SHELTER FOR LIFE INTERNATIONAL INC

LIFFT CASHEW SENEGAL PROGRAM:SHELTER FOR LIFE INTERNATIONAL (SFL) HAS BEEN WORKING IN THE NATURAL REGION OF CASAMANCE (SEDHIOU, KOLDA, AND ZIGUINCHOR) IN SENEGAL SINCE 2012. AS A RESULT OF A CIVIL WAR OF SEVERAL DECADES WHICH HAS OCCASIONALLY OVERTAKEN CAPITAL AND MARKET DEVELOPMENT IN THIS REGION. SFL'S WORK IN CASAMANCE FOCUSES ON IMPROVING MARKET CONNECTIONS, PARTICULARLY IN THE CASHEW SECTOR, AND RESETTLEMENT OF FAMILIES DISPLACED BY CONFLICT. DURING THE FY 2024, TWO PROJECTS HAVE BEEN STILL UNDER IMPLEMENTATION. ONE OF THE PROJECTS IS LIFFT CASHEW THAT INCLUDES THE FOLLOWING ACTIVITIES AND OUTCOMES: SHELTER FOR LIFE IS REGISTERED IN SENEGAL AS NON-PROFIT NGO. AS PART OF THE LIFFT CASHEW PROJECT IN SENEGAL, DURING THE FY'25, THE MARKET ACCESS COMPONENT (C3:A5), THE TOTAL TARGET OF TWENTY-FOUR (24) COOPERATIVES HAS BEEN REACHED AT 100% OF THE LOP SINCE FISCAL 2023 IN SEGABI (AS FOR SENEGAL, ITS 8 COOPERATIVES AND ONE FEDERATION). UNPAVED ROADS ACCORDING TO THE ENGINEERING STANDARDS, UNDERGO ANOTHER RE-SURFACING AFTER ONE-TWO YEARS. SFL HAS ASSESSED THE ROADS THAT BUILT IN 2022-2023 AND IMPLEMENTED RE-SURFACING OF 56 KM TO ENSURE THE LONG SERVICE AND SUSTAINABILITY. FOLLOWED WITH THE NEED TO BRING THE COOPERATIVES UNDER ONE UMBRELLA IN SENEGAL, SFL SUPPORTED THE COOPERATIVES WITH THE ESTABLISHMENT OF FEDERATION OF COOPERATIVES AND STRENGTHEN THEIR CAPACITIES. THE CMA TEAM CONTINUED PROVIDING COOPERATIVES AND FEDERATIONS WITH TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE AND CAPACITY BUILDING, INCLUDING KNOWLEDGE OF IMPROVED FARM MANAGEMENT PRACTICES (FFPR-STD-03), LEADERSHIP CAPACITIES, FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT, AND ORGANIZATIONAL DYNAMICS AS WELL AS ACCOMPANIED THEM WITH REGISTRATION AND STRENGTHENING THEIR CAPACITIES. SFL FACILITATED THE COOPERATION BETWEEN THE GOVERNMENT AND FEDERATION AND SECURED AN OFFICE SPACE FOR FEDERATION'S OPERATION AND EQUIPPED IT WITH NECESSARY OPERATIONAL MEANS (IT EQUIPMENT (LAPTOP, PRINTER/SCANNER) AND OFFICE FURNITURE)). ALSO, TO UPGRADE THE CAPACITY OF COLLECTIVE COLLECTION AND BULK SALE OF CASHEW, UNDER THE LIFFT-CASHEW PROJECT, PROVIDED ONE 10 TONS TRUCK. AS FOR COOPERATIVES, SFL PROVIDED FOUR CASHEW HARVESTING MACHINES PROVIDED 1,003 PALLETS PLACED IN THE CONSTRUCTED AND REHABILITATED STORAGES FOR SAFE STORAGE OF RAW CASHEW NUTS, ALSO DEVELOPED AND HANDED OVER TO FEDERATION A WEBSITE FOR THEIR EXPANDED COMMUNICATION AND OPERATIONS. THE TEAM CONTINUED ENCOURAGING NEW MEMBERS TO JOIN THE COOPERATIVES. ADDITIONALLY, SFL ALSO FACILITATED THE SIGNING OF SALES