The World Bank South Sudan Resilient Agricultural Livelihoods Project (P169120) Concept Environmental and Social Review Summary Concept Stage (ESRS Concept Stage) Public Disclosure Date Prepared/Updated: 09/15/2020 | Report No: ESRSC01578 Sep 15, 2020 Page 1 of 12 The World Bank South Sudan Resilient Agricultural Livelihoods Project (P169120) BASIC INFORMATION A. Basic Project Data Country Region Project ID Parent Project ID (if any) South Sudan AFRICA EAST P169120 Project Name South Sudan Resilient Agricultural Livelihoods Project Practice Area (Lead) Financing Instrument Estimated Appraisal Date Estimated Board Date Agriculture and Food Investment Project 1/11/2021 11/17/2020 Financing Borrower(s) Implementing Agency(ies) Food and Agriculture Alliance for a Green Organization of the United Revolution in Africa Nations (FAO) Proposed Development Objective Public Disclosure The project development objective is to improve agricultural production and develop farmer institutions in project areas. Financing (in USD Million) Amount Total Project Cost 50.00 B. Is the project being prepared in a Situation of Urgent Need of Assistance or Capacity Constraints, as per Bank IPF Policy, para. 12? No C. Summary Description of Proposed Project [including overview of Country, Sectoral & Institutional Contexts and Relationship to CPF] The project will build on previous World Bank investments and other donor programs to support increased food production in South Sudan. Beyond helping farmers produce food, it will invest in seed production, extension delivery, and increasing access to farm tools so that farmers can expand their production capacity. D. Environmental and Social Overview Sep 15, 2020 Page 2 of 12 The World Bank South Sudan Resilient Agricultural Livelihoods Project (P169120) D.1. Detailed project location(s) and salient physical characteristics relevant to the E&S assessment [geographic, environmental, social] The project as a whole targets smallholder farmers in selected rural areas. Geographical targeting in the project will follow an analysis of criteria based on the principles including equity (government and opposition territory), security, and agricultural potential. An initial list will be established during appraisal. However, the final locations will be determined after effectiveness. South Sudan is a landlocked country that falls almost entirely (96 per cent) within the Nile River Basin in East-Central Africa. The country is covered by extensive grasslands, wetlands and tropical forests. Its natural assets include significant agricultural, mineral, timber and energy resources. The climate is mostly hot and dry, with seasonal rains that allow for two or three harvests a year in the country’s green belt. Apart from oil, its natural resources are largely unexploited and only 4.5 per cent of its potential arable land is cultivated. Livelihoods in the northern dry areas are dominated by seasonal agriculture, pastoralism, fishing, and hunting. South Sudan is characterized by a large number of distinct social and cultural groups for which it is essential that project interventions are accessible, culturally appropriate and inclusive which require, understanding of their traditional farming practices for equal access to project benefits via culturally appropriate forms of meaningful consultations to their specific needs and livelihood models. The majority of the project beneficiaries are IP under ESS7 and no stand-alone plan will be developed. The small holder farmers in South Sudan constitute mainly women due to the protracted civil war, implying the gender dynamics in the country. The vulnerable and disadvantaged groups in South Sudan comprise, people affected by man-made social and economic shocks, refugees, IDPs, soldiers, demobilized soldiers (including those displaced), child soldiers, young girls, women headed households, child headed households, female ex-combatants, etc. The fragility context in South Sudan requires a proportional risk assessment Public Disclosure not to exacerbate conflict, including involvement of children in agricultural activities. Due to the small-scale investment to rebuilding or distribution of assets for post-harvest handling and food storage, through market access roads, market facilities, and small water harvesting infrastructure, the scope of land take is assessed low. D. 2. Borrower’s Institutional Capacity At the country’s formation in 2011, formal governing institutions were created, but given the years of conflict and the breakdown of former structures, they commenced from a generally low foundation. The new government’s capacity to formulate policy and implement programs is still limited, but is developing and evolving. Institutional frameworks to accomplish environmental, social and climate- change commitments are still at the nascent stage due to the low priority given to them in the context of the ongoing situation of conflict, as well as the lack of technical capacity and financial resources. The project will coordinate with the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security (MAFS) at the national level and the agriculture officials at the state, county, and payam level. The Government requested the World Bank to provide financing directly to third party organizations for implementation of projects due to its capacity constraints in a letter dated August 14, 