Judith Ann Francis, CTA’s Senior Programme Coordinator S&T Policy and leader of the CTA/IFAD/PIPSO project, presented an overview of the innovative tools and approaches that will be used for achieving the project goal, such as seed-funding; value chain coordinating/agricultural innovation (VCC/AI) multi-stakeholder platforms; and an innovation credit facility for small and medium enterprises (SME) development.

According to Francis, “through these innovative tools, the project will support communities to find solutions that build on traditional knowledge, agri-businesses to harness the social and intellectual capital and producers to engage in inclusive value chain development.” 

Dr. Jimaima Lako, a CTA consultant, presented her research findings from a rapid country scan on the Agriculture Nutrition Nexus in Fiji, which formed the basis of the highly interactive 2-day workshop. Key highlights include:

• High prevalence of non-communicable diseases – (NCDs) (35.8%) and micronutrient deficiencies especially iron deficiency anaemia (32.4%) 
• High dependence on imports and calorie intake from imported foods and processed foods that are generally cheaper and less nutritious, with negative impacts on health; 
• Multiple policies and frameworks covering agriculture, health, women etc. that do not specifically address the nutrition challenges and in some cases are contradictory. 
• 16 national policies and frameworks are in place across various line Ministries (Agriculture, Fisheries, Health, Education etc.) but these are not specific enough on addressing nutritional challenges.
• Need for more research (including on the relationship between agri-nutrition outcomes by academia) to support the Ministries in their work, as well as private sector/businesses.
• Major gaps in Agri-Nutrition nexus identified include Weak or absence of nutrition link in the National Development Plan and Policies in use by the various line ministries, Lack of commitment and poor coordination of the Fiji Plan of Action on Nutrition( FPAN) with multi-stakeholders and partners and Limited awareness and availability of nutrient dense local foods.
• “Policies on agriculture, health, nutrition exist in Fiji but they are not aligned. Agriculture can change the nutrition paradigm of NCDs and anaemia.” Dr. Lako, explained. 

Other presentations and interventions on current issues in agricultural development, food security, crops and fisheries value chains and women’s empowerment by the diverse multi-sectoral panellists provided additional meaningful insights and sparked fruitful discussions during the round table group sessions. For example, Joann Young, Assistant Representative at FAO, triggered the reflections by questioning: “What is the cost of a nutritious diet?” Dr. Isimeli Tukana, Director Wellness in the Ministry of Health, advocated for agriculture as the solution to the nutrition challenges: “Fiji is going through nutrition transitions. Unless the laws change, nothing will happen. The solution for NCD’s is in agriculture.”

Women play a critical role in Fiji’s agricultural sector 

Cherie Moris, from Fiji Women in Fisheries Network, emphasised on the importance of women as custodians of knowledge in sectors such as fisheries; finding new markets and the cost and time of processing are just a few barriers they have to overcome. Other obstacles can be lack of access to expertise and difficulties complying with food safety standards.

Sian Rolls, from Femlink Pacific, further explained, “the biggest gender gap is in decision-making. Women feel frustrated because, despite the development changes, they have not been seeing improvements in their economic and nutrition status.”

SMEs to accelerate value chain development

“SMEs create the most jobs in Fiji. They need support and capacity building,” emphasized Ravi Chand, CEO, National Centre for Small and Micro Enterprise Development.

Business in Fiji is not just about trading any more, but is gaining an inclusive community engagement role. Together the government and the private sector can contribute to sustainable economic development. 

Save Waqainabete, Business Development Analyst at Joe’s Farm, explained: “Agri-businesses can play a vital role in addressing agri-nutrition”. Agribusinesses need to overcome financial and technical challenges while reducing costs so that fresh local produce and value added products can be affordable for local consumers. While subsistence farming is the main activity, there needs to be a shift to semi-commercial operations – this is one way to address supply issues to respond to market demand.

Workshop outcomes: Three strategies for national development consideration 

An immediate reaction to the Fiji roundtable workshop was a request by a representative of the Ministry of Economy to submit three major strategies for their consideration in Fiji’s National Strategic Plan, which is currently being developed.

1. Setting a high-level political agenda and urgent multi-sectoral approach to addressing agri-nutrition and tackling NCDs in Fiji. 
2. Establishing stronger collaboration and relationship with academia and private sector for evidence based policy and strategic planning 
3. Partnerships and collaboration between Government Ministries, communities, private sector, and academia, need to be strengthened and their ongoing activities aligned. Joint interventions could include media campaigns, agribusiness/farming communities’ initiatives with schools, promoting local produce and local cuisine, to name a few. 

