1.2 Contact details of resource persons and institutions involved in the assessment and documentation of the Approach

Name of project which facilitated the documentation/ evaluation of the Approach (if relevant)

Book project: where people and their land are safer - A Compendium of Good Practices in Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) (where people and their land are safer)

Name of the institution(s) which facilitated the documentation/ evaluation of the Approach (if relevant)

CARITAS (Switzerland) - Switzerland

1.3 Conditions regarding the use of data documented through WOCAT

The compiler and key resource person(s) accept the conditions regarding the use of data documented through WOCAT:

Yes

2.1 Short description of the Approach

Community storage sheds contribute to the food security of vulnerable rural households by facilitating access to stocks and the availability of food during the period between harvests (shortage). The approach makes it possible to mobilize a community with the intention to establish a storage shed for food security at the village level.

2.2 Detailed description of the Approach

Detailed description of the Approach:

Climate change is a challenge at global level that all mankind is facing. The farmers of the Sahel in general, and of Dababa in particular, are the most exposed. The precipitation patterns have been disturbed to a large degree in the past years. Formerly, 1 out of 10 years was bad, but today, this is 1 out of 3 years. The farmers of Bokoro already notice the manifestations of climate change such as the delay and the abrupt changes in rainfall, the increase of the temperature, the frequency of strong winds, the renewed outbreak of certain diseases (human pathologies), drought etc. In order to face the impacts, the agricultural producers have developed different adaptation strategies like the establishment of storage sheds.

A community storage shed is a mechanism of mutual aid to support vulnerable persons through the distribution of food supplies during the period between harvests (shortage), and also the distribution of seeds to start the new cropping season. The quantity granted to each household will be reimbursed at the harvest, in kind, to replenish the stock. An interest rate, established by common agreement, enables to insure expenses related to the functioning of the storage shed (maintenance of the storage accommodation, conservation products, etc.). The same interest rate is applied to all beneficiaries of credits. A manual for the procedure of credit management is available and is applied. The interest rate is fixed and can vary between villages. The building protects the stocks from moisture, fire and from the destruction of cereals by rodents.

Generally, institutions (NGOs and other participants) provide the first stocks of food supplies to the villages, and support them in the management of these stocks. It is also possible to lead the population, by awareness raising campaigns, to build the initial stock themselves.

The different stages of the approach are the following:
- Identification of the target villages and assessment of the agricultural production, in a partnership between ACORD, the Department Action Committee (DAC), and the village chiefs;
- Informing and awareness-raising of the villages on the establishment of the storage shed, in order to obtain support from the population;
- Establishment of a management committee for the community storage shed. This committee generally consists of a president with 1 assistant, 1 secretary, 1 treasurer and 2 managers (storekeepers). The members of the management committee are appointed at the village level based on a minimum number of criteria, in particular to be member of the community storage shed, to be able to read and write Arab or French, to accept to work voluntarily.
- Identification of the beneficiaries based on criteria of vulnerability. Households headed by women with children to take care of are prioritized. Other factors are the quantity of the production of the last two years, the actual level of the stock, etc.
- Elaboration of a manual of procedures, and validation of the manual in a general meeting;
- Selection of a site for the construction of the storage accommodation, while ensuring that there are no problems with land ownership, and definition of the dimensions.

70% of the beneficiaries of the approach of the Community storage shed are women and young people. In the district of Tania, in the municipality of Bokoro, a massive exodus of men is noted to the large villages of Chad like Ndjamena, Abéché, Amtiman, etc. The women and young people mobilize themselves to replace the men.

2.3 Photos of the Approach

2.5 Country/ region/ locations where the Approach has been applied

2.6 Dates of initiation and termination of the Approach

2.7 Type of Approach

• project/ programme based

2.8 Main aims/ objectives of the Approach

The main aim of the approach of the Community storage shed is to ensure the food security of vulnerable rural households, through the distribution of food supplies in the form of credits during the period between harvests (June to August), and to provide seed as of May to start the cropping season.

