Malawi Livestock for Resilience Quarterly Report April 1 – June 16, 2016

The project aimed to build the resilience of disaster-prone communities by expanding and maintaining livestock assets, increasing access to animal health services, and enhancing their capacity to save and mitigate risks. The project targeted 6,000 households in ten communities of Dowa and Ntchisi districts in Central Malawi. During the final quarter of the project, 3,705 people benefited from livestock activities, including training in improved livestock production, farm business management, and financial literacy. The project achieved several milestones, including the distribution of livestock vouchers to 146 farmers, who received 1,271 chickens and two goats. Additionally, 327 farmers accessed improved animal health services, and 6,162 livestock were treated against various diseases and infections. The project also focused on training farmers in improved animal husbandry practices, with a cumulative total of 7,277 farmers trained by the end of the project. Livestock Lead Farmers (LLFs) provided animal health services to both producer and non-producer group members, delivering 6,217 livestock treatment services and treating 6,162 animals. The project also responded to an outbreak of an undiagnosed disease among distributed and previously owned chickens, implementing biosecurity principles and providing compensation to affected farmers. The L4R project used a selection criteria for livestock recipients, including the farmer's participation in VSLAs, animal health services, and training meetings. The project also facilitated village savings and loan activities, registering 300 L4R VSLA groups for the 2016 cycle. The project's capacity-building activities included training farmers in improved animal husbandry practices, providing animal health services, and facilitating village savings and loan activities. The project's geographic focus was on ten communities in Dowa and Ntchisi districts in Central Malawi, with a target of 6,000 households. The project's timeframes were from April 1 to June 16, 2016, with a focus on the final quarter of the project. The project's recommendations included the continuation of capacity-building activities, the expansion of animal health services, and the facilitation of village savings and loan activities. The project's implementation details included the use of pre-established selection criteria for livestock recipients, the provision of animal health services by LLFs, and the facilitation of village savings and loan activities. The project's monitoring and evaluation activities included the tracking of project milestones, the monitoring of animal health services, and the evaluation of the project's impact on vulnerable households. The project's geographic context was characterized by a high level of poverty and vulnerability, with a focus on disaster-prone communities. The project's timeframes were influenced by the need to respond to an outbreak of an undiagnosed disease among distributed and previously owned chickens. The project's recommendations were informed by the project's findings and the needs of the target communities.