Moving forward with the project

In the next few months, similar national policy roundtables are rolling out in the other project’s target countries: Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga and Vanuatu. Priority value chains are analysed to launch the Value Chain Coordination/Agricultural Innovation platforms and to identify the challenges and opportunities for investing in weather risk insurance - another innovation that the project will explore in consultation with producer organisations and representatives of the public and private sector.

According to Emil Jejov from CTA: “Index based insurance is suitable where many smallholder farmers operate. Insured farmers are able to save more and invest more in inputs and other production assets. Multi-stakeholder consultations are crucial in developing successful insurance products.”

The Fiji Agricultural Partnerships Project (FAPP) is the first IFAD in-country loan investment in the country and became effective in December 2015. It has a Project Management Unit (PMU) located within the Fiji’s Ministry of Agriculture Headquarters in Suva. The Project is co-funded by the Government of Fiji (GoF) and IFAD and has a four-year timeframe. It will be implemented in one district of Naitasiri province, 2 districts of Ba province and 4 districts of Nadroga/Navosa province. The overall goal of FAPP is reducing hardship in remote rural communities of Fiji. To achieve this goal, the Project endeavours to engage small-scale producers in sustainable farming and establishing business partnerships in remote areas, particularly in the highlands.

The team also joined IFAD Indigenous people consultation session held in Deuba on 23 November 2016. Monica Romano, IFAD Project Implementation Specialist, conducted a presentation on the action plan for strengthening KM communication in managing the IFAD Pacific portfolio in the pacific.

Awareness raising about FAPP

The PMU has conducted some awareness sessions to the Ministry of Agriculture’s extension officers that will be cooperating with FAPP in the project’s target areas. For example, in October 2016, we paid a visit to the extension officers responsible for target areas in Nadroga/Navosa province and their Principal Agriculture Officer Western. The meeting was held at the Ministry of Agriculture’s Sigatoka Research Station in Nacocolevu, approximately 10km from Sigatoka town. The team also visited three exporters in Bilalevu, which falls in the Waicoba district of Nadroga Province. These exporters procure eggplants, Okra, Moringa (Saijan) leaves mostly from farmers in the upper valley of Sigatoka and exports to New Zealand market and supplies also to local markets.

Earlier in July 2016, the project team had visited the highlands of Viti Levu and briefed the extension staff as well. The extension officers will be working in cooperation and coordination with project in-field staff, providing support in technology transfer to the communities. That’s why we felt it was important that we established linkages with them early on and we explained the project's focus and implementation structure in the field. The team had also the opportunity to visit some of the Ministry of Agriculture’s projects in Navai and Nadala villages. Navai village falls within Nabobuco district of Naitasiri but is located very closely to Nadala village in the district of Savatu, Ba province and Nadrau in the province of Nadroga/Navosa province. We visited a potato and other assorted vegetable farmer and also witnessed a small mushroom plot managed by a woman. Demand for mushroom in Fiji according to the Ministry of Agriculture Extension officers in Nadarivatu, is huge. The Ministry of Agriculture through promotion and training of local farmers will enable them to sell mushroom in local markets and generate income.

In addition to these training and visits, the PMU also visited Kaiming Agro Processing Ltd, Ben’s Trading Limited and Joes Farm on 3 March 2017. This enabled us to better understand the operation processes and also to brief them on FAPP’s component on SMEs. Joes Farm exports vegetables to PICs such as Kiribati, Nauru and the Marshall Islands. They also export Dalo, Cassava, Jackfruits, Breadfruits, Yams to Australia and USA.

Given the vital role the Research Division will also play in the project, the PMU also made a courtesy visit to the Koronivia Research Station (KRS) to brief the Principal Research Officers on FAPP and most importantly the project’s linkages to the Research Division. Principal Research Officer - Agronomy guided the PMU team to the Naduruloulou Research Station where various propagation methods of fruit trees are conducted. Nursery management is also a vital component of the station’s operation

FAPP team made another visit in April this year to the Extension officers following its meeting with the Assistant Minister for Agriculture to provide an update on FAPP. The meeting also included other government stakeholders from the Ministry of Provincial Development and the Ministry of I’taukei Affairs.