CONTRACTS WITH TRADERS/EXPORTERS AND THE 8 COOPERATIVES IN SENEGAL. THE CONTRACTS COVER 19,147 MT OF RCN FOR AN ESTIMATED VALUE OF USD 8,999,090 USD. TO ENSURE GOOD PRODUCTION AND NUT QUALITY, 2,200 PRODUCERS WERE TRAINED IN GOOD AGRICULTURAL PRACTICES, AND THE NEW TECHNIQUES APPLIED WERE MAINLY RELATED TO THE PRUNNING, THINNING, INTERCROPPING, AND ESTABLISHMENT OF NEW PLANTATIONS, NURSERY ESTABLISHMENT AND MANAGEMENT. OVERALL, 15,000 SEEDLINGS AND 91 TONS OF ORGANIC FERTILIZER WERE DISTRIBUTED TO PRODUCERS TO BOOST PRODUCTION AS WELL AS REMAIN IN COMPLIANCE OF ORGANIC PRODUCT REQUIREMENTS. A TOTAL OF 3,423 PRODUCERS APPLIED GAPS OVER 52,598 HA. TO IMPROVE THE PRODUCTION CAPACITY, SFL PROVIDED 9 GREENHOUSES TO UPGRADE THE CAPACITY OF NURSERIES FOR IMPROVED CASHEW SEEDLINGS FOR INCREASING THE PRODUCTION VOLUME AND IMPROVING THE QUALITY. SFL ORGANIZED A WORKSHOP TO BRING TOGETHER THE RESEARCH INSTITUTES FROM SEGABI COUNTRIES AND CASHEW SEEDLING PRODUCTION NURSERIES' OWNERS TO PRESENT THE OUTCOME OF THE VIETNAMESE CASHEW VARIETY WHICH PROVED TO BE PRODUCTIVE ONE AND DISCUSSED THE STRATEGY ON MASSIVE MULTIPLICATION OF SEEDLINGS AND DISSEMINATION AS WELL AS SHARED THEIR ANALYSIS AND EXPERIENCES.TO EXPAND THE TIMELY STORAGE CAPACITY, THE CONSTRUCTION OF ONE WAREHOUSES WITH A CAPACITY OF 20,000 CUBIC METERS WAS COMPLETED. DURING THE PERIOD, 3785 INDIVIDUALS BENEFITED FROM FINANCIAL SERVICES, OFTEN AS DIRECT OR INDIRECT BENEFICIARIES OF GRAN.PRM PROJECT SENEGAL:A SECOND PROJECT, FUNDED BY THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE, BUREAU OF POPULATION, REFUGEES AND MIGRATION, AIMS TO INITIATE AND FACILITATE A REPLICABLE PROCESS FOR THE RETURN OF DISPLACED POPULATIONS TO THEIR COMMUNITIES OF ORIGIN. SINCE 2018, SFL HAS FACILITATED THE CONSTRUCTION OF 2,050 DURABLE SHELTERS, BUILT 1,900 LATRINES AND CONSTRUCTED AND INSTALLED 78 DRINKING WATER WELLS. SINCE 2021, SFL HAS ALSO DISTRIBUTED 900 HYGIENE KITS TO RETURNEE FAMILIES. IN 2024, SFL ASSISTED 300 FAMILIES IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF THEIR SHELTERS, EACH OF THESE FAMILIES BENEFITED FROM A LATRINE; 15 NEW MINI-SOLAR BOREHOLES WERE BUILT TO FACILITATE THEIR ACCESS TO DRINKING WATER. THESE 300 HOUSEHOLDS ALSO RECEIVED HYGIENE KITS AND HAND-WASHING STATIONS AND 1,200 MENSTRUAL HYGIENE KITS WERE DISTRIBUTED. PROJECT BENEFICIARIES ARE SELECTED FROM AMONG THE MOST VULNERABLE FAMILIES OF FORMER REFUGEES AND INTERNALLY DISPLACED POPULATIONS, WHO HAVE RETURNED TO THEIR HOME VILLAGES IN CASAMANCE. THE PROJECT HAS HAD A DIRECT IMPACT ON MORE THAN 20,700 PEOPLE IN SOUTHERN CASAMANCE, THE