The
overall objective of the project is to improve the incomes and living
conditions of the small producers and fishermen in the semi-arid zone
of the States of Falcon and Lara, while promoting rational management
of national resources. Specific objectives are to:
- improve water collection and storage;
- develop a suitable technology for watershed management, and provide training and incentives to farmers for improved management of natural resources;
- strengthen the institutional capacity to provide services such as training, extension and credit assistance to producers’ groups, and promote the establishment of financial services in the area;
- develop intensive production of irrigated crops and improve the productivity of rainfed agriculture and goat-raising activities through training and extension, validation and transfer of technology and support for produce marketing;
- strengthen grass-roots organizations and promote farmer participation;
- strengthen the productive role of women and women’s enterprises, in particular goat cheese-making; and
- provide credit and training to artisanal fishermen.
Activities
The major project components are as follows:
- soil and water management;
- production support activities; and
- credit.
Outcome
High population dispersion and poor communications hindered the project target of reaching 5 185 families. Almost 90% of the planned beneficiaries had been reached by November 1999 but it was decided that the entire beneficiary population would be included when the project was extended.
The achievement of project objectives was limited by delays in counterpart funding and in contracting, which resulted in the achievement of only 50% of the planned project activities. Project administration was hampered in October 1999 when protesting employees blocked access to the project office for three months. The project was reformulated the same year, and extended for three years in order to achieve the planned objectives and disburse the remaining funds.
Access to inputs and infrastructure
| There are virtually no government institutions or NGOs in the project area that deal with production. In some areas, the Institute of Agricultural and Livestock Credit (ICAP), the National Agrarian Institute (IAN) and the National Institute for Agricultural Training (INAGRO) have carried out substantial work in providing loans, titling and training and in agricultural research, but generally work is fairly marginal and there is no organized extension service. However, seasonal courses where participants learn a given technological package are provided by INAGRO on demand. | ||
| Planned | Achieved | |
| Fund credit to about 2 800 producers
through ICAP. For individuals, eligible investment costs excluding
family labour would be financed by a loan of up to USD 3 000.
Working capital would be financed to a limit of USD 1 500.
For artisanal fishermen's associations, the credit limit is fixed
at USD 24 000.
Improve water resources by the construction of about 350 farm cisterns of 12 m³ capacity, equipped with collectors to channel rainwater; 150 watering ponds to provide water for goats; 220 irrigation ponds; 20 wells of 40m depth and 170 wells of 8-10m depth. Additional activities were to include a hydrological survey and experimental watershed management over a total of 400 ha. Within a fenced area, efforts were to be made to establish vegetative cover useful for erosion control and forage and to create living livestock-proof borders. |
The credit component was executed by
the Revolving Fund for Farming Activities (FRAC) instead of ICAP.
FRAC provided approximately 400 loans to more than 600 families
in the project area. From 1997 on, government institutions administered
the project credit component.
Fifty-nine per cent of the planned farm cisterns were completed and about 15 million litres of water for human consumption were collected and stored, benefiting 5,830 persons. All of the irrigation ponds were completed, and 3.2 million litres of water were collected and used for irrigation purposes on 670 ha of agricultural land. Eighty per cent of the watering facilities for goats were built and approximately 160 000 goats had access to water. All of the experimental watershed management activities were accomplished. Producer associations were created to maintain and manage the watering ponds and cisterns. |
|
| There are two types of organizations in the project area. Among the traditional forms of organization that operate at the community level and meet daily community needs, the neighbours' association is the most widespread. Formal organizations include cooperatives, producers’ associations and farmers’ unions. The most active is the "Cooperativa Constancia y Esperanza de Pedegral", founded in 1968. It is well managed and provides services including savings and credit, sales of goods and intermediary support for handicrafts activities. Some goat producers belong to the Association of Goat Producers, which has not yet managed to become an effective pressure group in the area. |
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| Planned |
Achieved |
|
| Train staff, farmers and fishermen (with a specific training line for women only, including topics such as goat cheese production, to support their participation in the project). |
As of 1998, 75 training sessions for project beneficiaries had been carried out, with 1 030 individuals and 760 families participating. Ninety per cent of the training sessions were dedicated to vegetable and goat production. Problems included the formality and inflexibility of training, and the absence of follow-up and supervision at the individual level. |
|
| Local
markets play an important role in the purchase of production
inputs and sale of farm produce. Goat owners, small producers
and artisanal fishermen frequently have arrangements with buyers
or truckers who deliver inputs and collect produce. Both Coro
and Barsiquisimeto have well-established wholesale markets,
where inputs are readily available and practically all farm
produce can be sold. |
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| Planned
|
Achieved
|
|
| Fund 50 cheese making
microenterprises, benefiting 300 women.
