The project is unusual in tackling the rehabilitation of two farming systems that up to now have been addressed separately: the rainfed agriculture on the hillsides and the irrigated systems in the valleys. Past interventions focused on the irrigated valleys and ignored the state of the upper watersheds. The results were limited and short-lived.
A new partnership in the north-west region, one of the most remote and disadvantaged parts of the country, has allowed the project to work broadly and quickly over three watersheds, bringing rapid relief to struggling farmers, while carrying out the near-total rehabilitation of hillsides and valleys.
The partnership unites the experience and expertise of IFAD, the German NGO Welthungerhilfe (Agro Action Allemande) and the World Food Programme (WFP), and is setting the example for other areas in terms of what can be achieved.
"It was important to address rehabilitation comprehensively and treat the watersheds in their entirety," says Fedner Lespérence, who coordinates the work of Welthungerhilfe in the north-west.
"Irrigation canals have been built in the past, but the farmers were not organized or did not have the capacity to maintain them. They were quickly destroyed by erosion from the upper slopes and water flow died back to a trickle," he says.
"Our first goal was to work on the upper watershed areas, where we can prevent silting downstream, allow water to infiltrate into the soil and recharge the aquifers, thereby increasing the amount of water that flows downhill. Then we began work on the irrigation systems in the valleys, which combine gravity-propelled piped and surface irrigation."
"By working over the whole watershed, explains Audrey Nepveu, IFAD technical adviser for water management, "we ensure its future stability and sustainability. We can help generate a year-round, continuous flow of water downstream to the irrigated valleys, and at the same time improve conditions for those farming the upper slopes. We build resilience back into the ecosystem, and the livelihoods of those who depend on it."
The tripartite approach has allowed the project to work simultaneously in four areas. While IFAD lent its technical expertise to designing the irrigation infrastructure and the overall watershed rehabilitation scheme, WFP provided cash and food to local farmers who built the terraces on the upper watersheds as part of its cash and food-for-work programme. Welthungerhilfe was responsible for providing technical guidance to the farmers to boost productivity and create lucrative market gardens. It also helped organize farmers into associations, and trained them to manage the revitalized watershed and irrigation systems autonomously.
"Everyone benefited from the partnership," says Anthony Dessources, who was project coordinator up to June 2012. "It enabled us to save time and money. WFP made the leap from providing humanitarian aid to participating in sustainable development. Welthungerhilfe, a long-term presence in the area, was able to accelerate the support it provides to farmers. The farmers themselves gained an important source of income or food while they waited for the first harvests from their newly rehabilitated plots."
"The Government spends enormous amounts of money to reverse the damage caused by erosion. This pilot activity is an excellent model for general replication."
Top to bottom: Holistic watershed rehabilitation
The best soil lies in the valleys where the new irrigation systems, as well as the introduction of high-earning crops, have contributed to a rapid change in living conditions. But the rehabilitation of the upper slopes is also transforming land that was so degraded it was near useless, albeit at a slower pace. Thanks to WFP's cash and food-for-work programme, large areas have been terraced in record time using stone barriers, or by planting live hedges that help fix the soils.
It takes some time before the sediment builds up on the hillside terraces to replenish the soils. If the rains are good, once the rehabilitation work is done the vegetables and cereals will provide a good harvest and even the semi-perennial crops such as bananas and taro will start to produce within a year. With adequate rainfall, productivity will increase from year to year as the trees mature and start to bear fruit.
The narrow crevices where the rainwater concentrates on its downward journey have also been terraced into plots. They may be small, but the rich soils that characterize these ravines are excellent for bananas, maize and other fruit trees. With the right preparation and protection, almost every square metre can be turned into productive land.
By working over the entirety of the watersheds, the project has been able to address the differing needs of farmers, who often cultivate plots on the hillsides and in the valleys. The global approach lessens the risk for farmers when it comes to experimenting with new crops and new technologies. It has also allowed them to see and understand for themselves the benefits of protecting the slopes and gullies to prevent damage further down, while reviving the fertility of the soils on the hillsides.