SOUTHERN REGION OF SENEGAL.LIFFT CASHEW GUINEA BISSAU PROGRAM:SHELTER FOR LIFE INTERNATIONAL BEGAN WORKING IN GUINEA BISSAU IN 2019. FOLLOWING YEARS OF POLITICAL INSTABILITY AND INTERNAL CONFLICT, GUINEA BISSAU'S ECONOMY HAS STAGNATED. GUINEA BISSAU IS ONE OF THE MAJOR CASHEW PRODUCERS IN WEST AFRICA, AND THE QUALITY OF ITS CASHEWS IS CONSIDERED MORE DESIRABLE IN GLOBAL MARKETS, BUT BECAUSE IT IS CONSIDERED A FRAGILE STATE, THE COUNTRY HAS HAD DIFFICULTY ATTRACTING INVESTMENT IN THE HARVESTING, PROCESSING, AND TRADE OF CASHEWS TO GLOBAL MARKETS. GUINEA BISSAU ACCOUNTS FOR MORE THAN 60% OF CASHEW NUTS PRODUCTION WITHIN SEGABI REGION. SFL'S WORK IN GUINEA BISSAU IS PART OF ITS REGIONAL CASHEW VALUE CHAIN PROGRAM, FUNDED BY THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. DURING THE FISCAL YEAR 2024, A TOTAL OF 1,553 CUBIC METERS OF INFRASTRUCTURE (STORAGE SPACE) WERE REHABILITATED IN GUINEA-BISSAU AS PART OF EFFORTS TO ENHANCE THE CASHEW VALUE CHAIN. A BUSINESS-TO-BUSINESS (B2B) EVENT WAS ORGANIZED TO FACILITATE COLLABORATION AMONG ALL STAKEHOLDERS INVOLVED IN THE INDUSTRY. FINANCIAL SERVICES RECEIVED A BOOST WITH THE DISBURSEMENT OF $1,000,000 FROM THE CASHEW FUNDS TO TWO PROCESSORS IN GUINEA-BISSAU. SHELTER FOR LIFE INTERNATIONAL BEGAN WORKING IN GUINEA BISSAU IN 2019. FOLLOWING YEARS OF POLITICAL INSTABILITY AND INTERNAL CONFLICT, GUINEA BISSAU'S ECONOMY HAS STAGNATED. THE PRESIDENTIAL AND PARLIAMENTARY ELECTION CREATED INSTABILITY AND HAD IMPACTED THE GOVERNMENT ADMINISTRATIONS OPERATIONS. GUINEA BISSAU IS ONE OF THE MAJOR CASHEW PRODUCERS IN WEST AFRICA, AND THE QUALITY OF ITS CASHEWS IS CONSIDERED MORE DESIRABLE IN GLOBAL MARKETS, BUT BECAUSE IT IS CONSIDERED A FRAGILE STATE, THE COUNTRY HAS HAD DIFFICULTY ATTRACTING INVESTMENT IN THE HARVESTING, PROCESSING, AND TRADE OF CASHEWS TO GLOBAL MARKETS. GUINEA BISSAU ACCOUNTS FOR MORE THAN 60% OF CASHEW NUTS PRODUCTION WITHIN SEGABI REGION, HOWEVER ONLY 10% IS PROCESSED IN-COUNTRY. SFL'S WORK IN GUINEA BISSAU IS PART OF ITS REGIONAL CASHEW VALUE CHAIN PROGRAM, FUNDED BY THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. UNPAVED ROADS ACCORDING TO THE ENGINEERING STANDARDS, UNDERGO ANOTHER RE-SURFACING AFTER ONE-TWO YEARS. SFL HAS ASSESSED THE ROADS THAT BUILT IN 2022-2023 AND IMPLEMENTED RE-SURFACING OF 66 KM TO ENSURE THE LONG SERVICE AND SUSTAINABILITY. ALONG WITH COMPLEX OF SUPPORT, SFL HAS BEEN ALSO FOCUSING ON SUPPORTING THE INCREASING THE CASHEW IN-HOUSE PROCESSING TO ADD VALUE. DURING THE FISCAL YEAR 2025, THE CONSTRUCTION OF ANOTHER NEW STORAGE WITH CAPACITY OF 2,500 CUBIC METERS COMPLETED IN GUINEA-BISSAU