Issue 40: December 2011 - Results from grant-funded programmes in Indonesia, Pakistan and Sri Lanka

In this issue

Every year at IFAD, the Asia and the Pacific Division and the Communications Division join hands to highlight the achievements of a few individual country programmes. This year we chose Indonesia, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Why these countries this year?

While doing a lot of interesting development work and delivering results, these countries have not received much coverage for various reasons. For example, because of cultural or political factors, some countries take longer to build their networks to share knowledge  or link to existing ones. Others face language barriers that impede them from sharing knowledge and learning. Lack of effective systems for monitoring and reporting results can also prevent them from sharing evidence-based knowledge. This year, IFAD decided to support these countries in sharing their development work in various ways.

In Indonesia, IFAD has been collecting success stories, packaging information, and preparing a knowledge management and communication strategy. Recently, it also introduced the Cisco flip cam project through which six projects with best ideas (two loan- and four grant- funded) received cameras to document their project experiences. All these communication initiatives aim to help the country team to: better facilitate knowledge sharing; produce and use knowledge projects to improve project performance and influence development policies; better engage with stakeholders and partners; and enhance the visibility of IFAD-supported interventions in the country.

In Sri Lanka and Pakistan, IFAD produced documentaries titled ‘After the tsunami’ and ‘Changing attitudes’. The Sri Lanka documentary covers the stories of rural people seven years after their lives were affected by the Indian Ocean Tsunami. IFAD is helping them move into permanent new homes.

In northern Pakistan, IFAD covered the stories of people from the remote Diamer District, an area that has always been conservative, religious and suspicious of outsiders. Literacy rates stood at only 9 per cent, women couldn't earn their own incomes and people were open to extremist ideas. Now this has changed with the support of IFAD. Diamer people are more educated, they earn higher incomes and are more resistant to extremist ideologies. The videos have been picked up by the European Broadcast Union and the Associated Press Television News to be shown around the world.

To end 2011, this newsletter presents some interesting results from grant-supported activities in the three countries.

Chandra Irawadi Wijaya and Beria Leimona from the World Agroforestry Centre provide two case studies from Indonesia. One describes the action research called ‘River Care’ to conserve a watershed and reduce poverty in Lampung Province. The second one explains the centre’s work to improve rubber quality and marketing skills of smallholders to help conserve the environment.

B. H. Premathilake from Sri Lanka shares IFAD’s work with the Global Environmental Facility to conserve and manage coastal ecosystems in his country to generate benefits for both communities and the environment.

Abdul Karim provides results of a grant project that supports the establishment and strengthening of institutions in Diamer District of Pakistan. Through this support, the institutions are expected to provide sustainable development services to local communities. Another example from Pakistan comes from Frank van Steenbergen, who shares some interesting results from a grant promoting spate irrigation.

Lani Eugenia from the Indonesian Farmer and Fisher Society Organization shares highlights of the activities implemented by the Medium-Term Cooperation Programme in helping farmers organizations to better engage in IFAD’s country programme and policy dialogue.

There is an enormous need for knowledge sharing, learning and communication efforts in Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Pakistan. There are also significant opportunities for improvement. Watch this newsletters for future updates.

Martina Spisiakova, Newsletter Coordinator, Asia and the Pacific Division

Watch the IFAD documentaries here:

The River Care programme in Indonesia brings hydropower to poor farmers

   
 

Mini reservoir for controlling water flow to generate turbines (Photo: Chandra Irawadi Wijaya)

 

The World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF) conducted action research in Indonesia through the Rewarding Upland Poor for Environmental Services (RUPES) project. The research analysed the role of a ‘rewards for environmental services’ (RES) scheme in bridging conservation needs and poverty reduction in a watershed. The action research, called River Care, was carried out in Way Besai watershed in Lampung province. The programme complied with the four principles of RES: realistic, voluntary, conditional and pro-poor.

Creating a mutually beneficial link

The River Care programme helped build direct, voluntary links between coffee farmers in Buluh Kapur village and a national electrical power company, Perusahaan Listrik Negara (Persero) Sektor Bandar Lampung (PT PLN-SBDL). To receive rewards from the company, the farmers were required to conduct year-long conservation activities to reduce sediment concentrations in the Way Besai River.
PT PLN-SBDL expected the amount of sediment flowing into their hydropower dam to decrease as a result of the farmers’ conservation activities so that the costs of dredging the dam and cleaning the turbines would be reduced. The sediment has been a priority issue for years.
At the end of the year’s work, the company rewarded the farmers with a micro-hydropower unit for their efforts in reducing sedimentation in the river. Everyone involved in the initiative agreed that the amount of sedimentation reduced was a realistic indicator of the River Care programme’s success.