FAPP team led by the Project Manager Kaliova Nadumu briefed the new Assistant Minister for Agriculture Hon Viam Pillay regarding the project and its core purposes. Hon. Viam Pillay acknowledged the team for the brief. He requested the team to keep extension officers updated on the progress of FAPP.

IFAD Implementation Support Missions

In November 2016, a team of international experts from IFAD led by the IFAD Sub Regional Coordinator visited us to undertake an Implementation Support Mission. The team consisted of Ronald Hartman, IFAD Country Director managing the Pacific portfolio; Monica Romano; Ed Angeles (IFAD Finance Specialist); and Finance Trainee, Viliame Mavoa.

The team reviewed the project’s progress and worked with PMU to advance implementation, identify bottlenecks, and revise the Annual Work Plan and Budget (AWP&B) and Procurement Plan, and define KM activities. They also met various stakeholders to discuss project related issues. Ron Hartman had the opportunity to meet the Assistant Minister for Agriculture, Hon. Joeli Cawaki, and acknowledged the Ministry of Agriculture’s support towards the project.

Earlier in 2016, IFAD provided implementation support in the areas of project management, with the support of Monica Romano, and financial management and procurement, with the help of Ed Angeles, who revised the Project Implementation Manual (PIM). During a Mission in April 2016, Monica also helped the PMU to prepare KM and M&E action plans, liaising with the M&E office of the Ministry of Agriculture, and drafting the overall project M&E framework, including formats to be used in the field. This work has been further advanced through the assistance of the IFAD M&E Consultant, Fabrizio Vivarini, who was with the team for almost two weeks in December 2016 looking into the RIMS framework, logframe and reporting templates to be used both by PMU and the Lead Implementing Partner (LIP). Therefore, the KM and M&E system is now fully in place.

The financial management and procurement aspect of the project is also now fully established. The PMU welcomed the project’s Financial Management & Procurement Assistant, Atelena Nauku, at the beginning of 2017. We benefitted a lot from her vast experience and in-depth knowledge of the GoF’s financial management and procurement guidelines. Required office equipment for the PMU and the newly established Agribusiness Development Unit (ADU) is procured with necessary register maintained. The Finance Management and Procurement Officer liaised with the Ministry of Economy and facilitated a refresher on-the-job training on operating the financial management systems. Officers from the Ministry of Economy had conducted two of this type of trainings to the project’s FMPO and his assistant.

Learning from and experience sharing with other IFAD funded projects

Early on after its effectiveness, FAPP benefitted from the support from neighbouring IFAD funded projects in the Pacific.. Soane Patolo, Manager of the MORDI Tonga Trust, a NGO implementing the IFAD-supported Tonga Rural Innovation Project (TRIP), was sent to share some valuable experience of project implementation and experiences. The PMU also liaised with the Project Coordinating Unit (PCU) of Kiribati’s Outer Island Food and Water Project (OIFWP) when preparing for the RIMS Baseline Survey for FAPP.

Looking forward to project implementation in the field

Project preparation and implementation arrangements are near to completion by now. We are now working on the RIMS baseline survey that will be the basis for our continued project monitoring. We look forward to implementation of in-field activities and to sharing our experience of linking small producers and farmers with markets in Fiji.

Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are among the leading causes of premature death in Small Island Developing States (SIDS) in the Pacific region. High rates of obesity are linked to diabetes and hypertension. At the same time, vitamin and mineral deficiencies are affecting the health of children and women. The shift from a traditional diet of fresh fish, fruits and vegetables towards the consumption of imported highly processed foods such as sweetened carbonated beverages, tinned fish and fried snacks, though more convenient and lower priced, threaten food and nutrition security (FNS). Furthermore, a decline in crop production, climate change, overfishing, volatility in international commodity prices and limitations in the policy and institutional environment increase the cost of local foods and pose additional pressure on health, incomes and natural resources. While over 20% of the Pacific Islanders already live in hardship, this situation can worsen as the population is expected to double by 2050.

Pacific islanders are taking matters into their own hands, as shown in recent stories featured by The Guardian and the New York Times . Father Luc Dini - a retired Anglican priest, community leader and head of the local tourism council in the northernmost province of Torba in Vanuatu - has announced that together with other leaders, he aims to preserve the local food production and consumption patterns, grow organic food, and permanently ban the import of junk food by 2020. According to this plan, Torba would become the first province in Vanuatu with the capacity to produce nutritious wholesome food, which traditionally is organic “by default” and increases access to healthier options and agri-business opportunities. Torban tourism bungalows are already solely supplied with locally grown organic products.

