St. Kitts-Nevis resource management project

Kitts-Nevis and to strengthen the institutional capacity to maintain and extend these practices. The Ministry of Agriculture (MOA) will head host government implementation of the project and will be helped by other donor and regional entities. Demonstration activities in St. Kitts will take place at three sites. In Lavington-Lynches, the project will build graded terraces on 135 acres of moderate to steep sloping land and will stabilize the bordering gullies (e.g., by channelization, reinforcing critical points, and planting trees). Small farmers will be offered long-term leases to establish, and be given TA to properly cultivate, some 40 acres of land in higher elevations which has a potential for food crop production; a small portion of the land will be set aside to demonstrate effective cultivation techniques and to evaluate various crop diversification and agroforestry practices. In Sir Gillies, control of a flat-bottomed, meandering gully will be demonstrated by building gabions and by channelization; a 30-40 ft. shelter belt area alongside the gully will provide permanent tree cover. In Hope, control of a highly developed, headcut-type gully will be demonstrated by building a concrete drop structure and an 1,800 ft. concrete channel; where needed, a 40-ft belt of trees will be planted on either side of the gully. A soil conservation strategy and work program will help institutionalize an ongoing soil conservation program and replicate the project"s successes. In Nevis, the Department of Agriculture will establish a Land Unit to prepare and implement surface water development and watershed management plans. The former plan will focus on finding and exploiting water sources near existing and planned farming areas, while the latter will use existing data to establish criteria for placing restrictions and incentives on land and water use, specify landowners" responsibilities in assuring proper land management, and identify endangered watershed areas. A series of small-scale demonstration subprojects will be designed to improve the latter. Six U.S. short courses and in-country training in equipment operation and conservation will support project implementation.