Desert180: Agroforests for Nutrition
Technical Application
Organization name : Desert180: Agroforests for Nutrition
Address : Crouse Hinds Hall, Syracuse University, Syracuse, New York, USA
Field Address : Cochabamba, Bolivia
Sector : Agriculture, Food Security, Soil Erosion
Source of Grant : United States Agency for International Development (USAID)
International Programs Section, Office of Innovation and Development Alliances
Total Amount requested (in US $) : 200,000
Point of Contact : Darina Markozashvili, Chief Executive Officer
D. Markozashvili
Darina Markozashvili, CEO
Table of Contents
1. Executive Summary 3
2. Technical Approach 3
2.1 Problem Analysis 3
Current conditions likely to affect outcome 4
Specific development needs and challenges 4
Program areas and selection rationale 4
Beneficiaries 5
Clear and measurable statements of end of activity objectives 5
2.2 Objectives 5
2.3 Methods 6
Overview 6
Agricultural Project Methodology 7
Community Outreach 7
Sustainability 8
Support for Donor Objectives 8
3. Project Management and Institutional Capacity 9
3.1 Syracuse Headquarters Personnel 9
3.2 Cochabamba Headquarters Personnel (to be recruited from local population) 9
3.3 Anticipated Overhead Costs FY 2012-13 10
4. Program Indicators and Monitoring and Evaluation Plan 11
4.1 Monitoring and Evaluation Plans and Indicators 11
Short-term Monitoring and Evaluation 11
5. Institutional Capabilities/Past History 12
6. Gender 12
7. Cost Share 13
8. Likely Sites 13
9. Team organization, Management and Communications 14
Board of Directors 14
Management Team 14
Operations Team 14
Communications Team 15
Organization as a whole 15
1. Executive Summary
Desert180: Agroforests for Nutrition is an organization dedicated to reversing malnutrition and desertification around the world. Desert180 seeks to empower subsistence farmers with agroforestry techniques that valorize indigenous crops in the hope of revitalizing agricultural and forestlands essential to rural communities. Desert180 seeks to implement an agroforestry project to be initially based in Cochabamba, Bolivia.
With high rates of malnutrition caused by extreme poverty, Bolivia stands to benefit from improved agricultural practices that rely on indigenous crops and agricultural and forestry projects that are sustainable and rooted in sound practice. With Desert180’s help, Bolivians in the Cochabamba region will be at the forefront in reversing global desertification and malnutrition by empowering farmers with agroforestry techniques to improve soil health and to promote the cultivation of indigenous crops.
Desert180 was founded by a dedicated group of individuals who aspire to help people help themselves through innovative agricultural and forestry projects that respect local culture and promote human dignity in the beneficiary communities. Desert180 continually seeks partnership with international organizations, non-government organizations, the Bolivian government and the beneficiary communities to improve the delivery of agricultural extension. This will be in the form of training and information drives, and the provision of amaranth and other crops and farm tools.
Desert180 seeks $200,000 from its international partners to be able to successfully implement its current projects as well as prepare for further expansion and increase the viability of the NGO to sustain its projects and operations, and grow from Bolivia to other parts of the world.
2. Technical Approach
2.1 Problem Analysis
The World Bank classifies Bolivia as a lower middle-income country, though it is among the poorest and least developed countries Latin America. In 2009, nearly 51.3% of the population in Bolivia was living below the poverty line on less than $2 per day. Moreover, malnutrition afflicts destitute, rural and largely indigenous communities in Bolivia, and climate change is leaving subsistence farmers already vulnerable to food insecurity with fewer crops. Chronic malnutrition accounts as a big contributor to 28% of childhood deaths in Bolivia according to the NGO Food for the Hungry, Bolivia. In a 2002 World Bank study, it was reported that chronic malnutrition affected 25 percent of children under 3 and 12-24 percent of women. It is cited as cause of high death rates, immune deficiency, learning disabilities, and low work productivity.
