MCC Capacity Building Activity

Zambia II Compact - Agriculture Project - Capacity Building Activity: The Food Reserve Agency Institutional Strengthening Activity aims to improve the Food Reserve Agencys (FRA) operational capacity in fulfilling its main functions of efficiently managing the strategic grain reserves, encouraging greater involvement of the private sector in grain trading, making timely payment for purchases, and providing an appropriate price stabilization function.

This Activity shall also support capacity building activities that enhance collaboration with other entities involved in assessing, monitoring, and analyzing food security, poverty, and vulnerability to strengthen FRAs policy response and mitigation functions.

FRAs response to vulnerability assessments shall include the deployment of responsive FRA policies and systems, as well as collaboration and communication with other agencies involved in welfare response.

The strengthening of FRAs institutional framework shall be achieved through a combination of procedural changes, operational improvements, systems development, and staff capacity building for: 1) food security and vulnerability response and collaboration; 2) management of strategic grain reserves; 3) upgrading maize purchase modalities; 4) optimizing and streamlining warehouse usage; and 5) mitigating market price volatility.