Like Father Luc Dini, many other Pacific Islanders want to take advantage of the full potential of the knowledge and commitment of their communities to promote and increase local food production in a sustainable manner to ‘grow healthy’.

The most important challenge is: How can successful programs that enhance the production and consumption of more diversified, healthy and nutritious local foods be promoted and scaled up in the Pacific Islands to benefit more farmers, grow agri-businesses and sustain communities?

The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) Grant entitled “Leveraging the development of local food crops and fisheries value chains for improved nutrition and sustainable food systems in the Pacific Islands of Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga and Vanuatu”, which is co-funded by the Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation (CTA) and implemented in partnership with the Pacific Islands Private Sector Organization (PIPSO) aims at answering this question. The main goal is to strengthen the capacity of the Pacific Island governments, farmer and private sector organizations, and sub-regional institutions to develop strategies and programs, as well as mobilize financing, that can increase poor rural people’s access to nutritious and healthy food. The joint program, was launched during the 2nd Pacific Agribusiness Forum in Samoa in August 2016 and is adopting a three pronged approach (AAA) to: Analyze (build the evidence base), Act (build capacity for change) and Advocate (lobby for policy change and development impact) for value chain and agribusiness development. 

At the launch, Ron Hartman, IFAD Country Director with responsibility for the Pacific Islands indicated that “this regional grant aims to complement IFAD investments in the Pacific by mainstreaming nutritionally, culturally and environmentally sensitive value chains in Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, and Vanuatu. It will also work to improve the policy, regulatory and business environment for value chain development and engagement of the private sector”. CTA Director Michael Hailu added that "the active engagement of the private sector is critical for the transformation of the agrifood sector in the Pacific to address major challenges of food security, nutrition and climate change resilience." PIPSO’s CEO Mereia Volavola acknowledged that "linking agriculture to tourism-related markets is key for agribusiness development in the Pacific region."

In addition, the Governments of Samoa and Vanuatu - together with CTA, PIPSO and IFAD, and with the support from the Pacific Islands Farmers Organisation Network (PIFON) and the Southern Pacific Community (SPC) – also conducted national policy setting workshops in 2016 to improve the linkages between sustainable agriculture, trade, tourism and health. As a stepping stone, the Government of Vanuatu organised its first Agritourism Festival in Port Vila, in November, and heralded it as an innovative approach to promoting healthy local foods while boosting the local economies. However, Honorable Matai Seremaiah - the Vanuatu Minister of Agriculture, Livestock, Forestry, Fisheries and Biosecurity (MALFFB) - noted that the linkage between agriculture and tourism has not yet been sufficiently explored in Vanuatu and that such festivals will help in getting locally grown food from farm to fork. The complementary Chefs4Development initiative aims to promote stronger linkages between value chain actors in the culinary and agriculture sectors, with a view to enhancing the inclusion of locally sourced food and agrifood products in menus served in food establishments across the Caribbean, South Pacific and the Indian Ocean.

In April 2017, the launch of the cookbook “Kana Vinaka” by Chef Colin Chung and Greg Cornwall took place in Suva, Fiji. The book showcases the use of Pacific local ingredients to prepare healthy meals. It complements the Project’s ambitions of promoting Pacific local crops and fisheries value chains.

IFAD, CTA and PIPSO are continuing to join forces to support Pacific Islanders to realize their ambitions to live a healthy life and increase their incomes by building local capacity to take advantage of sustainable food production and processing, effective policies and regulations and adequate financing mechanisms.

By Tevita Ravumaidama and Monica Romano

Fiji is an archipelago in the south Pacific of more than 300 islands. According to 2015 estimates, approximately 43 per cent of the population lives in rural areas, and more than one third of its population lives in poverty. IFAD's work in the country focuses on outer islands and remote areas. The country's agricultural sector generates close to 13 per cent of the nation's GDP while it employs 70 per cent of its labour force. There is strong demand for domestically produced agricultural products, and there is great potential in developing value chains and commercial relationships.

When Isei Namacamaca moved back to his village Nadrau in Navosa province after several years in the city, he decided to become a farmer. And with support from his relatives, Isei established his farm where he was mostly growing traditional crops (root crops) and vegetables with limited knowledge on appropriate farm management practices and production technologies (such as seedling production, composting, and post-harvesting handling). He also had limited business orientation in farming.

