USAID/KENYA LIVESTOCK MARKET SYSTEM AA2 ACTIVITY ANNUAL PROGRESS REPORT FOR FY 21

This award is implemented by Mercy Corps and 8 local partners and contributes to USAID/Kenya's Feed the Future efforts to sustainably reduce global hunger, malnutrition, and poverty through inclusive and sustainable agriculture-led growth, strengthened resilience, and improved nutritional status of the population. The program focuses on strengthening and building community and county government institutions for sustainable development through the ward-based development approach. This approach integrates community development, disaster risks reduction, and market systems to achieve transformational change. Through Ward Planning Committees, the program aims to build stable and effective institutions and communities that can successfully manage their natural resources, such as rangelands and water, by strengthening the capacity of community and county government institutions. In addition, the program aims to develop human capital to help vulnerable individuals, such as adolescent girls, become more resilient and prepared for economic engagement. To achieve this, the program implements interventions that seek to improve health, nutrition, and hygiene practices as well as literacy, numeracy, and life skills. During the reporting period, the program continued to adapt activities according to COVID-19 regulations. Most meetings and coordination activities were conducted virtually to maintain safe distances between participants and avoid any likelihood of COVID-19 transfer. Physical meetings were done in small groups and in open spaces where safe distances could be maintained, and participants wore masks. Under Objective One, the program supported 17 additional ward planning committees (WPCs). As such, across the whole program a total of 32 WPCs in 32 wards with a population of 695,066 persons developed closer partnerships with County Resource Teams (CRTs), enabling communities to be supported by a localized institution for sustainability. The CRT in charge of rangeland management and Disaster Risk Reduction supported WPCs to begin rolling out Participatory Rangeland Management (PRM) and intercountry Disaster Scenario Planning (DSP) and simulation exercises with bordering counties. The PRM model incorporated both grazing plan management as well as the mitigation of resource-based conflicts associated with pasture and water. The DSP ensured a close working relationship between the National Drought Management Authority (NDMA) and various county government sectoral leads to ensure coordinated, risk-informed and shock-responsive planning, simulation, budget allocation, and implementation. The program, through WPCs, actively engaged county governments during public participation in drafting the fiscal paper for initiating the annual development plans. The WPCs ensured their development priorities were included in the fiscal paper to guide technical committees during budget estimations. Across the five counties, community priorities totaling KES 1.5 billion have been implemented by county governments due to constant advocacy by the WPCs. The WPCs have also submitted concepts to the LMS program for potential funding. Currently, community projects worth KES 500 million have been approved by USAID, projects worth KES 1.2 billion have been submitted to USAID for approval, and KES 1.5 billion are under negotiation with USAID.