Community-based Organizations in RFLDC, Noakhali: Towards Sustainability of the Agricultural...

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Community-based Organizations in RFLDC, Noakhali: Towards Sustainability of the Agricultural Extension System Prepared by Harvey Demaine, Danida Advisor

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Dr. Harvey Demaine Presented a Presentation at Promotional Workshop on Strengthening CBO network, June 20, 2013 at White Hall Party Center, Noakhali

Transcript of Community-based Organizations in RFLDC, Noakhali: Towards Sustainability of the Agricultural...

Page 1: Community-based Organizations in RFLDC, Noakhali: Towards Sustainability of the Agricultural Extension System

Community-based Organizations in RFLDC, Noakhali: Towards Sustainability of the Agricultural Extension System

Prepared by Harvey Demaine, Danida Advisor

Page 2: Community-based Organizations in RFLDC, Noakhali: Towards Sustainability of the Agricultural Extension System

Project Location: 20 Upazilas of Greater Noakhali (Noakhali-9, Feni-6 & Lakshmipur-5) & Mirsarai, Sandwip and

Fatikchari Upazilas from Chittagong District

Project Period: 6.75 YearsOctober 1, 2006 to June 30, 2013)

Project cost: DPP RDPP-IITotal : 771 million BDT 985 millionDANIDA : 700 million BDT 881 millionGOB : 71 million BDT 104 million

Project Summary

Page 3: Community-based Organizations in RFLDC, Noakhali: Towards Sustainability of the Agricultural Extension System

Objectives and Outputs

• Immediate Objective:– Improved and sustainable productivity of and returns from

fisheries and livestock systems of resource-poor households

[As we shall see, over the last two years there has been a shift from a focus on productivity to returns]

Page 4: Community-based Organizations in RFLDC, Noakhali: Towards Sustainability of the Agricultural Extension System

Outputs• 1. Effective support to resource poor households through

decentralized, integrated and demand-driven extension provision (through Farmer Field School approach)

• 2. CBOs and Farmers Associations formed and enabled to articulate their demands to local private and public service providers

• 3. Linkages with the private sector improved to enable farmers to access quality inputs and markets

• 4. Local government institutions enabled to address the expressed demands of the local community in relation to fisheries and livestock development

• 5. Capacity of District and Upazila level offices of DOF and DLS to deliver public goods enhanced

Page 5: Community-based Organizations in RFLDC, Noakhali: Towards Sustainability of the Agricultural Extension System

Development of CBOs in RFLDC

• Emergence of CBOs in the improved extension strategy dates from Greater Noakhali Aquaculture Extension Project (GNAEP) in 2003

• Initially Resource Learning Centers to maintain flow of information on aquaculture technology to farmers

• Quickly realized these were unsustainable; widened to supply of quality and timely agricultural inputs which offered an income stream

• Commission from sales of prawn post-larvae and profits from feed

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Core Element in Sustainable Extension Strategy

• Actually emergence of CBOs were seen as the core element in an alternative and sustainable extension strategy

• GNAEP had sought to promote aquaculture through contracting NGOs for training and credit

• Identified that NGOs did not address the poor (rather the more credit-worthy) and were dependent on provision of Project operational costs

• Tendency to downscale or disappear at the end of the Project (‘sunset project’)

• Capacity-building of farmers’ own organizations seen as more sustainable

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Improved Livelihoods of Resource- poor Farmers(through increased productivity of and returns from fisheries and livestock systems)

Farmer Field Schools (demand-driven extension)

Service- provision through Community-based Organizations

Technical Support and Quality Input Supply through Upazila

Fisheries and Livestock OfficesSupply of Quality Inputs and Market Opportunities through (mainly local)

Private Agribusiness

Socio-political Support and Financial Resources from Union Parishad via

Block Grant

RFLDC Technical Assistance Team

Figure 1: Original RFLDC Extension Model

Page 8: Community-based Organizations in RFLDC, Noakhali: Towards Sustainability of the Agricultural Extension System

CBOs’ Typical Services

• Provision of seed and young stock (fish, prawn, fry/PL, fingerlings/juveniles; DOC, DOD / ducklings, Kids, Lambs)

• Breeding services (bucks/bulls, artificial insemination)• Vaccination services (through Poultry Workers and

Community Livestock Workers)• Feed provision (concentrates, local feed ingredients,

fodder cuttings)• Facilities for Hire (pumps, nets)• Support to Community-based (Dogi) Aquaculture• Bulking of produce for collective marketing• Production credit via Block Grant

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Figure 2: Distribution of Services Provided by CBOs (up to end 2012)

Page 10: Community-based Organizations in RFLDC, Noakhali: Towards Sustainability of the Agricultural Extension System

Development of CBOs is Painstaking• Organizational Capacity Building

– Regular (Biennial) Elections to Executive Committees– Regular Annual General and Planning Meetings attended by high percentage of

general members– Annual Development Plans, increasingly based upon own resources– Steady improvement in Financial Management, as demonstrated by positive

