The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) signed a project with the Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock (MAIL). The project is funded by the European Commission Humanitarian Aid (ECHO) for an amount of 200,000 euros.

The project aims at restoring the livelihoods of deportees and returnees and strengthens the livelihoods of the host communities through distribution of quality wheat seed and fertilizer for the 2007 autumn campaign in Nimroz province. Within Nimroz, the local Department of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock (DoAIL) identified the districts of Zarange, Charkanshor and Kang as locations for the action.

In conformity with the needs identified, the project will supply 100 tonnes of quality wheat seed and 200 tonnes of fertilizer to 2 000 vulnerable farming families. The reference cadre is a household with access to at least 0.34 ha of cultivable land, the minimum surface required for FAO package of wheat and fertilizer.

The province of Nimroz, though heavily dependent on agriculture and livestock, is among the most food insecure in the country, with 40 percent of the population declared as food insecure. In addition, the area is faced with the challenge of returning deportees. The negative effect of the returns/deportations would be significant on the survival prospects of the receiving communities, many members of which may be more vulnerable than the returnees themselves. Furthermore, floods affected the Nimroz Province in June and July 2007. In the district of Chakhansor, five villages with 80 families were affected by flood. In Charhar Borjak district, 50 families were affected by flood and around 12 ha for wheat crop area were damaged with an expected loss of 96 tonnes of wheat seed.

The intervention follows a community approach, targeting not only deportees/refugees and Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) but also the vulnerable groups of the host communities. The selection of beneficiaries involves the heads of the local communities (Community Development Councils (CDCs) and Shuras).