Appreciation gains the upper hand

ICRAF was the intermediary of the programme, supported by a local community-based organization, Forum Komunikasi Kelompok Tani-Hutan Kemasyarakatan (FKKT-HKm) Lampung Barat. The two organizations held several meetings with farmers and the electricity company to negotiate the amount of sediment concentration that should be reduced and the amount and types of rewards for the farmers.

The negotiations resulted in the company agreeing to pay farmers a total of IDR 20 million (about USD 2,000) to build a micro-hydropower system for their village if the sediment concentration in the river was reduced by 30 per cent from the baseline.

The final result of the programme showed that the farmers were able to implement 86 per cent of the overall conservation activities. However, analysis of sediment concentration in the river showed that the reduction of sediment concentration was only 20 per cent. Technically, the farmers did not reach the level that would trigger the reward of a micro-hydropower unit. This situation was quite disappointing, not only to the farmers, who had hoped to bring electricity to their village, but also to ICRAF and the company, both of which had supported the farmers to achieve the goal.

However, considering the spirit of the agreement and the achievement of the farmers in reducing sedimentation in the river, the company decided to reward the farmers with the unit nonetheless. The way that PT PLN-SBDL viewed the programme and appreciated the efforts of the farmers had a good impact on community involvement in conserving the environment. A story with a happy ending!

This story highlights that there was a shifting paradigm, specifically from “commoditized” or market-based environmental services (water quality) to “co-investment in landscape stewardship” – that is, a joint effort in conserving watershed sustainability. Co-investment in implementing RES schemes supports active participation from all stakeholders, who are more likely to consider efficiency and equality, take time to build stakeholders’ confidence, and prioritize transparency and collaboration in sustainable watershed management.

Spreading success

   
 

Micro-hydropower installment in Buluh Kapur village (Photo: Rachman Pasha)

  

When the ICRAF team visited Buluh Kapur village to conduct post-programme site monitoring, Mr Darsono, the head of the local farmers’ group, expressed his gratitude to the River Care programme, which had literally electrified his village and opened up new opportunities for their lives.
Mr Eddy Purwanto, programme manager of FKKT-HKm, said, “The River Care programme is a pro-poor programme. Our community needs this, not like other programmes that are results-based and don’t consider how the process is done. FKKT-HKm will always support any programme like River Care.”    

The River Care programme is currently being replicated in Talang Anyar village, which also involved PT PLN-SBDL. In this second phase, FKKT-HKm will replace ICRAF’s role as intermediary in facilitating all stakeholders involved in the programme, and ICRAF will focus on designing and monitoring the programme. The new phase will also involve a university taking over ICRAF’s role in analysing sediment concentration and monitoring the watershed. By encouraging local stakeholders to share roles and responsibilities among themselves, we expect that the second phase of the River Care programme will lead to even further expansion and hence to better conservation of precious water resources and improved lives of poor farmers.   

For more information about the programme, please contact Rachman Pasha, RUPES Indonesia Site Coordinator World Agroforestry Centre Southeast Asia Regional Programme, Bogor, West Java, Indonesia, and Eddy Purwanto, Programme Manager, Forum Komunikasi Kelompok Tani HKm (FKKT-HKm), Lampung Barat.

Chandra Irawadi Wijaya, RUPES Project Officer, and Robert Frederick Finlayson, Research Communications Specialist

Read more:

Strengthening the resilience of coastal communities to climate change in Sri Lanka

   
 

Resilience framework developed for a coastal community

 

Strengthening coastal community resilience to climate change can be achieved only by enhancing many social, economic and environmental conditions of a community simultaneously. One project funded by the Global Environmental Facility (GEF) and IFAD  is working to conserve and manage important global coastal ecosystems so that they generate a wide range of  benefits to local communities, while promoting adaptation to climate change through various community-based initiatives.

The GEF/IFAD-funded ‘Participatory Coastal Zone Restoration and Sustainable Management in the Eastern Province of Post-Tsunami Sri Lanka’ project (2009-2015) has been designed to restore tsunami-affected coastal ecosystems in the eastern province of Sri Lanka and ensure their long existence through sustainable management. Considering the high vulnerability of eastern coast areas to natural hazards, especially those triggered by global climate change, the project also focuses on promoting community adaptation to cope with climate change impacts and building up their resilience by supporting sustainable livelihood options and implementing community disaster risk reduction measures. The project covers all three coastal districts of the eastern province – Ampara, Baticoloa and Trincomalee – which accounts for nearly one fourth of the entire 1,600 km coastline of Sri Lanka.