AS PART OF EFFORTS TO ENHANCE THE CASHEW VALUE CHAIN. A BUSINESS-TO-BUSINESS (B2B) EVENT WAS ORGANIZED TO FACILITATE COLLABORATION AMONG ALL STAKEHOLDERS INVOLVED IN THE INDUSTRY.INVESTMENTS, ALONG WITH PRE-FINANCING ARRANGEMENTS BETWEEN PROCESSORS, TRADERS AND COOPERATIVES, RESULTED IN THE PROCUREMENT OF 79,400 METRIC TONS WICH TRANSLATED TO A VALUE OF USD 77,985,902 OF CASHEWS BY THE PROCESSORS AND TRADERS FROM PRODUCER COOPERATIVES SUPPORTED BY SFL. THIS ACHIEVEMENT REPRESENTS 171% OF THE FY2025 TARGET. ADDITIONALLY, 1,993 INDIVIDUALS HAVE BENEFITED FROM FINANCIAL SERVICES FACICLITATED BY SFL, ACHIEVING 158% OF THE FY25 TARGET. THROUGH ITS PROJECT GRANT FUND, A CASHEW COOPERATIVE AND THE FEDERATION OF COOPERATIVES WERE SUPPLIED WITH IT EQUIPMENT ONE COOPERATIVE NECESSARY OPERATIONAL MEANS (IT EQUIPMENT (LAPTOP, PRINTER/SCANNER) AND OFFICE FURNITURE )). ALSO, TO UPGRADE THE CAPACITY OF COLLECTIVE COLLECTION AND BULK SALE OF CASHEW, UNDER THE LIFFT-CASHEW PROJECT, PROVIDED TWO 5-TONS TRUCK. AS FOR COOPERATIVES, SFL PROVIDED FIVE CASHEW HARVESTING MACHINES, PROVIDED 2,968 PALLETS PLACED IN THE CONSTRUCTED AND REHABILITATED STORAGES FOR SAFE STORAGE OF RAW CASHEW NUTS, ALSO DEVELOPED AND HANDED OVER TO FEDERATION A WEBSITE FOR THEIR EXPANDED COMMUNICATION AND OPERATIONS.

THE GAMBIA: SFL SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETED THE RE-REGISTRATION PROCESS SFL AS A NON-PROFIT NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATION (NGO) AND OBTAINED ITS CERTIFICATE (EARLIER ACCORDING TO THE GAMBIAN LAW IT WAS REGISTERED AS CHARITY ORGANIZATION, BECAUSE ELIGIBILITY FOR NGO STATUS REQUIRES TWO YEARS OF HAVING CHARITY ORGANIZATION). HEREWITH, THIS IS THE SECOND RE-REGISTRATION CERTIFICATE OBTAINED WITH NGO STATUS. SFL SUPPORTED THE GOVERNMENT OF GAMBIA (MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE, THE DEPARTMENT OF COOPERATIVE MANAGEMENT) ON POLICY SECTOR. SFL STAFF AND ITS CONSULTANT DRAFTED THE GAMBIA COOPERATIVE ACT AND SUBMITTED TO THE GOVERNMENT WORKING GROUP. THE AMENDED VERSION OF ACT WAS APPROVED BY THE STAKEHOLDER MEETING AND SUBMITTED FOR APPROVAL TO THE GOVERNMENT. UNPAVED ROADS ACCORDING TO THE ENGINEERING STANDARDS, UNDERGO ANOTHER RE-SURFACING AFTER ONE-TWO YEARS. SFL HAS ASSESSED THE ROADS THAT BUILT IN 2022-2023 AND IMPLEMENTED RE-SURFACING OF 14 KM TO ENSURE THE LONG SERVICE AND SUSTAINABILITY.SFL ORGANIZED VARIOUS B2B MEETINGS THROUGH A NUMBER OF EVENTS FOR PRODUCERS AND BUYERS BOTH FOR RAW CASHEW NUTS AND KERNEL. THE BUSINESS-TO-BUSINESS (B2B) INITIATIVES FACILITATED TRANSACTIONS, RESULTING IN THE SALE OF 4,200 