He participated in the activities and training supported under the Partnership in High Value Agriculture (PHVA) programme, an IFAD-supported grant implemented by the local NGO Partners in Community Development Fiji – PCDF, targeting a number of villages and  settlements in an impoverished area of Nadarivatu on Fiji’s main island of Viti Levu. This USD 500,000 grant implemented during 2012-2015 worked to increase the incomes of the 200 participating farmers by 20 per cent  from their production of high value products such as tomatoes, capsicum, zucchini, English cabbage, carrots, watermelon and many others, through enhanced market linkages and community empowerment.

Through the support of the grant, Isei attended several trainings aiming to help enhance his agricultural production and shift to an approach of developing farming as a business. The training included farm- and land-use management, vegetable husbandry practices, post-harvest management practices, entrepreneurship, financial literacy and management. He now grows tomatoes, capsicum, cabbage, potatoes and zucchini on his three-acre land, all with a good profit.

Results

What were the improvements that made a difference for his business? When last April Isei attended the first stakeholder workshop of the IFAD-funded Fiji Agricultural Partnership Project (FAPP), which will scale up some of PHVA’s approaches, he shared his experience. He indicated that the most important things he learned were shifting to organic production limiting the use and quantities of  agricultural chemicals, and the business aspects related to farming.

Isei’s achievements resulting from participation in the training and adopting the new technology are significant. In three years, his income from farming increased by 80-100 per cent through high value crops alone. He also gets income from sales of traditional crops. In addition Isei has increased the size of his farm and is now able to sell all farm produces. With his increased income, he can send all his children to school and support his grandchildren. He also established a family canteen, a small retail shop selling basic food items,  opened a savings account, and contributes to village obligations, church activities, and other family needs.

By: Josephine Reiher (Gender and Youth Officer, OIFWP ) and Monica Romano

Ata in her home garden. Credit: A. Aruee

Life in the rural area of the outer islands of Kiribati can be challenging. A number of families who migrated to Tarawa have now returned to their home islands as a result of an increasing cost of copra. However, making a living from agriculture is difficult as families share small pieces of land and most of the youth have limited employment opportunities, also due to poor education.

The IFAD-supported Outer Island Food and Water Project (OIFWP) came into force in September 2014. Targeting the four outer islands of Abebama, Beru, North Tabiteuea and Nonouti, it promotes improved household food security and nutrition, as well as clean water through rainwater harvesting and community planning and action activities. The project aims to reach the entire population with a specific focus on women and young people.

Based on a consultative process in the  Tanimainiku village, in the island of Abemama, a Community Development Plan was formulated,  and  Community Committee was established to support activities in the village.

Ata Tangatariki, 30, is a young woman, who lives with her family in the Tanimainiku village. She lives with her parents, two married sisters with kids, and a brother who is still in high school. Ata participated in the induction meeting of the project and contributed to the design of the Community Development Plan. She was also selected as a member of the Community Committee.

To be eligible for becoming a Community Committee member a person living in the target villages is required to have a garden in his/her home, which can be used as a model to show interested people in the community how to properly grow and maintain it. The Committee established that project staff would visit the home gardens every two weeks to provide advice and help the farmers. Ata’s family grows three different gardens, which are taken care of by her father, mother and herself.

Before the project was introduced in their village, Ata’s family used to grow only banana, swamp taro and breadfruit because of limited agricultural knowledge, hence their diet was poor, and lacking important nutrients from vegetables. As a result of project-supported home gardening activities, they now grow cabbages, sweet potatos, tomatoes, pawpaw, new breadfruit types, pumpkins and kangkong (water spinach). Their dietary habits consequently changed and they now eat a greater quantity and variety of nutritious food.

Ata also tried to find other ways to support her family economically and found out that growing vegetables and fruit in the home gardens has many advantages: it helps coping with food shortages, often occurring due to undelivered cargo supplies to the Outer Islands and can also help generate additional income.

By selling her fruit and vegetables locally, Ata is able to earn about USD 1.9 for each cabbage and about USD 2.3 per kilo of sweet potatoes. She can also sell the bigger pawpaw and pumpkin for about USD 3.8 each. On average, she estimated she can earn around USD 7.5 per day from her fruits and vegetables – something the family was unable to rely on before.