Project approach

   
 

Community members in tree planting campaign, Panama

 

During the design stage, the project recognized the need for a comprehensive approach to strengthen community resilience to climate change. A mix of Coastal Resource Management, Community Development and Disaster Management provided a framework for the project design so as to achieve the multiple objectives in different disciplines. In line with these objectives, it has three main components: restoration, conservation and management of tsunami-affected coastal ecosystems in the Eastern Province of Sri Lanka; promotion of community adaptation to possible climate change impacts; and enhancement of sustainable livelihood options for local communities.

Restoring, conserving and managing ecosystems

During the project period, all key coastal ecosystems affected by the Indian Ocean tsunami of 2004 – coral reefs, lagoons, mangroves and sand dunes –  are being restored and sustainably managed through the participation of local communities. The coral reef in Pigeon Island, mangroves in Vakarai and sand dunes system in Panama-Potuvil area have been selected as showcase sites to demonstrate community-based restoration and management. It is important to note that all key stakeholders are involved in the process, including from government, non-government and academic sectors.

Promoting community adaptation to climate change

The history of the Eastern Province shows that the project area is one of the most vulnerable areas for coastal hazards like flooding, high waves, tsunami and cyclones, since the area is a low-lying plain that is easily inundated.  It is anticipated that coastal hazards triggered by future climate change will be significant.

The project identifies highly vulnerable areas through a detailed analysis and has prepared a set of user-friendly maps to use in planning and community awareness. Based on the results of the analysis, a range of measures are being promoted to cope with disasters, including building awareness and providing emergency equipment (for example, generators, first-aid kits). In addition salinity-resistant crop species and farmer insurance schemes are being introduced. Bio-shields to protect against coastal hazards are being developed, and coastal ecosystems are being enhanced by restoring and rehabilitating areas that were damaged by the tsunami and other anthropogenic activities.

Enhancing livelihoods

The project is working to improve livelihoods by providing skills development training for families who want to expand their livelihood strategy or enhance their technical know-how with respect to existing enterprises. The project is also helping create links to the market for community  products. Here, a range of value-added fish-based products have been identified. A committee comprised of local community leaders and government officials selects the community members to be assisted so as to ensure that those who are most in need are part of the process. Families headed by women and other marginalized groups are given special attention. For example, in Baticoloa District, the project has provided sewing machines and equipment for making sweets to selected families headed by women so that they can launch their own livelihood activities.

Involving the community in decision making

Local community involvement with decision making on managing their environment has been strengthened by creating community coordinating committees at the divisional level. The committees are comprised of governmental and non-governmental organizations and community leaders, and are chaired by the local chief administrative officer of the area. The committees meet once a month to discuss issues relating the environment and the community. Decisions are made collectively, and the committee follows-up on the decisions to make sure that they are being implemented.   

B H J Premathilake, Project Manager, Sri Lanka

Rear more:

Sri Lanka Country Newsletter – Results from IFAD country programme

Improving the quality and marketing of rubber can help conserve environmental services: case study from Indonesia

   
 

Improving rubber quality in tapping stage: plastic container replacing coconut shell (Photo credit: Lembaga Ekolabel Indonesia)

 

The Rewards for, Use of and shared investment in Pro-poor Environmental Services (RUPES phase 2) project conducted a study in Indonesia to determine whether improving the quality and marketing of rubber latex produced by smallholder farmers could not only increase rubber prices for the benefit of farmers but also protect environmental services. The RUPES project, which is a recipient of an IFAD grant in the Asia and Pacific region, is coordinated by the World Agroforestry Centre Southeast Asia Programme. The study was conducted in collaboration with Bridgestone Corporation Japan.

Smallholder farmers in Indonesia are increasingly converting their rubber agroforestry systems to other systems such as monoculture rubber or oil palm, which has consequences for biodiversity and other environmental services as well as the diversity of their income sources.