TONS OF RAW CASHEW NUTS (RCN) VALUED AT $1,974,000. TO REVERSE SOIL DEGRADATION, LOW AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTIVITY AND REDUCE RELIANCE ON EXPENSIVE CHEMICAL FERTILIZERS, SFL SUPPORTED M&I ORGANIC SOIL SOLUTIONS (ECOSOIL), (CO-FOUNDED BY AN AMERICAN NATIONAL AND A GAMBIAN), TO CREATE AN AGRICULTURAL EDUCATION CENTER. THE CENTER WILL SERVE AS A HUB FOR KNOWLEDGE DISSEMINATION, HANDS-ON TRAINING AND DEMONSTRATION OF IMPROVED PRODUCTION AND APPLICATION OF ORGANIC FERTILIZERS, SUPPORTING THE SHIFT TO RESILIENT AND ECONOMICALLY SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE. ADDITIONALLY, 800 INDIVIDUALS HAVE BENEFITED FROM FINANCIAL SERVICES FACICLITATED BY SFL, ACHIEVING 444% OF THE FY25 TARGET. TO UPGRADE THE CAPACITY OF COLLECTIVE COLLECTION AND BULK SALE OF CASHEW, UNDER THE LIFFT-CASHEW PROJECT, PROVIDED ONE 10-TONS TRUCK TO THE FEDERATION OF COOPERATIVES. AS FOR COOPERATIVES, SFL PROVIDED TWO CASHEW HARVESTING MACHINES, PROVIDED 617 PALLETS PLACED IN THE CONSTRUCTED AND REHABILITATED STORAGES FOR SAFE STORAGE OF RAW CASHEW NUTS, ALSO DEVELOPED AND HANDED OVER TO FEDERATION A WEBSITE FOR THEIR EXPANDED COMMUNICATION AND OPERATIONS. MOREOVER, IN TERMS OF IMPROVING CASHEW NUT QUALITY AND PRODUCTIVITY, 1,040 PRODUCERS WERE TRAINED IN THE GAMBIA, ACHIEVING 122% OF THE ANNUAL TARGET AND 289% OF THE LOP TARGET. ADDITIONALLY, 2,143 PRODUCERS HAVE APPLIED FOR THESE PRACTICES ON 20,580 HECTARES OF LAND, REACHING 412% OF THE ANNUAL TARGET AND 412% OF THE LOP. THE COOPERATION OF SFL WITH CASHEW PROCESSING COMPANY IN THE GAMBIA AND SUPPORT OF LIFFT-CASHEW PRODUCED HIGHLY IMPORTANT OUTCOME. SFL SUPPORTED THE CASHEW PROCESSING COMPANY WIT ADVICE, CONTRIBUTED IN PROVISION OF CONSULTANT FOR HACCP CERTIFICATION COMPLIANCE AND AUDIT. AS A RESULT, THE SMILING COAST RECEIVED THE FIRST HACCP CERTIFICATE IN THE CASHEW SECTOR IN THE GAMBIA.TO ADD HERE, OVERALL, 4,000 SEEDLINGS AND 28 TONS OF ORGANIC FERTILIZER WERE DISTRIBUTED TO PRODUCERS TO BOOST THE PRODUCTION AS WELL AS REMAIN IN COMPLIANCE OF ORGANIC PRODUCT REQUIREMENTS. TO IMPROVE THE PRODUCTION CAPACITY, SFL PROVIDED 4 GREENHOUSES,CROP-H PROJECT -GAMBIATHE CLIMATE RESILIENT OPTIMIZATION FOR PRODUCTIVITY IN HORTICULTURE (CROP-H) PROJECT HAS MADE SIGNIFICANT PROGRESS IMPLEMENTING THE PROJECT'S EIGHT ACTIVITIES:ACTIVITY 1: ON FARM INFRASTRUCTURE: DURING FY25, CROP-H ACHIEVED PROGRESS IN IMPROVING HORTICULTURAL PRODUCTIVITY AND CROP RESILIENCE THROUGH THE MODERNIZATION OF IRRIGATION SYSTEMS AND THE ESTABLISHMENT OF RESILIENT MODEL FARMS. TWO IRRIGATION SYSTEMS AT SUKUTA AND DUMBUTO, EACH COVERING