Final Evaluation of Food Security Initiative (FSI)

Background  
Save the Children (SC) together with a team of IDE, Mission East (ME) and local NGO partners implemented food security initiative (FSI) project in response to the increasing food prices and food insecurity in five districts of mid-western region of Nepal aiming to increase food production, household income and improved nutrition of 6,600 targeted households from 1st January to 31st October 2011, funding by the EU Food Facility Program. The project targeted communities that were unreachable and deprived from different development interventions in the past. The interventions focused to address the emerging situation of increasing food crises to those of vulnerable households in mountains, hills and terai. The project adopted the value chain approach, social mobilization, capacity building, and technology transfer to those of vulnerable households, in particular to increase production through increased access to land, water, improved seed, technical training, enhancing the skills of improved agricultural practices and improving nutrition of the children and mothers.   

Purpose/objective  
The main objective of this evaluation was to document the result outcomes, and impacts of the project and share learning and challenges among project partners and stake holders.  

Methodology  
The methodological approach was a mix of quantitative and qualitative techniques. Both of these methods were used for data collection. Qualitative methods focused more on improved performance and increased production of cereal crops, fresh and off-season vegetables, consumption of cereals and the fresh vegetables in each beneficiary household. Qualitative methods focused more on benefits on the social impact including changes in behavior and perception of the beneficiary people. In this process, both structured and semi-structured questionnaire for interviews, focus group discussion, review and analysis of documents were major methods used for the data collection. Some case studies were documented during the evaluation  
 
Key findings  
The project had been instrumental for bringing changes to improve the food security and livelihood of the people. The food sufficiency level (number of months with adequate food) of the selected beneficiary HHs increased by at least 60%. A total of 2920 HHs had an average income of NRs 2514 (€26) from high value agriculture product and the average annual income from all other sources was equivalent to Rs. 6436 (€76). A total of 330 farmers group covering 6817 HHs in 36 VDCs were formed, developed, conducted monthly meeting, and 83% (273 FGs) were registered in DADO, and more than 60% of them were receiving technical support  either from DADO or Agrovets. More than 90% targeted households were aware of government social safety net programs such as dalit scholarship, old age allowance, single women allowance, post  delivery allowance, family planning allowance and differently able allowance. A total of 2245 vulnerable HHs benefited of amount Rs. 14,700,000 (each HH with Rs. 6548) for more than 42000 man days from different cash for work activities e.g. canal improvement/renovation, canal and culvert construction, terrace improvements work etc. A total of 12% (845) households benefited from leasehold land programme, and 5% (348 HHs) with 16 multiple use water system (MUS schemes), 48% (3279) households with small scale surface water irrigation and MIT by means of renovating and constructing canal, drip and sprinkler irrigation, electric motor pumps, treadle pumps and low cost diesel pumps etc were benefited from the program.       
                                                                                                                                                                                                                      Similarly, 62% (4224) HHs adopted improved crop production practices like seed multiplication and participatory variety selection, plastic house technology, micro-irrigation technologies, leasehold farming and technologies of commercial vegetable production etc; 82% of the indirect beneficiaries HHs adopted one or more agricultural or marketing technologies promoted by FSI; more than 90% HHs reported in receiving of technical services from local resource persons and input suppliers; more than 40% HHs were members of group marketing initiatives; more than 30% households reported utilizing project-established collection centers; 168 people (89 male & 79 female) actively participated the Vocational Education training; and 95 of them received investment and technical support to establish different microenterprises after successful completion of the training. 
 
Recommendations  
• A new approach combined with knowledge, promoting respect for the environment and improving the quality of life of the community as a whole. More long-term efforts needed to empower rural farmers with the skills needed to generate increased production and profit.
• The provision of direct technical assistance to farmers through field extension agents  (local resource person), who live and work in communities to promote changes in attitudes and systems, while enhancing clients’ skills in agriculture would help to promote more in developing capability with strength, speed and clarity.
• Although the trainees seemed to be happy with the skills they were provided, practical learning opportunities with a well established local vocational training provider with a ready-for-use training would help to learn better. There should be a room for greater innovation and increased responsiveness of the training to the local labour markets needs.
• More sustainable improvements needed in farming production and resource utilization through instruction and skills improvement in growing, processing (especially postharvest cleaning, grading and packaging) to improve standardization of quality product and marketing practices.
• Women friendly technologies especially farming practices and post harvest technologies would be vital to increase production and income.
• Development of teaching materials in local language can help for faster learning to the beneficiaries.
• Upscaling the promotional efforts on suitable Green Growth practices and institutional development focusing to replicate these types of interventions in other areas, and on the use of local food biodiversity.

Comments and follow-up from the organisation, if any  
Save the Children (SC), Livelihoods Theme, has developed similar type of project in the same target areas in Three Districts and is being implementing to enhanced the livelihoods of vulnerable communities. The FSI project being integrated and comprehensive has successfully addressed the problem of local food insecurity, low income and malnutrition among the children and families. The challenge with FSI was the limited time frame of 22 months; however SC has developed interventions to have lasting and sustainable impacts on the beneficiaries through similar projects.