intercooperation in south asia - helvetas.org in south asia. intercooperation (ic) is a leading...
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Intercooperation in South Asia
Design: INTENT | www.intentdesign.net
March, 2007
Intercooperation in South Asia
Intercooperation (IC) is a leading Swiss not-for-profit organisation engaged
in development and international cooperation. IC is registered as a
foundation and is governed by 21 organisations representing development,
civil society and private sector interests. IC is both an implementing and an
advisory agency, providing professional resources and knowledge
combined with social commitment.
IC supports partner organisations in more than twenty developing and
transition countries on mandates from the Swiss government and other
donors. In South Asia, IC is present in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India,
Nepal and Pakistan.
IC's working domains are:
; soil, water, plant and animal
resources.
; promoting micro and small enterprises, financial
services and linking the poor with wider markets.
; supporting local bodies of
governance that ensure political rights and liberty for their
communities.
In all its work, IC seeks to empower the poor and marginalised by
supporting gender-balanced, equitable, rights-based development.
In 2007, IC celebrates its silver jubilee with the motto “25 years of inspiring
change”.
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Natural resource management
Rural economy
Local governance and civil society2
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Intercooperation at a glance
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India
Pakistan
was one of the first countries in which IC started operating in 1982.
For many years, it remained IC's largest programme. Much has been
learned from past experience which serves as a guide to other development
programmes in India and beyond. IC started its work in the Livestock
Production and Dairy sector establishing a series of bilateral projects that
built upon its very positive experiences in the southern state of Kerala.
Gradually, interventions spread northwards up to Rajasthan in the west and
Sikkim in the east. In tandem, IC developed programmes with over 50
NGOs across seven states. IC has been registered as a non-profit company
in India since 2006 and is in the process of diversifying its partner base. Its
average annual turnover over the last five years has been USD 5.5 million.
IC has been working in for twenty-five years and implemented a
total of 19 internationally funded projects. Its first development initiative was
Kalam Integrated Development Project (1982) in the North West Frontier
Province. As well as having a strong basis in this province, IC has worked in
Sindh and on countrywide projects. The original focus was on natural
resource management, however working on local governance, civil society
and rural economic issues is gaining greater significance. Since 2006 IC is
registered in Pakistan as an International NGO with the Economic Affairs
Division. The current IC portfolio in Pakistan functions with an annual
turnover of around 2.8 million USD.
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History of the Programmes
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In 2000, the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) requested the
assistance of IC to manage its Sustainable Land Use programme in . IC
was registered as an international NGO with the NGO Affairs Bureau. The original
office became an official Delegation from 2002. The initial mandate of involvement in
natural resource management has grown to include local governance and market
development, offering a large range of services to different development partners.
For several years IC intervention focused only on the poorest districts in North-West
Bangladesh, now it is involved in 80% of the districts. The annual turnover amounts
to 4.9 million USD.
In 2000, IC started work in on the fourth phase of the Nepal-Swiss Community
Forestry Project (NSCFP). This project was started in 1990 by SDC. Besides
implementing the NSCFP, IC has entered into a joint venture with Helvetas on the
Sustainable Soil Management Programme. With these two undertakings, IC's
financial turnover in Nepal was 6.7 million CHF in four years. IC became formally
registered as an International NGO with the Social Welfare Council in December
2006.
IC is a relatively new player in development sector. An exploratory
mission, sent to the country to assess opportunities and challenges for new rural
development programmes, concluded that, despite a number of challenges, there is
still a “market niche and comparative advantage for IC” to open a country
representation. In 2006 the Ministry of Economy granted IC legal international NGO
status. After registration, IC was short-listed for two upcoming projects and also
selected as a partner of the National Union for Horticultural Development in
Afghanistan, funded by the World Bank. This will be IC's first practical development
initiative in the country.
