On October 29, 2021, Japan signed an agreement with the FAO for a contribution of US $ 7 million (JPY 771,000,000) to improve the food security and nutrition of vulnerable internally displaced, agro-pastoral and pastoral families in Yemen. The financing agreement was signed today in Rome by HE Mr. OE Hiroshi, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan to Italy, and FAO Deputy Director General Beth Bechdol. This generous contribution from the Japanese government comes after one similar post in 2019 in which Japan supported the FAO’s emergency work in Yemen with USD 8 million (JPY 891,000,000).
Yemen remains one of the worst in the world humanitarian crises. After six devastating years conflict, more than 16 million people are using a high level of acute food insecurity (IPC phase 3 or higher), despite ongoing humanitarian aid. In total, there are more than 4 million internally displaced people in Yemen who have been uprooted by conflict and are facing high levels of acute food insecurity. the Covid-19 pandemic led to further shocks in an already weak economy, the effects of which were felt by the most vulnerable households. With incomes falling, purchasing power falling and food prices rising, most households increasingly rely on humanitarian food aid and other unsustainable coping strategies to meet their daily food needs. An estimated 8 million Yemenis have lost their livelihoods due to the heightened effects of conflict, COVID-19 and the economic collapse. In addition, heavy rainfall in 2021 resulted in intense flooding that destroyed crops, homes and water infrastructure in the governorates of Aden, Abyan, Al Dhale’e, Lahj, Hadramaut, Ma’rib and Ta’iz.
With this Japan contribution, the FAO is taking emergency measures to protect Livelihoods and provides life-saving support to 189,490 vulnerable people. Through this project, the FAO will improve safe access to fuel and energy by building traditional, energy-efficient clay stoves, one for each beneficiary household. The ovens are built by selected internally displaced persons and sufficiently capable people with disabilities who are trained by the FAO to build the ovens. The FAO will also provide them with the necessary tools and materials. The cash-for-work approach improves the income opportunities of the selected trainees, who can be used to build additional stoves for neighboring households in the host community as well as for internal ones offset households through future interventions by humanitarian actors.
The FAO will also work with community animal health workers to provide basic animal health services to shepherds and agro-pastoralists in remote areas. Through this component, the FAO will increase livestock production and productivity by supporting and training households to (i) improve their ability to produce nutritious food of animal origin for their own consumption and / or sale in local markets, (ii ) access to high quality feed through the distribution of concentrates, feed blocks and minerals, (iii) improving feed quality and (iv) developing good animal husbandry practices. Not only will this help improve food availability and access; Reducing acute food insecurity and malnutrition; and restoring livelihoods and household incomes, but also ensures the nutritional value of the household and community-wide food baskets.
Finally, the FAO will focus on strengthening community land and water management through the rehabilitation of water infrastructure, solar pumps and the use of highly efficient and improved modern irrigation systems and water pumping systems. Food insecure households are also supported by conditional cash transfers in the form of cash for work during the lean season to repair and develop critical community water infrastructure.