"The land was worn out and the rains washed away more and more of the soil," says Beauville Ylerci, who farms a hillside plot of four carreaux (about two hectares) in Nan Carré. "The barriers we created have made the land more resistant. This year we had a cyclone but there was no damage. The soil retains moisture and we have more forage for the animals. For the moment the income improvement is slight but we produce more, we eat more and we put our strength back into farming."
Down in the valley, Clercilien has also observed the benefits of rehabilitating the uplands: "With the work we have done on protecting the slopes, the water has increased downstream," he says. "There is better infiltration upstream."
The increase in water flow is being monitored by the project. On average the amount of water reaching the irrigated valleys has doubled since rehabilitation, though figures are expected to vary from year to year according to rainfall.
Empowerment and self-management
The project has helped farmers organize themselves into watershed associations and subcommittees for the maintenance of the irrigation systems and terraces. In the irrigated areas, elected committees supervise the agricultural campaign and the calendar for water distribution. They take a fee from the farmer, which goes towards maintenance. They also manage small input supply shops where farmers can buy seeds, pesticides, fertilizer and tools.
Farmers learn about protecting soils as well as how to exploit their plots to the full, with a variety of cultivations. Bananas, beans, potatoes, sugar cane and taro, and fruit (mango, papaya, avocado) and other trees have been planted in the gullies and on the upper slopes. The irrigated areas are reserved for cash crops: aubergines, bananas, carrots, leeks, onions and tomatoes.
"The farmers want immediate income," says Lespérence. "We try to strike a balance and plant crops that provide a quick harvest, as well as fruit trees and other trees that might not be immediately productive, but help stabilize and enrich soils."
"We work together to choose the species, favouring mixed cultivations – trees and annual crops – and drawing on the farmers' knowledge of what is best adapted to their land. We spend a lot of time sensitizing communities to the importance of keeping the trees."
As long as people are in need of food and have other basic daily requirements, sensitization will have only limited results – hence the importance of making these plots productive as quickly as possible and lessening the vulnerability of farming communities. With greater food security and a little extra income, many farmers in the project area have already left behind the cycle of grinding poverty that forced them to cut down trees to sell charcoal, thereby contributing to the degradation of their land.
An example to others
It takes about six years for a watershed system rehabilitated in its entirety to achieve full autonomy and optimal productivity, given the droughts and cyclones that occur periodically and can discourage farmers.
"We need to show that these results are worth waiting for," says Lespérence. "It will take time to build resilience within the areas that have been rehabilitated, for the soils to revitalize and reach optimal productivity."
Another advantage of partnering with Welhungerhilfe is its continued presence in the area. It provides a support mechanism until farmers have reached full autonomy that remains in place even after the project has closed.
To date 935 hectares of land have been rehabilitated in the north-west and 16 irrigated systems have been created. In this area alone, a total of 650 households now have the means to achieve better food security and incomes. The project plans a new collaboration in the area with Welthungerhilfe. Together they will rehabilitate another 140 hectares and build two more irrigation systems in Nan Carré and Vieille Place.
Neighbouring communities are taking an interest, coming to learn and view the results. "We are proud when others come to see what we are doing," says Puedelisse Alrose. "We realize how far we've come. They are even asking to buy plants from us. What we want to achieve now is good vegetation cover. We want to set an example in the area. We want to build a better life for our children."
When farmers have moved out of a state of vulnerability, they can begin to take pride in their achievements, and make plans for themselves and for their children. For those who are cultivating the irrigated plots, the current issue is obtaining credit so that they can make investments in seeds for the next harvest. Some are also concerned about reaching lucrative markets, selling to bigger buyers, building storage facilities and developing seed generation.
For now, any additional income goes towards paying for the children's schooling and putting more food on the family's plates. Those who are further advanced are already investing, either in more lucrative crops or in livestock - a few sheep and goats, perhaps a cow or an ox. The local economy is no longer stagnating. The region is beginning to show signs of becoming an important producer, and there are ready markets nearby, particularly in The Bahamas, which can be reached by boat from nearby Port-de-Paix.
تاريخ : یکشنبه بیست و پنجم فروردین ۱۳۹۲ | 12:8 | نویسنده : مسعود حکمت |