Bangladesh
Nepal
Afghanistan's
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Delegation in Pakistan
Arjumand Nizami, Programme Coordinator and Esther Haldimann,
Delegate (jointly managing the delegation)
Saif ur Rehman Bhatti, Head of Finance and Administration
Iftikhar Hussain, National Programme Officer
Ijaz Ali, Assistant Financial Administrator
Abeer Aziz, Programme Assistant
IC teams in South Asia
IC strongly supports decentralisation and subsidiary approaches. In South
Asia, it has 3 Delegations and 2 Representations. Delegations are
established in countries where IC manages a large number of projects and
there is strong potential for growth. Each decentralised structure of IC is
fully capable of project cycle management using thematic and process
competences.
Delegation in Bangladesh
Alain Cuvelier, Delegate
Shirin Parveen Biswas, Programme Officer
Azmul Huda, Programme Officer
Anton Joehr, Adviser
Jashim Uddin, Finance and Administration Manager
Shamima Nasreen, Administrative Officer
Representation in Afghanistan
Mujibur Rahman, Representative
Delegation in India
Rupa Mukerji, Delegate
C. K. Rao, Livestock Programme Coordinator
B Ramkumar, Programme Officer
Devanshu Chakravarti, Programme Officer
K. V. Sreeram, Finance and Administration Manager
Sreelatha, Executive Secretary
Representation in Nepal
Bharat K. Pokharel, Representative, Project manager-NSCFP
Brieke Steenhof, Project Advisor-NSCFP
Juerg Merz, Programme Officer-SSMP
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Over the last 3 years, Intercooperation achieved the following in its South-Asia
programmes:
Bangladesh
Socio-economic empowerment of communities
Private local service providers
Professional associations of nursery owners
870 communities, representing 2,800 dynamic groups and 80,000 poor and
extreme poor rural households are now identifying their development
priorities, planning activities, acquiring resources and services that affect
socio-economic development, building linkages with local government
bodies, addressing gender inequalities, and involving extreme poor in income
generating activities. Market development and micro or small enterprise
promotion allowed individuals to generate an additional 1 to 2 US$ income per
day.
A network of 2,600 private and commercial local service providers has been
established. They are accessible and affordable by the poor, contributing to
the economic development of communities through the provision of advisory
services. Areas of service include; agroforestry, marketing, non-farm activities,
and human and institutional development.
5,700 professional nurseries contribute to the propagation and distribution of
quality planting material (fruit and timber trees, medicinal plants). They work in
partnership with national institutions alongside 260 Sub-District and 45 District
associations.
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Achievements Facts and Figures
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IC's work in India has been at three levels in collaboration
with people's institutions, NGO and cooperatives; at the with
government service delivery departments and at the with
research and training institutions and policy making bodies such as central
ministries and planning entities.
Cattle breeding, fodder production and dairy development were perhaps the
programs with the largest direct impacts on the livelihoods of the people. The
North Kerala Dairy Project (NKDP) alone influenced around 1.3 million
households who are solely or partly dependent on these activities. The total
income earned from milk production has risen to 4.6% of State GDP. The per
capita availability of milk in the region has also experienced a 7 fold increase
from the 1960s, resulting in improved nutritional gains for young children.
Pioneering research into systematic cattle breeding using contemporary
frozen semen technology led to the evolution of improved breeds. One
example is the 'Sunandini' variety in Kerala that produces more milk, and is
accepted and adapted to the local conditions. Similar interventions in Andhra
Pradesh led to the healthier breeds along the entire coastal region. At the
private level, autonomous, self-financing institutions were established for
production and distribution of good quality frozen semen and liquid nitrogen
for artificial insemination. Livestock rearing serves as a valuable insurance
against the risks of agrarian crisis. Nine years of consecutive droughts in
Andhra Pradesh led thousands of farmers to commit suicide. However, one of
IC's extension projects helping households to rear small ruminants remained
insulated from these shocks even in the worst affected areas.
IC's single largest watershed programme covered an area of 10,000 ha,
directly improving the livelihoods of over 5,000 land owning households and
generating about 900,000 labour days of employment for the landless and
poor households from the village.
Over 700 settlements, comprised of at least 100,000 families, benefited from
the NGO programmes which supported land and water conservation,
sustainable agriculture, self-help, thrift and credit schemes and strengthened
local governance processes.