2018. Accordingly, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations was identified and will sign the financing agreement with the Bank and serve as the PIU for the project, which will be determined by OPCS. The task team shall also undertake due diligence to assess FAO’s Environment and Social Risk Management Systems (ESRMS) and their capacity to apply and enforce the ESF. FAO has previously served as an implementing agency under the EFNSP project and the precursor Emergency Food Crisis Response Project and performed well on Sep 15, 2020 Page 3 of 12 The World Bank South Sudan Resilient Agricultural Livelihoods Project (P169120) both. It has a network of vetted INGOs and NNGOs that expand its reach throughout the country—both government and opposition aligned areas. In South Sudan, due to prolonged conflict, the institutions and services are considerably weak, especially at the local level. The RALP works to avoid any duplication and intends to coordinate and complement to the extent feasible and avoid building parallel systems, that the households benefit from the interventions provided by each project (one on cash transfers, local service delivery and the third on enhancing agricultural production) are able to graduate out of poverty. The project will not create or develop any new agriculture markets. Existing agricultural markets, trader, dealers, middlemen are dysfunctional due to conflict, insecurity and reduced production and demand. The project will facilitate the functioning of agricultural markets i.e. provide training, common platform such as producer groups for traders, dealers, middlemen to buy and sell agri inputs and produce. The project will not build any new farm to market roads or agricultural markets; and would support existing roads, infrastructure and markets which as such would not require any additional lands. II. SCREENING OF POTENTIAL ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIAL (ES) RISKS AND IMPACTS A. Environmental and Social Risk Classification (ESRC) High Environmental Risk Rating High Public Disclosure The proposed project focuses on helping targeted farming communities return to sustainable crop production for household food security and income generation. Project activities include investment in the rehabilitation or establishment of household on farm agricultural infrastructure (like water harvesting, storage and irrigation systems, food storage facilities); and market infrastructure. The project will also support delivery of agricultural inputs including quality seeds, efficient farms tools and equipment. Lastly, the project will provide comprehensive farmer training and operational support. The anticipates environmental risks and potential negative impacts of the proposed activities are not considered significant or irreversible and can be addressed with straight-forward mitigation measures and good practices. These risks will include, but not limited to the expansion and encroachment of new farms into natural and protect habitat including Ramsar sites, incremental vegetation clearance and deforestation. Occupational health and safety (OHS) impacts are also anticipated as a result of the new mechanized farm tools that farmers have to get used to, treated seeds that may be eaten, increased use of biopesticides and fertilizers, and general waste management from seed companies and agricultural enterprises. Such impacts would be site-specific and manageable through proper enforcement of the ESMPs, Integration of sustainable sources of energy and water during subproject design, marking of treated seeds as “Not for Consumption” and continuous stakeholders training and awareness. With the additional complexity of the fragile country context and the inability of the World Bank to conduct on-the-ground supervision, coupled with the countries weak legal and institutional arrangements to manage, supervise and enforce ESF compliance during implementation, predisposes the project to a “High” environmental risk rating. The project will require an Environmental and Social Management Framework (ESMF) to further identify and assess the anticipated risks, as well as to develop mitigation measures as necessary to manage them. The project will also require an Environmental and Social Commitment Plan (ESCP) to document material measures and actions that are required for the project to achieve compliance with the ESSs. Sep 15, 2020 Page 4 of 12 The World Bank South Sudan Resilient Agricultural Livelihoods Project (P169120) Social Risk Rating High The project will use the system developed by the Local Governance and Service Delivery Project (P127079) and its successor South Sudan Enhancing Community Resilience and Local Governance Project (P169949). The CDD core local institutions will be used for local investment planning and coordination and for conflict resolution. The local level implementation approach improves community resilience and cohesion through strengthening local institutions and citizen engagement through participatory planning process. Thus, the CDD-type planning approach shall reduce risks during the implementation process and expected to have a positive social impact in the targeted areas. Component 2, the support to producer organizations, mobilizing farmers and/or producer cooperatives interested in participating in seed production value chains, forming and