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This proposal was moved to: Land Use: Agriculture, Forestry, Livestock 2016

Pitch

Sensitize rural community to protect environment and fight against poverty


Description

Summary

To meet the needs for the households of the bordering populations for their subsistence, the poor rural communities depend on the forests where they are supplied out of firewood and other biomass to prepare their food but also the search for some food plants as well as other consumable foresters (small animals);  this would have consequences:  a strong pressure exerted on the forests causing the devastation of the foresters zone, the disappearance of certain species animals destruction of the biodiversity as well as the disturbance of the environment  which leads not only to the reduction of the rain and the exposure to the dryness but also to the reduction of the agricultural activities having led to the exhaustion of the natural resources, to the underdevelopment of the zones touched like with the disturbance of the climate (climatic change).   

In the search for the solutions to the problems arising and for construction successfully of the resilience of this community, it proves very necessary to inform and stimulate the awakening of this community through a strong sensitizing of all the sociopolitical layers constitute by the bordering community concerned (the local leaders, local churches, local associations or organizations) and all the population. 

This project aims at sensitizing the bordering communities which use the forests like principal source of supply foodstuffs and essential products, for their subsistence, through a new approach which consists to give up their old design of forest like only resource for their subsistence and to consider new resources of supplyers out of the forests zone to build their resilience.  


What actions do you propose?

The building of the resilience of these communities will have effect with the support of the generating activities of incomes and the local agricultural activities that is a principal subsistence activity of the rural community. 

ü The first activity relates to the granting of microcredit for the small trade with the bordering women gathered in associations of local solidarity, to help them to meet the primary needs for their household and to contribute to school education of their children. 

ü The second activity consists of the hiring of the fields which we call Community field of solidarity and with the supply agricultural seeds which will be distributed to each solidarity group in order to restart their agricultural activity formerly abandoned because of the insecurity and conflicts accompanied by sexual violence of which was victims these women and their daughters.  The agricultural activity impact will be the  social cohesion through the experience sharing of the ones and others and the mutual cure of the wounds and psychological trauma caused by violence perpetrated against them by the armed groups. 

ü The third activity consists in granting a credit of breeding the heads of the households having been formerly cattle breeders which they unfortunately lost in the war and conflict  as well as the spontaneous organization with plunderings by the armed groups.  Consequently they do not know by where to start again their work of breeding of large and smaller live-stocks which allowed them to generate incomes through the consumption and the sale of the dairy products, of the meat... for food self-sufficiency in the fight against malnutrition, have health access and to contribute to the school education of their children.  The most serious consequence which was followed from there is that all the community sees itself reduced with an extreme poverty because their richness was consisted of agriculture and the breeding.  But also while fighting against the climatic change this activity of breeding has a positive impact on the fertility of the soil that can support vegetation when the animal excrements are exploited like fertilizer of  zero cost and to a certain extent like source of renewable energy by the manufacture of biogas to be used in the place of the firewood and its exploitation which will contribute positively to the gas reduction for purpose of greenhouse which is the annoying consequence with the daily exposure to the chronic pulmonary diseases.  

Indeed 95% of the bordering populations depend on the biomass (to cook and heat themselves).  This very great dependence on the biomass has many negative consequences on the local environment (of which deforestation, reduction in the fertility of the grounds, etc.)  As well as total (climatic change).  Moreover, the collection of the biomass represents an exhausting spot which is generally carried out by the women and the children.  The fume generated by the combustion of the biomass in closed parts has very bad consequences on the health of the families. 

For all these reasons, the development of solutions such as the installations of domestic biogas represents a very good advisability to improve the living conditions of these families while preserving the environment by the reduction of gas for purpose of greenhouse. This would constitute our new pilot project by the feasibility study of the installation of the bio-digesters in the community concerned.

A bio-digester is a system which transforms the organic matter via an anaerobic reaction (in absence of oxygen).  This reaction makes it possible to obtain 2 products:  biogas and a kind of liquid fertilizer. Biogas is a mixture of methane and carbon dioxide which can be burn like natural gas for the kitchen, lighting or possibly for certain productive uses.  Liquid fertilizer is the residual material at the end of the reaction and which proves to be an excellent liquid fertilizer.

