Agriculturally sustainable systems and environmental transformation (ASSET) 2000

The program, which supports the Mission"s Strategic Objective No. 4, will include activities in national environmental management, sustainable hillside agriculture, community participation in tree planting and environmental protection, and urban environmental quality. Activities of program result No. 1 will strengthen the national framework for environmental management by: (1) supporting the development of a National Environmental Action Plan (NEAP); (2) building institutional capability in the Ministries of Agriculture (MARNDR) and the Environment, with a focus on transferring responsibilities to the local level; and (3) helping to develop a national agricultural and environmental information system. Activities of result No. 2 will use interventions tested in the PLUS Project (5210217) to increase the use of sustainable agricultural practices by hillside farmers. These interventions, which will be implemented in collaboration with farmers and local NGOs, will focus on improved technologies (targeted to specific watersheds) for soil and water conservation, agroforestry, tree crop cultivation, vegetable gardening of high-value crops, and value-added processing. Several interventions will be targeted to women farmers, e.g., bio-intensive gardens, value-added processing of vegetables. Other interventions will include providing more reliable marketing information, building collective marketing capabilities of farmer associations, and facilitating marketing contacts, as well as maintaining a complete database of interventions and outcomes. Responsibility for program activities will gradually be transferred to local communities and farmers. Activities of result No. 3 will foster community participation in tree planting and protection of productive infrastructure, especially in peri-urban and degraded land areas. The program, with Peace Corps assistance, will establish Community Forestry Corps (CFC) in 30 communes, which will work with local groups to empower them with resource planning, organizational and financial management, and technical skills so they can take responsibility for environmental management. Specific targets are to expand the planting of trees on hillside areas and to establish community or privately owned nurseries. Activities of result No. 4 will improve environmental quality in Cite Soleil and other urban settings through activities in liquid and solid waste management. The program will include pollution mitigation activities, e.g., to: promote financially and environmentally sustainable community-based urban sanitation services, undertake a public education campaign, introduce low-cost technologies such as dry pit latrines and ponding, help the Government of Haiti provide policy leadership and long-term planning in urban environmental services, involve NGOs and community groups in environmental services, and replicate successful pilot activities that were developed in Cite Soleil. Implementation of focused pollution prevention activities will depend on the priorities of the NEAP. Quantitative program targets include: (1) 2.5 million people receiving environmental awareness information and/or participating in innovative, farmer-oriented soil conservation, watershed management, and agroforestry programs; (2) 650 farmer groups representing 150,000 farmers supported by NGOs in resource and environmental activities, with over 20% participation by women farmers; (3) 32 million tree seedlings planted; (4) protection of 230,000 ha of watersheds; and (5) more than 10,000 people with access to improved sanitary facilities. ASSET 2000 will be implemented by an institutional contractor and existing contractors and grantees under the PLUS and COFFEE projects, and will be managed by a Senior Management Committee comprised of Core Team members, Government of Haiti representatives, customer representatives, and key partners, including NGOs and contractors.