strengthening seed companies and local enterprises engaged in seed development, multiplication, and sales and promoting agro-dealerships and agriculture-focused enterprises requires the project to develop an objective targeting criteria. The improved nutrition component should also observe the socio-cultural values and dietary habits of target communities. Despite the use of a composite project targeting index, for the identification of project beneficiaries, the possibility of exclusion of vulnerable households cannot be ruled out at this stage. Social risks could emanate from the country FCV context with varying intensity to the potential project area. These social risks are compounded due to (i) the multiple roles of women (reproductive, productive (farmers) and family head), (ii) exclusion of remote areas in project targeting due to inaccessibility, (iii) residual errors in composite project targeting index which may leave vulnerable groups behind, (iv) lack of functional grievances mechanism, (v) intra-communal tensions over implementation issues, (vi) project supported assets becoming targets for violent groups, (vii) exacerbating project beneficiaries to insecurity Public Disclosure due to project support, (viii) mobility due to project benefit collection may increase insecurity of beneficiaries, (ix) agricultural inputs may not be affordable to the cash poor and vulnerable groups, (x) land take for the various project activities, to construct farm and market access roads, agricultural input stores, on-farm water storage, irrigation infrastructure, and food storage structures, and (xi) adverse effects from influx of labor for construction activities and implementing agency workers. Violence (political, criminal, ethnic, etc.) and GBV are two forms of concern as result, escalating social risks. The GBV risk has been rated high, the project will prepare a GBV action plan commensurate to the high risk. Based on this assessment, the overall risk level is considered high. B. Environment and Social Standards (ESSs) that Apply to the Activities Being Considered B.1. General Assessment ESS1 Assessment and Management of Environmental and Social Risks and Impacts Overview of the relevance of the Standard for the Project: he breadth, depth, and type of analysis of the assessment and management of environmental and social risks and impacts will depend on the nature, scale, and potential environmental or social impact of the menu of sub-projects to be proposed during project preparation. At the moment the anticipated risks may be generalised to include, but not limited to the expansion and encroachment of new farms into natural and protect habitat including Ramsar sites, deforestation, pollution of soils and surface wetlands by fertilizers and biopesticides and occupational health and safety (OHS) impacts that may be associated with new mechanised farm tools; development and operation of areas for storage, processing (threshing, milling, drying), housing small equipment such as fruit dryers, canning, labeling; treated seeds that may be eaten; fertilizers and biopesticide use and general waste management from seed companies and agricultural enterprises. Other impacts may occur as a result of the need for land acquisition for Sep 15, 2020 Page 5 of 12 The World Bank South Sudan Resilient Agricultural Livelihoods Project (P169120) infrastructure development and if not addressed consequent impacts on livelihoods; impacts on access to natural resources in relation to water infrastructure and energy; community conflicts over beneficiaries and location of sub- projects; creation of physical targets for violent groups; labor influx risks; GBV/SEA risks by project and sub/contractor staff; and protection of labor providing inputs to the project. Given that specific sub-projects and locations will not be known prior to project appraisal, a framework approach will be adopted. Consequently, the ESMF prepared for the predecessor agriculture project (Local Governance and Service Delivery Project (LGSDP ) P127079) will be updated to: (a) provide a methodology for screening viable sub-projects; (b) guide integration of good environmental and social practices into sub-project design and management, especially the integration of sustainable sources of energy and water into the sub-project designs; (c) recommend management strategies for the identified E&S risks and impacts and (d) be consistent with the relevant World Bank’s Environment and Social Standards (ESS). The Stakeholder Engagement Plan (SEP), , Social Assessment (SA), GBV Action Plan, Safety and Security Management Plan and the Labor Management Procedures (LMP) will also be prepared complementing the ESMF. The Implementing Agencies (IA) (FAO and AGRA) will be expected to obtain clearance from the Bank and disclose these ESF instruments prior to appraisal. Importantly, the project will also adapt existing Social Assessments prepared for different projects including for LGSDP to address questions of conflict-sensitive engagement as well as addressing vulnerability. All these E&S risk management tools are expected to inform the short, site-specific assessments that will produce generic yet detailed ESMPs for respective sub-projects typologies (based on the ESMF guidance). The respective ESMPs alongside the ESHS specification will form part of the bidding documents and contracts.. These