Project Duration: Initially 24 months (April 2018 – April 2020), extended by 3 months to June 2020
Funding Source: United States Agency for International Development (USAID)
Target Area: Yambio, Nzara, and Tambura counties of Western Equatoria, South Sudan
Initial Target Beneficiaries: 23,334 Households (HHs), later increased to include an additional 800 HHs (400 in June 2018 and 400 in March 2019)
Sustainable Agriculture For Economic Resiliency (SAFER) that is being implemented by STO, facilitated by FAO and funded by USAID, is a project that focuses on promoting sustainable livelihoods of the rural population through interventions which aim to strengthen the resiliency and boost the productivity of different households in suitable enterprises.
The project plays a key role in supporting agriculture to build the resilience of rural livelihoods in response to conflict. It is improving the livelihoods of farmer groups in Yambio (Yambio town, Gangura and Bangasu Payams), Nzara (Nzara Centre, Basukangbi and Sakure Payams) and Tombura (Tombura Centre, Mupoi and Source Yubu Payams) that experienced stressed and crisis levels of food insecurity due to the civil conflict that is coming to an end.
SAFER focuses its interventions on the following:
Community and intercommunal resource sharing and management practices strengthened, this output is protecting, securing and reducing tension in accessing natural resources through peace-building platforms and common activities in a natural setting
The development hypothesis of SAFER is that “if the project can strengthen and diversify livelihood systems, as well as restore good agricultural production practices, while simultaneously strengthening rural community and intercommunal resource sharing and management practices, then food security and resilience of the targeted populations in Western Equatoria are being enhanced.
