By Bola Adedugbe | Strategic Partnership Manager
Introduction
No Hunger Initiatives AKA No Hunger Food Bank has scaled up its support to families displaced by the devastating attack that hit Bokkos, Barkin Ladi and Mangu Local Government Areas of Plateau State. While the initial focus was on emergency response, the intervention has increasingly moved toward rebuilding household resilience through stronger food access systems, improved coping practices and increased community participation.
What We Did Next (Progress Made)
1. Improving Access to Food at the Household Level Beyond Relief
Beyond the earlier emergency distributions, the project began to help families to alleviate the daily pressure of hunger, through improving the management of food needs at the household level. Not only were the beneficiaries provided with inputs but they were also trained in the efficient use of inputs to increase the availability of vegetables and other nutrient-rich produce for home consumption.
2. Adoption of Vertical Backyard Farming and Skill Development
The vertical backyard farming component shifted from a one-off training to practical implementation. Families received additional coaching to help them maintain their backyard gardens during active displacement, including tips on routine maintenance and easy best practices to ensure consistent harvests. This increased the household’s capacity to continue food production even under limited resources.
3. Community Connections for Recovery Support
The intervention also promoted better community coordination by having beneficiaries share their experiences, challenges and lessons learned with each other.The peer-to-peer support approach increased acceptance and reduced isolation for affected families, helping them to remain motivated and continue working after the training sessions ended.
New / Emerging Results
Improved use of food at the household level
Beneficiaries are shifting from “receiving assistance” to “planning food use.” Families report that they are more prepared to work with small-scale growing systems and a number of participants have started to integrate produced crops into everyday meals rather than seeing food support as a stop-gap.
Conclusion
In addition to the confidence expressed in training, beneficiaries are taking more ownership in household decision-making, such as organizing care for their backyard plots and taking responsibility for cultivation schedules. This transition is leading to more stable household routines and better coping in displacement. The intervention is seen more and more by community members as part of longer term recovery, rather than simply humanitarian relief. This change in perception is conducive to sustainability as families are more predisposed to sustain practices that reduce future dependence.
No Hunger Initiatives is dedicated to delivering timely assistance and meaningful livelihood support to displaced families, enabling them to rebuild their lives with hope and security.
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