The Need From 1983-2005, southern Sudan experienced Africa’s longest running civil war. The conflict led to the displacement of an estimated four million people within Sudan and 600,000 refugees to neighbouring countries. Since the Peace Agreement of January 2005, more than 1.6 million internally displaced people and an estimated 169,000 refugees have returned to their homes. The influx of returnees is fuelling tensions between internally displaced people and host communities as they compete for resources. In addition to the enormous movement of people, the war caused great loss of assets, livelihoods and access to markets. Poverty levels are high in Sudan – the country ranks 147th out of 177 countries on the human development index. Agriculture provides much needed food and also serves as one of the few means available for generating income. However, most households are only cultivating crops at a subsistence level. In addition to the loss of productive assets during the war such as tools, seeds and livestock, farmers also lost knowledge of diverse production practices and markets. Limited access to water for irrigation, poor seed quality and lack of integrated pest control further hinder production. Mercy Corps’ Response Mercy Corps will work to stimulate economic activity and increase food production by providing: 1. training in enhanced agricultural techniques; 2. inputs such as seeds and fertiliser; 3. improved access to markets and vital rural services including blacksmiths, tilling and irrigation services; and 4. help to build the capacities of and provide capital for 30 women-led micro-enterprises. Beneficiaries and Partners More than 138,000 people in Twic County will benefit from this 3-year project. Mercy Corps will work through village development committees to ensure the buy-in of the community and long-term sustainability of the project. We will also work with the local government to improve livestock, agriculture and natural resource management and increase their capacity to sustain improvements in food security and poverty reduction throughout Sudan. Funding Request The European Commission has committed €1,499,988 (90%) of the total budget for this project, conditional on Mercy Corps securing the remaining €131,635 – approximately £120,500.