ACF Strenghtened resilience of rural communities  in Kita and Timbouctou ACF Stärkt resiliens av landsbyggdssamhällen i    Kita och Timbuktu Mali är ett av världens mest riskutsatta och sårbara länder och många  risker är relaterade till kvalitet och kvantitet av ekosystem och naturresurser, luft- och vattenföroreningar, klimatvariationer och förändringar. Två tredjedelar av befolkningen bor på landsbygden och 80% av landets befolkning livnär sig på småskaligt jordbruk med låg produktivitet på grund av ohållbara jordbruksmetoder, degradering av naturresurser och klimatförändringar. Otillräcklig grundläggande infrastruktur, låg utbildningsnivå och rudimentära system för livsmedelsproduktion är alla orsaker till kronisk mat- och näringsosäkerhet som påverkar en stor del av befolkningen. Fattigdom, kronisk undernäring bland barn, den allmänna sårbarheten och låg motståndskraft mot torka och andra miljö- och klimatutmaningar understryker behovet av att stärka befolkningens förmåga att hantera externa chocker. Situationen har ytterligare förvärrats av återkommande konflikter och landet genomgår för närvarande en freds- och försoningsprocess efter den senaste konflikten som bröt ut 2012. Mot bakgrund av detta är det viktigt att ha särskilt fokus på att stödja övergången från akuta humanitära insatser till insatser för hållbar utveckling på lång sikt med lokalt ägarskap.

ACFs tre-åriga insats med en budget på 78 miljoner kronor riktar sig till att stärka motståndskraften hos de mest utsatta människorna i områdena Timbuktu och Kita. Dessa två områden har identifierats på grundval av indikatorer med anknytning till matsäkerhet och näringssårbarhet. Insatsen syftar till att förbättra utsatta hushålls livsmedelsförsörjning och försörjningsmöjligheter genom ökad produktion av mat, förbättring av hushållens inkomster och minskad sårbarhet för katastrofer genom att genomföra en multisektorsstrategi, vilket inkluderar förbättrad livsmedelsförsörjning och inkomstmöjligheter, ökad tillgång till rent vatten och sanitet, hälsa, hygien och näringstillförsel.

Projektet fokuserar på fyra strategiska resultat som tillsammans skall leda till uppfyllandet av det övergripande målet:
R1: Orsakerna till mat- och näringsotrygghet, sårbarhet och katastrofrisker analyseras och övervakning förbättras.
R2: Minskade sårbarheter i samband med katastrofrisker, osäker livsmedelsförsörjning och nutrition.
R3: Den lokala kapaciteten för anpassning och beredskap stärks för hushåll och samhällen.
R4: Genomförande av främjande åtgärder och delning av erfarenheter för att bygga motståndskraft på lokal och nationell nivå.

Vidare är denna insats ett relevant komplement till Sidas humanitära insatser och det tidigare stöd som ambassaden genomfört till resiliens under krisen 2012. Det planerade stödet kommer brygga omedelbara akuta behov till flera olika aspekter av långsiktig motståndskraft, inklusive inkomstgenerering, diversifiering av försörjningsmöjligheter, nutrition och livsmedelsförsörjning.

Insatsen är också i linje med den maliska regeringens utvecklingsmål i enlighet med fattigdomsstrategin (CSCRP). Den är även relevant för planen för post-konflikt zoner som tagits fram av ministeriet för solidaritet, humanitära insatser och återuppbyggnad av norr för regionerna Timbuktu, Gao och Kidal. Mali är en del av den regionala Sahel alliansen (AGIR) för att stärka motståndskraften hos utsatta befolkningsgrupper i Sahel med speciell fokus på matsäkerhet. Mali is one of the most risk-exposed and vulnerable countries in the world, and many of the risks are related to the quality and quantity of ecosystems and natural resources, air and water pollution, climate variability and change. Two thirds of the population live in rural areas and 80% of the country's population subsist on small-scale farming with low productivity due to unsustainable agricultural practices, degraded natural resources and climate change. Inadequate basic infrastructure, low education and rudimentary system food production are all causes of chronic food and nutrition insecurity that affects much of the population. Poverty, chronic malnutrition among children, the general vulnerability and low resilience to drought and other environmental and climate challenges stress the need to strengthen the population's capacity to deal with external shocks. The situation has been further exacerbated by recurrent conflict and the country is undergoing a peace and reconciliation process following the recent conflict that broke out in 2012. In view of this it is important in the Malian context to focus on supporting the transition from emergency humanitarian efforts to medium and long term sustainable development with local ownership.

