Quarterly Performance Report #13: April 2012 – June 2012

The program was initially extended for 10 months to expand operations to regions affected by the 2008 floods. In March 2011, USAID extended the program for an additional 18 months, focusing on improving food security by expanding training to farmers in new food production technologies, linking producers to markets and input suppliers, and addressing infrastructure constraints. The program is implemented by Fintrac Inc. in partnership with Nepal-based METCON Consultants, FORWARD, and a diverse group of local and national-level nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and private contractors. The geographic focus of Phase III is on the Feed the Future target districts of Kailali and Kanchanpur, as well as Dadeldhura, where the program aims to increase agriculture productivity and incomes, expand market linkages and trade, and improve the nutritional status of households. Commercial agriculture is a key component of the program, with a focus on providing technical assistance and improved technologies to farmers. In the second crop cycle, the total net sales achieved for all 3,101 farmers was $1,913,529, which is $846,862 above the first crop cycle's target. This equates to an average net sales per farmer of $617 in just one crop cycle. The average net sales per hectare is $2,394, representing a 67 percent increase in productivity compared to the first two cycles of Phase II. Nutrition and hygiene is another critical area of focus, with a total of 2,259 home gardeners on 72 hectares completing harvests of the third crop cycle and all training activities concluding in May. Productive infrastructure is also a key component, with a total of 134 pump irrigation installations, including 121 shallow tube wells with improved motorized pumps and 13 surface pump systems, completed this quarter. The program's updated performance monitoring plan (PMP) is attached in Annex I, and all project publications are available to USAID through the password-protected USAID-NFRP intranet site: www.fintrac.com/nfrp. A public access site is accessible at www.usaid-nfrp.org. The program's final end date is now October 30, 2012, following a two-month extension granted by USAID on June 29, 2012.