FAPAD and EOD Audit reports– Building cadre skilled in Financial Management through Participatory Learning

Approach (Resource Persons Accounting)• Movement towards Sustainability

– Increasing membership, especially of women members of FFS, mainly related to produce marketing

– Increasing annual earnings supporting own staff, based upon widening of activities from input supply to marketing

– Development of Human Rights Committees – Strong linkages between grass-roots level CBOs and 7 District CBO Associations

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Outstanding Features of CBOs• Several CBOs run exclusively by women• Support to community aquaculture development in about 130

dogis and over 100 settlement villages, including women prawn PL nursers;

• Provision of livestock vaccination services through network of Poultry Workers, Community Livestock Workers and Livestock Service Centres;

• Development of major net-making industry in Lakshmipur District involving over 2,000 landless women;

• Development of CBO network in Chittagong Hills, marketing local produce through Feni CBO Association (recent purchase of truck);

• Marketing Networks with local branding (Khamar in Lakshmipur, Polli in Feni)

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From Input Supply to Marketing

• Initial focus of CBO (IG) activities was input supply and services (like Vaccination)

• From 2010, RFLDC realization that farmers engaged in FFS were beginning to increase production to the degree that many were beginning to consider marketing surplus

• Started to change curriculum towards Integrated Farm Management FFS with greater market orientation

• Perceived that CBOs could also assist in produce marketing which could widen their income generation and therefore increase their sustainability

• Also addressed problem of strengthening links between FF and CBOs

• Development of strategy of Producer and Marketing Groups

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Farmer Field School

Learning Process (Artificial Study Plot)

Field Laboratories (Informal Research)

ASPS II Adaptive Research, BAU,CVASU, BLRI, NGOs

Producer and Marketing

Group

Community-based

Organizations

Local Private Agribusiness

CBO Associations

and Advanced

CBOs

Regional, National and International

Market Actors

Inputs / Markets Finance (Contract Farming)

Inputs, Services, Production Credit in Kind (via Block Grant?); Market Identification and Produce Collection

Research Co-operation (On-

Farm Trials)

FFS Members focusing on consumption

Access to Quality Input Supplies and Markets of Fresh

and Processed Produce

CBOs complement Local Agribusiness

to Distribute Inputs and Collect

ProductsLocal

Facilitators and Resource

Persons

Winrock / Katalyst

iDE

Figure 3: RFLDC Revised Strategic Framework

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CBO Associations

Community-based Organizations

Producer and Marketing Groups

Local Agents

Resource Persons, including as Trainers

Core Producers

Figure 4: Relationships in the Market Chain

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Capacity Building of CBOs as Agribusiness

• Over the past two years, RFLDC has tried to build capacity of CBOs as small agribusiness– Training of CBO Executive Committee members under Bangladesh

Agribusiness Development Project (BADP)• Training of RFLDC’s own TA staff in Agribusiness Development by

Innovision (Markets for the Poor (M4P) Approach)• RFLDC trying to promote Business Plans in CBOs• Review of Process of PMG (Lot of emphasis in 2011)• Searching for links to national and regional markets but needed

support• Search since late 2011 for a partner to deepen market

orientation; now working with International Development Enterprises to Deepen Market Integration

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Identification of Commodities (Value Chains)

• Maybe three possible origins:– From FFS focus: fish, prawn, fingerlings/juveniles, eggs,

ducks, pullets, milk and milk products, vegetables (gourds, pumpkins, etc), possibly soya bean, peanut, okra

– From Field Laboratory (specific programme in hills): sugar cane, musk melon

– Traditional local commodities (not part of FFS/FL process, but based upon local skills): coconut products, date palm juice, turmeric, ginger, country bean seed, brooms, nets, topi, mats

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Phasing Out of RFLDC• For various reasons, Danida has decided to change its strategy of support to the Agricultural Sector in

BangladeshThis involves a phasing out of RFLDC at end June 2013

• Disappointed, but confident that network of CBO (Farmers’ Organizations) in the region will facilitate continuing service development to resource-poor farmers, especially in input supply and marketing

• However, we want to ensure that GOB and non-government (including private sector) service providers are aware of the CBO Network in each District so that they can use it as a resource for extension activities in whatever sector

• Hopefully mutually beneficial, wider contacts will also benefit the CBO network.

• Only two days ago, we were discussing in the hills how the CBO network, established mainly for extension purposes might be used for education, family planning and water and sanitation services

• This workshop called for this region and as you will see we have also prepared documentation which will help to facilitate contacts in the form of CBO Profile Books

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Outputs• 1. Effective support to resource poor households through

decentralized, integrated and demand-driven extension provision (through Farmer Field School approach)

• 2. CBOs and Farmers Associations formed and enabled to articulate their demands to local private and public service providers

• 3. Linkages with the private sector improved to enable farmers to access quality inputs and markets

• 4. Local government institutions enabled to address the expressed demands of the local community in relation to fisheries and livestock development

• 5. Capacity of District and Upazila level offices of DOF and DLS to deliver public goods enhanced