Strengthening Livelihoods and Resilience Activity (SLR)

General

(Democratic Republic of the Congo): The Strengthening Livelihoods and Resilience (SLR) activity will support inclusive agricultural growth, improve the nutritional status of women and children, and increase resilience in targeted communities in Ituri Province in eastern DRC. It will build resilience by promoting expanded and diversified market-oriented livelihood opportunities, increasing private sector activity and investments in the sector, improving access to finance for smallholder farmers, improving land tenure, and integrating with other USAID-supported activities to promote nutrition-sensitive approaches to market-systems development. As SLR develops and tests models and provides technical assistance, the activity will contribute to a better understanding of the needs of vulnerable populations and how they can better adapt to re-occurring shocks such as emerging plant diseases, increased conflict, and climatic events. Given the prevalence of women in the agriculture sector and the critical role in improving their families' nutritional status, health, and livelihoods, SLR will also promote improved nutrition practices with women's groups. The activity will focus on developing interventions to empower and increase women's participation in agricultural markets, such as improving access to credit, inputs, and agricultural training..The activity will contribute to the Mission's Integrated Country Strategy via Mission Goal 2 (Improved quality of life for Congolese through delivery of core services and expanded economic growth) and USAID's Country Development Cooperation Strategy (CDCS) via Development Objective 3 (Inclusive, broad-based, and sustainable economic growth increased). SLR will be aligned with the Agency's Resilience Policy and the Administration's Global Food Security Strategy..