Her major plan for the future is to do more to showcase her garden products to the communities across the island, and  encourage them to engage in gardening by sharing her skills and experience. She believes that a good way to attract the youngsters in farming is by organizing competitions, with some incentives for those growing the biggest or heaviest fruits and vegetables in the community. This activity has been agreed upon by the community committee and will be commenced during the World Food Day in October this year.

Ata is very proud to be involved in the Project, both as a farmer and a community leader. It has changed her view on farming, improved her family’s food security and nutrition, and  taught her new gardening and leadership skills through the help of the Community Facilitator Officers, the Agricultural Assistants and the Island Facilitators working for the project. She believes that the project has provided a major contribution to raise the profile of agriculture, especially among  young people, and brought about innovation and change in the life of rural communities.

Participating in the community consultations, becoming a community committee member and engaging in home gardening greatly encouraged her and helped her learn an important lesson: farming can make you change your future.

By Tevita Ravumaidama, PHVA-Partners in Community Development Fiji (PCDF) and Monica Romano

Young people living in rural areas have the potential, as the farmers and producers of tomorrow, to help feed the world's growing population. But young people are increasingly abandoning agriculture and rural areas in search of better livelihoods in cities or abroad. In The Pacific island of Fiji, Joji Naikau returned to his rural hometown to invest in his farm and is showing great success.

Joji Naikau, 30, is a young man 30 living in Nadala village, Savaty district, in Ba province of Fiji. He is married with two children, and one of the beneficiaries of the Partnership in High Value Agriculture (PHVA) programme, an IFAD-supported grant targeting 13 villages and 7 settlements located in an impoverished district of Nadarivatu in the interior of Fiji’s main island of Viti Levu.

The USD 500,000 grant implemented during 2012-2015 aimed at increasing the income of the 200 farmers who participated by 20 per cent from the production of high value products, through enhanced market linkages and community empowerment.

Before joining the programme, Joji was not farming to earn his livelihoods. Despite owning 1.5 hectares of land, he had no knowledge and skills on how to use it for income generation. Therefore, he moved to Fiji’s capital of Suva and started to undertake mechanical work for an engineering company.

A few years ago while he was spending Christmas time in his village, he was approached by staff working for the IFAD-supported programme, and encouraged to participate in some training activities to learn how to put his land under production and to invest in farming as a business.

Joji presented his experience at the 1st stakeholder workshop of the IFAD-funded Fiji Agricultural Partnerships Project. Credit: M. Romano

Written by: Barbara Bellogini 

Stephen (left) and Nat (right) talk about the plot of land to be used for growing the organic papaya. ©IFAD/B. Bellogini

On a visit to the Cook Islands in October 2015, while in Rarotonga, I had the opportunity to join our colleague Stephen Hazelman, Organic Systems Extension Officer, from The Pacific Organic and Ethical Trade Community (POETCom), and Teava Iro, founder of the Tikitaveka Growers Association, a local NGO implementing the three-year IFAD project, Capacity-Building for Resilient Agriculture in the Pacific. The project focuses on building the capacity of organic associations to support farmers and on developing agricultural resilience. It is helping to address the growing social and economic concerns of rural households who have low incomes and are unable to produce enough food, meaning that they have to rely on cash remittances from family members who have migrated. 

Papaya trees will be planted on Nat's land. ©IFAD/B. Bellogini

As well as the Cook Islands, two other countries in the Pacific will be benefiting from the Capacity-Building for Resilient Agriculture in the Pacific project – Niue and the Marshall Islands. The project will concentrate on these islands’ young people, who would otherwise migrate to New Zealand or Australia in search of work. During the week before my arrival, a three-day workshop, where the IFAD-funded project was presented, was held at the Papaaroa Community Hall and was attended by 21 farmers. The outcome of the three days was that a participatory guarantee system was developed and a set of rules was established for growing organic crops. Peer reviews will be carried out to ensure that participants comply with the rules that were agreed by all parties.

