Sustainable Agriculture and Production Linked to Improved Nutrition Status, Resilience and Gender Equity (SAPLING) Quarterly Performance Report October – December 2018

The initiative is led by Helen Keller International (HKI) and supported by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). SAPLING's goal is to increase household availability, utilization, and access to nutritious foods and income, enhance maternal and child health and nutrition, and improve resilience of families under constant threat of natural and human-induced shocks and stressors. SAPLING is implementing activities in the upazilas of Ruma, Bandarban Sadar, Lama, Thanchi, and Rowangchari, supporting the Ministry of Chittagong Hill Tracts Affairs (MOCHTA) in achieving its Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). The estimated total population of SAPLING's working area is 279,235, comprised of 12 ethnic groups, including Bengali. SAPLING's Midterm Evaluation (MTE) team initiated field work in September 2018, ending with a Bandarban-based validation workshop in the first week of October. The MTE team conducted stakeholder debriefings in Dhaka with partners and the mission prior to departure from the country. The draft report was shared with SAPLING for feedback, and after clarifications were made, a semi-final report was submitted to USAID. The MTE team presented the report in Washington, D.C. on December 7, soliciting feedback. Once received, the report will be finalized. Following the MTE, SAPLING finalized its Annual Results Report (ARR) for Fiscal Year (FY) 2018 and Pipeline Resource Estimate Proposal (PREP) for FY19. Each incorporated lessons learned from implementation and research conducted, including MTE recommendations, which were incorporated to the extent possible within existing time and resources. SAPLING streamlined its Integrated Enhanced Homestead Food Production (IEHFP) curriculum, reducing the number and length of sessions and adjusting the delivery schedule to better meet participants' availability. This quarter, SAPLING conducted IEHFP sessions on improved horticulture production and poultry rearing, stressing integration with disaster risk reduction (DRR), water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH), and nutrition. These sessions focused on strengthening areas of weakness identified during field visits and in SAPLING's FY18 results. To demonstrate the importance of growing with improved varieties and promote climate-smart agriculture, five easy-to-grow, high-yield, and/or resilient varieties of seeds for production of nutrient-rich winter vegetables were distributed to 47,696 IEHFP participants. Select learning center (LC) leaders were given four additional varieties to further diversify production by producing seedlings to share with their members. To increase consumption of animal source foods that can be easily produced by poor and extreme poor families, two chicks were distributed to pregnant and lactating women (PLW) upon completion of required poultry training. Furthermore, to build capacity of local input suppliers and increase availability of quality inputs, SAPLING trained and contracted 17 local input suppliers to provide high-quality inputs to farmers. SAPLING also conducted a market assessment to identify opportunities for farmers to sell their produce and increase their income. The assessment revealed that there is a high demand for nutrient-rich winter vegetables in the local market, providing an opportunity for farmers to increase their income. SAPLING's efforts aim to improve the livelihoods of vulnerable people in the CHT region, enhancing their food security, nutrition, and resilience. By implementing activities that promote climate-smart agriculture, disaster risk reduction, and water, sanitation, and hygiene, SAPLING is working towards achieving its goal of improving the lives of the people in the CHT region.