SECOND QUARTERLY REPORT FOR USG FY 2011

Funded by USAID's Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA) and Food for Peace (FFP), the program aims to strengthen agricultural production, protect animal assets, and restore livelihoods while building longer-term economic resilience. The program's objectives are twofold: to help vulnerable households in the Ansongo circle recover productive agro-pastoral livelihoods and to enable vulnerable households to restore income-generating activities and withstand economic shocks. Immediate food security needs are being addressed through food vouchers-for-work (VfW) and animal feed vouchers, acknowledging the importance of livestock as a food resource among agro-pastoral households in the region. During the fourth quarter of FY14, the program achieved significant milestones, including training 180 pastoralists and agro-pastoralists on fodder harvesting techniques, awareness campaigns on fodder management with 1,200 people, and distribution and installation of solar refrigerators in 2 communes. Additionally, the program distributed agricultural inputs to 1,200 farmers through vouchers, supported 50 community vegetable gardens for farmer training, and conducted two monthly distributions of VFW vouchers for 1,200 households. The program has also made significant progress in reaching its target beneficiaries, with a total of 24,010 men, women, boys, and girls reached, representing 144% of the initially selected number of beneficiaries. Furthermore, 87 Village Savings and Loan Associations (VSLAs) have been established, with 66% of women participating. In terms of sector performance, the program has made notable progress in achieving its objectives. In Sector #1, vulnerable households in the Ansongo circle have recovered productive agricultural livelihoods, with 19,649 beneficiaries reached, representing 81% of the target. In Sector #2, vulnerable households have restored livelihoods and withstood economic shocks, with 16,387 beneficiaries reached, representing 134% of the target. The program's contextual update highlights the ongoing security challenges in northern Mali, with continued attacks against MINUSMA forces and car-jacking in Kidal and Timbuktu regions. However, the security situation remains calm in the Ansongo circle, allowing the program to continue its activities. Overall, the Irtoun program has made significant progress in achieving its objectives and has demonstrated its effectiveness in enhancing food security and economic resilience in communities recovering from conflict in Ansongo, Northern Mali.