PAHAL

Welcome

PAHAL stands for Promoting Agriculture, Health and Alternative Livelihoods. It is a five-year USAID initiative designed to achieve food security among vulnerable populations in 14 districts in the middle and high hills of Mid and Far Western Nepal. PAHAL is a Food for Peace (FFP) Development Food Assistance Project (DFAP) within the USAID/Nepal’s Community Resilience Program. Resilience is defined as the capacity of communities in complex socio-ecological systems to learn, cope, adapt and transform in the face of shocks and stresses.

Donor:

USAID (United States Agency for International Development)

Project Budget:

NPR 2,743,573,500

Project Duration:

October 2014 –January 2020

Project Areas:

Achham, Bajura, Bajhang, Baitadi, Darchula, Dadeldhura, Dailekh, Doti, Jajarkot, Pyunthan, Rolpa, Rukum, Salyan and Surkeht districts




PAHAL increases food security of vulnerable communities through building resilience strategies and capacities.





PAHAL Theory of Change

If vulnerable women, men, girls and boys have increased capacities and are able to act within an equitable and inclusive enabling environment, then individuals and their communities will be more resilient to the shocks and stresses that negatively affect their food security and development.

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PAHAL Highlights

Click this button to view in Nepali.

Program Outcomes

The program identified six technical areas that builds the absorptive and adaptive capacities of communities. The two cross-cutting components of improved Governance, and increased Gender Equity and Social Inclusion build transformative capacities. PAHAL uses an adaptive management approach to increase access to:

  • Improved Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene Services, Strategies, and Technologies

  • Effective Disaster Risk Management Services, Strategies and Technologies

  • Appropriate and Diverse Financial Services and Products

  • Dynamic and Responsive Agricultural and Non-Agricultural Markets

  • Productive Natural Resources and Resource Management Systems

  • Quality Health and Nutrition Services and Information (in line with SUAAHARA Program)

Resilience Pathways

PAHAL takes a multi-dimensional, systems approach to address the underlying socio-political, economic and ecological constraints, and the related shock and stress exposure that drive food insecurity in the Nepal. The program’s goal is: Vulnerable populations in the middle and high hills of Far-Western and Mid-Western Nepal are food secure.


588,044

individuals benefited from PAHAL interventions to improve food security and resilience capacities. PAHAL engaged 97,587 direct beneficiaries in activities from 80,822 households for a total of 588,044 people reached.

80%

of PAHAL households relied on positive coping strategies in response to a shock using on average 3.4 different resources, indicating access to a collection of positive coping mechanisms. Only 11% leaned on negative strategies that increase vulnerability.

Near-Zero

levels of hunger among PAHAL households on the Household Hunger Scale (HHS). Annual beneficiary surveys trends show a decline in hunger to nearly zero on the Household Hunger Scale across all groups

International Partners

  • Mercy Corps Nepal (lead)

  • Plan International

  • Tufts University’s Feinstein International Center

District Partners

  • Dailekh: Sustainable Agriculture for Environment and Water Source Conservation Centre

  • Jajarkot: Hilly Region Development Campaign

  • Pyuthan: Fulvari Integrated Rural Development Organization

  • Rolpa: Development Concern Society

  • Rukum: Rukumeli Social Development Centre

  • Salyan: Dalit Development Society

  • Surkhet: Sundar Nepal Sanstha

  • Accham: Working for Access and Creation Nepal

  • Baitadi: Social Awareness and Development Association

  • Bajhang: Group for Social and Technical Development Service

  • Bajura: Generating Income to Foster Transformation

  • Dadeldhura: Rural Women Development and Unity Center

  • Darchula: Community Rural Development Society Nepal

  • Doti: Community Development Center

National Partners

  • Rupantaran

  • Resource Identification and Management Society (RIMS)

  • Support Activities for Poor Producers in Nepal (SAPPROS)