Feed the Future Nigeria Rural Resilience Activity Quarterly Report FY 2021 Semiannual: October 1 – March 31, 2021

The activity targets more than 90,000 households across Adamawa, Borno, Gombe, and Yobe states. Mercy Corps is the prime implementer in partnership with Save the Children International (SCI) and International Fertilizer Development Center (IFDC). The activity's goal is to strengthen the resilience capacities of conflict-affected households, communities, and market systems using market-led approaches that are amplified by local, evidence-based joint learning and collaboration. The activity's theory of change posits that if resilience capacities are strengthened, households and communities will more successfully recover from conflict, and future conflict risk will be mitigated or reduced. This will enable them to sustainably reduce vulnerability and poverty, thereby advancing and protecting economic gains. To achieve its goal, the activity is working on four Intermediate Results (IR): IR 1, which involves selecting markets, economic opportunities, and livelihoods for resilient growth; IR 2, which stimulates market systems growth and diverse economic opportunities; IR 3, which builds capacity to take advantage of market systems opportunities; and IR 4, which improves activity effectiveness, sustainability, and scale through Sequencing, Layering, and Integration (SLI), and collaborative learning. The activity's approach leverages current humanitarian relief responses complemented by social cohesion and peacebuilding, infrastructure rehabilitation, and social services. It employs carefully calibrated Market Systems Development (MSD) interventions that integrate a resilience lens, taking into account the risks and vulnerabilities associated with social, ecological, and economic systems and their intersections in a given context. As of the end of the reporting period, the activity has achieved significant results. In terms of economic growth, the number of individuals participating in USG Food Security Programs has increased to 5,093, exceeding the target of 4,000. The activity has also supported the establishment of 1,363 Village Savings and Loan Associations (VSLAs), which have enabled over 16,000 individuals to access financial services. Additionally, the activity has provided training to 3,730 farmers on improved agricultural practices, resulting in increased crop yields and improved food security. In terms of market systems growth, the activity has supported the establishment of 15 new markets, which have created employment opportunities for over 2,000 individuals. The activity has also facilitated the sale of agricultural products worth over $1 million, providing income to over 1,000 farmers. The activity's efforts to build capacity have resulted in the training of over 500 community leaders on market systems development and resilience. The activity has also established a Resilience Working Group, which brings together stakeholders from government, civil society, and the private sector to share knowledge and best practices on resilience and market systems development. Overall, the Feed the Future Nigeria Rural Resilience Activity has made significant progress in achieving its goal of facilitating economic recovery and growth in vulnerable, conflict-affected areas of North East Nigeria. The activity's approach has been effective in strengthening the resilience capacities of households, communities, and market systems, and its results have exceeded targets in several areas.