The project was planned and developed as a continuation of the National Livestock Project (186), with the principal objectives of strengthening livestock-sector institutions and undertaking development activities aimed at raising livestock productivity and alleviating poverty among herders.
ActivitiesInstitutional strengthening:
- Restructure FNEC for the purpose of improving its input distribution system, grass-roots development and ability to manage markets, and of rendering it more democratic.
- Establish an inter-professional livestock development fund to manage financial services in the livestock sector.
- Establish a mutual credit and savings scheme managed by a competent entity satisfactory to the donors.
- Draft new model statutes for the establishment of ZAGROPs and submit to Parliament any proposed amendments to the laws governing ZAGROPs.
Development
support:
- Train staff of ANDE in animal control measures, and provide equipment for five new border posts.
- Set up 19 ZAGROPs, each covering an area of 40 000 ha, and rehabilitate 400 km of track and 800 km of secondary access roads used by herders to enter the settlement areas.
- Create 120 new herder groups and strengthen existing groups to enable them to become independent, member-managed organizations capable of providing literacy and management training and support to mutual savings and credit groups.
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Support the creation of a mutual savings and credit system by providing an office building, vehicles, equipment, staff training and associated operating costs. This component also included a herd-rebuilding scheme under which six breeder animals were to be provided to 1 850 poor herders identified by the herder associations.
Staff training:
- Train ANDE staff in extension techniques aimed at farmers wishing to diversify into crop production.
- Train project staff of FNEC and the livestock development fund in project management techniques.
The project as a whole encountered many setbacks that considerably affected both its implementation and impact. Start-up was delayed by the late arrival of the technical project manager and by the Government’s tardiness in paying its contribution into the special fund. The two army mutinies that occurred shortly after the project became effective led to political instability throughout the country from then onwards and significantly disrupted project implementation.
The lack of security caused herders to abandon the ZAGROP in Djobe-Bapi. Raiders from Chad harassed herders in isolated camps, taking children hostage and demanding ransom money, and murdered a number of men who tried to protect their families. The Government’s half-hearted reaction had little practical impact, and the herders reportedly abandoned the area.
Before the onset of widespread insecurity, however, the project had achieved some success. One of its major achievements was to train staff of ANDE, FNEC and the livestock development fund. Although the project later faced serious implementation problems, it can be assumed that the capacity created by the training will be used to improve the livestock sector, regardless of whether or not this will take place within an external donor programme or within a national one.
Due to donor pressure, FNEC’s statutes were amended in August 1994. The number of traditional clan chiefs on the board of directors was reduced and the representation of trustees from grass-roots associations was increased.
Many of the activities foreseen in the appraisal report, including herd reconstitution for poor herders and the setting up of a mutual credit and savings scheme, were not in fact implemented.
Access to Inputs & Infrastructure
| The project planned to implement a restocking grant/beneficiary contribution system of 'pass on the gift', targeting the poorest herders, a system pioneered in many developing countries by the American NGO, Heifer Project International. The major characteristics of the approach are that it is self-sustaining and each participant subsequently becomes a donor to others. |
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| Planned |
Achieved |
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| Target 1 850 poor herders (to be identified by the herder associations) to benefit from the 'pass on the gift' approach. Finance the training of ANDE staff in the field of regulatory and control duties associated with animal health interventions. Train herder children and provide ANDE staff with transportation (12 pick-up trucks, 55 motorcycles and 108 mopeds). Equip five new control posts on the borders with Chad and Cameroon. Rehabilitate feeder roads to improve access to existing livestock markets and increase the availability of consumer goods in pastoral areas. This was intended to encourage pastoralists to increase off-take. |
The 'pass on the gift' approach was not implemented. ANDE staff were trained successfully. No information is available on any other institutional-strengthening activities. No information is available on the rehabilitation of feeder roads. It is likely that civil unrest caused this component to be abandoned. |
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| Prior to the project, there were three main professional associations in the livestock sector: FNEC, ANBC and ACCB. FNEC, whose main function involves input distribution, is the oldest and most effective of the three organizations. The Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock supervise all three organizations, but this arrangement is considered to be too restrictive as it eliminates the organizations’ decision-making responsibilities. FNEC, one of the project’s major executing agencies, is composed of herder and agro-pastoral groups, which operate the veterinary supply system through a small pharmacy where members and non-members purchase their supplies. |
