Proje Sove Te [Project Save the Soil] : final report of project activities

PST was implemented from 9/87-9/91 by Associates in Rural Development (ARD), Inc. under USAID Contract No. 521-0191-C-00- 7091-00. The ARD team was forced to delay beginning project implementation until 12/88 due to political unrest. The original long-term TA team was composed of six specialists; this number was gradually reduced to three in 1991. The project office was located approximately 50 km north of Les Cayes in the town of Camp Perrin; a major effort was expended by project staff over the first year of the project to secure and renovate a project office and staff housing, and to establish communications and logistical links with Port-au-Prince and ARD"s home office in Vermont, USA. ARD/PST worked closely with four local NGO"s to assist them both technically and administratively. The NGO"s received USAID grants outside of the PST contract; ARD/PST was charged with helping these NGO"s account for the use of USAID funds, develop planning and budgeting systems, develop their procurement and inventory systems, and work with local farmers and farmer groups to implement improved technologies for soil conservation and agricultural development. While the TA team"s major focus was assisting the NGO"s, the project also carried out its own research and extension activities. Several plots of land were secured for experimentation with various improved crops and combinations of soil and water conservation techniques, and a number of training activities for NGO staff were carried out. Despite the short effective lifespan of the project, the limited resources available, and the daunting political situation, PST managed to develop and implement a number of promising technical interventions and to substantially raise the level of NGO activity and knowledge of effective technical and management strategies. Particularly notable were the following developments. (1) The four participating NGO"s are now employing generally accepted accounting practices and are auditable; they are eligible to receive funds from USAID without the assistance of an outside contractor such as ARD, and can apply to USAID for funding after the official PACD of the PST. (2) The NGO"s have developed their own planning, monitoring, and evaluation systems which enable them to measure the impact of interventions and monitor progress. (3) The NGO"s are fully conversant with a wide range of technical interventions in soil conservation and agricultural production, and have carried out extensive work with their members to extend these interventions. (4) Programs in improved seed collection, storage, and distribution have been started by the participating NGOs. (5) Animal health and forage issues have received a good deal of attention, and a major program was begun to train veterinary paraprofessionals in rural areas. (6) The advantages and disadvantages of various soil conservation strategies have been thoroughly studied in the field, and the NGO"s are in a position to make sound judgements on the most suitable interventions for a given site or area. (7) Several thousand hectares of agricultural land in the watersheds of southwest Haiti now feature improved agricultural and soil and water conservation strategies such as hedgerows planted on the contour, the use of herbaceous legumes for improved fallow and as intercrops, and the construction of furrows and berms along the contour. Through the work of the TA team and NGO staff these interventions are now a common sight in the project areas and farmers are generally well aware of the benefits that such measures bring. The PST ended in late September 1991 due to a lack of funding and due to the once again deteriorating political situation. With the coup against President Aristide on 9/30/91, all U.S. development aid to the country ceased, and the remaining members of the TA team were evacuated in early October. Although the PST was an extremely difficult project to implement, due to a variety of social, economic, technical, and political problems, ARD feels that the project concept was and remains valid, and that many of the lessons learned and interventions developed and extended are worthy of continued support by international donor organizations. (Author abstract)