commitments with timelines will be agreed on together between the World Bank and the Implementing Partners ( FAO and AGRA) and will be included in the ESCP. Resettlement Policy Framework (RPF) will Public Disclosure not be prepared as the project will not involve involuntary land acquisition and resettlement. The identified implimenting agency, FAO has served as an implementing agency under the EFNSP project and the precursor Emergency Food Crisis Response Project as an Implementing entity. FAO has performed well on earlier projects. FAO has a large presence on the ground and has expanded its staffing to increase its quality control capacity. As with other UN organizations, FAO has been assessed by the World Bank at the corporate level enabling it to use its own procedures (on fraud and corruption investigation, financial management, procurement). Regrading environmental and social risk management for the proposed project, the Wolrd Bank ESF will be applied to the project. FAO and its sub contractors shall implement the project consistent with the requirements of the ESF. FAO is also performing this role for the World Bank in Somalia. Most importantly, FAO is the UN specialized agency tasked with addressing hunger and food security world-wide. FAO, as the implementing agency of major agriculture and food security projects in the country for USAID, the EU, and others, it will be in a position to coordinate investments across agencies to maximize impact in a target area. The FAO may engage a network of vetted INGOs and NNGOs that expand its reach throughout the country—both government and opposition aligned areas. The environment and social risk management institutional capacity assessment to the WB Environment and Social Framework will be conducted. While acknowledging the FAO’s experience in the implementation of the EFNSP and EFCRP, an institutional capacity assessment commensurate to the proposed project environmental and social risk management will be undertaken. Even though FAO at a global level is currently preparing and implementing several projects under the ESF, this is going to be the first time the South Sudan FAO team will be implementing a project under the ESF. Training and capacity support on the ESF will be needed to better ensure compliance. Areas where “Use of Borrower Framework” is being considered: Sep 15, 2020 Page 6 of 12 The World Bank South Sudan Resilient Agricultural Livelihoods Project (P169120) The World Bank Task Team recommends that the UN Food and Agriculture Organization which has served as an implementing agency under the EFNSP project and the precursor Emergency Food Crisis Response Project as an Implementing entity. FAO has performed well on earlier projects. FAO has a large presence on the ground and has expanded its staffing to increase its quality control capacity. As with other UN organizations, FAO has been assessed by the World Bank at the corporate level enabling it to use its own procedures (on fraud and corruption investigation, financial management, and procurement). FAO is also performing this role for the World Bank in Somalia. Most importantly, FAO is the UN specialized agency tasked with addressing hunger and food security world-wide. FAO, as the implementing agency of major agriculture and food security projects in the country for USAID, the EU, and others, it will be in a position to coordinate investments across agencies to maximize impact in a target area. The FAO may engage a network of vetted INGOs and NNGOs that expand its reach throughout the country—both government and opposition aligned areas. The environment and social risk management institutional capacity assessment to the WB Environment and Social Framework will be conducted. While acknowledging the FAO’s experience in the implementation of the EFNSP and EFCRP, an institutional capacity assessment commensurate to the proposed project environmental and social risk management will be undertaken. Even though FAO at a global level is currently preparing and implementing projects under the ESF, this is going to be the first time the South Sudan FAO office will be implementing a project under the ESF. To better ensure adequate environmental and social risk management institutional capacity of the ESF instruments, capacity building including training and mentoring will be embedded in the design of the project. ESS10 Stakeholder Engagement and Information Disclosure Public Disclosure The project targets rural farming families, as well as the local markets which support these families to bring their farm products to market. The project will work closely with leadership at the County, Payam, and Boma levels, as well as traditional leaders and members of villages. The project will also provide pilot support to Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in camps and in urban/peri-urban settings. Application of ESS10 will be closely monitored through the implementation of the Stakeholder Engagement Plan (SEP). The SEP will outline the characteristics and interests of different stakeholders of the project. The key stakeholders of the project include the Implementing Partners (FAO and AGRA); the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security (MAFS) at the national level and the agriculture officials at the state, county, payam, and Boma level; the community members; and other national and international