Rubber agroforestry is a multi-strata system practised by communities in Lubuk Beringin sub-village,
Muara Bungo, Jambi province, Indonesia. These tree gardens form a secondary forest with multiple functions, known informally as ‘jungle rubber’. Economically, the gardens produce rubber latex that contributes to farmers’ income. The gardens also provide local fruits and medicines for self-consumption and sale. Ecologically, rubber agroforestry systems provide ecosystem services that benefit human wellbeing, such as watershed protection, biodiversity conservation and carbon sequestration, as defined by the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment. Such services benefit both the local communities and external beneficiaries. For example, people living downstream of the watershed receive clean water filtered by the ecosystem.

To establish an environmentally friendly rubber business, it is essential for the rubber industry to recognize the value of ‘jungle rubber’ so that farmers are encouraged to maintain this ecosystem. The RUPES project tested whether providing incentives to smallholders would encourage them to conserve their rubber agroforestry gardens and delay converting them to other uses.

The study describes the different procedures in harvesting and post-harvesting practices and the marketing channels for traditional and improved rubber production systems. It highlights the ratio of revenue and costs that are borne by the farmers and explains innovations such as collective action in production and marketing.

Study findings

The field survey showed that the most significant innovations that took place between traditional and improved rubber quality practices are during the harvest, post-harvesting and marketing of the rubber slab. Besides improved techniques in tapping the rubber, the farmers also changed some harvesting tools: (1) using small plastic pipes to flow the latex from the bark instead of branches or leaves; and (2) using plastic bowls to collect latex instead of coconut shells. During post-harvest, farmers now use special acid as latex coagulant, instead of batteries, fertilizers and floor cleaners. Farmers no longer immerse the rubber slabs in water but put them under their elevated huts to maintain the full dry content of the rubber. They also use wooden moulds to form the slabs into regular forms and treat their latex carefully to reduce spill.

Farmers who have improved the quality of their rubber have more options for selling their rubber slabs. One new option is to send the slabs directly to rubber product factories in Muara Bungo and other places in Sumatra, such as Medan. Findings from the field showed that farmers commanded higher prices when they sold their rubber slabs to the factories directly.

The results showed that improving rubber quality can increase farmers’ income from agroforestry systems when the dry rubber content of their rubber slabs is more than 70 per cent and they sell to agents who can determine the price fairly, according to the dry rubber content level. When the level is lower than 70 per cent and the price is at minimum or average levels, selling rubber to local traders, called tokes, is more profitable compared to selling to the factory.

The improved rubber-quality activities in Lubuk Beringin resulted in a new group action to collect money to transport the rubber to the factory. A farmers’ group called Agro Pores was formed for this purpose. The members of Agro Pores agreed upon a set of rules, and members who disobey the rules are expelled. This local institution has reduced transaction costs, thus enhancing farmers’ income. For example, they managed to reduce the transport cost by 15 per cent compared to other villages and can dispatch the slabs more efficiently. Above all, the formation of such groups improves the community’s skills in managing an organization and strengthens their social relationships.

Lessons learned

The improved rubber-quality activities coordinated by the RUPES project and partners strengthened local people’s knowledge and skills – practical skills to enhance their livelihoods and the ability to organize collectively – which ultimately increases the efficiency of their smallholder rubber businesses. Moreover, neighbouring villages considered these activities useful and profitable.
The potential to expand the range of activities is high. Raising awareness about the ecological importance of rubber agroforestry is continually needed in this area, since there is no formal agreement that only farmers practising rubber agroforestry can have access to innovations and sell directly to factories.

Beria Leimona, RUPES Project Coordinator, CGIAR; Robert Frederick Finlayson, Research Communications Specialist, CGIAR

Read more:

Improving rubber quality in Lubuk Beringin, Bungo district, Jambi province, Indonesia: an initial analysis of its financial and social benefits (2011) by Leimona B, Akiefnawati R, Pasha R, Suyanto,

A small grant supports remote Diamer District in Pakistan and leads to large impacts

   
 

'Valley Conferences' give a voice to communities and provide a forum for joint decision making to achieve common benefits.

 

The Gilgit-Baltistan region, formerly Northern Areas, of Pakistan is a patriarchal society with a strong tribal way of life and a heavy influence of orthodox clergy. Development has been slow due to a very conservative and closed outlook. IFAD started to work in the area in 1998 through the Northern Areas Development Project (NADP). Due to many constraints which are discussed in this article, the project was slow and difficult, especially in District Diamer. As a result, when the project ended in 2008, the Government of Pakistan requested additional support from IFAD in the form of a grant to strengthen the institutional capacity of the Diamer Poverty Alleviation Programme (DPAP).