Stephen (left) and Nat (right) complete the questionnaire. ©IFAD/B. Bellogini

Teariki "Nat" Unuka, is one of the 21 local farmers in Rarotonga who attended the three-day workshop. He is one of the biggest users of pesticides on the island. During the workshop, he had a chance to talk to other farmers and showed his interest in taking part in the IFAD-funded project. The day we met with Nat, Stephen carried out an interview to find out if the plot of land where he will be growing his organic produce met the specific requirements that allow him to take part in the project. In the past, Nat had grown papaya here. Currently the land is not being used and the only plants growing, wild, are some decorative palms. His plan for the future is to use the land to grow organic papaya and if he is happy with the results, he will move to organic growing on all of the land he owns. In order to proceed, Stephen interviewed Nat to gather information about the plot; when was the last time he had grown crops on it, what had he grown in the past, do his neighbours use pesticides, etc. The outcome of the interview was positive and Nat will be one of ten farmers who will be taking part in the project.

For more information on the work carried out in the Pacific region on organic certification watch:

Two new projects in the Philipines was introduced this week.  The Fisheries Coastal Resources and Livelihood (FishCORAL) on 19 Januay 2016 and the Project Convergence on Value Chain Enhancement for Rural Growth and Empowerment (CONVERGE) on 21 January 2016.

FishCORAL aims to aid fishing households below the poverty line in the areas of Region 5, 8, 13 and ARMM









Project CONVERGE aims to reduce incidence of poverty in the ten target provinces of Regions 9, 10 and CARAGA located in the west, north and northeast of Mindanao which are among the six poorest regions of the country through crop diversification and increased farm income.

Written by Jim Smyle and Sunae Kim, edited for the blog by Ricci Symons and Brian Johnstone Dominic  

Excursion trip boats in Ba Be Lake ©IFAD/Sunae Kim

January 2014 saw a 3 year contract renewal signed by neighbouring communities in Viet Nam, ensuring an end to the conflict between the two villages and an increase in environmentally smart and sustainable practices in the region.

Residents of Pac Ngoi, a small tourist centre in the Ba Be national park, are reaping the benefits of better relations with their upstream neighbours; the village of Ban Duong in Hoang Tri Commune.

The residents of Pac Ngoi depend upon the river and tourism for their livelihood. However, tourism revenue was slipping as concerns over pollution levels from Ban Duong have been increasing.

There are 99 households in Pac Ngoi, of which 21 have boats and 14 have guesthouses. Tourism accounts for 80 per cent of the economy with residents offering boat excursions, plus lodging and meals at the guesthouses.

Ba Be Lake ©IFAD/Sunae Kim

The residents of Pac Ngoi had often made requests to their upstream neighbours to reduce deforestation activities and waste disposal directly in to their shared water course. But they were always refused.

Back in 2012 The Global Environment Facility (GEF) working through IFAD, as the implementing agency, decided to create a ‘payment for environmental services’ (PES) project in the district, due to mounting conflict and environmental destruction. The project drew on a study group of 30 local residents to answer two questions; I) ‘why the Ba Be lake is not well maintained compared to before’, and II) ‘why the Ba Be attracts less tourists’.

Following this study it was agreed to establish a fund, paid by Pac Ngoi to the upstream communities, in exchange for forest protection and solid waste management. The fund is financed by two percent of the gross receipts from boat excursions and VND 4,000 per homestay guest.

Villagers discussing PES ©IFAD/Nguyen Minh Thy

The people of Ban Duong had been throwing animal corpses and plastic bags and bottles into the stream which alongside forest loss/degradation was causing environmental damage and loss of tourism. 

Villager making a payment to the contribution box  ©IFAD/Nguyen Minh Thy

In February 2013, the neighbouring communities entered into a one-year, pilot agreement, consisting of payment to Ban Duong in exchange for them stopping the throwing waste into the streams draining into Ba Be Lake and to reduce forest loss/degradation in their forestlands. To date two payments totalling more than VND 26 million (~ USD 1,300) have been made to the upstream community. The payments will be paid quarterly, and funds are kept in the local police station, with access only allowed when all three party representatives are present, ensuring trust in the programme.

Villagers agreeing on a PES contract ©IFAD/Nguyen Minh Thy

Find out more about IFAD operations in Vietnam.

By Kaushal Shrestha, Benoit Thierry

The fourth and last day of the workshop began under the sun ( finally) with a video, though much humorous, also reflecting the poor relationship people have with mathematics – “25 divided by 5 equals 14.”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=omyUncKI7oU

Videos were a deliberate tool used in this workshop to introduce new concepts and practical innovations to the participants without boring them. Thus, Benoit used a short eight-minute film on WUPAP and remittance to begin conversation about the new project “Rural Micro-enterprises and remittances.” The major focus of this project would be capital formation, not only for returning migrant workers, but the entire community.

