The World Bank Appraisal ISDS Adolescent Nutrition-Sensitive Agriculture Pilot Project (P163923) Integrated Safeguards Data Sheet Appraisal Stage Appraisal Stage | Date ISDS Prepared/Updated: 29-Mar-2018| Report No: ISDSA24600 Regional Vice President: Makhtar Diop Country Director: Bella Bird Senior Global Practice Director: Juergen Voegele Practice Manager/Manager: Mark E. Cackler Task Team Leaders: Valens Mwumvaneza, Blessings Nyanjagha Botha, Ziauddin Hyder The World Bank Appraisal ISDS Adolescent Nutrition-Sensitive Agriculture Pilot Project (P163923) . I. BASIC INFORMATION 1. BASIC PROJECT DATA Project ID Project Name P163923 Adolescent Nutrition-Sensitive Agriculture Pilot Project Task Team Leader(s) Country Valens Mwumvaneza Malawi Approval Date Environmental Category 31-May-2018 B-Partial Assessment Managing Unit Is this a Repeater project? GFA13 No PROJECT FINANCING DATA (US$, Millions) SUMMARY -NewFin1 Total Project Cost 2.73 Total Financing 2.73 Financing Gap 0.00 DETAILS -NewFinEnh1 Non-World Bank Group Financing Trust Funds 2.73 Japan Social Development Fund 2.73 2. PROJECT DEVELOPMENT OBJECTIVE Project Development Objective To increase production and consumption of nutritious foods among selected adolescent female and males in targeted project areas in the districts of Mwanza and Ntchisi . The World Bank Appraisal ISDS Adolescent Nutrition-Sensitive Agriculture Pilot Project (P163923) 3. PROJECT DESCRIPTION 3.1 PROJECT DEVELOPMENT OBJECTIVE (PDO) 1. The proposed development objective (PDO) is to increase production and consumption of nutritious foods among selected female and male youths in targeted project areas in the districts of Mwanza and Ntchisi. The PDO will be achieved through: (i) mobilizing communities to enhance nutrition-sensitive agriculture, life skills, and nutrition of selected female and male adolescents aged 10-19 years through formation of girls only and boys’ clubs/ groups. Groups of males and female adolescents will be formed and these will be the primary beneficiaries at community level; (ii) strengthening production and consumption of nutritious foods; and (iii) supporting project management, policy advocacy, monitoring and evaluation, and knowledge dissemination. Progress toward the achievement of the PDO will be measured through the following outcome indicators: • Number of adolescent female and male youths aged 10- 19 years reporting consumption of four or more micronutrient-rich foods (using the Minimum Dietary Diversity for Women indicator). • Proportion of beneficiary groups reporting year-round production of nutritious foods. • Proportion of households adopting improved livelihood opportunities. • Number of beneficiary female and male youths aged 10- 19 years participating in the project. The project will benefit 33,080 persons. The primary beneficiaries are: (i) 6,000 adolescent youths aged 10-19 years (4,500 female youth and 1,500 male youth) and estimated 26,400 persons in their households; (ii) 600 peer leaders and care group promoters, and (iii) 80 community based extension workers. 3.2. PROJECT COMPONENTS 2. The proposed project will address the PDO through a community driven approach, building on lessons from the SNIC, which was implemented through care group model. The project will empower the adolescent youth, and their families to effectively engage in sustainable nutrition sensitive agriculture interventions, while integrating essential elements of sexual reproductive health, life skills and girls’ empowerment. As a pilot project, the focus will be on promoting innovativeness and informing scale up and replication. The project will be structured into 3 components, as described below: Component 1: Community mobilization and capacity building to enhance nutrition sensitive agriculture (US$0.37 million) 3. This component will mobilize communities to improve nutrition-sensitive agriculture, nutrition and foster development of life skills including financial literacy and livelihood development skills. This component is divided into two sub components as discussed below: Subcomponent 1.1: Community mobilization. 4. The first six (6) months of the project will involve active engagement, introduction and identification of key collaborators and participants of the project. It will involve establishment of community structures in order to promote wide awareness and ownership of the project activities, and initiate meetings with stakeholders from various sectors (agriculture, health, education, and local government). Through these consultations, specific focal persons from each The World Bank Appraisal ISDS Adolescent Nutrition-Sensitive Agriculture Pilot Project (P163923) sector to support implementation will be identified. At district level, meetings will be held with the District Executive Committees (DEC) in particular (as entry points), and the project will be introduced to the District Nutrition Coordination Committee (DNCC). Orientation meetings will be rolled out to the community structures such as Village Development Committee (VDC) that comprise local leaders, Village Nutrition Coordination Committees (VNCC) where local extension workers from the above sectors and parents participate. The project will be launched at national and district and sub district levels. At district level the launch will involve all relevant district stakeholders and at local level where the launch will target all community members. 