Reducing vulnerability
Coping with environmental change and conflict
This programme aims to reduce people’s vulnerability to disasters, mainly war and drought, and build their resilience to coupe with disasters. The activities implemented in eastern Sudan (Kassala), North Darfur and Blue Nile State have been focusing on community capacity building and improved technological responses to poverty and displacement.
The programme has two strategic objectives:
- helping those who are affected by war and drought, as well as other marginalized people in North Darfur, East Sudan and Blue Nile acquire skills, technologies and capacities to improve their livelihoods
- helping poor people live in the fragile rural environment better able to adapt to drought conditions, through accessing and using technologies and participating in decision making processes on disaster risk management
in 2007-8 we managed to reach about 148,328 people with a range of appropriate technologies and skills.
Interventions start with organizing communities in organizations, building community managed assets such as tools and seeds stores and community based extension services, then facilitating access to water spreading techniques (dams & terraces), animal restocking and food processing and preservation skills.
We also build local manufacturing capacities of tools, intermediate means of transport and other capital goods. Impact is reflected in the form of a significant increase in productivity per unit area - in 2007-8 by 15% over traditional agriculture and area under cultivation increased by 18% reducing the food gap by two-thirds. Successes have been replicated by some of the other NGOs working in the same areas.
The State Ministry of Agriculture in Kassala has approved of the concept of village based extension services and has provided considerable support to the village extension agents.
- Improving food security and livelihoods in rural Kassala
- Rebuilding the livelihoods of war-affected people in Blue Nile State
- Promote Local Innovation in Agriculture and Natural Resource Management (NRM) Programme (Prolinnova)
- Improving health and welfare of children in North Darfur - goat and donkey loans
- Greening Darfur
- Climate change adaptation
Against the odds in Darfur
A report from Mohamed Siddiq, Practical Action's team leader for reducing vulnerability in Sudan, on the current situation in Darfur and our plans for the future.