Diamer District – a development challenge

   
 

Community members sharing experiences during an exposure visit

 

The Gilgit-Baltistan region in general, and district Diamer in particular, remained cut off from rest of the country, except for the summer months when a shingle road allowed transport in and out of the area. All the ethics and lifestyle of a typical tribal society prevailed and class stratification ran quite deep. Common people were restricted from seeking an education. As a result the literacy rate in Diamer never rose above 10 per cent; and females never above 0.02 per cent. 

While rest of the region forged ahead with the support of the Rural Support Programme implemented by the Aga Khan Foundation (1982-1994), Diamer lagged behind due to a general suspicion of all development initiatives, including government-funded schools and health facilities. Culturally, Diamer was any development practitioner’s ultimate challenge, according to IFAD’s Project Completion Review in 2009.

IFAD and the Government of Pakistan co-financed the Northern Areas Development Project (NADP) from 1998-2008 to reduce poverty through targeted interventions in Diamer District that would boost agricultural production and incomes, set up community organizations to provide technical and social services, improve the status of women by introducing culturally acceptable activities, improve the resource base through irrigation and forestry, and facilitate access to markets by constructing valley and feeder roads.

A slow and difficult start

   
 

Paving the way to create small link roads in the rugged mountains of Himalaya, Karakoram and Hindokush for access to markets

 

With a very difficult start-up and few initial achievements, NADP faced a hostile environment in Diamer District mainly for a number of choices it made that were not appropriate – for example, trying to organize women into formal groups. However, the project strategy was revised with the consultation of the clergy. For example, informal women’s groups were created under the patronage of a senior male family member, and demand-driven interventions were provided such as free medical camps for women in remote valleys where health facilities did not exist. After these revisions, the project covered a lot of ground in very short time – the most outstanding being the attitude change in a closed  tribal society and the improvements in communication and incomes due to project interventions. A great opportunity for building on this change is there for the taking.
 
Important lessons for the future

A number of important lessons were learned during the implementation of NADP:

Supporting institution-building of the Diamer Poverty Allevaition Programme

When NADP ended, the Government of Pakistan felt the need to capitalize on the lessons learned and the change that NADP started to bring to the lives of Diamer’s people. It requested IFAD to provide additional support in Diamer District in the form of a grant. With the objective of strengthening  the Diamer Poverty Alleviation Programme (DPAP) – a pro-poor institution in Pakistan – and supporting other participatory development institutions such as local support organizations for providing sustainable services in District Diamer, IFAD provided a US$200,000 grant to the Government of Pakistan through the ‘Support for Institution-Building of the Diamer Poverty Alleviation Programme’ (2010-2014).

The project aimed to support DPAP by:

Linking with other UN agencies to expand support

In 2010, DPAP provided support in the post-flood recovery and rehabilitation activities of the government and international agencies. The first intervention in Diamer was the Emergency Relief Operation in collaboration with the World Food Programme (WFP). Under this project, WFP provided food assistance to the flood-affected population. Through DPAP, IFAD supported this activity in Diamer, playing a vital role in planning, execution and monitoring. Between September 2010 and February 2011, DPAP distributed approximately 1,000 metric tons of food items to 13,000 families in the most difficult and remote valleys.

After the successful completion of the project, WFP started up a rehabilitation phase, Food for Work (FFW), as part of its Early Recovery Project (March-August 2011). DPAP signed a memorandum of understanding with WFP and thus entered into the project. Through the FFW schemes, 1,389 metric tons of food were distributed among 17,000 families. In addition, almost 1,700 other schemes (for example water channels, protective walls, foot bridges and pony treks) were rehabilitated.

The memorandum of understanding was renewed for the execution of another project to construct 750 permanent shelters for affected families. DPAP also helped the NGO ‘Shining Light’ to set up 500 transitional shelters. The planning, design and construction procedures – most notably the use of local materials for 95 per cent of the construction – were formulated by DPAP.

In June 2011, when most of the projects were completed, UNICEF implemented a water, environment and sanitation project in which water supply and sanitations schemes will be rehabilitated. DPAP is executing both components and has also established the electronic accounting system and trained the project staff in accounting systems from the grant provided by IFAD.

A change in attitude makes the difference

Through its interventions in Diamer District since 1998, including the recent grant-funded project, IFAD has significantly contributed to the attitude change, particularly in the Darel and Tangir Valleys. After the initial misunderstandings and resistance mainly due to cultural and religious factors, beneficiary communities became quite vocal in demanding that the project continue. This is due to the impact that the project had on the communities. For example:

To conclude, a small grant support by IFAD triggered a series of interventions that have gone a long way in alleviating poverty in a remote region of the country.

