Sudan: Western Savannah Project

Objectives

The project aimed at raising the living standards of a rapidly increasing population while arresting land degradation resulting from an influx of refugees from the drought-stricken northern regions.

Activities

The project intended to:

increase small farmers' incomes through increased production of grains and pulses by providing farm inputs and water supplies;
extend technology identified under the first phase of the project or to be developed under the second phase;
increase livestock output by creating an effective veterinary service;
conserve range and develop pasture;
adopt farming systems to arrest ongoing soil and range degradation; and
introduce a system of land tenure.

Outcome

Following a difficult start, the objectives and focus of the project were revised in 1988 when it essentially abandoned the aim of introducing fixed land tenure. The earlier objectives of building settlements were frozen and priority was given to the generation and extension of new technology to benefit the majority of farmers.

The project achieved important results in the field of animal health.

Access to inputs and infrastructure

Planned

Achieved

Continue the track improvement programme, constructing 24 Irish bridges, six culverts and 37 km of raised earth embankments.

Build 15 new water yards at new sites on the settlement programme; rehabilitate an additional 54 water yards; and assist in the establishment of a comprehensive ongoing maintenance system for the 224 water yards in the project area.

The project fell short of most of its targets in the track improvement programme, constructing 14 Irish bridges, 12 culverts and only 6 km of raised earth embankments.

The project achieved most of its physical objectives in terms of water development. It rehabilitated 54 water yards, as envisaged at appraisal, but was only able to build six new yards. The maintenance programme target was not attained, and the overall condition of the water yards in the area deteriorated during project implementation, as shown by the decline in annual output. The project also erected or replaced 30 new water tanks.

Range management

The poor condition of the rangeland is the result of communally owned grazing, privately owned livestock and owners competing for the available grazing. Under these circumstances, the communal responsibility for preserving a balance between the supply and demand for rangeland is lost.

Planned

Achieved

Improve range and pasture by:

identification of suitable fodder and forage species for introduction to different agro-ecological zones;
establishment of grasses, legumes and browse species in communal areas of the project settlement;
introduction of improved grasses and legumes into the fallow sequence of crop rotation;
improvement of the species composition in rotationally grazed enclosures used in controlled grazing schemes;
establishment of a capacity for the production of seed for forage and fodder species; and
reintroduction of the traditional communal construction of firebreaks.

Rehabilitate forestry and rangeland by encouraging farmers and farming communities to plant trees and shrubs in community-owned woodlots around homesteads and on farm and field boundaries. Initial forestry efforts were to be concentrated in the water yards/settlements where it was planned that extension would operate. The Forestry Department was to be responsible for establishing a small nursery at each settlement or water yard community.

Establish drought-tolerant species of browse shrubs, trees and grasses in areas generally not subject to heavy grazing or where local communities have agreed to restrict and control grazing.

The range and pasture improvement programme succeeded in establishing a capacity for forage seed production. It also identified a number of potential forage strategies, including community managed enclosures, fallow improvement and fodder banks, together with suitable forage species. However, much time was lost; testing was limited to very few sites; and adoption was still embryonic by the end of the project.

No information is available on the rehabilitation of forestry and rangeland.

The establishment of drought-tolerant species was only attempted during the first two years of the project.

Animal health

Planned		Achieved
Improve the capacity of the veterinary services to effectively control major epidemic diseases through provision of a drug revolving fund.		With project support, the veterinary services maintained their vaccination coverage on an animal population that increased by 50% during project implementation. The level of immunization against the main cattle diseases (Rinderpest and CBPP) increased from 55-60% to 70% over the same period, apparently due to an improved outreach programme. The project also built and equipped a diagnostic laboratory and installed a vaccine production capacity that started operations in 1993/94. By the end of the project, there were 15 private practices involved in selling drugs and services.

Lessons learned

A complex project needs clear objectives, an explicit strategy and close supervision in the early stages. In any integrated area development project, too many components, implementing agencies and financiers may hinder coordination and focus.

Careful planning of water development, rather than settlements, was probably the most feasible strategy to improve land use at the regional level. However, it should have been recognized that this environmental objective was not compatible with full cost recovery, which scared people back to the over-populated areas where water was freely available. Moreover, an area project was not the right instrument to address problems of a national scope, such as the reform of water policies and institutions.
Expatriate staff without local senior counterparts were entrusted with many project implementation tasks, creating a risk that there would be no senior Sudanese staff to continue activities at the end of the project. In such circumstances, housing and training incentives may be necessary to attract suitably qualified national staff. A professionally organized recruitment of staff, uniform terms and conditions of employment, and clearly defined responsibilities help to minimize friction among employees.
Project performance is dependent upon the efficiency and service capability of the cooperating institutions. Therefore, the effectiveness and coordination of their management and information flow is crucial to project success.
Extensive research to identify any area's rangeland management needs, constraints and possibilities is advisable before range improvement activities begin.

Project information

Total project cost: USD 43.6 million, Livestock cost (as percentage of total): 23%

Beneficiaries: The beneficiaries comprised the rural population of South Darfur (approximately 50 000 households or 350 000 individuals). The average per capita income of the project area population was estimated at USD 56, far below the national average of USD 400.

Project area: The project area encompassed the entire province of South Darfur with its estimated population of 1.18 million (1983 Census), including about 200 000 nomads. The cattle population of the area was estimated at about 3 million head.