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Nicaragua

WFP Nicaragua Country Brief, March 2019

Attachments

In Numbers

USD 2.7 m six months net funding requirements

Operational Updates

  • As WFP prepares to start its new Country Strategic Plan (CSP) in April 2019, March was an important planning month to prepare for the next five-year programmatic cycle. Thus, WFP begun assessments to map and analyse the capacities of the farmer organizations (FOs) that will receive WFP support during 2019-2023, including three new FOs. These farmer organizations will join 12 others that already receive technical assistance, inputs, and equipment to improve their climate and economic resilience, enhancing their sales to formal markets. To determine which farmer organizations will be targeted under the CSP, WFP is applying a series of criteria, including a minimum level of women membership, since promoting gender equality and women empowerment are at the centre of these activities.

  • WFP continued supporting women and men farmers from its assisted farmer organizations. As part of these efforts, WFP delivered important equipment to two FOs, to improve their aggregation capacity and the quality of staple food production. With this new equipment, the FOs will be able to provide better services to its members and will have improved chances to place their staple food production in formal markets.

  • Additionally, WFP supported another one of its assisted organizations, COMPARE, facilitating its participation in a two-day event, hosted by the NGO Mennonite Economic Development Associates (MEDA) for key stakeholders in the agricultural sector. During the two-day event, COMPARE was able to showcase its products on a stall, giving visibility to its work.

  • WFP also continued to support the National System for Disaster Prevention, Mitigation, and Response (SINAPRED) in the development of a national risk communication strategy, which aims to generate a culture of preparedness and improve risk perceptions among disaster-prone populations. To design the strategy, WFP and SINAPRED conducted field assessments in March, carrying out surveys at the household level in 46 municipalities to gather data to help identify the information requirements of the different target groups, the messaging, and the right communication channels. The strategy will be developed and institutionalized during 2019, as part of national risk management programmes of SINAPRED.

  • WFP prepared for building kitchens and storage rooms in nine schools in the department of Jinotega, as parts of its contribution to the Government-led school feeding programme. These infrastructure projects will bring much needed support to the schools and their communities, generating safe and hygienic environments for food preparation and consumption.
    School Feeding is the largest national social protection programme in Nicaragua. WFP supports its implementation, reaching over 165,000 pre- and primary schoolchildren with daily school meals. The school feeding programme guarantees uninterrupted access to nutritious food and provides incentives for children to stay in school. At times of economic hardship, the programme alleviates the food burden and economic pressures at home, preventing lowincome households from adopting negative coping strategies, such as removing children from school.