5. Engagement of community leaders, parents and the youth itself will be key so that female and male youth form youth groups. Local leaders and parents will be required to provide land for agricultural activities and space for meetings. Special attention will be drawn to ensuring that adequate land to be cultivated is granted and enough variations of crop diversification schemes are pursued. The actions are meant to enhance the viability of the approach by providing enough of a diversity of cultivation plots to draw lessons and mitigate against sub-optimal growing results. The project will engage local leaders and parents on gender and women rights issues to include access and control of resources, girls’ rights and keeping girls in school through information that will be packaged and delivered through meetings, trainings, posters and leaflets. Specifically, local leaders’ meetings will be organized to address traditional cultural norms that affect girls access to health and nutrition information. Meetings will be held with parents to ascertain what types of arrangement and degree of involvement in activities would be desired and appropriate to ensure that parents remain supportive of their youth participating and also benefit from the project. 6. Project implementation structures will be established at community level. Villages will be divided into clusters. Adolescent youth (girls and boys) aged 10-19 years in each cluster will be registered according to ages. These will include in school and out of school, pregnant and lactating girls within the communities. The project will comprise 75 percent girls and 25 percent boys. Parents will be required to accompany their girls or boys during registration. After registration, these girls and boys will be placed in groups according to ages: 10-14 and 15-19 years. These groups will form the delivery platforms of the project. Age-specific groups will ensure that needs are addressed according to group member ages. A group promoter will be selected from as volunteers by the village communities surrounding the youth groups. The group promoters will be empowered by extension workers. 7. Using participatory process and agreed selection criteria, and with strong participation and ownership by parents and youth, each group will select two of their peers to act as their leaders. The selected Peer Leaders will provide leadership, and transfer of technology and skills to their youth groups. Training and mentoring of peer leaders will be an ongoing process. The initial training will focus on leadership including roles and responsibilities of peer leaders. Each group shall identify their meeting place, and it will have a group name. The project will explore also the possibility of building capacity of peer leaders to be involved in seed multiplication schemes, especially nutritious seeds, at community level for sustainability. In addition, as the project progresses it will explore whether it can support age-appropriate groups to form marketing groups based on commodities, and the pilot project will facilitate links to potential buyers. This activity, however, will be of secondary priority, and pursued only if the project deems that it will not undermine nutrition gains by diverting nutritious foods to markets and by not utilizing additional income to improve nutrition. First priority will be given to production and consumption of nutritious foods and behavioral change communication to improve nutrition. In order to reduce discrimination between in school and out of school girls and boys, meetings shall be organized in the afternoon. Sports such as football, netball and other games will also be used for mobilization and training. Other activities will include use of nutrition and health days. The World Bank Appraisal ISDS Adolescent Nutrition-Sensitive Agriculture Pilot Project (P163923) 8. The project will encourage competition among the youth groups based on performance using an agreed criterion focusing on the results. For instance, the groups which perform well will be provided with some incentives. An example of such incentives could be youth groups’ involvement in exchange visits, recognition through awards by the District Commissioner, and other incentives that the project can explore. A scorecard will be developed and agreed to measure attainment of the results to merit the incentive mechanism. The peer leaders will be trained on how to administer this, but used for the groups which they are not leading. Sub-component 