Sahel Resilience Strengthening (SARES)

The Sahel region is facing multiple crises, facing high levels of acute and chronic food insecurity and malnutrition, widespread poverty, and unequal access to basic social services. Due to particularly strong gender inequalities in the Sahel, women are more affected by these challenges than men. Whilst agriculture remains the backbone of rural livelihoods, yields are low and over a third of crops are lost every year. Agricultural livelihoods become more and more precarious in an environment characterised by land degradation, increasing temperatures, recurrent droughts, floods, as well as erratic rainfall. The presence of refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs) increases the pressure on natural resources as well as on basic infrastructure in accessible areas, increasing conflicts over the use of natural resources. Climate change furthers food insecurity, threatens livelihoods and strengthens drivers of conflict. The transitional development assistance (TDA) project Sahel Resilience Strengthening (SARES) has been conceived to complement the Sahel Resilience Initiative (SRI) in selected intervention areas in four Sahelian countries (Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, and Chad). The parallel commissioning entails the opportunity to build on the comparative strengths of the three organisations WFP, UNICEF, and GIZ along the Humanitarian-Development-Peace (HDP) Nexus. SARES therefore works in the same geographic areas with overlapping target groups. The project strengthens local capacities for natural resource governance (NRG), the resolution of NRG related conflicts, and disaster risk management. Building on stabilisation measures, it supports food and nutrition security through a livelihood approach and promotes social cohesion. The project implements key elements of BMZ"s Strategy on Transitional Development Assistance. It addresses three of the strategies in four fields of action: food and nutrition security, disaster risk management, as well as peaceful and inclusive communities. The project complements WFP"s and UNICEF"s measures to build stabilization capacities by focusing on adaptation and transformation capacities of individuals and communities. The capacities of local structures to govern natural resources effectively and inclusively, and to resolve related conflicts are strengthened, to help these structures to adapt to changing contexts (effects of climate change, effects of forced displacement etc.) and to transform rules in this area (e.g., reduce discriminatory regulations, improve access to land and other resources for women). The capacities of communities to adapt to increasing conflicts of interest between population groups, especially in communities hosting internally displaced persons (IDP) and suffering from increased pressure on local resources, are strengthened. This allows communities to organize community dialogues and to identify community measures that create or strengthen connections between (potentially) conflicting groups. Farmers" and agro-pastoralists" individual adaptation and transformation capacities to further diversify their production, to make it more nutrient-sensitive, to store, process, and market their products are strengthened through respective trainings and by providing the necessary materials. Capacities of individuals and of producer groups or cooperatives to engage in secondary production are fostered through training, provision of equipment, and continuous coaching. Opportunities for secondary production are focused on youth and women without adequate access to land. Income generating activities and capacity development interventions are designed in a way that allows persons with disabilities to participate. Through complementary commissioning, the project facilitates inter-agency cooperation between WFP, UNICEF, and GIZ, and joint learning at the HDP-nexus. It fosters an adequate representation of women in local structures, in community dialogues, and in income generating activities.