5.6.3 Agriculture and Livelihood Assistance

The Coordinator should ensure harmonization of agricultural and non-agricultural related livelihoods support (including Cash and Voucher transfer programming). This includes the rehabilitation of and support to food processing activities and facilities, agriculture related infrastructure, markets infrastructure, livelihoods activities, as well as income generating activities and capacity building. 

Agriculture Activities

FSC agriculture assistance can address short-term and longer-term recovery or development-oriented activities (and humanitarian development peace nexus objectives - see 10.2).

Modality and Activities: Whether in-kind or through cash / vouchers or mixed, FSC agriculture assistance cover extension services, vocational trainings and inputs (as identified by needs assessments) for: 

• Agriculture (such as seeds, seedlings and planting material of various crops, tool kits, repair or provision of equipment or machinery, fertilizers, irrigation infrastructure etc.). 
• Fisheries and aquaculture (tools and equipment, fingerlings repair of aquaculture infrastructures, etc.).
• Poultries and/or livestock (for example provision of poultry or livestock, emergency feed, toolkits, veterinary services, water provision).
• Forestry.    

Where markets are functioning and can be supported to recover, a livelihood cash grant or vouchers are recommended, to give farmers, pastoralists and fishers flexibility to select preferred inputs, seeds, fish stock or livestock species. Note: Food insecurity does not equate with seed insecurity. 

Areas to be harmonized: The Coordinator should ensure FSC partners agree on a common approach to the following (pending the activities identified by assessments and engagement with the affected population and relevant line ministries):  

• The average size of land under cultivation per HH, average number of animals/HH and rate per unit of animals (male, female, age); average fishing gears/HH, rate for fishing net, boat etc.
• Quantity and type (quality) of seeds, organic fertilizers (compost), technical tools and rate per Hectare (or commonly used measure, e.g. donum). The composition and prices of seeds seedlings and planting material of various crops, tools, livestock / poultry (animals, shelter, feed, water etc.), fisheries kit (fish net, fishing lines/hooks, fishing boat, boat gears, etc.) according to each country seasonal calendar.

Note: FSC partners should ensure that planned agriculture interventions are appropriate for the agricultural environment and that they consider the prevalent technical instructions in place in the areas targeted, as per the technical ministries.  

The Coordinator should consider the following:

• Use of appropriate modalities to provide inputs that are based on actual needs, locally and culturally acceptable, conform to appropriate quality norms and are on time for best seasonal use i.e. the provision of inputs must respect local area seasonality. 
• A seasonal calendar can be developed in line with the MoA. FAO technical staff can provide support together with technical members of the Cluster.
• All FSC partners should undertake assessments before any emergency livelihoods project implementation to determine the actual needs of the target population, assess the market, identify the most appropriate delivery modality, and to determine community preferences for inputs (e.g. preferred seed variety and/or type) that are suitable to the agro-ecological / livelihoods zones, soils or climate. Affected men and women should equitably be involved in planning, decision-making, implementing and monitoring of primary production responses.
• Relevant technical line ministries should be consulted prior to implementation (e.g. ministry of agriculture, department of extension, departments of fisheries / forestry and veterinary department for all livestock related guidance etc) and the coordination should continue during implementation. 
• Ensure inputs and services do not increase vulnerability for recipients or create conflict within the community. It is recommended to assess potential competition for scarce natural resources (such as land or water) as well as potential damage to existing social networks. For example, if a particular group regularly fishes as a livelihood, provision of fishing equipment to a group that does not, could increase competition and conflict. 
• Consider the role of and leverage of private sector actors (SMEs, input providers and traders) in the targeted area/region and/or adjacent regions who may be leveraged and engaged in support of input provision, e.g. through voucher-based modalities and/or market support.
• Ensure the implementation of environmental standards for the treatment and maintenance of the environment and encourage further practices that limit soil erosion, de-forestation etc. See 5.7.5.