Many community members associated with IC projects as leaders of people's
organisations or as service delivery agents have gone on to hold elected
offices sharing the principles of participation, transparency and equity with
these bodies.
with communities
state level
national level
Livestock sector projects
Watershed management
NGO Programme
Community empowerment
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Nepal
Inclusive governance, grassroots level community organisations, gender and
social equity
Sustainable natural resource management
IC has two projects in Nepal: the Nepal Swiss Community Forestry Project (NSCFP) and
the Sustainable Soil Management Programme (SSMP). NSCFP works with around 200
district-based government forestry staff in three districts and over 40 NGO service
providers and private consultants to build the capacity of 886 Forest Users Groups
(FUGs) to achieve ecological, economical and institutional sustainability. Women make
up one third of the leadership positions in these groups. Two-thirds of the FUGs,
covering 93,000 households, have carried out well-being ranking exercises to identify
their most disadvantaged households. The groups provide support related to forestry,
livestock and agriculture to around 2000 disadvantaged households to create self-
employment opportunities at the household level. Community forestry has generated
an additional 1000 part-time jobs through forest-related operations and enterprises.
NSCFP has strengthened the capacity FUGs who apply sustainable management
practices in 84,000 hectares of community forests. This constitutes roughly 35% of the
total district forest area. IC and Helvetas have been running the SSMP in partnership
with the Ministry of Agriculture and nongovernmental collaborative institutions. IC
promotes sustainable soil management on Nepal's hillsides with a methodological
emphasis on participatory technology testing and diffusion. SSMP supports activities
such as on-farm testing, farmer-led experimentation, human resource development and
institutional networking. The project support unit provides technical and administrative
back-up.
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Socio-economic empowerment of communities
Local Service Providers (LSPs)
Strengthening Local Institutions
Value Chain Promotion
Collaboration with Government Line Agencies
740 community organisations have been empowered to manage their own
livelihoods improvement interventions. Communities are banding together to
raise concerns, plan productive activities and acquire services. They are
learning effective ways to negotiate with resource holders and market players
to address their needs. Skills enhancement related to resource management,
entrepreneurship, market led production, functional literacy, etc. has led to
additional income opportunities for both men and women.
Over 1000 men and women are serving their local farming communities to
improve livestock management, farm forestry and horticultural practices. They
work as part of a larger network of local service providers, delivering a wide
range of skills. People have been able to see the value of their input and so are
accepting the relatively new notion of a payment for services culture.
15 value chains relevant for poor/landless/women and related to farm forestry,
agricultural crops and non-timber forest products were successfully
promoted. Using better practices and technologies, adding value to products
and cooperatively marketing all increased the market share of the poor
communities. Crucially, they became linked with key actors along the chain.
22 local NGOs and 10 community organisations have benefited from
institutional strengthening measures, especially in their ability to better govern
resources and liaise with public sector service providers. Most importantly,
they are empowering their communities by actively sharing knowledge and
information, facilitating service delivery and imparting new skills. IC expects
that most of them will be able to sustain these efforts after support is withdrawn.
The active involvement of government departments in field interventions has
led to an enlightened approach in their handling of related issues. The forest,
livestock and agriculture sectors, in particular, have become more positive
about sustainable and participatory development approaches, and improved
service delivery. Even the new Agriculture Policy reflects the influence of IC
projects, especially with regard to farmer-centred approaches and multi-
stakeholder forums.
Pakistan
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Recent projects
IC runs projects in three main competence areas: natural resources
management, rural economy (finance, enterprises and markets) and
municipal and local development (local governance). The projects generally
cover more than one area: natural resources management projects, for
example, always have local governance and enterprise promotion
components.