More than 25% of Bolivian children under the age of 3 are malnourished, and the Center for Economic and Social Rights estimates that the percentage increases to 40% in the poorest households for children under the age of 5. The World Bank estimates that 27% of women of childbearing age are so anemic that they pass on iron deficiencies to their children. Bolivia has the second highest infant, child, and maternal mortality rates in the Western hemisphere due largely in part to malnutrition. Persistent droughts, cold weather, and flooding are threatening Bolivia with a major food crisis. Food prices are increasing, making the price of meat and other foods practically unattainable to low-income families. Close to 5 million people cannot meet basic food requirements and often suffer from malnutrition as a result.
Current conditions likely to affect outcome
While the Bolivian government has been active in trying to reduce poverty, more has to be done because the government does not have full capacity or resources to be able to address the problems identified in this proposal. Bolivian agriculture is built on subsistence farming, where families use small plots of land to grow crops primarily for consumption and the rest are sold to local markets.
In a research paper for the World Food Programme, slash-and-burn farming was identified as a major culprit in making lands non-arable. Soil nutrient depletion easily takes place as farmers are too poor to invest in agricultural enrichment products including fertilizers. Eventually, farmlands become useless as desertification sets in. One of the major conditions that this project will have to focus on is how to ensure that Bolivian families engaging in farming will turn away from slash-and-burn agriculture and adopt more sustainable practices. A balance has to be restored between addressing immediate malnutrition concerns and preventing desertification, which continued slash-and-burn practice will hasten. Desert180 will need to address this to guarantee positive outcomes for the project.
Specific development needs and challenges
Bolivia’s malnutrition problem needs to be addressed in a sustainable manner that respects local preferences and prioritizes the community’s development. Target communities will have to own the project so that it becomes sustainable but they need our support to make deep changes in how they confront poverty and malnutrition.
The Bolivian government’s Zero Malnutrition Program, launched in 2008, focuses on children under the age of 5 in areas with high food insecurity and serves as an acceptable policy framework upon which Desert180’s project can contribute to the needs of the Bolivian people.
Program areas and selection rationale
Desert180 seeks to implement an agroforestry project to be initially based in Cochabamba, Bolivia. This region provides many advantages for the successful implementation of the project. Cochabamba region has hosted USAID-funded agricultural projects, a number of which focused on alternative crop development to lessen the region’s reliance on coca production as a primary source of income, though none included amaranth as a viable substitute crop.
Moreover, Cochabamba’s relative proximity to the capital city makes it an attractive location from a logistical perspective, communication channels, transportation for our staff, and general supervision of the project’s development. Desert180’s programs will contribute to the efforts of the Bolivian government to combat malnutrition and provide sustainable livelihoods in local communities.
Beneficiaries
Projects to be launched by Desert180 will contribute to the human development of the locals of Cochabamba. The specific target beneficiaries belong to three villages consisting of 50 households each. Desert180 will work with beneficiaries to conduct several workshops prior to the start of the hallmark project. These agricultural extension activities are designed to imbibe eventual ownership of the project by the beneficiaries as well as enhance the cooperative spirit between Desert180 and the partner communities.
Clear and measurable statements of end of activity objectives
By the end of the project, Desert180 will have done agricultural extension work in Cochabamba. This involves the conduct of 1) a Resource and Community Mapping activity, 2) several training sessions involving gardening and nutrition issues, 3) advanced additional training as needed by the beneficiaries. Outcomes can be proven by evaluating the malnutrition levels in the three initial villages after a given period and comparing it with previous findings. Other outcome measures include the ownership of improved gardens, which will show the effect of the training programs conducted by Desert180 staff.
2.2 Objectives
Overall project goal: Reversing global desertification and malnutrition by empowering farmers with agroforestry techniques to improve soil health and to promote the cultivation of indigenous crops. Desert 180 seeks to revitalize landscapes essential to rural communities in Bolivia by using local, native crops and promoting agroforestry methods in order to foster stronger communities and a healthy planet. Our community program will assist farmers with workshops and resources needed for agricultural development. This project will serve as an example of what Bolivia and other countries affected by desertification and malnutrition can do to combat famine and poverty due to climate change. To achieve this goal, Desert 180 has three core operational objectives:
Objective 1 (Educational Tailored Community Services): Increase awareness of desertification and malnutrition and the capacities in which Desert 180 may assist in combating it. Desert 180 will engage in a widespread community education campaign aimed at local farmers in areas of desertification. We will provide free education to farmers about the state of their soil, the effects of desertification, the potential for introducing new crops and trees, and the importance of these crops for combating malnutrition. Desert 180 wants to bring awareness to the community and work with the local farmers to improve their soil while providing a tailored program to fit their needs.