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| Planned |
Achieved |
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| Equip a pastoral department to create 200 additional herder associations and train their leaders and auxiliaries. Strengthen the financial and administrative management of FNEC through the provision of staff and equipment; and expand its distribution system through the construction and staffing of 30 depots. |
No herder associations were created. In fact, according to the World Bank supervision report, the number of such associations fell from 238 to 228 during the period when the project was operational. It was reported that four associations had been disbanded because of herder migration to Cameroon; three owing to repeated attacks; while another three may have relocated to the eastern part of the country. No information is available on the strengthening of FNEC. It is not known how many depots, if any, were built. |
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| At appraisal, it was reported that herders rarely saved any money. However, a survey carried out by the American NGO, VITA, among its urban clients indicated that 76% of the herders would welcome a credit facility. It was felt that this would also be a welcome service for most rural herders. The project planned to provide for the development of a mutual savings and credit system to help the herders cope with intermittent difficulties. Three types of credit were to be provided: for input needs; for investments for personal gain (such as increasing herd size); and for group projects. |
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| Planned |
Achieved |
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| Establish a mutual savings and loan network, providing a central office and setting up 12 regional mutual savings and loan offices and 85 village funds. Finance the cost of setting up the network (vehicles, computer, furniture and other office equipment) and training network staff; fund the first two years’ operations and provide rediscount funds (if and when the MTR confirmed that the project had got off to a sound start), making it possible to increase the lending/savings ratio. |
Due to civil unrest, the mutual savings and credit scheme was not implemented, and thus the targets were not met. |
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| It is generally acknowledged that the Central African Republic has an abundance of grazing resources and that there is potential to expand livestock activity. Nevertheless, there is a need to introduce appropriate range management practices and techniques before existing degradation becomes difficult to reverse. Many of the rangelands near potential markets, such as those adjacent to the border with Cameroon, are currently overgrazed. This demonstrates that, despite the reported abundance of land, there is beginning to be a shortage of the land preferred by herders. Many of the herders know of techniques to prevent rangeland deterioration. However, they are reportedly reluctant to implement them because of the time that would be involved, the insecurity they feel about the land and their fear that no benefits would accrue to them or their descendants. The ZAGROPs were to have covered areas of about 40 000 ha where the herders would have had exclusive land rights, and their creation would have provided herders with the opportunity to implement improved rangeland management techniques for their own benefit. The lands were to have been managed by committees made up of representatives of different herder families. At least one ZAGROP was established under the earlier National Livestock Project (186). However, it appears that there had been no adequate consultation among the users of the areas, farmers and hunters, which led to tension among the different groups. |
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| Planned |
Achieved |
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| Encourage the Government to set up 19 ZAGROPs of 40 000 ha each by the end of the project. Assist the Ministry of Rural Development to develop extension and training packages and strengthen its capacity to carry out research and pastoral settlement. |
No new ZAGROPs were established during the course of the project, which only managed to identify priority sites for three new ZAGROPs in the eastern part of the country. From the reports available, it is not clear whether or not assistance was provided to the Ministry of Rural Development. |
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- Herder associations were formed and accepted by the herders. However, they proved too weak to help the herders when cattle prices declined drastically due to the economic downturn experienced in the region.
- FNEC is not politically independent due to continued interference in its management (mostly with regard to the selection of its Secretary-General).
- During project implementation, problems of communication arose between IDA and IFAD. At times, IFAD felt that IDA was not keeping it informed of implementation issues.
- There is no mention of an M&E system in the appraisal report, MTR or supervision reports. This leaves one to suppose that either there was no such system, or, if it existed, that it functioned inadequately.
- Other factors that had a negative effect on the project were the lack of counterpart funds, the quality of the accounts and apparent mismanagement of funds on the part of ANDE and FNEC.