2.9 Conditions enabling or hindering implementation of the Technology/ Technologies applied under the Approach

3.1 Stakeholders involved in the Approach and their roles

3.2 Involvement of local land users/ local communities in the different phases of the Approach

	Involvement of local land users/ local communities	Specify who was involved and describe activities
initiation/ motivation	self-mobilization
planning	self-mobilization
implementation	self-mobilization	- Provision of an accommodation by the village - Investment of food supplies in the villages - Distribution of food supplies to the beneficiaries - Replenishment and reimbursement of stocks
monitoring/ evaluation	self-mobilization

3.3 Flow chart (if available)

3.4 Decision-making on the selection of SLM Technology/ Technologies

Specify who decided on the selection of the Technology/ Technologies to be implemented:

• land users alone (self-initiative)

Explain:

The idea to implement a community storage shed came from the local communities, with the intention to better secure their cereal stocks.

Specify on what basis decisions were made:

• personal experience and opinions (undocumented)

4.1 Capacity building/ training

Was training provided to land users/ other stakeholders?

Yes

Specify who was trained:

• field staff/ advisers

Form of training:

• public meetings

Subjects covered:

Harvest management
Technique for warehousing the bags in the storage accommodations

Comments:

The themes addressed in the training workshops have strengthened the technical capacities of the management committee members of the storage sheds.

4.2 Advisory service

Do land users have access to an advisory service?

Yes

Specify whether advisory service is provided:

• at permanent centres

Describe/ comments:

Workshops organised by the local communities.

4.3 Institution strengthening (organizational development)

Have institutions been established or strengthened through the Approach?

• yes, moderately

Specify the level(s) at which institutions have been strengthened or established:

• local

Describe institution, roles and responsibilities, members, etc.

National Office for Rural Development (ONDR): facilitates technical support to producers; monitoring and consultancy.

Specify type of support:

• capacity building/ training

Give further details:

4.4 Monitoring and evaluation

Is monitoring and evaluation part of the Approach?

Yes

Comments:

The methodological approach allows beneficiaries to better sustain the different stages of the activities which are elaborated and implemented as part of the approach.

If yes, is this documentation intended to be used for monitoring and evaluation?

Yes

Comments:

During the monitoring and evaluation, all the good practices and lessons learned are listed and documented with the intention to duplicate these in other, similar approaches.

4.5 Research

Was research part of the Approach?

Yes

Specify topics:

• sociology

5.1 Annual budget for the SLM component of the Approach

If precise annual budget is not known, indicate range:

• 2,000-10,000

Comments (e.g. main sources of funding/ major donors):

Community mobilization (building the initial stock of the storage shed)
Funders (construction of the storage accommodations)

5.2 Financial/ material support provided to land users

Did land users receive financial/ material support for implementing the Technology/ Technologies?

Yes

If yes, specify type(s) of support, conditions, and provider(s):

Inputs to better secure the stocks.

5.3 Subsidies for specific inputs (including labour)

• equipment

• agricultural

• construction

• other

If labour by land users was a substantial input, was it:

• voluntary

5.4 Credit

Was credit provided under the Approach for SLM activities?

No

5.5 Other incentives or instruments

Were other incentives or instruments used to promote implementation of SLM Technologies?

No

6.1 Impacts of the Approach

6.2 Main motivation of land users to implement SLM

6.3 Sustainability of Approach activities

Can the land users sustain what has been implemented through the Approach (without external support)?

• yes

If yes, describe how:

The involvement of stakeholders in the implemented activities.

6.4 Strengths/ advantages of the Approach

Strengths/ advantages/ opportunities in the land user’s view
- Endogenous instrument to combat food insecurity; - Strengthening of social and cultural cohesion; - Strengthening of the resilience of the local community.

Strengths/ advantages/ opportunities in the compiler’s or other key resource person’s view
Idem

6.5 Weaknesses/ disadvantages of the Approach and ways of overcoming them

Weaknesses/ disadvantages/ risks in the land user’s view	How can they be overcome?
- Bad management - Lack of required funds - Bad communication between the management committees of the storage sheds and the villagers; - Tensions between the management committees of the storage sheds and the communities; - Distributed stocks not being reimbursed; - Insufficient storage accommodations in the villages etc.	- Organizing sessions for awareness-raising and information; - Construct new storage accommodations.

7.1 Methods/ sources of information

7.2 References to available publications

Title, author, year, ISBN:

Not applicable

Title, author, year, ISBN:

Not applicable

7.3 Links to relevant information which is available online

Title/ description:

Nothing to report