Sustainable Rural Development Project in the Provinces of Cocle, Colon and Panama West

The project was based in the central part of the country on the western bank of the Panama Canal. It worked to help poor rural people increase their incomes and improve their living conditions. The project invested in ways to help small-scale farmers increase their productivity and their production, and in the creation of rural microenterprises. One of the aims of the project was to reverse the process of environmental deterioration in the area.

The focuses of the project’s activities were the conservation of natural resources, the expansion of productive activities and investments in rural infrastructure and community development.

The project’s specific objectives included:

• fostering the participation of poor people and the formation of community organizations, particularly women’s groups
• providing demand-driven support services
• supporting administrative decentralization
• encouraging the expansion of services provided by the private sector
• fostering financial sustainability
• supporting the introduction of practices leading to sustainable agriculture
• channeling financial resources through reliable financial institutions, and promoting new financing mechanisms
• improving basic social infrastructure
• conserving natural resources and supporting sustainable resource management

Source: IFAD