2014 Syrian Arab Republic Humanitarian Assistance Response Plan (SHARP)

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SYRIAN ARAB REPUBLIC HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE RESPONSE PLAN 2014 similar activities by the Nutrition Sector will be established, in acknowledgement of the deteriorating nutrition situation across the country. 2. Provide life-saving assistance to meet the immediate food needs of the most vulnerable crisis-affected groups (linked to inter-agency Strategic Objective 2) The combined effects of population displacement, eroded livelihoods and income-generating opportunities, lost assets, high and rising inflation, disruption to commodity markets and supply-chains, and reduced food availability nation-wide, have critically and abruptly compromised the food security of affected groups. The Food and Agriculture Sector seeks to mitigate the impact of this trend by providing regular unconditional assistance to help affected households meet their basic food needs. This assistance will be distributed in the form of food or cash transfers, or a combination of both. WFP will target up to 4.25 million vulnerable Syrians during 2014. These will be provided with a basic monthly family food basket consisting of key dietary staples (within defined food groups collectively comprising a balanced diet) selected on the basis of traditional consumption patterns and expressed beneficiary preferences. The family food ration has been scaled to meet the needs of a five-member household. Approximately 70 percent of target beneficiaries will receive an additional ration of fortified wheat flour and/or baked bread in areas where the effects of the crisis have compromised availability and reduced milling and bakery capacities. Synergies will be explored with the Nutrition Sector, to maximise geographic convergence of food assistance and nutrition support with a view to preventing acute malnutrition. These will manifest through the provision of fortified and nutritious foods, where possible, and supporting household food production in ways that facilitate a diversification of the diet. In cases of rapid and previously unforeseen population displacement, WFP will distribute (where possible) specialized ready-to-eat food rations that are immediately consumable by affected groups during the initial days of their displacement when they are unlikely to have other means to access basic food needs or to cook dry food rations. UNRWA will target a total of 440,000 vulnerable Palestine refugees affected by the crisis inside Syria. As most Palestine refugees reside in areas with constrained but functioning markets, a combination of cash and in-kind food assistance will be provided. The package of assistance will be adjusted by geographic location, depending on local food availability, humanitarian access and displacement status; however, cash assistance will remain the primary food assistance intervention. UNRWA has established a network of financial institutions across Syria that is capable of providing rapid, targeted and regular cash assistance. Furthermore, cash assistance can reach areas where physical access is not possible for UN staff. As it is distributed through financial institutions, the risk of theft or diversion while in transit is negligible, while the fungible nature of cash grants beneficiaries the dignity and independence to manage their humanitarian needs. 3. Support livelihoods and agricultural production (linked to inter-agency Strategic Objective 3) In order to urgently and expeditiously increase food availability and improve food security, the Food and Agriculture Sector seeks to implement a range of activities that will preclude further erosion of livelihoods, revive incomegenerating opportunities and increase local agricultural production. After two consecutive years of reduced cereal production, another year of low staple food production would be catastrophic, causing further food price hikes and greater food import and humanitarian requirements. Farmers urgently need agricultural inputs, such as seeds and fertilizer, in order to plant during the 2014 spring/summer and autumn seasons. Those who miss these will be unable to harvest wheat until the summer of 2015. In response, FAO will provide cereal seeds and fertiliser to a target of 50,000 households (350,000 people). Livestock is the main asset in rural areas and provides the bulk of proteins consumed in the country. The protection of remaining animal assets is therefore essential. The provision of feed will help to preserve surviving herds particularly during the lean season from January to April. In order to contain and avoid outbreaks of livestock diseases, veterinary care must be made available and cold chains for vaccines re-established. Routine veterinary treatments (such as deworming and anti-parasites) will have a significant positive impact on animal production. FAO plans to directly assist 40,000 small herder households (280,000 people) with animal health and husbandry interventions. The crisis has severely disrupted food supply networks and physical access to markets. At the same time, food prices and unemployment continue to rise and diminish household purchasing power. Traditionally cheaper sources of vitamins and animal protein such as vegetables, chicken and eggs have reduced in supply and increased in cost. Increasing backyard food production will be crucial to improving access to more nutritious foods 39
SYRIAN ARAB REPUBLIC HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE RESPONSE PLAN 2014 (especially amongst the displaced and host communities) and allowing beneficiaries to complement other food sources, diversify diets and increase incomes. FAO plans to assist 30,000 vulnerable households (210,000 individuals) with backyard kitchen garden and poultry production (where possible). Water supply is critical in the drought-prone regions and along the Euphrates River (especially in Al-Hassakeh, Al- Raqqa and Deir Ezzor), part of the country‟s breadbasket. Where security permits, productive infrastructure (including irrigation canals, water troughs and market roads) requires urgent repair to help restore and expand food production. In cooperation with the Ministry of Agriculture and Agrarian Reform (MAAR), FAO will target a total of 135,000 vulnerable farming households (for a total of approximately 945,000 beneficiaries). Some activities will be jointly implemented by FAO and WFP where possible and appropriate. In these cases, agricultural inputs and technical expertise will be made available by the former; the latter will provide targeted food or voucher interventions during the lean season in order to protect household food consumption prior to the harvest. 4. (A) Enhance the capacity of local actors to deliver life-saving humanitarian interventions and to engage in early recovery and resilience building programmes (linked to inter-agency Strategic Objective 4) The Sector will identify opportunities and coordinate efforts to build the capacities of partners at all levels and to support existing community coping mechanisms. Partnerships with international NGOs will be pursued to support capacity building strategies, particularly for early recovery and resilience building interventions. Field-level trainings will be conducted for partners directly involved in the distribution of relief items to beneficiaries. Mainstreaming protection and ensuring the application of humanitarian principles will be prioritised. Operational capacities will be further strengthened through the provision of critical physical assets, such as ICT equipment and vehicles, to support the delivery of humanitarian assistance. Where needed and feasible, technical support will be provided through staff secondments. It should be noted that, alongside a proliferation of the crisis since its onset, the scale of WFP‟s emergency response has successfully expanded to reach more than three million beneficiaries across the country in a single month. This has both necessitated and been contingent upon developing the capacities of an increasing network of local cooperating partners. These efforts will be continued and expanded in 2014. (B) Enhance the preparedness and resilience of local communities to respond to shocks in the food and agriculture sector (linked to inter-agency Strategic Objective 4) In the context of Syria, preserving and protecting productive assets and options for food security is critical. The regular and systematic distribution of a basic family food basket will provide vulnerable families with a minimum safeguard against the impact of external shocks to food and/or agricultural systems. Activities implemented under priority areas 2 and 3 will be designed to improve community resilience to cope with the effects of the on-going crisis where possible. Examples will include the repair and construction of crop storage facilities and the diversification of food and income sources through the promotion of backyard vegetable and poultry production. Increasing the availability of improved seeds will result in greater production of future crops, allowing households to generate additional income by selling the surplus. 5. Ensure an adequate preparedness level to respond to immediate shocks and emergencies (linked to interagency Strategic Objective 5) The Sector will additionally contribute to inter-sectoral efforts to strengthen preparedness in the event of further deteriorations in the humanitarian environment, such as supporting a decentralization of the humanitarian architecture across Syria (including through the establishment of humanitarian hubs) and participating in contingency planning processes. Successful implementation of the Food and Agriculture Sector response strategy will additionally reduce the adoption of negative strategies to cope with the effects of the crisis, thereby supporting the objectives of other sectors. 40
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2014 Syrian Arab Republic Humanitarian Assistance Response Plan (SHARP)

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