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AFGHANISTAN
PAKISTAN
National Union for Horticulture Development in Afghanistan (NUHDA),
funded by WB From March 2007
Sustainable Land Use (SLU) 2000-ongoing
Sustainable Access to Agroforestry Knowledge, Technology and Information
(SAAKTI) 2004-ongoing
Agroforestry Improvement Partnership (AFIP) 2004-ongoing
Collaborative Management of Tanguar Hoar [with IUCN] 2006-ongoing
Project for Horticulture Promotion (PHP)-NWFP 1988-2006
AKRSP Horticulture Support Project Chitral (HSP) 1999-2004
EC-UNDP Tropical Forestry Programme Proposal Development Facility (PDF)
Small Grants Programme 2004
Community Based Sustainable Resources Management Project (CBRM)
1998-ongoing
Project for Livelihood Improvement (PLI) 2003-ongoing
Indo Swiss Project Sikkim (ISPS) 1993-2006
Indo Swiss Natural Resources Management programme, Orissa (ISNRMPO)
1991-2007
Indo Swiss Participative Watershed Development Project Karnataka (ISPWDK)
1995-2006
Indo Swiss Natural Resourcess Management Programme Andrha Pradesh
(ISNRMPA) 1980-2005
NGO Programme Kerela 1989-2005
NGO Programme Andhra Pradesh 1993-2005
NGO Programme Karnataka Tamil Nadu 1996-2005
Small Ruminants Development Programme (SRDP), Andhra Pradesh 2000-2006
Capitalisation of Livestock Programme Experiences India (CALPI) 2002-ongoing
Capitalisation of Experiences Land, water and people (CE watershed) ongoing
Vulnerability and Adaptability (V&A) to Climate change (ongoing)
Nepal Swiss Community Forestry Project (1990-ongoing)
Sustainable Soil Management Project (1998-ongoing)
Natural resources management
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Livelihoods, Empowerment and Agroforestry (LEAF) 2004-ongoing
Livelihoods Project for Poor Women (DISA) 2005-ongoing
Farm Forestry Support Project (FFSP) 2000-ongoing
Innovation for Poverty Reduction Project (IPRP) 2003-ongoing
Livelihood Improvement Project (Plan International) 2007-ongoing
Swiss Humanitarian Assistance for: Livelihood Rehabilitation Project 2005-ongoing
Livelihood Restoration in District Shangla 2006-ongoing
Local Governance Programme in Rajshahi and Sunamganj (SHARIQUE),
[co-project with CARE] 2005-ongoing
Integrated Natural Resources Management Project (INRMP) 2006-ongoing
Forest Management Centre Support Project (FMC)-NWFP 1994-2003
Bonthi Pilot Project 2005 ongoing
Indo Swiss Project Sikkim (ISPS) 1993-2006
Indo Swiss natural Resources Management Programme, Orissa 2002-ongoing
PRISMO 2002-2004
BANGLADESH
INDIA
NEPAL
Rural economy
Local Governance2
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Guided by the aim of contributing to pro-poor and equitable development,
IC has gained a wealth of experience in addressing community needs for
socio-economic empowerment. After twenty five years of participative
development in various fields with a wide range of partners, IC has
developed region-specific expertise in four main areas:
The diverse geographical characteristics of the region include: arid
stretches of Pakistan and India, the flood plains of Bangladesh and the
mountains of Nepal. IC has developed technical expertise in managing
crops, livestock, horticulture and forests. This includes collaborative
management of forests and water bodies, pro-poor watershed
development, dryland management, adaptation to climate change and
sustainable livelihoods based on natural resources.
Social and economic dimensions were quickly identified as crucial
components of the struggle against poverty. IC has acquired an expertise in
processes that confront discriminatory attitudes and inequitable practices.
Communities and marginalised groups, like women and the extreme poor,
have acquired skills for developing self-empowerment strategies. They also
acquired solid competencies in market and services development. The
poorest found non-farm activities to be particularly valuable.
Building a sustainable development framework is a high priority for IC. It
hence aims to facilitate capacity building among stakeholders (public
institutions, elected bodies, the private sector and civil society
organisations). It contributes to institutional reforms, policy development
and processes of decentralisation bearing in mind the needs of the poor.
IC's approach is bound by the principles of accountability, transparency,
participation and responsiveness.