Livelihoods Activities - Cash/Food for Work and Income Generation Activities

When it comes to conditional cash transfer programmes such as cash for work, and income generation activities aimed at addressing food security, the Coordinator should also work to ensure one common approach in terms of guidelines, rates of payment, number of working days, number of working hours, programme objectives, kit package, training and capacity building needs. 

Cash/Food for Work:  FSC activities commonly include Cash (or Food) for Work (CFW) (also called Food Assistance for Assets (FFA)). Each agency/organization’s design of conditional cash transfer programmes depends on its objectives, the donor requirements, and the socio-economic environment of the target location. However, the Coordinator should take the following into consideration when working to harmonise the FSC approach:

Coordinating the Amount and Type of Payment: 

• Agreement on the amount of the CFW to be transferred should be reached with Cash WG members. This should be based on the MEB, government labour policy, type of work, labour market (skilled and unskilled) number of hours or other indicators (e.g. volume of earth), local rules etc.
• Choose types of payment (in-kind, cash, voucher, food, or a combination) based on a participatory analysis. This means understanding local capacities, safety and protection benefits, immediate needs, equitable access, existing market systems and the affected people’s preference.

See the Cash for Work – guidance note (gFSC, 2019) for details on CFW objectives, planning (including feasibility assessments etc), implementation and monitoring. 

Note: CFW is a modality for distributing cash with conditionality and can have multiple objectives e.g. 1) food assistance, 2) income generation, 3) DDR / community infrastructure rehabilitation. Hence, CFW can be reported under both livelihoods and food assistance in the FSC 5W as per the country preference. 

Income Generation Activities (IGA): There are two kinds of IGA: 1) the rehabilitation of IGA and 2) the improvement of output or the creation of new activities. IGA encompass many forms of activities, from petty trade, small restaurant, tailoring, hairdressing, food processing activities, etc. 

IGA can be provided through a cash grant in one or multiple payments or in-kind assistance (distribution of sewing machines, hairdresser kits etc.) or with a mixed approach (in-kind and cash disbursement). It should include some training on basic accountability, development of a business model etc. 

Note: Commonly, loans are considered to be part of development (and revolving funds are not accepted by humanitarian donors) but FSC activities can link with development organisations/donors (see 10.2 on the humanitarian development and peace nexus).

IGA includes Vocational Training (VT) which is usually done by professional training centres. The VT should include a specific curriculum and will commonly take a few weeks or months (this is different from the type of training provided when for example seeds or fertiliser are distributed). 

As with CFW, each agency/organization’s design of IGA depends on its objectives, the donor requirements, and the socio-economic environment of the target location however, the Coordinator should consider the following:  

Coordinating the Amount and Type of Package: The role of the FSC Coordinator is to harmonise the amount or the kit package: 

• Given the large choice of IGA (petty trade, food stall vendor, transformation of food, hairdresser, tailoring, etc.), it can be difficult to harmonize the package.
• A minimum and/or maximum amount can be agreed within the FSC. 
• If the packages or amounts are too different between organisations, the CC can allocate geographical areas. 

Market assessment and IGA feasibility: Prior to beginning any type of IGA, a proper food security assessment and economic analysis should be undertaken. The preliminary analysis will identify the main economic activities and the importance of the various IGA for the vulnerable population. Additional analysis will look at the market and economic feasibility of the selected IGAs, skills of the targeted population, etc. The factors that limit the functioning of IGA should be identified.

Note: FSC partners should ensure that planned IGAs are appropriate for the local investment environment and market requirements to 1) avoid excessive competition in the local markets and 2) ensure that the beneficiaries can make a reasonable income. Small business/livelihoods grants are considered as IGA.

CFW and IGA: The Coordinator should encourage FSC partners to follow the following standards:

• Adopt and maintain inclusive, safe, and secure working environments.
• Choose environmentally sensitive options for income generation whenever possible.
• Consider seasonality of conditional cash activities, timing and duration of activities and transfer values and workdays.
• All income generation programmes should adopt a “do no harm” approach and ensure that assets created will not trigger conflicts within the community.