WUPAP and remittances: Traveller’s Tales – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VSIdkNLOQqw

Similarly, conversation on a new ASAP funded project, entitled AIMHE (Adaptation in Mountain and Hills Ecosystems), also began with short hard-hitting clips on climate change and its harsh impacts, especially in the developing world.

IFAD, Adaptation for Smallholder Agriculture Programme – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M244FoHpoVk

Worldbank/FAO, Mountains and Climate Change: A Global Concern –http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YCPbV_KODbI

As portrayed by the videos, the projected impacts of climate change are severe, and the necessary responses are urgent. Tackling such a global issue, according to Peter Situ, the project design team leader, is a massive challenge for a country like Nepal and its people. Therefore, in order to soften the impacts effectively in particular in the agriculture sector, interventions must consider a number of issues to increase efficiency and improve impact.

Utilization of existing resources is among the major issues. AIMHE intends to make maximum use of available services, knowledge and expertise, government and non-government institutions, for greater efficiency and to eliminate duplication of activities and resources in the field. In this process, the project will work towards the capacity building of service providers engaged in climate change adaptation activities (livestock insurance, food banks, renewable energy etc), be it government or private. Further, AIMHE is intended as an add-on component to existing IFAD funded projects, seeking climate smart activities and scaling up best practices with thousands of existing farmers groups. This last day of the workshop was the first step of this intention, introducing AIMHE to the current projects, and exploiting the years of ground level experience of project members to seek ideas and potential activities.

Practicality was another important factor voiced by the experience of participants. All members of current IFAD-funded projects collectively agreed on the importance of site-specific agriculture and business models. While members of LFLP promoted agroforestry and silvopastoral systems, they also noted the necessity of contextual planning – for example, using market led approach in promoting particular products, or simply not promoting plantation of ginger on sloped lease lands.Inclusive targeting was also regarded as a practical way of action for the project. While the project will definitely focus on the most vulnerable, especially women, Peter was clear to mention – “There will be no divisions.”  And the project will therefore focus on social inclusion.

Even more stress, perhaps, was on the participatory design of the project. As it is the vulnerable that are most aware of their own local realities, the inclusion of the community for organizational and technical input is only logical. Thus, AIMHE will actively adopt bottom-up participatory strategies to simultaneously improve the management of natural resources, including agriculture, reducing vulnerabilities and increasing resilience of local communities to climate change impacts (through the LAPA system).

The closing ceremony was organized in the afternoon. Key speakers emphasized that this workshop/retreat enhanced family spirit among IFAD funded projects, and will produce nice synergies. Others noted the workshop as the first step to improve programme performance, with more to come in the future to deepen technical activities. The roadmap produced during the workshop will be a key tool to monitor this progress. Finally, in the concluding remarks, words of thanks were addressed to participants, organizers, facilitators, and the workshop management team. 

Rendezvous: August 2014, to continue the new tradition of the country programme workshop !!

IFAD Nepal Country Programme Workshop Day 3

1. How to make sure that development actors take into account « social inclusion » meaning not only women but different groups – disadvantages group, youth elder in the value chain? 
2. How can who measure the flow of benefits best, when and how?
3. How can our “beneficiaries” shape and profit from the KM and learning and innovation agenda?

The group work was followed by a video on WUPAP gender activities: "We were like frogs in a well!" 

Linked to the theme of M&E, Mr. Krishna Thapa from HVAP presented about the HVAP’s tablet based management information system. A revolutionary system which will help shortening and improving the management information system by entering data directly from the field. See specific post.

The day’s agenda ended with a detailed presentation of the Country Programme Road Map (based on the outcomes from working groups) points by Mr. Bashu Aryal (CPO) and IFAD senior yeti Mr. Rudolph Cleveringa. The roadmap is divided into 5 key chapters grouping a set of 25 recommendations for action. Each project will now deepen the CPRM to adapt it to project specifities and set deadlines and responsabilities.

For the presentation on the Road Map.
1. strengthen project management
2. streamline fiduciary aspects
3. enhance M&E, KM, innovations and communication
4. prioritize field outreach ad technical implementation
5. expand national and international partnerships

Before closing the day, the ASAP project design mission arrived and was introduced to the plenary. The 4 and last day of the workshop will be dedicated to the ASAP design brainstorming. More tomorrow on this blog !