The subcomponent will support ultra-poor and poor households, women and youth and increase their incomes through the provision of productive assets, skills, job market preparation and facilitation of linkage to other sources of finance including National Poverty Graduation Project (NPGP). The selection of target beneficiaries will be through the BISP Poverty Score Card.

1. Productive Assets for Ultra-poor: The Poverty Graduation approach initiated under GLLSP I will be scaled-up. The interventions will cover all remaining 0-26 (Bracket-1) PSC hhs (around 4,000), who will be provided training and suitable productive assets to help graduate to the next level of economic well-being. About, 70 per cent of productive assets will be provided to women. For livestock asset the project introduces Saanen Goats, Dry Unit’s, Onion and Tomato Cold Chain etc. Selection of asset will be on the basis of household capacity (assessed by SMP and following the Livelihood Improvement plan of the hh) for management and location and income potential avoiding crowding-in areas with limited market potential. Established of Nucleus Herds of Imported Sannen and Boer Goats, placed at Livestock Research Center and Dairy Development Farm, Livestock Department, Lasbela will keep the herd, provide technical and management services on the cost of their own development budget and progeny will be distributed on cost sharing to the target group in both Districts. These households will also receive nutrition and health packages developed with the technical assistance from Nutrition Section/National SUN Secretariat, Planning Commission through WFP.
2. Women Empowerment: Women empowerment will be pursued both through community organizational processes and specific targeted interventions. At least 50 per cent membership for women in COs/VOs and at least 30 per cent women presence in CO/VO/LSO management positions will be ensured. Women development priorities will be ascertained separate from those of men. At least 30 per cent technical training opportunities will be offered to women. Specific short vocational courses will be offered to young girls and women in traditional embroidery and crafts, fish processing, and fishing net weaving and repair. Women Resource Centers: 40 centers, at least one per Union Council, will be established in very poor villages that have no public building or suitable private dwelling for women’s joint activities. These centers will serve as meeting place, education centers, and joint enterprise activities for income generation of rural women. On average, about 250 women will be linked to each resource center where these 10,000 women will benefit from additional income generation interventions and capacity enhancement interventions. This will include kitchen gardening, food preservation, traditional crafts, nutrition, enterprise development, numeracy and preferred vocational skills. Each WRC will be equipped with a startup package. As part of its assigned mandate, SMP will facilitate access for women to microfinance in cases where women members of resource centers wish to start an individual or group-enterprise. Women with inclination and means (land, water) for kitchen gardening will be supplied with a basic package of inputs (where applicable). These women groups will also be engaged in afforestation around homesteads and on communal areas (dedicated for plantation) around water facilities. Feasibility for one pilot Women Vegetable Processing Enterprise will be analyzed in one location in Lasbela District and, and if deemed positive, one such enterprise will be implemented prior to MTR. The number would be increased if the outcomes argue for the same. Technical Assistance will be provided to Women Development Department Balochistan through Balochistan Commission on the Status of Women for identifying the gaps and areas of improvement to be included in Balochistan Gender Policy.
3. Youth Job Market Readiness: A job-market survey and a youth census will be completed prior to project start-up under GLLSP II. Two sets of trainings for youth will be available – one for youth with required educational qualifications and one for those without. The first group will essentially be prepared for regular employment through training at accredited training institutions, internship opportunities at project supported value chains and infrastructure and job placement support. The second group will be trained at suitable institutions and/or work places to get skills for employment or start their own micro-enterprises. Around 2,000 (actual based on final results of Youth Census) male and female youth from agriculture communities will benefit from this activity. Financial inclusion of poor women and youth through a formalized arrangement for access to interest free loans under IFAD-funded NPGP as well as Government’s other Interest Free and subsidized Loans schemes (Ehsas, Kamyab Naujawan etc.) (if available in targeted districts) will also be facilitated. Project will provide technical assistance to Sports and Youth Affairs Department of Balochistan for advocacy to GoB for development of Balochistan Youth Policy and identify the gaps and areas of improvement to be included in Balochistan youth policy (if any).
4. Collaboration on Nutrition and climate Change Resilience: WFP, Scaling Up Nutrient (SUN) Movement/Nutrition Section, Planning Commission, Food Security and Climate Section jointly plan need based intervention including public awareness for thought management related to food system and appropriate nutrition. The activity also includes the provision of necessary human resource and technical assistant including Food System and Nutrition Specialist and, Food System and Nutrition Coordinator

Technical Assistance support will be provided by Food Agriculture & Climate Change Section, Nutrition Section, National SUN Secretariate, Planning Commission for improved nutrition at household level and on-farm climate change resilience respectively. Nutrition Section/ SUN Secretariat, Planning Commission will focus on women and children nutrition and develop necessary training modules for TOT and beneficiaries, nutrition packages and nutrition monitoring systems with the support of World Food Program (WFP). Nutrition Section/ SUN Movement Secretariat, Planning Commission will provide technical assistance for ToT led by WFP, curricula development and training. Climate Change Resilient Farming and livestock Husbandry: On-farm support will be provided to equip the small holder farmers with knowledge, skills, crop choices and practices to better cope with climate change induced challenges, 30,000 farmers will be trained also with in-situ demonstrations by FAO. Food Security and Nutrition: the Project will support household level interventions for the ultra-poor and poor (8,500 households) in improving food security and nutrition with the assistance of Nutrition Section/ SUN Movement Secretariat, Planning Commission. In addition, WFP will provide technical assistance to the GoB in formulation of a food security and nutrition action plan for the province.