Madhya Pradesh social forestry project (386-0475) : second mid-term evaluation, December 1985

Second mid-term evaluation covers the period 11/83-12/85 and is based on site visits and interviews with project personnel and villagers. The project's basic premise is flawed. Panchayat (village) leaders are motivated by the existing political economy to seek short-term goals, whereas the project's aim - self-sustaining, local management of timber plantations - is a long-term prospect. Also, tremendous pressures are exerted on panchayat leaders by villagers who own cattle and want the proposed project areas for grazing land. It is very unlikely that the villages will ever manage the plantations totally on their own. Present institutional arrangements are a further constraint. The FD, from which all top SFD managers have been drawn, is not an extension-oriented agency. Moreover, the top SFD position has served as a revolving door for FD officials on the verge of retirement, while many of the lower-level personnel transferred from the FD to the SFD have limited qualifications for their jobs and little interest in them. SFD morale is low and a sense of direction is wanting. At present, SFD's extension services are strongest for private nurseries and, in a few cases, private farm and agroforestry activities. As currently managed, none of the plantations visited will become financially self-sustaining, although major changes in the attitudes and behaviors of the SFD and the Panchayats could improve the situation. Much work needs to be done by SFD to engage village authorities in the management of woodlots. To the extent that villagers are currently so engaged, it is through SFD's nursery and seedling distibution programs. Finally, the availability of quality land for social forestry represents a serious project constraint, due to competing claims for the land from other government offices, villagers, etc. It is recommended that SFD not establish many more plantations until it has (1) assured that sufficient land is available and (2) demonstrated panchayats' capacity for managing the plantations on a self-sustaining basis. Otherwise, alternative approaches to forestry in Madhya Pradesh may have to be examined. SFD itself should undergo a period of program reconceptualization, restructuring, and consolidation, making radical personnel and organizational changes as needed. Recommendations for specific problem areas are also given.