Striving to be a learning organisation, IC values the lessons learned from
experiences. In order to remain relevant, effective and efficient in its
interventions, IC is constantly adapting to hone its strategies. IC also seeks
to share its lessons learned analyses for the benefit of all partners.
The following paragraphs give concrete examples of IC's expertise in four
countries in the region.
Sustainable natural resource management
Socio-economic development of communities
Institutional reforms
Knowledge management and experience capitalisation
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Regional expertise
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BangladeshWhen communities take care of the extreme poor
In Northwest Bangladesh, IC supports communities through a human and
institutional development process aimed at skills and competency
development. Groups who are interested in the IC approach first identify
their development priorities based on a constraints and opportunities
analysis. They then develop an annual plan of activity which identifies the
required service providers. Community group representatives together
coordinate and plan their activities at the community level. The activities are
open to all community members with special attention being given to the
specific needs and priorities of the extreme poor. The activities include
technical training, product marketing, development of micro and small
enterprises, social support, gender inequality reduction and rights
protection for the marginalised. Many communities are setting up self-
managed saving schemes to help crisis-hit people and to build up capital to
invest in economic activities. Well-prepared community initiatives can
generate additional profits of between 1 to 2 dollars a day.
IndiaValuing experience to change policies and institutions
CALPI, a new IC project, is designed to mainstream livestock sector
knowledge from SDC IC projects into state and central level policies. CALPI
works with multiple stakeholders to promote pro-poor approaches and help
them engage in emerging sector challenges. IC also facilitated the
capitalisation of experiences in watershed development using a range of
innovative tools such as storytelling, visioning exercises, participatory field-
based analyses and longitudinal analyses, which resulted in an interactive
CD with information for a variety of stakeholders. IC is in the process of
testing the demand for a livestock resource centre to support other
development actors with information on sector issues, backed by IC's
extensive documentation and staff. Each project has platforms for
systematic and periodic knowledge sharing among community members
and partner agencies (NGOs or government line departments). This may
take the form of a six-month Joint Project Review where community
members, project staff and external experts assess the progress made,
using a range of participatory tools in order to bring the whole team to the
same analysis level. IC also works with other international agencies on
understanding the functioning of networks and on supporting Communities
of Practice.
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PakistanImproved livelihoods through better resources management in dry
areas
The livelihoods of the farming communities in Pakistan's dry areas are
dominated by high risks, low productivity and limited opportunities. Two IC
projects in Pakistan are facilitating farmers to test simple and cost-effective
techniques and practices to enhance dryland productivity and reduce
vulnerability. These include dryland rehabilitation techniques, water
management practices, alternates for livestock fodder/nutrition and drought
resistant varieties. The introduction of farm-made molasses blocks to
address seasonal livestock nutrition deficiency and community-based
fodder/fuel wood plantations has been particularly promising.
A national IC workshop on sharing experiences in dryland management in
June 2005 resulted in better coordination and linkages among stakeholders.
It also helped raise awareness at policy level about dryland as a resource
for the poor. IC and its partners try to feed learning from field interventions
into policy dialogue in order to improve dryland development.
NepalRecognising people's right to natural resources management
With forest ownership at the community level and the formation of 886
Community Forest User Groups (FUGs) in the districts where IC intervened
until July 2006, sustainable forest management has been ensured and
access to forest resources guaranteed to around 93,000 households or
more than 80% of the local population. IC's projects work on a multi
partnership and support close collaboration between government, non-
government and private sectors. This is essential to creating an enabling
environment for Nepal's democratic development. Recent peace
developments are creating opportunities for a strong linkage between
forestry and local governance. The FUG experiences can help the country's
move towards democracy. Decentralisation and devolution are key
elements of governance promotion and sustainable development.
Governmental bodies, particularly the interlinkage with Community Based
Organisations and NGOs as local service providers, and Civil Society
Organisations all contribute to this. The recognition of FUGs as legal and
democratic entities is a prerequisite for resource governance and their
autonomy has to be guaranteed. All IC activities use a human rights-based
approach which recognises the people's rights to decide about their lands
and natural resources.