APPROXIMATELY THREE TO FIVE HECTARES, WERE REHABILITATED. IN ADDITION, ONE RESILIENT MODEL FARM (CSA) AT SANKUYA COVERING OF THREE HECTARES WAS FULLY EQUIPPED AND OPERATIONALIZED. THESE MODEL FARMS SERVE AS DEMONSTRATION HUBS FOR FARMERS, PROMOTING THE ADOPTION OF INTEGRATED CLIMATE-SMART PRACTICES. FINALLY, TO ENSURE THE IRRIGATION SUSTAINABILITY, 49 MASTER FARMERS WERE TRAINED ON THE INSTALLATION, OPERATION, AND MAINTENANCE OF THE NEWLY ESTABLISHED IRRIGATION SYSTEMS. ACTIVITY 2: TRAINING: IMPROVED AGRICULTURE PRODUCTION TECHNIQUES:THROUGH THE FARMER FIELD SCHOOL (FFS) APPROACH, A TOTAL OF 3,577 FARMERS WERE TRAINED ON KEY GOOD AGRICULTURAL PRACTICES TO IMPROVE SUSTAINABLE PRODUCTION, INCLUDING COMPOSTING, MULCHING, INTEGRATED PEST MANAGEMENT, AND THE USE OF ORGANIC FERTILIZERS. THESE SESSIONS PROVIDED HANDS-ON DEMONSTRATIONS ON HOW TO OPTIMIZE SOIL FERTILITY AND CONSERVE WATER, RESULTING IN IMPROVED CROP PERFORMANCE ACROSS PARTICIPATING FARMS. THE PROGRAM RECORDED INCREASES IN PRODUCTIVITY DUE TO THE ADOPTION OF IMPROVED TECHNOLOGIES AND TECHNIQUES. THE PROJECT DEMONSTRATED STRONG OVERALL PERFORMANCE TOWARD ITS ANNUAL TARGET FOR AGRICULTURAL YIELD AMONG PARTICIPANTS, WITH THE YIELD OF HORTICULTURAL COMMODITIES AMONG USDA-ASSISTED FARMERS INCREASING TO 68.36 TONS/HA, THE AREA OF FARMLAND UNDER IMPROVED TECHNIQUES OR TECHNOLOGIES EXPANDED TO 716 HECTARES, WHILE 2,653 FARMERS, APPLIED IMPROVED MANAGEMENT PRACTICES. ACTIVITY 3: PROMOTION OF BIO-FORTIFIED AND DIVERSIFIED CROPS: CROP-H CONDUCTED A SERIES OF COORDINATED RADIO SENSITIZATION PROGRAMS ON COMMUNITY STATIONS WITH EXPERT PANEL DISCUSSIONS INCLUDING FROM THE NATIONAL AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH INSTITUTE (NARI) AND THE MINISTRY OF HEALTH, EMPHASIZING THE NUTRITIONAL BENEFITS, AGRONOMIC PRACTICES, AND PREPARATION METHODS OF ORANGE FLESH SWEET POTATOES (OFSP) AND COWPEAS. THE BROADCASTS ENCOURAGED DIETARY DIVERSIFICATION, HOUSEHOLD FOOD SECURITY, AND ADOPTION OF RESILIENT CROPS THROUGH INTERACTIVE CALL-IN SESSIONS AND CONDUCTED IN LOCAL-LANGUAGES. BUILDING ON THIS OUTREACH, THE PROJECT CONDUCTED COOKING DEMONSTRATIONS IN THE WEST COAST REGION (WCR) AND LOWER RIVER REGION (LRR), TRAINING 115 WOMENMOSTLY FROM WOMEN'S FARMING GROUPSON PRACTICAL PREPARATION AND NUTRITION-SENSITIVE UTILIZATION OF OFSP AND COWPEAS. FACILITATED BY THE TRUST AGENCY FOR RURAL DEVELOPMENT (TARUD) IN COLLABORATION WITH THE MINISTRY OF HEALTH, THESE DEMONSTRATIONS HIGHLIGHTED THE CROPS' HEALTH BENEFITS FOR CHILDREN, PREGNANT AND LACTATING WOMEN, AND THE ELDERLY, FOSTERING COMMUNITY-LEVEL BEHAVIOR CHANGE AND LINKING AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION WITH IMPROVED HOUSEHOLD NUTRITION. DURING THE REPORTING PERIOD, THE PROJECT ACHIEVED SIGNIFICANT SUCCESS IN ITS PRIMARY GOAL OF IMPROVING FOOD SECURITY STATUS, NOTABLY EXCEEDING ITS AMBITIOUS TARGET. THE ANNUAL RESULT SHOWED THAT 32% OF PARTICIPANTS WERE FOOD SECURE, SURPASSING THE TARGET OF 29% (ACHIEVING 108.7% OF THE GOAL). IN TERMS OF NUTRITIONAL AWARENESS AND CONSUMPTION, A SUBSTANTIAL EFFORT WAS MADE TO INFORM PARTICIPANTS. A TOTAL OF 1,824 PARTICIPANTS REPORTED RECEIVING NUTRITION AWARENESS, WITH THE PRIMARY METHOD OF DELIVERY WAS THROUGH COMMUNITY MEETING/SENSITIZATION, WHICH ACCOUNTED FOR 79.5% OF THE REACH. THIS WAS COMPLEMENTED BY OTHER METHODS, WITH NUTRITION TRAINING AND RADIO BROADCASTS.ACTIVITY 4: CAPACITY BUILDING: PRODUCER GROUPS COOPERATIVES DURING THE REPORTING PERIOD, CROP-H CONTINUED TO STRENGTHEN THE ORGANIZATIONAL, FINANCIAL, AND OPERATIONAL CAPACITIES OF HORTICULTURAL COOPERATIVES ACROSS THE SIX PROJECT REGIONS. A TOTAL OF 503 COOPERATIVE EXECUTIVES PARTICIPATED IN TAILORED CAPACITY-BUILDING SESSIONS THAT IMPROVED LEADERSHIP, GOVERNANCE, AND TECHNICAL SKILLS. THE TRAINING EMPOWERED THEM TO COLLABORATE MORE EFFECTIVELY, ENHANCE PRODUCTIVITY, AND PROMOTE THE LONG-TERM SUSTAINABILITY OF THEIR COOPERATIVES.THE COOPERATIVES ALSO RECEIVED TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE IN ESTABLISHING INTERNAL MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS, INCLUDING REVOLVING GRANT SCHEMES, FINANCIAL MONITORING DATABASES, AND TRANSPARENT RECORD-KEEPING MECHANISMS. THESE SYSTEMS ENABLE COOPERATIVES TO EFFECTIVELY MANAGE INPUT DISTRIBUTION, LOAN RECOVERY, AND MEMBER DUES, WHILE COLLECTING DATA SUCH AS THE QUANTITY OF PRODUCE HARVESTED BY EACH FARMER WHO RECEIVED SEEDS AS A LOAN.ACTIVITY 5: GRANT INPUTS:CROP-H PROVIDED HIGH-QUALITY FARM INPUTS, INCLUDING SEEDS, ORGANIC FERTILIZER, VEGETABLE BASKETS, AND WEIGHING SCALES TO 23 COOPERATIVES AND 30 FARMS, WITH A TOTAL VALUE OF GMD 7,919,880 (APPROXIMATELY $110,000). THE COOPERATIVES CO-FINANCED THE INPUTS WITH A CONTRIBUTION OF GMD 1,087,046 (APPROXIMATELY $15,100). THESE INPUTS WERE DISTRIBUTED TO THE FARMERS BY THE COOPERATIVES AS SMALL LOANS, WHERE THE FARMERS REPAY THE COOPERATIVE FOR THE INPUTS IN ONE SEASON, ENABLING COOPERATIVES TO RECOVER FUNDS FROM THE FIRST LOAN FOR SUBSEQUENT RE-LOANING IN THE NEXT AND SUBSEQUENT YEARS AS A REVOLVING LOAN MECHANISM.IN ADDITION, CROP-H DISTRIBUTED A TOTAL OF 11,044 VEGETABLE SEEDLINGS THAT WERE TRANSPLANTED, INCLUDING 4,504 CHILI PEPPER, 4,488 TOMATO, AND 2,052 BITTER TOMATO SEEDLINGS.