USAID Yalwa Quarter 1 FY21 Report

The activity is designed to achieve its goal through interventions across three mutually reinforcing results areas: Enhanced performance of commodity market systems, Increased utilization of quality inputs and services, and Increased local consumption of nutritious, safe foods. The USAID Yalwa technical approach is grounded on an innovative market system strengthening approach that is facilitative and focused on sustainability. This approach focuses on enhancing linkages, building capacity of market actors, and establishing supportive environments that create incentives for more efficient, competitive, and inclusive markets. The sustainability focus is based on collaboration with influential local actors and networks that catalyze change at key points in the system. The activity builds the capacity of Unions to provide services to producer groups, such as access to agro-inputs, finance, market and climate information, skills development, and group sales. USAID Yalwa also leverages commercial investments to build long-term linkages between buyers and sellers, ensuring the consistent delivery of inputs and services over time. In addition to developing the skills of farmers, the approach also builds the skills of traders, processors, and other buyers so that they can earn a profit from their businesses and become self-reliant. As a key part of USAID's Regional Resilience in the Sahel Enhanced (RISE II) Initiative, USAID Yalwa's expected results contribute to the following Objectives and Intermediate Results (IRs) of RISE II: Enhance social and ecological risk management systems, Increase and sustain economic well-being, and Improve agricultural and pastoral livelihoods. The activity is implemented by Cultivating New Frontiers in Agriculture (CNFA) in partnership with subawardees HKI, Karkara, AREN, and IPA. The geographic coverage of the activity is Niger, with a focus on the Maradi, Tillabéri, and Zinder regions. The focus value chains include small ruminants, poultry, cowpea, and local nutritious foods. In Quarter 1, Fiscal Year 2021, the activity implemented several key technical deliverables, including the production of key technical deliverables of the refinement period and other technical activities. The activity also collaborated with USAID implementing partners and stakeholders, and made progress in project management, including project staffing, operations, finance, and administration. The activity encountered several key problems, including security issues and concerns that impacted interventions. However, the activity also achieved several key successes, including a 27% increase in household income among program participants compared to the control group. The activity has planned several activities for Quarter 2, Fiscal Year 2021, including the continuation of technical activities, collaborative activities with USAID implementing partners and stakeholders, and project management activities. The activity will also continue to build the capacity of Unions to provide services to producer groups and leverage commercial investments to build long-term linkages between buyers and sellers.