The Primate’s World Relief and Development Fund (PWRDF) and its partner, Church World Service (CWS), are implementing an agriculture and livelihoods project to improve food and nutrition security and increase resilience among drought-affected pastoralist people in Marsabit County, Kenya. This three-year project builds upon and targets participants of previous food-assistance and early recovery projects.
Marsabit County (population: 459,785) is recovering from the worst drought in 40 years. During the past four years, men have had to migrate with their herds in search of water and pastures, often leaving women and children to fend for themselves without access to nutritious food or income sources and increasingly vulnerable to gender-based violence.
The project will work in eight community units: Ngurunit, Mpagas, Lependera. Silango, Lekuchula, Illaut, Soito, and Farakoren. CWS will support farmers through agricultural training, providing agricultural inputs and extension services through a network of Lead Farmers (LFs), securing productive water sources, promoting Farmer Managed Natural Regeneration (FMNR) activities, establishing Village Saving and Loan Associations (VSLA) and promoting traditional income-generating activities. To enhance ownership and sustainability, most project inputs will be funded on a 3:1 cost sharing basis whereby participants will cover 25% of the initial investment.
The project aims to work with 990 households (5,415 individuals) over the life of the project.