Cash for food assistance to acute food insecure and vulnerable families in Sayghan and Shibar Districts of Bamyan province High acute food insecurity persists across Afghanistan, as a combination of a collapsing economy and drought is depriving nearly 19 million Afghans of food, classified in Crisis or Emergency (IPC Phases 3 or 4), between June and November 2022 (the post-harvest season). Among these are about 5.97 million people (14% of the total Afghan population) in Emergency and 12.9 million people (31% of the total population) in crisis IPC phase 3. Rapid reduction in international aid, drought, financial crisis due to government collapse, the negative impact of Ukraine crisis on food prices have led to a major contraction of the economy, increasing poverty and food insecurity and macroeconomic instability as well as leading to high unemployment and high food and agricultural input prices.

Below-average cumulative precipitation during the wet season (2021 - 2022) accompanied with high agriculture input costs (seed amp fertilizers) resulted in a reduced level of winter wheat cultivation. This in turn resulted in a huge reduction in wheat harvest this year compared to the long-term average. Around 90% of Bamyan people have less than 4 jeribs of land. People harvested less from their crops this year and majority of people in Bamyan will not have any food to eat during the winter. 

According to the IPC report, 15% of people in Bamyan are in IPC phase 4 and 30% in IPC phase 3 at the estimated projection duration between June and November 2022. In order to prevent people from falling into IPC phase 5, we need to have humanitarian cash for food assistance intervention for people in Bamyan province. 

This project aims to address the immediate food needs and food insecurity challenges among the most vulnerable families in the districts of Sayghan and Shibar through unconditional cash transfer modality. The proposed unconditional cash transfers will enable households to have improved access to food and improved food consumption. JCSSO has local presence and well experience to implement this project in the targeted locations according to the FSAC standards. 

JCSSO proposes to reach 1000 household beneficiaries (7,000 individuals) with unconditional and unrestricted cash transfer distributed via hawala-transfer for at least six months, for the period of lean season and winter, averaging 72 USD per beneficiary household for six months (72x6=$432) as the 75% of cash basket. JCSSO proposes to distribute the cash in 3 instalments. Every household will receive $144 in every round of distribution. The payment will reach each household beneficiaries in three rounds, each round averaging $144 for each household (based on cluster standard), which will be equivalent to its value in Afghani currency. Based on JCSSO market monitoring, markets are functional in both Sayghan and Shibar districts and prices are stable. Based on JCSSO’s experience in the Bamyan, cash also the preferred modality by the beneficiaries in the targeted locations. A licensed hawal company will be contracted who is familiar with the context to deliver the cash.  

Targeting and selection of needy beneficiaries to receive assistance through this project will be carried out through house to house survey. Beneficiaries will be selected using the FSAC standard vulnerability criteria. Priorities will be given to shock affected vulnerable groups such as women headed households, person with disability, households with poor asset holding and high dependency ratio and women with pregnancy. The proposed activity will be implemented within an 8 months’ timeline.