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Innovations
IC strives to find the most relevant approaches to address the needs of the
poor and has developed numerous innovations in South Asia.
BangladeshMarketing extension
Participatory gender analysis tool
Annual Plan of Operations of communities
This 6-step approach empowers producer groups to exploit market
opportunities by improving marketing intelligence and skills. It is used by
groups in a participative manner with assistance from field facilitators.
Introduced at the micro level, it is particularly suitable for women and the
extreme poor.
The key objective of this tool is to help reduce gender inequality in every
sphere of life by identifying its main factors and causes and possible
changes. It is a 3-step process in which communities identify gender
inequalities through a public debate aimed at reaching a consensus. The
inequalities and root causes are then discussed by the broader community
including local government bodies and a joint community action plan is
developed to reduce gender discrimination
This 6-step method allows communities to select their own development
priorities and actions. The six steps, carried out by the communities, include
well/ill-being analysis and socio-economic categorisation of the villagers;
analysis of livelihoods constraints and opportunities; prioritisation of
development activities (micro projects); identification of specific initiatives
for the extreme poor and detailing the specific micro-project activities. The
method is designed so that it can be used by and adapted to any
community.
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IndiaParticipatory facilitation of policy development
Widening the base of civil society action
Knowledge management among community groups
Policies tend to be far removed from the reality in which they have to be translated
into effective actions, often resulting in a big gap between the stakeholders affected
by the policies and the people who prepare them. In working with stakeholders at the
grassroots level, with institutions at the meso level and with decision-makers in line
ministries at the macro level, IC succeeded in pioneering a process of consultative,
multi-stakeholder policy development. Through that process, policies are developed
based on context assessments, people's aspirations and priorities, political
considerations and consensus building. So far, the process was used to facilitate
livestock policy development in the states of Orissa and Sikkim and is currently
applied with the newly formed state of Chhattisgarh.
IC supports civil society action with a low NGO presence in less developed areas
and sectors to promote a more inclusive form of development. Groups of committed
individuals are assisted in developing their human and institutional capacities to
carry out meaningful projects based on adapted organisational structures (NGOs,
networks, platforms etc.). Some of these groups have evolved into nationally
recognised institutions specialised in areas such as ethnoveterinary medicine and
policy advocacy.
Realising that change is most effective when based on people's experiences, IC's
flagship watershed development project holds half-yearly Joint Progress Reviews
with community members from each project area. They visit sample villages and field
sites, examine the quality of the work and interact with the households to understand
the project's strengths and weaknesses. The learnings are quickly internalised by
project staff and community representatives and easily replicated in other project
locations. Furthermore, Exchange Platforms are organised where ideas are shared
on specific themes with invited resource persons (e.g. new farming approaches and
biomass-based energy options), visit other project areas and interact with local
communities.
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NepalWell-being ranking system
Pro-poor entrepreneurship and shareholding
Governance Coaching
To enable Forest User Groups (FUGs) to identify the most disadvantaged
households, Nepal Swiss Community Forestry Project (NSCFP) has developed a
well-being ranking tool through “key informant's method”. Around 465 FUGs with
48,000 household members have done well-being ranking exercises using up to
seven household ranks. The lowest rank includes the most vulnerable groups who
are unable to use their rights and resources. The second-lowest rank includes
people who have the energy, enthusiasm and capacity to generate and exploit
opportunities if empowered to do so. The other categories are relatively well-off in
terms of social and political status, access to resources and opportunities. This 8-
step method identifies disadvantaged households from a range of socio-economic
groupings. Individual interviews are conducted with three key informant
representatives from the user groups. The results are collated and an average well-
being class is found for each household. Around six households from the poorer
groups may be invited for semi-structured interviews which vary according to the
survey objective. During the interview, the interviewer can verify if respondents are
poor, through observation based on the well-being criteria. The results are discussed
in the FUGs' General Assembly, where the poorest households are formally selected
and made eligible for special group provisions.