ACF's three-year intervention with a budget of 78 million SEK is aimed at strengthening the resilience of the most vulnerable people in the cercles of Timbuktu and Kita. These two areas have been identified on the basis of indicators related to food security and nutritional vulnerability. The initiative aims to improve vulnerable households' food security and livelihoods through increased food production, improved household incomes and reduced vulnerability to disasters by implementing a multisector strategy, which include improved food security and income opportunities, increased access to clean water and sanitation, health, hygiene and nutrition.

The project focuses on four strategic results that together will lead to the fulfilment of the overall objective:

R1: The causes of food and nutrition insecurity, vulnerabilities and disaster risks are analysed
and monitoring improved.
R2: The vulnerabilities related to disaster risks and the food and nutrition insecurity are
reduced.
R3: The local capacity for adaptation and preparedness of households and communities are
strengthened.
R4: Advocacy actions and sharing experiences for building resilience are conducted at local
and national levels.

Furthermore, this effort is a relevant complement to Sida's humanitarian efforts and the earlier resilience support the Embassy implemented during the crisis of 2012. The planned support will bridge the immediate emergency needs to several different aspects of long-term resilience, including income generation, diversification of livelihoods, nutrition and food security .

The intervention is also in line with the Malian government's development goals in line with the poverty reduction strategy (CSCRP). It is also relevant to the action plan for post-conflict zones developed by the Ministry of solidarity, humanitarian action and reconstruction of the north for the regions of Timbuktu, Gao and Kidal. Mali is part of the regional Sahel Alliance (AGIR) to strengthen the resilience of vulnerable populations in the Sahel with a special focus on food security. The outcome objective for the intervention is 'Building resilience and secure livelihoods for vulnerable populations in the circles of Timbuktu and Kita'. The intervention aimed to sustainably reduce hunger in the targeted areas by addressing the root causes of the food and nutrition insecurity, while protecting vulnerable populations against risks. It directly links to various initiatives underway in Mali and by the Government of Mali, including the AGIR initiative (the Global Alliance for Resilience).The project focus on four (4) strategic results that together will lead to the fulfilment of the outcome objective:R1: The causes of food and nutrition insecurity, vulnerabilities and disaster risks are analysed and monitoring improved.Various studies will be conducted to better analyse the specific context of each area and to define a response analysis adjusted to local realities in order to better program the activities proposed in Results 2 and 3. These studies will be conducted in collaboration with the communities so that they are directly involved in identifying needs and possible solutions to reduce their vulnerability. This will increase the ownership of the beneficiary communities which ultimately contributes to overall sustainability. Once these baselines are established, the intervention will strengthen the monitoring of vulnerabilities by establishing an effective monitoring system. This will enable faster response mechanisms as well as preventing damage to livelihoods and the loss of productive assets by vulnerable households when a food crisis occurs. Communities will be involved in the definition of the monitoring system to retain the most effective indicators for early warnings.R2: The vulnerabilities related to disaster risks and the food and nutrition insecurity are reduced.Through the second result, it is envisaged to reduce vulnerabilities to disaster risks and food insecurity, through the following measures:- Restoring livelihoods contributing to the regeneration of natural resources and improving access to productive resources for vulnerable populations;- Strengthening livelihoods by improving infrastructure and basic services for vulnerable populations, as well as pilot approaches to strengthen the link between agriculture and nutrition;- Secure the means of existence by diversifying and increasing incomes of the poorest households, particularly through the recovery and processing of local products.R3: The local capacity for adaptation and preparedness of households and communities are strengthened.This third result aims to build local adaptation and preparedness capacity of communities and vulnerable households. In terms of adaptation, first of all investments in the promotion of agro-ecological approaches are planned. It is necessary to change attitudes and behaviours of agro-pastoral communities to develop more resilient production systems. This result is also planning to strengthen local management capacity by supporting the preparation of mechanisms of social support at community level.R4: Advocacy actions and sharing experiences for building resilience are conducted at local and national levels.Successful results requires collaboration between different actors. Based on an action research approach, the intervention is based on a solid monitoring and evaluation system that will be a base for advocacy and promotion of innovation. Advocacy work for the right to food and basic public services will also be conducted under this result.