The " digester " is in fact a tank semi-cylindrical built out of bricks near the house and hidden under the ground.  The lid of this tank is made of cement and makes it possible to retain gas produced by the reaction.  A tube is located at its top to recover gas

To be able to make function the bio-digester correctly, a family needs to have at least 2 cows (24kg of dungs of cows) or equivalent.  The villagers are accustomed to using the dungs of cows since they traditionally make them dry and use them for cooking.  Moreover the bio-digester can be connected to the toilets, which has a positive impact on hygiene. 

Biogas is mainly used for the kitchen with a burner similar to that used with cylinder gas.  It thus replaces fires " with open sky " or of the " ground stoves " of bad qualities which emit fume enormously.   In some cases biogas is also used to feed from the lamps with gas or the generating stations, to see an electric generator.  Liquid fertilizer as for him is used in the fields to increase the productivity of the plantations all in substituent with the expensive artificial fertilizers and having a negative environmental impact.   

From where need for starting again the principal activity carried out by the heads of the households through a credit cattle to distribute to some men and who will be the subject of credit rotary cattle consisted of the cows, goats and pigs.  Only one cattle will be offered in credit rotation hair to the first 15 recipients whose one will have either the cow, or the pig, or the goat. 

This project also aims at stimulating the voluntary participation of the community to be protector from the forest reserves while becoming themselves the actors of a positive change through a communication for the change of behavior who concerned single subject which is the protection of the forest species  which are there. 

Proposed Action

Objective 1:  to sensitize the rural community on the danger of the destruction of the ecosystem because of the illegal exploitation of the forest zone.

Activity: 

-     Contacts with the local leaders, local associations, the women association and other fascinating parts. Workshops of Community sensitizing to stimulate the change of behavior by giving to the community the responsibility to adapt the conservation and the protection of the biodiversity through the reinforcement of the capacities on the importance and the advantages of the existence continues forests and impact of its resources on the life and the human development. 

-     To organize a workshop of exchange on the causes and the consequences of the destruction of the ecosystem on the human development and to analyze proposals of the alternatives socio-economic and cultural possible and adapted to reduce the pressure on the ecological environment and to take up the Challenge related to the Community well-being. 

-     To organize a workshop of formation for the local leaders and the members of local associations of development which will be the Community sensitizers to promote the protection of the forest resources, an occasion to reinforce the capacities of knowledge of the community and their role for the safeguarding of the natural resources.  This workshop gathers all the layers of the community and will be to enclose by the granting of the patents of formations to the participants who become trainers and/or sensitizers of their community. 

-     To organize a workshop of launching of the project which will imply the participation of the actors in the project and the local and provincial politico-administrative authorities. 

 

Objective 2:  Financial support of the generating incomes activities. 

The economic reorientation of the bordering women of the groups interdependent listed like first recipients by the granting of microcredit for the small trade; this one will push the woman to give up the old practice for its subsistence, of which the demolition of the trees and the search for biomass which are at the base of the destruction of the ecosystem.  This financing in form of microcredit for the small trade will make it possible to the recipients to reinforce the expenditure of their households by the purchase of the local products of subsistence without referring to the forests to contribute to the construction of the resilience of their households with an aim of fighting against the climatic change.

Activity: 

Grant microcredit the first  recipient chosen by chance, individual choice of activity of small trade, beginning of the generating incomes activity by the first  recipient. 

Weekly and/or monthly monitoring and evaluation of the activities, reportage of the evolution of recipients. 

 

Objective 3:  As the rural woman will never conceive a better life without having a field where it cultivates its beans and its maniocs which constitute basic food of the communities;  to ensure its survival, a Community field will be to rent and grant each interdependent group made up of the 20 members.  The practice of agriculture makes it possible to the women to regularly meet and exchange experiments for a social cohesion and a progressive mutual cure of the psychological traumatisms caused by sexual violence perpetrated by the armed groups. 

 

Activities:  seek, hiring and preparation of the fields, distribution of the seeds, the beginning of the agricultural activity will depend on the farming season. 