Poor FUG members were not getting full value for the
commercialisation of their resources or their employment
in enterprises managed by the rural elites. Upon realising
this, the NSCFP recognised the need for enterprise
development. It has initiated innovative approaches in
e n t e r p r i s e d e v e l o p m e n t t h r o u g h p r o - p o o r
entrepreneurship. This approach relies on experiences
from India where poor people are trained as entrepreneurs
so they can lift themselves out of poverty by changing their
livelihood strategies. Selected disadvantaged families are
offered shareholding in FUG enterprises in collaboration
with private sector entrepreneurs. They reap direct benefits
from part-time and fulltime employment and indirect
benefits from share price rises and from their FUGs.
Examples of such entrepreneurship are: the production of
hand-made paper, fruit juices, essential oils, resins and handicrafts. The approach
has already created 1000 part-time and full-time jobs.
IC has developed a methodology to promote self-monitoring systems at both
community and partner NGO level. They are encouraged to identify issues and
foresee indicators of success and, eventually, to commit themselves to changing the
governance situation. The key elements of good governance and livelihood assets
are discussed, analysed and plans are made with the commitment to effective
implementation. Governance coaching has led to significant changes in terms of
gender equality, social equity and inclusion.
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PakistanPromoting farm forestry in rainfed areas
Integrated Natural Resource Management (INRM)
Regional Coordination Forums
Farm forestry in Pakistan has been supported by donor-funded projects for nearly
two decades. IC Pakistan has successfully pioneered farm forestry projects in rainfed
areas with an annual rainfall between 100 to 500 mm. This success can be largely
ascribed to the selection of local species and the integration of water management.
IC has also promoted enterprise orientation in the farm forestry value chain. Many
farmers now earn their income from various enterprises including nurseries, wood
decoration and seeds.
SDC, IC and partners have been collaborating for more than 20 years on natural
resource management (particularly in the forestry sector) in the North-West Frontier
Province. INRM is an innovative which capitalises on successful experiences at the
community level, mainly in state lands. INRM uses a participatory approach based
on livelihood analyses and cooperation between various partners (community
groups, NGOs, the Forestry, Livestock, Agriculture and Water Departments and local
councillors).
These multi-stakeholder forums have been established as part of natural resource
management projects (mainly Community-Based Resource Management). They
operate at the district level and include stakeholders from the government, district
government line agencies, Civil Society Organisations, other projects and community
members. These forums decide on project-related interventions and on small grants
for projects designed and implemented by communities. Due to their multi-
stakeholder nature and the great sense of ownership that these forums create
among stakeholders, non-NRM issues are also discussed. The forums provide an
action-oriented platform for community development and contribute to stakeholder
capacity building. In 2005, the NWFP Provincial government adapted the RCF
concept to establish District Agriculture Coordination Forums in all the districts of the
Province under the Provincial Agriculture Policy.
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While economic growth is sweeping through some South Asian countries
on a scale that raises hopes of a repetition of the Southeast Asian miracle in
this region, South Asia is still home to the largest number of poor people in
the world. With a large and relatively young population, it needs options for
faster and more inclusive economic growth. Land-based activities are still
the mainstay for many people, but agricultural productivity growth cannot
keep up with population growth. Global climate changes will affect many
livelihoods, particularly in the vast semi-arid and coastal regions. A lot
remains to be done to promote good governance and accountability. South
Asia is a geo-politically sensitive region and will continue to play a crucial
role in the economies and political scenarios of an ever more globalised
world.
IC will use its practical experience in natural resource management to
improve the adaptive capacities of communities to the impacts of climate
change. The adaptation approach focuses on livestock-based livelihoods,
soil and water conservation, participatory innovation development,
collective analytical capacities and access to weather and scientific
information.
Civil society organisations are playing an increasingly important role in the
region and many are setting an example for others to follow.
Intercooperation seeks to add value to their work by using its expertise. IC
planning processes and participatory and systematic approach to financial
and human resource management have helped our partners improve their
effectiveness.
IC believes that governments play an important role in creating the right
conditions for equitable social and economic development. It will continue
to work with federal, provincial and local governments to support them by
setting up systems, procedures, accountability mechanisms and regulatory
functions. IC will support decentralisation processes, human rights and
responsibility devolution at the lowest governance levels.
