The Emergency Support to Rural Livelihoods & Food Systems Exposed to COVID-19 (ESRF) was developed by the Government of Ghana as a result of effect of the COVID-19 pandemic that ravaged the world in 2019. The Project was designed as an emergency stopgap to mitigate the impacts to the disease on smallholder farmers and food systems.  

To implement the project, the Government of Ghana received a loan from IFAD. The Project is expected to directly benefit 50,000 vulnerable people in 25,000 households, with 5% inclusion of People Living with Disabilities (PLWD). The value chains supported include maize, cassava, rice, soya beans, Groundnut, vegetables, shea and poultry. 

The expected result is that i) target households succeed to maintain or increase their production, food security, and climate change resilience compared to the pre-COVID-19 situation; and ii) target households succeed in maintaining or increasing their market linkages, sales volume and income levels through market participation compared to pre-COVID 19 situations.

The total funding for the project is USD 41.5 million, and the financiers are as follows: IFAD with USD 20.0 million loan (48.2% of total cost); and an estimated co-financing sources from the Government of Ghana, (GoG) (through exemptions of taxes and duties) amounting to USD 5.3 million (12.8% of total cost); beneficiaries contribution of USD 11.2 million (27.0% of total cost); other development partners i.e., World Food Programme (WFP) is contributing USD 2.0 million (4.8% of total cost); the UN Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) is contributing USD 0.4 million (1 .0% of total cost); and the Government of Canada (GoC) with USD 2.6 million (6.3 % of total cost).