Monitoring and evaluation of the impact of this activity on the psychosocial level of the women in the solidarity groups. Reportage.

  

Objective 4:  the granting of credit cattle to the heads of the households in the form of rotation by choosing 15 households like first recipient according to the animal to be raised.  The distribution will depend on the number of cattle available for the breeding (5 cows, 5 pigs, 5 goats).  If these cattle is available thus we will have 15 recipients men who are gathered in association of solidarity.  Rotation is done on the basis of each reproduction from where the second recipient will receive cattle after each new reproduction.  Any time the activity of breeding can relate to only one cattle if the financial constraint imposes it. 

Activities:  choice of the first recipient, adjustment of the place of breeding, purchase and distributions of the cattle for domestic breeding, weekly, monthly Monitoring and evaluation of the recipients. 


Who will take these actions?

The team of the project will be trained by: 

One Coordinator of project which cordoned all the activities.  It will be assisted by 2 project assistants which will have the task to analyze all the reports and to evaluate the impact of this project in the 1st period and its continuity by submitting amendments to the team and 2 supervisors who will be in charge of the Monitoring of the project. 3 animator of solidarity group who will have the charge of organization of sensitizing activity, control of the solidarity group and preparing the field.

The direct recipients of the project are 126 bordering women gathered in 6 groups of solidarity which will receive a significant amount in microcredit for the small trade of its choice. 

Between 5 and 15 men heads of the households are the 1st recipient which will receive each one a credit cattle of cow, goat or pig. 

Male cattle will be bought for each category of cattle and will have the role to be coupled with female in end to stimulate the reproduction of new small which will make rotation with the second and third recipients.  These males will be kept by 3 organizers in charge of daily do monitoring of the project.  The local leaders will help for the advisory support.  The forest agents will have the role of supervisors and will confirm through their report that they observed a change of behavior of the profit community of this project.   

The stimulating ones and certain local associations of development will contribute to the accompaniment of the solidarity groups through some formations of routine and the daily follow of the groups and their activities, and will produce their daily report.  


Where will these actions be taken?

We would wish that this project be carried out in the forest of Itombwe in the territory of Mwenga in the province of the South Kivu the country is the Democratic Republic of Congo, but according to the orientation of the project it is adaptable in the bordering communities throughout the whole world.  for exemple in India...


How will these actions have a high impact in addressing climate change?


What are other key benefits?

Diffusion of information of the dangers of the bad management of the natural reserves, the knowledge of the advantages of the natural conservation, the abandon of the exploitation of the forest, the financial stabilization to the beneficiaries households, the guarantee school education of their child, reduction of malnutrition in the community, rebirth of the biodiversity and the perpetuation of the species in danger of disappearance... 


What are the proposal’s costs?

- Microcrédit for the small trader: cost unit: 305 $x126 first beneficiairies,

Total of cost of Microcredit 38,430 $

- Credit for the Breeding: Cow unit cost: 750 $ x5 Total of cost 3750$

Goat unit cost 70$ x5 total of cost: 350 $,

Pig unit cost 85 $x5 Total of cost 425 $

Total of cost for the Breeding: 4,525 $

- Agriculture: 9,500 $

- Workshop /Trainings / sensitization 10,500 $

- Staff of project 28,500 $

- Equipment: 10.750

- Monitoring and evaluation: 7.000 $

- Indirect cost 3.400 $

Total of cost: 116,355 $

The projectpilot from biodigesters is 115,650 $. This could be a second phase of this proposal. 


Time line

Through various management training and strict monitoring and evaluation of microcredit activities beneficiaries will have stability and self-sufficiency in their household in 5 years. We plan in 5-15 years followed by the agricultural and livestock evaluation, the seed bank design and production of fertilizer with cattle dung beneficiaries will be able to increase their agricultural production and they can become local suppliers in 15-50 years and above 50 years may be merchantable their product at the regional level and beyond to promote industrial development of agriculture. We are going to see the result of the community engagement to protect ecosystem and forest. But also after 50years they could use bio-digester in all the community to product a durable renewable energy 


Related proposals

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