Year 2, Second 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. All Community Transition Activities are implemented in strict coordination with DEVIDA, the Peruvian institution responsible for implementation of the 'national fight against drugs' and the Alternative Development Program in particular. Transition 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. During the second quarter of 2014, NAP focused on ensuring the program continued to deliver on commitments included in existing no-replanting agreements with communities and farmers. The transition to new leadership at DEVIDA resulted in the slowing of other activities, including the halt of activities leading to new agreements, slowed procurement of inputs to shared crop development activities, and low levels of coordination and joint planning. Despite these challenges, progress was made towards the implementation of activities supporting participants' transition to licit livelihoods and lifestyles, including the formation of 11 community management committees, the establishment of 18 community development plans, and the prioritization of 18 JVC activities in participatory budgets. Capacity Building Activities continued to support the development and implementation of the Transition model in Monzon, which was recognized as a finalist for the first annual National Environmental Award for the implementation of the sustainable integrated agroforestry model in the Monzon Valley. The team also continued 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. Communications Activities focused on the development and design of communications materials supporting various Transition activities, including coffee and cacao cultivation, environmental mitigation, and agroforestry. The program also continued to initiate contacts and build relationships with other stakeholders in the development of Monzón, including Union Group and Agrobanco, whose initiation of operations in the Monzon valley will strengthen economic development in conjunction with Transition activities. The NAP team has succeeded in maintaining 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. The 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. The program has made significant progress in supporting the development and implementation of the Transition model in Monzon, including the recognition of the program's advances as a finalist for the first annual National Environmental Award. The program has also continued to develop a productive monitoring module for the Post-Eraducation Information System and has supported the strengthening and expansion of agricultural NGOs on many fronts.