IC South Asia works with multiple stakeholders to promote better economic
integration of the poor. We firmly believe that markets can be made to work
for the poor and that community-based accountable systems can help
make markets accessible to them. Human and institutional development will
remain the key basis for our work. Only the empowerment of the
disempowered can improve social, economic and political conditions and
generate lasting transformations.
25
Years
So
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-Asia
Inte
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Regional perspectives
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25
Years
So
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-Asia
Inte
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20
Publications
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Farmer centred innovation development - Experiences and challenges from
South Asia
Local governance and decentralisation Strategies for local development to
improve the livelihoods of the poor
Human and institutional development (HID) - A process of capacity development
for socio-economic development
Improved livelihoods through the development of horticulture - Lessons from
Pakistan, Bangladesh and Kosovo
12 capitalisation documents on the following themes: promotion of human and
institutional development, reaching the extreme poor, promotion of nursery
associations, development of local service provision, market creation for the
poor, training approaches for rural development, socio-economic empowerment
Manuals: participatory gender analysis, marketing extension, propagation
techniques of fruit and timber trees, vegetable production
Medicinal plants marketing in Bangladesh
DVD: marketing extension, nursery industry
90 leaflets on agroforestry and human and institutional development
18 programme series documents on a variety of issues including participatory
monitoring and evaluation, sustainable livelihoods, empowerment, livestock
environment in watershed areas, gender and policy processes.
A brochure entitled
A country series document on the 2005 IC-NGO partners meeting
Two working paper series entitled and
10 documents on a number of aspects of community forestry including: rural
entrepreneur development, livelihoods, governance, conflict situations, multi-
partnership, gender and equity and democratisation
An interactive CD on Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation Framework 2006
6 documents on a number of issues including: the Kalam Integrated
Development Project, dryland management and livelihoods, indigenous recipes
of medicinal and aromatic plants in Malakand, capitalisation of research and
development experiments on medicinal and aromatic plants in Malakand and
the concluded Kalam Integrated Development Project
:
Village-level Biodiesel Production - Legal challenges
Tradition Meeting Modernity Experience
with communities of Practice in India
10 videos on various topics including backyard poultry, migration of shepherds,
water resource management, conduct of villages assemblies (Gram Sabha)
10 manuals on topics such as backyard poultry, sheep and goat rearing, fodder
management in vernacular languages.
Manual on goat rearing (5 volumes).
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IC South Asia
joint publications
Bangladesh
Please find below a selection of recent publications prepared by IC South
Asia and its national offices:
India
Nepal
Pakistan
Contact addresses
Delegation of IC in Bangladesh
Delegation of IC in India
Delegation of IC in Pakistan
Representation of IC in Nepal
Representation of IC in Afghanistan
House 2F NE (D)
Road 73 (G)
Gulshan 2, Dhaka
Bangladesh
Tell: 00 88 02 8815688, 8827633, 8829208
Fax: 00 88 02 8819986
E-mail: [email protected]
Web: http://www.intercooperation-bd.org
8-2-351/R/8, Road 3
Banjara Hills, Hyderabad
500 034 India
Tell: 00 91 40 2335 5891/92
Fax: 00 91 40 2335 6275
E-mail: [email protected]
Web: http://www.intercooperation.org.in
H.No.60, St# 9, Sector G-3,
Phase-II, Hayatabad,
Peshawar, Pakistan
Tel: 00 92 91 5830416, 5830254, 5829817
Fax: 00 92 91 5829594
E-mail: [email protected]
Web: http://www.intercooperation.org.pk
c/o Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC)
Ekanta Kuna, Jawalakhel
P.O. Box 113
NP Kathmandu
NEPAL
Tel: 00 977 1 5551702
Fax: 00 977 1 5551701
E-Mail: [email protected]
House No. 5, Street No. 2, Right from Charah-e-Ansari
Opposite Kardan University, Shahre-Nau,
Kabul, Afghanistan.
Tel: 00 93 798 261715
E-Mail: [email protected]