1.2: Capacity Building 9. In line with the Multi Sector Nutrition Policy and Strategic Plan, front line Extension workers (and district subject matter specialists) from Agriculture, Health and Community Development will empower the group promoters, peer leaders to roll out the project activities on the ground, while community development facilitators will coordinate the implementation of the work. 10. The Implementing Agency of the project, the Farmers Union of Malawi (FUM) will undertake mapping of existing training material on nutrition-sensitive agriculture, nutrition, and life skills, such as the Ministry of Agriculture training material on nutrition sensitive agriculture using the integrated homestead farming guidelines and use of bio fortified crops, and develop a series of training modules for peer leaders, local leaders, group promoters, and community level extension workers. Capacity building will be on community mobilization, group dynamics and governance, agronomy, food processing/utilization, homestead gardening, sexual reproductive health and gender. The project community development facilitators will coordinate the work with peer leaders, care group promoters who will directly work with the youth groups. The community development facilitators will be employed by FUM. Component 2: Strengthening production and consumption of nutritious foods. (US$1.66 million) 11. The primary target for this component shall be adolescents in and out of school, and pregnant/lactating adolescent women in selected communities. The National Youth Policy, encourages youth 14 to 30 years to receive effective and relevant skills that empowers them to be productive in their daily livelihoods and to gain knowledge and skills needed for transition into viable livelihoods and nutrition. Activities under this Component will be in line also with the Labour Act 2000 recommending that children below age of 14 years can be exposed to various educational and technical training/vocational skills provided they are not hazardous to their health. Accordingly, this component will provide knowledge and skills required for increased production and consumption of nutritious foods. The component will be delivered through two subcomponents. Component 2.1 will aim at increasing production while component 2.2 will promote processing, consumption and utilization. Because of the differences in the two districts- Mwanza and Ntchisi, in Mwanza the focus shall be production, consumption and marketing while in Ntchisi where production is higher and yet dietary diversity is low, the project will strengthen nutrition education and consumption. While detailed criteria for selection of interventions will be elaborated in the Project Implementation Manual (PIM), below are some details of the two sub-components: Sub-component 2.1: Implementation of nutrition-sensitive agriculture interventions: 12. This component will strengthen the production capacities of primary beneficiaries for nutritious crops and animal source food. The project will provide inputs to selected female and male adolescent 15-19 years to support livelihoods and improve nutrition through promotion of homestead gardens, small-animal husbandry and other suitable income generating activities. Specific activities will include: (i) Community consultations to identify climate-appropriate The World Bank Appraisal ISDS Adolescent Nutrition-Sensitive Agriculture Pilot Project (P163923) micronutrient-rich commodities in beneficiary areas; (ii) Local leaders and parents provides demonstration gardens and individual plots; (iii) Input packages provision to Peer Leaders and selected adolescent clubs/groups. FUM to work with Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources (LUANAR) to provide technical skills in the production and marketing of indigenous vegetables that are nutritious, and facilitate links to markets; (iv) Development of demonstration sites by Peer Leaders to promote improved practices in micronutrient-rich crops and livestock, management of individual plots using the homestead gardening approach which will include crop and livestock management; (v) Regular support from Government extension services. Where production surpasses consumption, excess production will be offered for sale through links to markets; and (vi) Mobilization of village savings and loans groups for youth in order to facilitate savings mobilization among youth for inclusive financial services for investment in income generating enterprises. A recently published review of nutrition-sensitive agriculture found a consistent and large modifying effect of market access on agriculture’s impact on nutrition outcomes, especially for households living in remote areas. Markets can be leveraged to improve diets among poor households.1 13. The project will procure certified seeds for distribution to female and male adolescent youth for individual household gardens and demonstrations gardens. Where seed will be