Abdul Karim, Implementation Support and M&E Specialist, IFAD Pakistan Country Office

Read more:

Working with farmer organizations in Indonesia

   
 

Farmer Organizations at the National Farmers Forum

  

The Medium-term Cooperation Programme (2010-2012) in Indonesia is an IFAD-funded grant pilot programme implemented in cooperation with the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and farmer organizations (FOs) in Indonesia. The programme seeks to improve the livelihoods of rural producers, and to enable their organizations and networks to influence policies that affect them.

The Medium-term Cooperation Programme aims to achieve the following objectives:

During the first period, between July 2010 and March 2011, the programme conducted the following activities:

Within this second period, between June 2011 and March 2012 (ongoing), the programme is continuing with some strategic activities, including: holding the second National Farmers Forum Consultation; conducting national policy dialogue workshops; and strengthening FO management skills. FOs will also be involved in a variety of IFAD country programme activities, including review meetings of the Country Strategic Opportunities Programme (COSOP) and other strategic meetings and discussions, as well as project activities,

FOs decided to elect a different National Implementing Agent for each period of the programme to uphold a spirit of democracy and equality in leading coordination. For the first period, the Indonesian Peasant Union was the agent; the second period will be led by the Indonesian Farmer and Fisher Society Organization; and the third and final period will be led by the Indonesian Peasant Alliance.

Certain issues come to the light

During the programme, a number of issues have emerged related to the current situation of FOs in Indonesia.

Building organizations and networks

Many Indonesian farmers and their families in remote, rural and district areas live in poor conditions. More than half of the poor people in Indonesia are smallholder and small family farmers. They need to strengthen their collective voice, enhance their socio-economic level, and gain a better position in the agriculture development process and its leadership by being organized in groups and networking with higher-level national FOs.

On their part, national FOs should have the capacity to represent farmers in terms of influencing policy. They should also provide agricultural and rural advisory services to their members. Therefore, these FOs need to be strengthened by being linked with regional, inter-regional and international/global networks.

Capacity development

FOs in Indonesia are becoming important actors in influencing policy formulation. They also have the potential to provide agriculture advisory services (extension) to their farmer members/networks in the future. Since they play an important role in agricultural development, farmers and their organizations need to develop their capacity in communication. They also need to undertake a number of important strategic activities such as organizing a permanent National Farmers Forum, holding workshops to analyse the results of various studies in order to help formulate policy and programme proposals, and providing advisory services on a demand-driven and participatory basis.

Involvement in policy processes

Farmers in Indonesia are sometimes affected by contradictory agriculture policies, which are created to satisfy different interests. FOs have a vital role to play in the efforts to improve development processes. Coalitions between FOs and policy makers need to be created for strategic planning at every level in order to ensure that appropriate policies are developed and implemented.

Programme achievements to date

The second National Farmers Forum, which took place on 10-11 August 2011, succeeded in promoting FOs in different ways. It brought together 11 national FOs in the participatory consultation process, to discuss the food  crisis and poverty reduction along the lines of the Platform of Food Sovereignty, which is driven by four elements: production tools and approaches; markets and distribution; farmers’ institutional and human resources; and agricultural and agrarian reform policy. The forum gained the attention of Indonesia’s Minister of Agriculture and the Head Commission of the House of Representatives, which engaged in compelling dialogue with the FOs, along with other Government agencies such as the Ministry of Economic Affairs, the National Logistics Bureau, and other forum stakeholders. The Minister of Agriculture and Head Commission of the House of Representatives committed to respond to some of crucial issues addressed that the forum addressed and to follow up in the next National Policy Dialogue processes.

The involvement of FOs in the IFAD Country Programme has also been improving. For the first time ever, a consultation between FOs and IFAD took place in Jakarta on 11 August 2011. It was an excellent opportunity to deepen collaboration with IFAD. As a result, on 15 November 2011 FOs were involved in the review meeting of Indonesia’s COSOP.

Challenges ahead

The upcoming National Policy Workshop and Dialogue is expected to address revisions/ improvements in some key agricultural policy issues – for example, the supportive policies related to production (such as agricultural and agrarian reform policy), market and distribution (such as rice pricing, trade policy), and farmers’ institutional and agriculture human resource (such as agriculture extension policy/rural advisory services and the empowerment of young farmers).

