Emergency Cash for Food Assistance to IPC 3 and 4 populations of Bilcheragh and Garzewan, Faryab Province This proposed project aims to provide food assistance for six months 75% of the food basket to IPC phase 3 and 4 vulnerable people and will be implemented in the Bilcheragh and Garzewan districts of Faryab Province. The participants will be prioritized based on the level of need determined by a rapid needs assessment that will be conducted by the Norwegian Afghanistan Committee (NAC) this will be conducted in the first month of the project immediately after initial coordination and selection of communities are completed. 
Around 7.8 million people are in Crisis (IPC Phase 3) and 3.2 million people in Emergency (IPC Phase 4) and require urgent action to save lives, reduce food gaps and save and protect livelihoods. Faryab is in phase 4 based on the recent IPC report but is projected to come under phase 3 due to harvest and post-harvest season, however, rainfall forecasts suggest that the harvest will be below average, which will likely affect food availability during the following lean season (IPC 2022).
It is likely that household food access between the end of winter and the following spring season will further deteriorate due to the continuing La Niña climatic episode bringing below-average winter precipitation for the second consecutive year, the impact of high food prices, sanctions on the de facto authorities, growing unemployment and possibly increased displacement. An estimated 8.7 million people in Emergency (IPC Phase 4) and 14 million people in Crisis (IPC Phase 3) require urgent action to save their lives, reduce food gaps and protect their livelihoods (HNO 2022). Also, Joint Market Monitoring Initiative (JMMI) Afghanistan June 2022, indicates that 89% of key informants reported an increase in prices. 
 
Based on the available resources and WFP/FSAC selection criteria, NAC will target 1,191 households of the most food-insecure participants in the Bilcheragh and Garzewn districts of Faryab Province. This proposed project will be implemented to improve the food security of those classified as IPC phase 4 to move to phase 3 and avoid moving those participants that are in phase three to phase 4, through the distribution of cash for food commodities, based on the cluster’s food basket. 
The chosen modality to deliver this assistance will be cash-for-food for the most food-insecure HHs, which will enable target participants to access essential food items for six months. The project starts from Nov 15, 2022, to July 14, 2023. Cash for food modality enables beneficiaries to feel empowered for making an informed decision on the types and quantity of food they purchase. Also, it empowers the local markets by increasing the demand and supply which indirectly improves the economic situation of the indirect beneficiaries including local vendors. NAC will ensure a gender-sensitive selection process, an accessible accountability mechanism, and a gender-balanced field team to ensure easy access by both genders.
All eligible and verified project participants will receive six months of cash assistance in three rounds of distribution (bi-monthly) through the selected financial service providers (FSPs)/ local hawala dealers. The value of each of the three cash transfers will be USD 72 every month and will be transferred in 3 rounds (the total amount for six months of cash for food is $432) and will cover 75% of the monthly food basket for a household of seven (based on FSAC standards). 
NAC will ensure coordination and cooperation with other stakeholders in the proposed project target areas to avoid any duplication or overlap.
This proposed project will be implemented using cash-for-food based on the standard food basket of the FSAC cluster. NAC did a rapid market assessment and the results show that markets are accessible for all target groups including female-headed households, PWD, and elderly men and women with a daily connection to the provincial market that can supply the demand for food commodities