considered inadequate, seed multiplication among the adolescent youth groups will be encouraged, and pass on strategies promoted to ensure sustainable supply of improved seeds. Partnerships will be explored with the Department of Agricultural Research Services (DARS), locally present representation of the Consultative Group for International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) institutes and private sector seed producers to ensure appropriate backstopping on the seed production processes as well as source of breeder seeds. The project will design programs for multiplication of appropriate small animals for both marketing and consumption. Interventions will be supported by Extension Services from Ministry of Agriculture, working closely with the Peer Leaders and group promoters. The project will promote animal health services through adequate mobilization and education of community members for drug revolving funds. Sub-component 2.2: Nutrition Education and Communication 14. The objective of this component is to promote demand for nutritious foods and behavioral change on food consumption practices among beneficiary groups and their households. This will be achieved through nutrition education to improve awareness, knowledge and practices on consumption of diversified diets. The pilot project will also promote education and awareness raising on sexual reproductive health practices and life skills towards improved nutrition amongst the adolescents. It is envisaged that packaged messages on sexual reproductive health rights (including girls’ support with sanitary pads2) will reduce school drop-out, early pregnancies and early marriages, and hence contribute to healthy and empowered girls remaining in school. 15. Social and behavior change communication (SBCC) material will be developed to promote nutrition- and health positive individual and group behavior, and to shift social attitudes and norms affecting those behaviors, including participation on youth and young women with children in programs that support positive change in nutrition, health water and sanitation. The materials will target adolescents and their households, and they will include topics such as nutrition for the adolescent, sexual reproductive health rights for girls, life skills, use of bio fortified crops, animal-source foods, breast feeding, complementary feeding, as well as address cultural beliefs affecting women’s and children’s consumption of high nutritive value foods. The SBCC materials will be used to train the group promoters and peer leaders who would 1 https://www.ifpri.org/publication/nutrition-sensitive-agriculture-what-have-we-learned-and-where-do-we-go-here 2 During stakeholder consultations, it became apparent that girls’ drop rates were higher during their menstrual periods. The project integrate s interventions on sexual reproductive health and efforts to reduce school dropout and early child marriages. The World Bank Appraisal ISDS Adolescent Nutrition-Sensitive Agriculture Pilot Project (P163923) later cascade the training to their youth groups’ members. Pregnant and lactating adolescents shall also be encouraged to join care groups for further training on feeding children and on nutrition for pregnant women. In addition, this sub- component will support group-based deworming for all participating adolescents, and weekly iron folic acid (IFA) tablet supplementation for female adolescents of reproductive age. 16. To increase consumption of micro nutrients specific messages the project will contribute to the finalization of DNHA communication messages on use of bio fortification foods and a development of a training module on adolescent nutrition. Specific innovative activities for keeping the youth together will developed. Specific activities will include recipe development and cooking demonstrations, to promote acceptability and consumption of high nutrition foods among households. In addition, the project will work in partnership with LUANAR to build the capacity of these adolescents in the utilization of indigenous vegetables which are more nutritious. 17. Nutrition campaigns will take various forms. The pilot project will initiate a Nutrition Day approach which will be organized every three months in each community. Youth radio, TV, talk shows, road shows, posters, brochures, t-shirts, use of sports for education and communication and community drama groups will be used also and will be aimed at ensuring that nutrition information is widely disseminated. Component 3: Project Management and Administration, M&E and Knowledge Management (US$ 0.69 million) 18. This component will be delivered through three sub components, as follows: 19. Project Management and Administration: This sub-component will cover operating costs for the project, including office space and supplies, computers, communications equipment, and transportation costs for delivering the project. This sub-component also includes the costs of