In order to respond to farmers’ learning demands and the needs assessment processes that were undertaken in the previous forums, future capacity building will focus on FOs’ management skills, value chains through farmers’ cooperatives and agro-ecological seed processes.

Lani Eugenia, Executive Secretary of the Indonesian Farmer and Fisher Society Organization and Chairperson of the IFAD-MTCP National Implementing Committee 2011

Occasional papers – Issue 12: Policy responses to the food price crisis and their implications

The case of four Greater Mekong Subregion countries

Although food prices have been increasing globally since 2000, they increased at a faster rate from 2006 to 2007/08, when prices of major cereals surged rapidly. The countries of Asia and the Pacific also experienced these price spikes. Surges were due to a combination of both short-term factors (such as droughts, trade restrictions, and speculation and hoarding) and long-term ones (such as declining productivity, inadequate investment in infrastructure and linkages with other commodity markets, such as those for energy). In the region, prices of rice have been more volatile than those of wheat, because there are fewer rice exporting countries and less international trade in rice. Moreover, heavier regulation and protection in rice markets, compared with those for wheat, have favoured the price rise for rice.

This study of four countries in the Greater Mekong Subregion (Cambodia, the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Thailand and Viet Nam) offers a rich and insightful analysis of the effects of the food price crisis on food producers, consumers and wage labourers, primarily regarding rice. More specifically, it discusses the impact of various policy measures adopted by the governments of these countries for domestic and international pricing; food production, particularly by smallholders; and nutritional and poverty levels. It confirms the negative impact in these countries of rising food prices on poor people’s food intake and nutrition. However, it also highlights the benefits of rising food prices for households that depend on market agriculture, particularly in net food-exporting countries such as Thailand.

The study offers a number of valuable lessons and policy recommendations for the formulation of appropriate policy responses to address similar crises that may occur in the future. We hope the findings will be useful to policy makers, development practitioners, academics and civil society.

The paper was written by Mercedita A. Sombilla, Research and Development Department
Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture; Arsenio M. Balisacan School of Economics University of the Philippines Diliman; Donato B. Antiporta, Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture; and Rowell C. Dikitanan, Research and Development Department, Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture.

Occasional papers are a series of studies on emerging thematic issues in the Asia and the Pacific Region published by IFAD. The papers contribute to IFAD’s efforts to share the knowledge and experience emerging from its activities and those of its partners in the region.
For more information, please contact Valentina Camaleonte, Asia and the Pacific Division, IFAD.

Occasional papers – Issue 13: Women’s empowerment and microfinance

An Asian perspective study

There is a general consensus that access to financial services is important if poor people are to raise productivity, create assets, generate income and achieve food security. Microfinance involves small-scale credit, savings and insurance to meet the needs of poor producers. Microfinance programmes also provide skill-based training to enhance productivity and organizational support and consciousness-building to empower poor people. It has become an important approach for poverty reduction in many parts of the world, including the Asia and the Pacific region. About 20 per cent of IFAD’s overall portfolio of loans and grants is focused on rural financial services.

Several studies show that access to microfinance contributes to poverty reduction, particularly for women participants, and to overall poverty reduction at the village level. It also contributes to women’s empowerment, including higher levels of mobility, political participation and decision-making.

It is generally agreed that microfinance institutions (MFIs) have the potential to empower women in rural areas through microcredit and related financial services. However, they also face a number of challenges in meeting this objective. This study argues for a more-sophisticated and nuanced analysis of culture for a deeper understanding of the relationship between MFIs and women’s empowerment. Based on a survey of various studies and analytical review, the study identifies key areas that can help IFAD and other development partners enhance the effectiveness of microfinance as an anti-poverty intervention. We hope that the findings of this study will be useful to policymakers, development practitioners, academics and civil society.

The paper was written by Vani S. Kulkami, Department of Sociology, Yale University

Occasional papers are a series of studies on emerging thematic issues in the Asia and the Pacific Region published by IFAD. The papers contribute to IFAD’s efforts to share the knowledge and experience emerging from its activities and those of its partners in the region.

For more information, please contact Valentina Camaleonte, Asia and the Pacific Division, IFAD.

Supporting the ‘Big Unknown’: Spate irrigation in Pakistan

   
 

Desert truffles, which fetch very high prices and are found in many areas of the country

  

Spate irrigation in Pakistan has excellent potential to contribute to poverty alleviation and rural growth but is also largely unknown and not well understood. It is practiced in the area west of the Indus in all four provinces of Pakistan. The Pakistan Spate Irrigation Network, funded by an IFAD grant, aims to promote improvements in spate irrigation, capitalizing on good practices developed in various parts of Pakistan and other countries.

