SCALE Award Report - Quarterly

The award aims to improve the impact, sustainability, and scalability of FFP's activities in agriculture, natural resource management, and livelihoods. The SCALE program is designed to support the development of technical best practices, knowledge sharing, and capacity strengthening in the areas of agriculture, natural resource management, and livelihoods. The program focuses on four knowledge areas: knowledge capture, knowledge generation, knowledge application, and knowledge sharing. In the fourth quarter of year one, the program made significant progress in all four knowledge areas. In knowledge capture, a case study and two learning documents were identified for completion in year two, and an in-depth assessment was initiated for agriculture and natural resource management in emergency contexts. In knowledge generation, a glossary of alternative livelihoods terms and guidance on youth-led labor market assessments were completed, and training of trainer materials for the Resilience Design in Smallholder Farming Systems Approach were refined. In knowledge application, a successful engagement planning workshop was held in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), and ongoing exploration of potential activities was conducted in Uganda, Ethiopia, Burkina Faso, and Niger. In knowledge sharing, two events were successfully completed, and webinars, blogs, and resilient agriculture events were planned for the first and second quarters of year two. The SCALE program also made progress in adaptive program management, with the submission and approval of the SCALE Year 2 work plan and the finalization of an alternative livelihoods strategy. The program's performance management plan was also approved, and a SCALE Technical Committee meeting was held to discuss the program's progress and future activities. In the area of agriculture in emergencies, an initial review of agriculture and natural resource management activities in emergency FFP programs was completed, and a more in-depth review was initiated to provide useful information to the implementing community. In alternative livelihoods, a draft plan for a case study of the SABAL DFSA in Nepal was designed, and a process for evaluating and selecting research projects to be funded in year two was finalized. The SCALE program is expected to continue its progress in the first quarter of year two, with the finalization of training of trainer materials, the release of a glossary of alternative livelihoods terms and guidance on youth-led labor market assessments, and the roll-out of knowledge activities in the DRC, Ethiopia, and Uganda.