According to bank provided information, this Climate Resilient Food & Nutrition Security for Women, Youth & Smallholders (CREFONS) project aims to increase food security and climate resilience for women, youth, smallholders, and vulnerable groups (including female-headed households and households with elderly people and people with disabilities) among the returnee population by addressing humanitarian needs, development, and peacebuilding challenges. Specifically, the project aims to create diversified interventions and opportunities for women and youth to stabilize their communities while promoting a water-energy-food ecosystem nexus-based approach within a climate change adaptation framework. This will contribute to economic development and peace in the province and strengthen the resilience of vulnerable people and communities to cope with, adapt to, and recover from the impact of the conflict.

The project aims to support communities along the Messalo River Basin in Mocimboa da Praia, northern Cabo Delgado. In accordance with changing dynamics and increasing voluntary return of IDPs to their place of origin, WFP will prioritize, target, and support the vulnerable communities and households with a focus on IDPs returning to their communities, with priority given to female headed households of Cabo Delgado province. Criteria for the selection of beneficiary families for this project will use vulnerability criteria as defined by WFP. The project will apply a climate and gender sensitive targeting approach, by prioritizing female-headed households and households with elderly persons and disabilities in climate prone areas. Participatory assessments on socio-economic priorities for preventing conflict and contributing to stabilization will take place, to involve communities in the design of the project. One of the key principles in designing and implementing the approach will be the active participation and engagement of the communities, households, particularly women, youth and improving the dialogue with the local authorities and institutions. Eventually, in the long term this would strengthen the trust between communities and local institutions, community cohesion which are critical elements for peacebuilding and conflict prevention. The project will reach three types of beneficiaries: 1) under Outcome 1 and 2, 10,000 direct beneficiaries and 50,000 indirect beneficiaries at the community level, and around 10 Government institutions at the provincial and district levels and their staff; 2).Under outcome 3, WFP is targeting 100 enterprises as direct beneficiaries of private sector interventions and around 1,502 individuals to benefit from these interventions. Overall, the project will aim to target at least 60% women and youth.

The overall cost of this initiative is estimated at USD 15 million. The Government of Mozambique is seeking USD 11 million from the African Development Bank Transition Support Facility (TSF Pillar I Prevention Envelope), which will compliment USD 4 million co-financed from KOICA and BMZ. WFP will provide in kind (office space, furniture, water, electricity, land, and some other physical needs)in the field. The Administrative cost will be USD678,261,08(6.0% of the total cost). The project will be implemented over 3 years period. The WFP does not have an upfront exemption from indirect taxes, including value-added tax (VAT) and other taxes levied on goods and services. For local purchases, WFP must initially pay all applicable taxes and subsequently request reimbursement from the Ministry of Finance. Furthermore, WFP is exempt from customs duties and restrictions on goods imported or exported for its official purposes, with the understanding that items imported duty-free will solely be used for WFP and its programs. Koica and BMZ funding project to WFP aims to enhance the food and nutrition security of vulnerable population of Cabo Delgado province through participatory tools contributing to HDP nexus. These priorities are embedded within the Government of Mozambique's efforts for the reconstruction and stabilization of the Cabo Delgado province. The proposed project will increase food security and resilience through approaches that aim to address the humanitarian needs as well as development and peacebuilding challenges of vulnerable population with focus on returnees. The project will provide opportunities for youth to actively contribute to the stabilization of the target areas and create economic opportunities along the agricultural and fisheries value chains as well as by contributing to the restoration of local ecosystems while gaining tangible and quantifiable monetary and non-monetary benefits within a climate change adaptation framework. The intervention will contribute to economic development and promotion of peace in the region, thus reverting the current scenario of economic underdevelopment, high unemployment rates, unequal distribution of wealth and benefits from the region's natural resources, which are often listed as key drivers of the conflict in the region.

Cesar Augusto TIQUE
Agricultural Economist, AHAI6
African Development Bank
c.tique@afdb.org 
www.afdb.org

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