Spate irrigation is called nai in Sindh, sailaba in Balochistan and rod kohi in Khyber Pakhtoonkwa and Punjab. In the system, water from flash floods is diverted to irrigate land and fill drinking water ponds, water rangelands and forest ranges. Traditionally water is diverted from open channels close to the foothills or (further down in the plains) with the help of earthen diversion bunds built across the dry river beds.
 
These structures are usually built in such a way that they wash out when there are very high floods.  This acts as a safety net – and prevents potentially destructive very high floods from destroying the land. However, smaller-sized floods, which are easier to manage, are diverted to the land. Once diverted, the flood water is spread and guided gently over sometimes very long distances. Spate irrigation is often practiced ahead of the planting season. It depends on when the floods come. Hence soil moisture conservation is very important as there is a time-lag between the timing of watering and seeding. Another special feature of spate irrigation is the management of sediment. As the sediment carried by spate flows may be as high as 10 per cent, spate irrigation is as much about managing water as it is about managing sedimentation.

The current spate-irrigated area in Pakistan is estimated at 0.34 million hectares dry years and 1.28 million hectares in wet years, and a maximum developed command area of 2.02 million hectares. The area is substantial – representing up to 10 per cent of the country’s irrigated land –  but there are opportunities to expand – for the cultivation of crops such as oilseeds and pulses. Moreover, where the groundwater in these spate-irrigated areas can be used at the same time, high-value horticulture is possible.

   
 

Earthen bunds, which are sometimes several kilometres long and 20-30 metres high

 

Developing spate irrigation will improve national food security as well as livelihoods in some of the poorest and most unsettled areas in the country. Although spate irrigation is practiced in up to 10 per cent of the country’s irrigated areas, and has been for centuries, this technique is largely unknown – in policy and in education.

The Pakistan Spate Irrigation Network (PSpN) – part of the international spate irrigation network – aims to turns this around and promote on-the-ground improvements in spate irrigation by drawing from good practices developed in other parts of Pakistan and in other countries. It will also work on introducing spate irrigation in education and in policy. The network has received funding under the IFAD grant ‘Spate Irrigation for Rural Growth and Poverty Alleviation’, which is administered by UNESCO-Institute for Water Education and MetaMeta (a private development research company). The grant also covers Ethiopia, Sudan and Yemen. Grant activities in Pakistan began in 2011 are also expected to be supported by a World Bank grant in early 2012.

The PSpN is jointly run by Strengthening Participatory Organizations and the Pakistan Agricultural Research Council. Both organizations have field offices in spate-irrigated areas and also have a tradition of working with other organizations. At present the Network is identifying focal persons in each of the Provinces.

In 2011 the PSpN undertook the following activities:

In 2012, the network will focus on the field level – encouraging local innovations and improvements with farmers  groups as well as catalysing main activities with other organizations.

Karim Nawaz, Frank van Steenbergen, MetaMeta, Spate Irrigation Network and Rudolph Cleveringa, Technical Adviser, IFAD

Read more:

Spate irrigation

Events and missions

IFAD Executive Board – 12-14 December 2011, IFAD Headquarters, Rome

The Board approved the following projects and programmes in Asia and the Pacific:

Farmers’ Forum – 18 February 2011, IFAD Headquarters, Rome

IFAD Governing Council – 22-23 February 2011, IFAD Headquarters, Rome

Afghanistan

Bangladesh

Cambodia

Review workshop of the Country Strategy Opportunity Programme (COSOP), 19-20 December 2011

India

Indonesia

Lao People’s Democratic Republic

Maldives

Supervision and implementation support mission – Fisheries and Agricultural Diversification Project, 20 November 2011

Mongolia

Start-up mission and workshop – Project for Market and Pasture Management Development, 1-11 November 2011

Nepal

Pakistan

Staff appointments 

Dear Colleagues,
We would like to inform you that on 1 November 2011, Mr Thomas Elhaut was appointed as the new Director of the Statistics and Studies for Development in the Strategy and Knowledge Management Department of IFAD. He is therefore no longer the Director of the Asia and the Pacific Division.

We are confident that you will join us in recognizing the excellent leadership of Mr Elhaut during his mandate as Director in the Asia and the Pacific Division.

We expect his position to be filled in early 2012. The name of the newly appointed Director will be communicated to all our partners and implementing agencies as soon as the recruitment process is completed.