personnel for project management and administration. The project will be implemented by the FUM. At national level, the project will recruit three full-time project staff: Consultant Project Manager, M&E Officer and Procurement Officer. At district level (2 districts), the project will recruit two district project coordinators, two community development facilitators, and two project accountants. In addition to the above full-time positions, the Director of Programmes Development and Learning at FUM will provide direct oversight to the project. Similar oversight will be provided from the Director of Finance and Administration, as well as from the Chief Executive Officer of FUM. The project will be audited by a third party (external audit) annually. 20. Monitoring and Evaluation: The implementing agency (FUM) will manage M&E activities, including: (i) Participatory monitoring strategy to engage beneficiaries in routine monitoring of program. At community level, Peer Leaders will be empowered and trained to transmit data to the Project facilitators who will forward it onwards to the Project M&E officer. Data will be transmitted on monthly basis; (ii) Baseline study to validate the indicators, based on the readiness M&E assessment that was done during the project preparation; (iii) Mid-term review to assess lessons learned with district stakeholders and to make necessary revisions to implementation plans; and (iv) End of Project review (Implementation Completion Report) – to assess cumulative project achievements in relation to the established baseline study. A detailed M&E system will be established to properly track indicators, with clear responsibilities for data collection and reporting. To effectively track project indicators, the assessment revealed the need to recruit consultant M&E officer specifically to the project. This consultant M&E Officer will report directly to the Consultant Project Manager for the JSDF. The project will explore during design and preparation whether biomarker indicators can be included at baseline and end line. The World Bank Appraisal ISDS Adolescent Nutrition-Sensitive Agriculture Pilot Project (P163923) 21. Knowledge Dissemination and Learning: The project will establish a process for regular documentation and dissemination of project achievements through, project launch, midterm workshop at District level, final workshops at both District and national levels. The project will also widely disseminate lessons learned, and share with various stakeholders through the National Nutrition Coordination Committee meetings and the National Nutrition Research Dissemination meetings. At local level, the project will put in place a mechanism to gather complaints mechanism as well as gather feedback mechanism through use of theater, as organized through community forums. . 4. PROJECT LOCATION AND SALIENT PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS RELEVANT TO THE SAFEGUARD ANALYSIS (IF KNOWN) The project will be implemented in two districts of Mwanza and Ntchisi. Mwanza is located in the southern region while Ntchisi is located in the central region of Malawi. Mwanza has three major rivers namely, Lisungwi, Mwanza and Mkulumadzi. These rivers provide water sources for the district and are tributaries to Shire River that provide hydropower to the country. Mwanza has a hilly landscape and there is a small valley called Mwanza valley that joins to Lower Shire to the west. The district has climatic conditions that favors production of citrus fruits. Ntchisi district lies along the Kasungu- Lilongwe plains which have a gentle slope on the western side and undulating hills in the southern side with slopes of 1 to 2 degrees. The soils are sandy loam with temperatures between 18 to 22 degrees Celsius. 5. ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIAL SAFEGUARDS SPECIALISTS ON THE TEAM Natasa Vetma, Environmental Safeguards Specialist Mercy Chimpokosera-Mseu, Environmental Safeguards Specialist Violette Mwikali Wambua, Social Safeguards Specialist SAFEGUARD_TABLE 6. SAFEGUARD POLICIES TRIGGERED Safeguard Policies Triggered Explanation The project is agricultural, hence land clearing, soil erosion elements will need to be reviewed and assessed and mitigation measures developed to address possible environmental impacts that may arise form these. Seeds will be supplied to beneficiaries and livestock distributed. The project Environmental Assessment OP/BP 4.01 Yes will review risks and impacts of transmission of diseases from animals and introduction of new crop varieties. These will be taken into consideration in the Environmental Social Management Framework that will be prepared, through a consultative process and disclosed prior to appraisal. The World Bank Appraisal ISDS Adolescent Nutrition-Sensitive Agriculture Pilot Project (P163923) The project will not support opening of new areas Natural Habitats OP/BP 4.04 No for agriculture. The project will not open new agricultural