FAO is launching a new project with a grant of 600,000 Euros from the Italian Government to respond to the food and nutrition needs of rural families in Kassala and Red Sea States .

The Integrated Food Security and Livelihoods Project (IFSLP) will target 7,500 families (45,000 people) from four localities, including Telkok and Rural Aroma in Kassala State, and Sinkat and Derdub in Red Sea State, all of which have the highest rates of malnutrition in Sudan and are considered the most food insecure localities in the region.

The project will include a comprehensive package of activities to facilitate the adoption of sustainable climate-smart technologies and land-use management practices. These activities are designed to increase access to local food by boosting agricultural and livestock production, which is an important way to reduce food insecurity and malnutrition for local families and communities. The project will also help to create valuable income-generating opportunities by enabling families to sell surplus crops, milk and meat, which will reduce local poverty and improve the health and wellbeing of families and the broader community.

“The rural poor in Eastern Sudan, particularly in Red Sea State, are not among the communities targeted for humanitarian funding under Sudan’s Humanitarian Response Plan, despite the protracted crises that they face,” says Mr. Abdi Jama, FAO Representative in Sudan. “We are very grateful to the Italian Development Cooperation for extending their generous support to FAO and our implementing partners so that we can respond to the critical needs of these communities with the tools that they need to rebuild their lives.”

The Italian Development Cooperation has focused its interventions in Eastern Sudan since the signature of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement in 2005, in close collaboration with local authorities and communities to foster development and alleviate poverty, implementing projects in several sectors including health and rural development.

“We are aware of the critical situation in the Kassala and Red Sea States. This is the reason why strengthening the livelihoods of rural communities is a priority for the Italian Development Cooperation. We are happy to deepen the collaboration with FAO to fight food insecurity and malnutrition in Eastern Sudan,” says Italian Ambassador to Sudan, Fabrizio Lobasso.

The grant is the result of ongoing partnership between the Italian Development Cooperation and FAO, which aims to strengthen collaboration and synergies in agriculture and rural development in order to improve the lives of the rural poor in Sudan.