NGOs. Additional stakeholders include other government ministries, UN, bilateral donors, and NGOs such as CAMP, IDMP Working Group or the Inter-ministerial Steering Committee. The SEP will account the details of relevant stakeholder groups, as well as timing and methods of engagement throughout the life of the project, appropriate to the different population groups, vulnerable and disadvantaged groups, consistent with the requirements of ESS7. Project-level Grievance Redress Mechanism (GRM) will be established. B.2. Specific Risks and Impacts A brief description of the potential environmental and social risks and impacts relevant to the Project. ESS2 Labor and Working Conditions The project implementation will require direct and indirect labor hired by the implementing agencies. The direct labor include FAO and AGRA staff; expert from the MAFS for the project; agriculture expert at the state, county, Sep 15, 2020 Page 7 of 12 The World Bank South Sudan Resilient Agricultural Livelihoods Project (P169120) payam, and boma level including extension workers; producer organizations workers; community resource persons; and farmers. There may be contracted staff through consultancies for the implementation of the project. Indirect labor include, contracted labor for the spraying of pesticides, agri inputs and outputs suppliers; seed companies and local enterprises engaged in seed development, multiplication and sales; networks of agro-dealers, traders, rural retailers, community labor could be mobilized for the community-based seed propagation and bulking, and the formation of farmer-managed seed banks and seed cooperatives. The ESMF screening process will refer to and pay special attention to any subproject that may require contract labor. Once the Recipient is established, the written labor management procedure (LMP) applicable to this project will be identified, to be supplemented by additional procedures as needed, in order to meet ESS2 requirements, including respective Occupational Health and Safety provisions (according to general WBG EHS guidelines and relevant FAO standards). The LMP will include procedures in case of risk of violence towards project staff. The possible incidence and extent of labor influx will be assessed, with concurrent risks addressed. A Grievance Redress Mechanism for these contract workers will be outlined, proportionate to the nature and scale of the potential risks and impacts to these workers. Further, potential risks could emanate from the use of child labor work on farms and activities that involve construction. The LMP will define the potential labor requirement and define the minimum age, among other things. Besides the mobilized labor for undertaking the sub-project activities involving construction, there will be workers of the FAO and its sub-contracted workers involved in the implementation of the project activities on the ground. These Public Disclosure workers will sign a code of conduct that will govern their responsibility in discharging work related to the project. ESS3 Resource Efficiency and Pollution Prevention and Management The project will finance sub-projects to include small water harvesting and irrigation infrastructure. As this is not expected to have potential significant impacts on water quality, application of the resource efficiency measures of ESS3 will be sufficient to manage these impacts. Other risks here related to expansion of new farms in natural and protected habitat that will be managed through farmer sensitization and training, including on the implementation of ESMPs. The project will promote soil and water conservation and sustainable use of water, both of which are likely to have positive impacts on ecosystem services. The project will not finance the purchase and/or use of chemical pesticides. Agricultural training to be delivered as part of Component 3 will include pest management techniques to mitigate the risk of fall army-worm, including push-pull technologies, bio-pesticides, and human surveillance. Integration of sustainable and renewable energy sources will also be integrated into the subprojects design to ensure energy efficiency and sustainability. ESS4 Community Health and Safety Specific potential risks to farming families supported by this project include safety relating to bio-pesticides/ insecticides as well as bio-fertilizers. Water harvesting infrastructure will need to include fencing to protect children. Distributed tools (malodas, East African hoes, and ox ploughs) could be diverted to other non-agricultural purposes. There is a risk to communities that they might, in desperation, consume seeds treated with pesticide and/or fertilizer. Sep 15, 2020 Page 8 of 12 The World Bank South Sudan Resilient Agricultural Livelihoods Project (P169120) Lastly, any small water harvesting infrastructure will be designed and constructed by qualified engineers in accordance with good international practice. Community safety in relation to violent conflicts, including looting/raiding and related risk of GBV/SEA, is being addressed by the selection of FCV sensitive interventions during the design and will further be addressed by close consultations and cooperation with communities and local formal and informal authorities. The ESMF and the SA will further identify these risks as well as any others, and will propose mitigation measures, to be