lands but Forests OP/BP 4.36 No will support interventions that will promote afforestation within the agricultural fields. The project will not support pesticides, but Pest Management OP 4.09 No encourage organic integrated pest management. Is not applicable because no new areas will be Physical Cultural Resources OP/BP 4.11 No opened for agriculture. Indigenous Peoples OP/BP 4.10 No Not applicable. Not applicable, no new agricultural fields will be Involuntary Resettlement OP/BP 4.12 No opened. Safety of Dams OP/BP 4.37 No Not applicable. Not applicable. Though Mwanza is a bordering Projects on International Waterways district with Mozambique, the project No OP/BP 7.50 interventions will not affect any international waterways. Projects in Disputed Areas OP/BP 7.60 No Not applicable. KEY_POLICY_TABLE II. KEY SAFEGUARD POLICY ISSUES AND THEIR MANAGEMENT A. SUMMARY OF KEY SAFEGUARD ISSUES 1. Describe any safeguard issues and impacts associated with the Restructured project. Identify and describe any potential large scale, significant and/or irreversible impacts. The project being largely agricultural will entail land clearing therefore soil erosion issues will need to be reviewed and assessed and mitigation plans developed to address possible environmental impacts. The project will also involve distribution of seeds and livestock therefore risks associated with transmission of diseases and introduction of new crop varieties will be reviewed and assessed. 2. Describe any potential indirect and/or long term impacts due to anticipated future activities in the project area. No major impacts are anticipated, all risks are low, and can be mitigated, in accordance with the Environmental Social Management Framework 3. Describe any potential alternatives (if relevant) considered to help avoid or minimize adverse impacts. The project will put in place mitigation plans related to soil erosion, environmental problems, risks of livestock diseases and introduction of new crops varieties. This will be elaborated in the Environmental Social Management Framework (ESMP), that has been developed, consulted and disclosed at appraisal. The World Bank Appraisal ISDS Adolescent Nutrition-Sensitive Agriculture Pilot Project (P163923) 4. Describe measures taken by the borrower to address safeguard policy issues. Provide an assessment of borrower capacity to plan and implement the measures described. The project will be implemented by Farmers Union of Malawi (FUM). The institution has the institutional capacity to implement World Bank safeguard policies, as it has ably implemented the previous World Bank funded Support for Nutrition Improvement Component (SNIC) project in Mzimba district. 5. Identify the key stakeholders and describe the mechanism for consultation and disclosure on safeguard policies, with an emphasis on potentially affected people. The key beneficiary stakeholders will be adolescents and their families in Ntchisi and Mwanza who have been consulted and with whom safeguards mitigation plans will be agreed and ultimately disclosed. DISCLOSURE_TABLE B. DISCLOSURE REQUIREMENTS ENV_TABLE Environmental Assessment/Audit/Management Plan/Other Date of receipt by the Bank Date of submission for disclosure 05-Dec-2017 05-Dec-2017 For Category ‘A’ projects, date of distributing the Executive Summary of the EA to the Executive Directors “In country� Disclosure Country Date of Disclosure Malawi 06-Dec-2017 Comments Disclosed through the Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Water Development's website: http://www.agriculture.gov.mw/index.php/2016-10-24-02-26-26/aswap-sp-ii COMPLIANCE_TABLE C. COMPLIANCE MONITORING INDICATORS AT THE CORPORATE LEVEL EA_TABLE OP/BP/GP 4.01 - Environment Assessment Does the project require a stand-alone EA (including EMP) report? No PDI_TABLE The World Bank Policy on Disclosure of Information The World Bank Appraisal ISDS Adolescent Nutrition-Sensitive Agriculture Pilot Project (P163923) Have relevant safeguard policies documents been sent to the World Bank for Yes disclosure? Have relevant documents been disclosed in-country in a public place in a form and language that are understandable and accessible to project-affected groups Yes and local NGOs? ALL_TABLE All Safeguard Policies Have satisfactory calendar, budget and clear institutional responsibilities been Yes prepared for the implementation of measures related to safeguard policies? Have costs related to safeguard policy measures been included in the project Yes cost? Does the Monitoring and Evaluation system of the project include the monitoring Yes of safeguard impacts and measures related to safeguard policies? Have satisfactory implementation arrangements been agreed with the borrower Yes and the same been adequately reflected in the project legal documents? III. APPROVALS Valens Mwumvaneza Task Team Leader(s) Blessings Nyanjagha Botha Ziauddin Hyder Approved By Safeguards Advisor Practice Manager/Manager Asa Giertz 01-Jun-2018 .