CO-Livelihoods and Nutritional Empowerme The Livelihoods and Nutritional Empowerment (LINE) Project is a 60-month initiative funded by Global Affairs Canada and implementedby Oxfam in Bauchi State, Nigeria with a budget of CAD $14,839,265. The Project uses a sustainable livelihoods approach tocontribute to improved livelihoods by promoting agriculture-driven economic growth for 10,000 farming households, with a special focus on women and youth, in six Local Government Areas (LGAs): Tafawa Balewa, Alkaleri, Ningi, Darazo, Shira and Gamawa localgovernment areas (LGAs). Communities in 10 wards in each of these six LGAs will be targeted to participate in the Project. The choice of target LGAs was informed by their geographic spread in terms of representation in the Federal Senatorial Districts, the types of crops and livestock produced in relation to the selected value chains, the number of small scale farming households involved in the selected value chains and the levels of vulnerability to which small scale farmers are exposed.

The UltimateOutcome of the project is to Improved livelihoods for 10,000 (60% women) rural farmer households in Bauchi State through increased farm productivity, enhanced market access, better nutrition and improved/enhanced enabling environment for agricultural business development. While the  Intermediate Outcomes are
1) Increased yields in selected commodity and livestock value chains for women and men farmers and youth (60% women)
2) Improved agricultural business enabling environment that is more responsive to the needs of women, men, and youth members of farmer households
3) Improved nutrition for vulnerable farmer households, especially women and children

The Project will focus on the followingvalue chains: maize, sorghum, sesame, dairy, and meat (beef, mutton, and goats) and will seek to enhance access to markets through collaboration with key private sector actors in order to define and ensure market specifications are met. The four private sector actors that the Project will partner with are: GrandCereals Limited and NASCO Foods, for the first three commodities; and the Integrated Dairies Limited and Bauchi Meat Products Company Ltd., for dairy and meat.

The Project will work in collaboration with the Bauchi State government to establish BusinessIncubation Centres (one per target LGA) focused on small business development for youth and Nodal Information, Training, and Processing Centres (10 per target LGA or one per target ward) that will provide information and skills training for women and youth in food processing to create jobs. In addition, farmers will be organized to work in collaboration with other interest groups, alliances and civil society organizations to influence the Bauchi State government to create an enablingenvironment that supports market-based agricultural value chain interventions. Furthermore, the project intends to reach 1,000 vulnerable households among the 10,000 target households that include children, pregnant and nursing women, and mothers of young children, throughtraining to develop home-based skills in nutritional diversification and through promotional campaigns.

The Project will promote environmental sustainability through training and use of ecosystem friendly herd health strategies and livestock feed optionsas well as agricultural practices such as zero tillage, conservation agriculture and organic farming.

The Project will at the end lead to increased yields in selected commodity and livestock value chains for women and men farmers and youth; an improved agricultural business enabling environment that is responsive to the needs of women, men, and youth members of farmer households; and improved nutrition for vulnerable farmer households, especially women and children.

The Project is aligned with two United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) targets: reduce by 30% the number of people living in poverty and promote gender equality and empower women; as well as with the Government of Nigeria#s Agricultural Promotion Policy (APP), of which BauchiState is a part. The Project isalso in alignment with Global Affairs Canada development priorities in Nigeria, namely to stimulate sustainable rural economic growth for poverty reduction, enhance food security, and secure the future of youth through employment.

The project will go into partnership with Pastoral Resolve (PARE), Rahama Women Development Programme (RWDP), Women Empowerment Initiative in Nigeria (WEIN), Association of Small-Scale Agro Producers in Nigeria (ASSAPIN), and Forward in Actionfor Education, Poverty and Malnutrition (FACE-PAM). The civil society organizations, which are the implementing partners of the LINE Project will benefit from: trainings in agricultural value chain development methodology, technology options, gender equality, participatory capacity and vulnerability analysis, and environmental protection; institutional development and strengthening; partnerships; collaboration in agribusiness-driven development; and influencing and policy advocacy