included in the ESCP. Due to the overall country FCV contextual, violence (political, criminal, ethnic, etc.) and GBV are the two forms of concern for community health and safety. The country conflict and violence context is volatile and has been engulfed in armed conflict. Women and children bear a disproportionate burden of the violence in the protracted conflict. South Sudan has one of the highest rates of gender-based violence (GBV) in the world. Key factors that influence GBV include the general normalization of violence, a breakdown of the rule of law, and increases in opportunistic crime often linked to high levels of poverty. The practice of child marriage, wife inheritance, and abduction—linked closely to patriarchal practices of bride price—remains prevalent due to conflict, and the deteriorating economic situation. The GBV risk has been assessed and rated high. A commensurate GBV action plan will be developed with a dedicated GBV specialist to support project implementation. The GBV action plan will be prepared prior to project appraisal. A security management plan will be prepared to ensure that safeguarding of personnel and property is carried out in a manner that avoids or minimizes risks to the project-affected communities and workers. Based on the Security Risk Assessment, different security measures shall be implemented to reduce the level of risk to acceptable levels which shall be synthesized in the security management plan. The measures shall be proportional to the potential risk. FAO Public Disclosure and its sub contractors shall retaining direct responsibility over the security ans safety of its direct and contracted workers, including their assets and properties in ensuring that they are safe during project implementation. The SMP will be guided by the principles of proportionality and GIIP, and by applicable law, in relation to hiring, rules of conduct, training, equipping, and monitoring of such security workers. The details on the FAO’s and its sub contractors systems to manage security risk to community and project workers will be assessed as part of the project preparation prior to project appraisal. ESS5 Land Acquisition, Restrictions on Land Use and Involuntary Resettlement The project will work closely with traditional authorities, who control all of the rural land. The project does not anticipate any involuntary land acquisition as it will rehabilitate the exiting market and other related infrastructures. The project will not create or develop any new agriculture markets. Existing agricultural markets, trader, dealers, middlemen are dysfunctional due to conflict, insecurity and reduced production and demand. The project will facilitate the functioning of agricultural markets, i.e., provide training, common platform such as producer groups for traders, dealers, middlemen to buy and sell agri inputs and produce. The project will not build any new farm to market roads or agricultural markets; and would support existing roads, infrastructure and markets which as such would not require any additional lands. If the need arise for small portion, it is expected that voluntary land donation (VLD) guidelines will support the process. This will include protection of vulnerable households, including female- headed households and households belonging to sub-clans. The VLD guideline will define the process of due diligence as per the provisions of the ESS-5 satisfactory to the Bank. It is expected that IDPs living within villages will continue Sep 15, 2020 Page 9 of 12 The World Bank South Sudan Resilient Agricultural Livelihoods Project (P169120) to be allotted land to grow annual crops. The project will ensure regular consultations between IDPs and host communities to pro-actively mitigate risks of conflicts over land. ESS6 Biodiversity Conservation and Sustainable Management of Living Natural Resources Project activities in agro-ecological zones 4 (high potential) and 3 (less potential) to support improved agricultural may run adjacent to the Sudd - a major swamp area and Ramsar site. The ESMF will consider direct, indirect, and cumulative project-related impacts on the Sudd and suggest sub-project design considerations and mitigation measures to apply mitigation hierarchy to minimize adverse impacts. The project will also assess requirements of access to living natural resources for project interventions (grazing areas, water sources) and, as noted above, engage in community consultations to ensure its sustainable allocation and usage. The ESMF will also include guidance for assessment of suppliers for nutritional support activities, seeds and any other potential natural resource commodity required for the project, and where possible and within reasonable period of time, avoid those adversely affecting natural or critical habitats. ESS7 Indigenous Peoples/Sub-Saharan African Historically Underserved Traditional Local Communities South Sudan is characterized by a large number of distinct social and cultural groups for which it is essential that project interventions are accessible, culturally appropriate and inclusive. This is relevant for this project mainly from two perspectives: on the one hand, understanding of their traditional farming practices will be essential to ensure equal access to project benefits via culturally appropriate forms of meaningful consultations and respective Public