Year 2 First Quarter Report: New Alternatives Program

The program is achieving this through two program components: Transition Activities and Communications Activities. Transition Activities comprise the set of activities that engage post-eradication communities, secure their commitment to remain free of coca cultivation, and coordinate and implement a set of activities designed to facilitate committed communities' transition to licit lifestyles. This component is implemented in strict coordination with DEVIDA, the Peruvian institution responsible for the implementation of the 'national fight against drugs' and the Alternative Development Program in particular. During the first quarter of the program's second year, NAP sharply increased the number of families participating in the program by facilitating no-replanting agreements with almost 2,200 households from 98 communities. These advancements reflect the second year workplan's dual approach: an expansion of Transition activities to new areas in the Pichis Palcazu Valley while consolidating the Transition process in areas where the project was active during the first year. DEVIDA's new president, Alberto Otarola, has recognized the important progress made in the Monzon Valley and has indicated his support for the continuation of the post-eradication activities. The program continued advancing the implementation of activities supporting participating communities' transition to licit livelihoods and lifestyles, highlighted by the formation of 24 community management committees, the establishment of 27 community development plans, the final installation of the 280 hectares of cocoa and coffee, and the wide application of organic fertilizer modules to improve crop vigor. The Transition team has also completed 100% of its initial environmental examinations while implementing an ambitious agro-forestry model to ensure the sustainability of the long-term crops in the degraded soils of the Monzon Valley. Furthermore, the team has succeeded in facilitating a high level of participation by women (33%) in the farmer field schools that serve as the backbone for providing technical assistance to cocoa and coffee farmers. Capacity Building Activities amplify the impact of community transition activities by strengthening the capacity of public and private stakeholders to carry out activities and functions that contribute to the success of post-eradication activities, either directly or indirectly. NAP support for the development and implementation of the Transition model in Monzon has been validated by its inclusion as a finalist in a contest for the best government practices, which will be selected by judges in July. The team continues its support for the systematization of Transition processes at DEVIDA with the systematization of the Community Development Activities, which focuses on the development and support of the role played by Community Management Committees. NAP also continues building the DEVIDA post-eradication monitoring system with the development of a module for the monitoring of productive activities. Through technical assistance, the program is leveraging the impact of Community Management Committees by helping them to advance their agendas in public and private venues. The team's preparation of community committees from Leoncio Prado and Huipoca for local government participatory budget workshops resulted in the prioritization of 13 of their proposed projects with a budget of approximately US$437,000. Technical assistance to four committees helped them initiate activities from their development plans, resulting in new partnerships with private and public institutions and the mobilization of funds in each case. NAP supported the strengthening and expansion of agricultural NGOs on many fronts, including the formation and activation of producer committees with 401 members, the organization of two associativity workshops, and the assessment of five producer organizations. Communications activities focused on responding to the demand generated by the expansion of NAP in the regions of Huanuco, Pasco, and Ucayali, especially in the areas of community outreach and the production of educational materials. The program continued advancing the implementation of activities supporting participating communities' transition to licit livelihoods and lifestyles, highlighted by the formation of 24 community management committees, the establishment of 27 community development plans, and the final installation of the 280 hectares of cocoa and coffee. The program's progress has been recognized by DEVIDA's new president, Alberto Otarola, who has indicated his support for the continuation of the post-eradication activities. The program's achievements have also been highlighted by the release of the UNODC coca monitoring report, which signaled the dramatic reductions in the Upper Huallaga Valley and Monzon in particular as important contributors to the remarkable 17.5% decline of coca cultivation in Peru during 2013. Overall, the New Alternatives Program has made significant progress in supporting the transitioning of communities in post-eradication areas from coca dependency to licit livelihoods. The program's activities have been recognized by DEVIDA's new president, and its achievements have been highlighted by the release of the UNODC coca monitoring report.