Provide credit and TA to improve and increase goat cheese production and marketing; and stimulate pig production by using goat milk by-products as base feeding. Establish marketing teams to study marketing channels, collect and disseminate market information and work with communities and groups of producers on improving the marketing strategies for local products. Design and execute specific training activities (50 courses in all). |
No information is
currently available on the implementation of these components. |
|
| Goat production is the
most widespread activity in the project area. The main goat husbandry
system involves free range extensive grazing, with the animals
feeding almost exclusively on native species. Grazing is practised
on communal land, with a mixture of different flocks. The three
main production systems are goats, goats/rainfed crops and goats/irrigated
vegetables.
The inadequate nutritional status of the flocks, the lack of even elementary management and health care standards and the low genetic potential of the animals all lead to low productivity. Under present conditions, the mortality rate among young animals is high (30% and more), the milking period is very short (90-120 days) and milk production is very low (150-200 grams per day). The animals are small and their adult weight is 30-35kg. As a result, production levels are quite low, and only those farmers who have more than 300 goats are able to earn satisfactory incomes. Less than 5% of the population have title to their land. In the overwhelming majority of cases, land holding status is undefined. Rural families cultivate small plots, mainly for subsistence, but their goats graze over vast areas of unfenced public lands. Such families may ‘occupy’ less than 5 ha but ‘use’ several hundred. |
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| Planned | Achieved | |
| Establish 100 farm validation trials
throughout the project area during the first three years of the
project with a view to testing the best technology. Results are
to be disseminated through continuing farm demonstrations involving
farmers' groups. An extensive programme of over 300 field days
will provide the opportunity for interaction between producers,
project field staff and researchers. These activities should reach
about 5 200 producers per year.
Regularize the land tenure situation of over 3 500 small farmers (1.23 million ha). |
Among other agricultural training activities,
four organizational units were established so as to enhance technology
transfer to goat producers. In some areas of the project, forage
packages (e.g. Buffel grass, Star grass, Leucaena) have
been established successfully. Yields have been acceptable, resulting
in the possibility of preserving forages as silage or hay in order
to supply goatherds during the dry season. Goat manure has been
used in the regeneration of vegetative cover in eroded areas.
The forage potential of Leucaena in semi-arid environments
was evaluated in collaboration with the National Fund for Agricultural
Research (FONAIAP). Additional activities included a seminar on
dairy products and goat producers, goat
farming management demonstrations
and research and extension related
to animal health and nutrition. No information regarding the land tenure component is currently available. |
|
| Planned |
Achieved |
|
| Improve goat-raising productivity through training and extension, validation and technology transfer. |
Some research and extension activities were carried out on the influence of mineral salts on goat production and of different feeding diets on goat weight, and on the establishment of a protein bank and forage silage techniques. |
| FONAIAP has prepared technical packages for almost all the crops cultivated in the project area. It has also completed a research-demonstration project on developing appropriate technologies for goat production. Some state veterinary services are available to goat owners. |
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| Planned |
Achieved |
|
| Improve goat-raising productivity through training and extension, validation and technology transfer. |
Some research and extension activities were carried out on the control of internal parasites using plants such as Pasote (Chenopodium Ambrosioides) and Neem (Azadirachta Indica), and on the causes of abortion (mainly malnutrition, poor management and toxic plants). |
|
Lessons learned
- Flexible project management made innovations possible in response to the realities of the situation in rural communities.
- Modification of the participatory evaluation mechanism might lead to a better balance between the problems encountered during project implementation and actual results achieved.