Disclosure adaptation of interventions to their specific needs and livelihood models. On the other hand, are group distinctions widely used as markers by conflict parties and questions of targeting as well as protection from violence need to take this into account. The SA shall understand the social, political and economic dynamics of access to land and potential for conflict among IDPs and host communities. This further extends to assess access to communal natural resources required for successful project interventions, including water sources and grazing areas for livestock. A social assessment will guide the project how to mainstream respective measures as well as may suggest additional activities to address particular vulnerabilities. At this point it is not expected that FPIC will be applicable, while the SA shall provide additional information on the matter. A separate and stand-alone IPP is not required and necessary, as ESS7 applies to the majority of project beneficiaries. ESS8 Cultural Heritage As Resilient Agricultural Livelihoods Project (RALP) may possibly operate in both rural and urban areas, the potential for chance find of cultural or archaeological significance during on-farm and market infrastructure investment is eminent. The ESMF will be updated to comply with ESS8 through the inclusion of chance find procedures. Also, the sub-project screening process in the ESMF will exclude activities located in, or in the vicinity of, a recognized cultural heritage site and will include specific mitigation measures to avoid negative impacts if the sub-project screening process does not otherwise exclude these areas. Provided the involvement of research institutions, private sector and the development and use of bio-pesticides, seeds and technology, it may extend to a collaborative development and use of communities’ wisdom in bio- Sep 15, 2020 Page 10 of 12 The World Bank South Sudan Resilient Agricultural Livelihoods Project (P169120) pesticides, seeds and other inputs. If the project involved such activities, it should follow the meaningful stakeholder consultation as per the requirements of ESS10 and ESS7 and develop a clear benefit sharing plan. ESS9 Financial Intermediaries This ESS applies to Financial Intermediaries (FIs), i.e. public and private financial services, which channel financial resources to a range of economic activities. This ESS is not currently relevant to this project. B.3 Other Relevant Project Risks As noted above, the FCV situation in South Sudan is a major risk, for which the project design has been adapted and which requires close attention throughout preparation as well as implementation. Related monitoring and supervision challenges require further attention already in the preparation of the project, requiring the setup of feasible systems to establish complementary support. The use of third party for project implementation and monitoring. C. Legal Operational Policies that Apply OP 7.50 Projects on International Waterways No Public Disclosure This policy is not applicable, as there is no large-scale new water infrastructural development. Project interventions will be limited to small-scale water harvesting infrastructure that focuses on capturing and retaining rainwater. OP 7.60 Projects in Disputed Areas No This policy is not applicable to this project. III. WORLD BANK ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIAL DUE DILIGENCE A. Is a common approach being considered? No Financing Partners N/A B. Proposed Measures, Actions and Timing (Borrower’s commitments) Actions to be completed prior to Bank Board Approval: Actions to be completed prior to Bank Board Approval: • An ESMF, to include provisions for design and management of small water harvesting infrastructure, chance find procedures, supplemental contract materials specific to worker health and safety, • Worker code and conduct and measures to address GBV/SEA, • Stakeholder Engagement Plan, • Labor Management Procedure Sep 15, 2020 Page 11 of 12 The World Bank South Sudan Resilient Agricultural Livelihoods Project (P169120) • Social Assessment • Security management plan • Environmental and Social Commitment Plan (ESCP) Possible issues to be addressed in the Borrower Environmental and Social Commitment Plan (ESCP): The ESCP will address all commitments defined in the ESMF, SA, GBV/SEA Plan, SMP, LMP, and SEP. C. Timing Tentative target date for preparing the Appraisal Stage ESRS 30-Nov-2020 IV. CONTACT POINTS World Bank Contact: Mohammad Imtiaz Akhtar Alvi Title: Sr Agricultural Spec. Telephone No: 5358+5358+6047 / 251-11-5176047 Email: ialvi@worldbank.org Contact: Jeren Kabayeva Title: Agricultural Spec. Telephone No: +1-202-473-6211 Email: jkabayeva@worldbank.org Public Disclosure Borrower/Client/Recipient Borrower: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Implementing Agency(ies) Implementing Agency: Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa V. FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT The World Bank 1818 H Street, NW Washington, D.C. 20433 Telephone: (202) 473-1000 Web: http://www.worldbank.org/projects VI. APPROVAL Task Team Leader(s): Mohammad Imtiaz Akhtar Alvi, Jeren Kabayeva Practice Manager (ENR/Social) Robin Mearns Recommended on 03-Sep-2020 at 09:32:5 EDT Safeguards Advisor ESSA Peter Leonard (SAESSA) Cleared on 15-Sep-2020 at 11:13:44 EDT Sep 15, 2020 Page 12 of 12