Badghis province. This will be achieved through a) Provision of inputs (wheat seed, fodder seed and kitchen gardening kits) to improve agricultural productivity and diversify food sources for 3,800 households inclusive of female headed households, b) provision of two months unconditional cash for 300 most vulnerable, including female headed households and families with PLWD to provide a food security safety net for duration of winter. c), CFW activities for 1,400 affected households for 2 months. This includes rehabilitation of productive assets in preparation for the next season and flood protection civil works (DRR) whilst creating job opportunities in the community. 

The project contributes to the strategic objectives one and three and is in alignment with AHF 2019 strategy which indicates that the impact of the drought has affected an estimated 13 million people in Afghanistan, with Badghis being among the five most severely affected provinces. This will assist vulnerable drought and flood affected households to i) prevent those experiencing IPC 4 levels, of food insecurity (Emergency) from falling into IPC 5 (Famine) and ii) to ensure that any IPC 3 populations do not back slide into IPC 4 throughout the remaining half of 2019. The proposed project will target 6,350 vulnerable households (44,450 individuals) living in, Muqur, Balamagab, Abkamari and Qadis districts who have been negatively affected by the devastating natural disasters in 2018/19. Returnee households will be prioritized to enable them to reengage in their livelihoods and prevent potential displacement in future.