Biannual Report: July 1 – September 30, 2020: Agriculture and Food Security Emergency Response in Tanganyika Province in Democratic Republic of the Congo

The program aims to support 237,575 people in the target area, with a focus on agriculture and food security. The program's goal is to improve the livelihoods of project beneficiaries, particularly Twa and Bantu returnees, through the provision of agricultural inputs, training, and technical support. To achieve this goal, World Relief established a new sub-base in Nyunzu Territory, which will serve as a hub for project activities in the two health zones of Nyunzu and Nyemba. The program has made significant progress in the past six months, with the recruitment of 10 qualified staff, including four women, who will provide technical support to project beneficiaries. Additionally, World Relief signed an agreement with IPAPEL Tanganyika to obtain 49 technical agricultural monitors, who will work closely with beneficiaries to provide technical support and guidance. The program has also conducted consultations with communities to establish vulnerability criteria for the selection of project beneficiaries. A total of 115 consultation sessions were held, and it was concluded that project beneficiaries will be identified and selected based on criteria such as households with chronically ill members, persons living with HIV, and households affected by high levels of poverty. As of the biannual report period, a total of 29,109 households have been identified and registered, with 27,438 meeting the vulnerability criteria and becoming official project beneficiaries. Baseline data has also indicated that 65% of beneficiaries are women, and that 2,126 are host community households and 25,312 are returnee households. The program has also distributed agricultural seed and tool kits to 23,279 households, with 15,658 going to female-headed households and 7,621 to male-headed households. The kits include a variety of seeds, tools, and other agricultural inputs, and have been distributed in accordance with the needs of the communities. In addition to the distribution of agricultural inputs, the program has also conducted training sessions on improved agricultural production techniques, with a total of 5,250 persons (3,783 women, 1,467 men) trained. The training sessions focused on good farming land choice, preparation of fields, planting in rows and spacing, and other essential agricultural techniques. Overall, the program has made significant progress in the past six months, with a focus on supporting the livelihoods of project beneficiaries and improving their access to agricultural inputs and technical support. The program's activities are expected to continue in the coming months, with a focus on distributing additional agricultural inputs, conducting training sessions, and providing technical support to project beneficiaries.