Objective 2 (Agricultural Hands-on Workshops):Desert 180 will provide free technical agricultural workshops to farmers in the community. Once the farmers understand the importance of introducing new crops and trees to combat desertification and malnutrition simultaneously, they will complete an agricultural workshop led by an expert in this field. This training will provide the skills needed to combat soil erosion with the introduction of specific tree species. The workshop will also introduce farmers to a nutritional crop, amaranth. During the workshop they will learn the history and cultural value of this crop, its nutritional benefits, its versatility and adaptability as a crop, the economic potential of its cultivation, and the technical training necessary to grow it. In addition to providing free seeds and planting equipment, the agricultural expert will visit the targeted sites to report the progress of the plants.
Objective 3 (Amaranth Workshop): Desert 180 will empower families in the communities to use amaranth as a sustainable staple to combat malnutrition. After the end of a successful crop growth, Desert 180 will provide workshops on the uses of amaranth as a staple in the diets of Bolivians. We will provide classes in the community on how to cook the pseudo-grain and incorporate it into their daily diets. We will emphasize the nutritional value and provide free recipe books with pictures to families. These cooking workshops will help families understand that amaranth can be used to substitute more expensive proteins such as meats. Additionally, we will provide workshops on how to potentially use amaranth as a means for economic profit. This class will teach locals on how to package amaranth for sell in different forms and basic business skills. Desert 180 wants to empower local community members to believe that they can fight malnutrition and end poverty.
2.3 Methods
Overview
Desert180 will provide a comprehensive Agro-Forestry and Farmer Managed Natural Regeneration program for subsistence farmers in rural Bolivia. Premised on the belief that substantive, hands-on agricultural training and support will constructively confront the issues of desertification and famine due to drought, its mission is to equip farmers with the training, tools, and resources they need to for sustainable agricultural development in the face of global climate change.
For several decades, Farmer Managed Natural Regeneration has proved highly effective in South America. Despite these programs, malnutrition afflicts destitute, rural and largely indigenous communities in Bolivia, and climate change is leaving subsistence farmers already vulnerable to food insecurity with fewer crops.
To this day no organization has developed a successful model Bolivia, particularly with amaranth or similar agricultural foodstuffs. We believe it is time to combine the agro-engineering resources of the State University of New York School for Environmental Science and Forestry with the indigenous expertise on amaranth cultivation and production and move forward with providing invaluable advanced agricultural training and support to this desperate region.
Agricultural Project Methodology
Desert180 will launch a two-year pilot project in a rural community in the vicinity of Cochabamba, Bolivia, to address malnutrition and desertification at the micro level. This region was selected based on its largely indigenous populations, who have shown receptivity to quinoa and amaranth cultivation in recent years. The region also has hosted USAID-funded agricultural projects, a number of which focused on alternative crop development to lessen the region’s reliance on coca production as a primary source of income. However, none included amaranth as a viable substitute crop. Moreover, Cochabamba’s relative proximity to the capital city makes it an attractive location from a logistical perspective, facilitating communication channels, transportation for staff, and general supervision of the project’s development.
Desert180 has completed an initial Participatory Rapid Appraisal, in which members of the field staff met with families in a partner community to determine needs and interests. The program will focus on 150 households in 3 villages in the vicinity of the field office in Cochabamba. Desert180 will assist them for at least the first year of the pilot program. This assistance will include a detailed analysis of the agricultural potential of the local soil and subsequent workshops, training programs, and logistical support mechanisms to ensure successful implementation of individually tailored amaranth cultivation and agro-forestry plans.
The second year of the program will expand participation to additional families and/or neighboring communities. This will include extensive agriculture workshops as training sessionsfor participating families, focusing on the specific needs of that particular village. Attendance will be highly encouraged for the first four sessions in the workshop series, as they will impart critical soil preparation techniques to participants. Planting materials and equipment will be distributed gratis in subsequent sessions.