Description

Logic of the Intervention and Assumptions: To meaningfully address the many and diverse obstacles to local food system resilience in Somalia, OASIS will adopt the logic of the intervention that IF agro-producers and agro-business service providers in target locations increase their production capacity (SO1) AND communities increase their use of context-specific environmental management practices (i.e., climate-responsive and regenerative) (SO2) AND food insecure Somalis increase their consumption of/demand for locally produced foods (SO3) THEN sustainable food production and local food system resilience in Somalia will be enhanced (Impact). The constituent outputs and activities to achieve this theory of change are detailed below.
This theory of change challenges the assumptions of traditional agriculture and food production programming through a resilience lens. Improved production capacity alone will have little effect on Somali communities’ resilience to future shocks and stresses if that food is not consumed, nor can improved production and consumption be considered sustainable if they are based on practices that continue to damage or extract communities’ natural resources. One of OASIS’s key assumptions is that target groups will modify their behaviours when presented with information, evidence, and incentives that promote sustainable outcomes even when this requires a longer-term vision (i.e., thinking more than one harvest ahead). To that end, BRCiS has partnered with ICRAF – a global leader in climate-responsive and regenerative agricultural practices in the Horn of Africa – on the development of the OASIS Learning Agenda. Through this learning approach – which is mainstreamed across specific objectives – OASIS will activate additional technical expertise from ICRAF that is not widely available amongst BRCiS members, local private institutions, and government. Topics or thematic areas that have already been identified as gaps are detailed throughout the activity description; however, this will be complemented by in-depth capacity needs assessments following inception phase stakeholder/market mapping. This process will also accommodate specific government capacity building/agro-innovation priorities subject to availability of funds, alignment with EU food production priorities, and confirmation that such technical expertise does not already exist locally. BRCiS members, local private institutions, and government will then participate in capacity building, be engaged to apply trainings in innovation hubs/pilots, and eventually rollout relevant trainings to individual agro-producers, agro-input suppliers, natural resource custodians and other groups as master trainers/extension workers. Trainings under this learning agenda will be done through a cost-effective blended learning approach that integrates in-person training, online sessions (webinars, videos) and direct mentoring during all phases of the project implementation.