The project was originally designed to be completed by 31 December 2006. The Project, however, experienced an 18-month delay in implementation caused mainly by an impasse between the Philippine Government and IFAD on the selection of NGOs that would manage the Project's Site Operations Units (SOUs) at the provincial level. In the MId-Term Review in 2004, IFAD and the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) recognized that there are still numerous sub-projects/activities that have yet to be implemented/completed. IFAD thus extended the Project's completion date to 31 December 2006. The NEDA-ICC gave its concurrence to the said extension in Decenber 2005

Project Objectives

WMCIP's aims include higher incomes above poverty threshold, better standards of living and greater livelihood resilience among approximately 16,000 households in selected areas of Western Mindanao through increased subsistence/cash crop and fishery production. This shall be realized through:

1. Capability enhancement of 80 communities (and their associated NGOs/POs, LGUs and line agencies) to plan, prepare, finance and manage development activities and enterprises;

2. Delivery of technical and financially sound and ecologically sensitive production systems (with support infrastructure) that accent community responsibility and management and that seek the reversal of environment degradation, to about 1,650 coastal and 4,200 upland and indigenous families;

3. Expansion and development of small enterprises and individual/group entrepreneurs based on farm, fishery and related activities among 1,600 households through provision of accessible/available credit facility;

4. Enhanced management and implementation capability and demonstrated invasiveness/cost-effective approaches to local development planning and execution under stringent financial and resource condition.

Project Area/Targeted Groups

Project Components

1.) Community and Institutional Development

The Community and institutional Development component of WMCIP addresses the need to build new and/or supplement the capacity of existing organizations and institutions to provide the organizational, technical and managerial expertise and to develop channels for the delivery of necessary services directly to those who are in need of them. This involves three sub-components:

i) Community Organizational Development - this sub-component involves formation and strengthening of 80 functional and cohesive community organizations that are able to implement locally-conceived programs and plans. The process of community formation/building shall immediately commence following CO deployment and information drive capped by media publicity (print and broadcast).

In as much as there is a dearth of required information to start the community building process, it is indispensable that the entry point incorporates the conduct of needs assessment and resource/opportunity surveys/mapping. Subsequent activities shall include community awareness-raising meeting and training. The decision to get organized is the product of these participatory activities. This shall lead to the formulation of barangay development plan(s) and the forging of an agreement for the implementation of mutually determined community sub-projects. Community Organization Coordinators (COCs) who will be working with Site Operations Units (SOUs) will direct this work. The COCs and the field organizers shall be monitored and supported by the Project Management Office (PMO)-based Community Development Specialist (CDS) .

ii) LGU Capacity Development - this entails the delivery of support for the enhancement of the planning, coordination and implementation capability of 21 municipalities and 80 barangays in managing local development affairs and in providing support to community-based rural development. This targeted output shall be realized primarily through awareness building, re-orientation and skills training to enable LGU personnel to have greater roles in development. Project Start-up Workshops shall be conducted to identify immediate and specific needs for strengthening LGUs.

iii) Line Agency Processes Support - this seeks to assist the government line agencies (DAR, DENR, DA, BFAR, ATI and NCIP) in refining their systems, approaches and procedures in the delivery of services and support to rural communities. This sub-component shall involve the provision of training, culture sensitization and improved resource generation.

2.) Natural Resource Management

Natural resource management delves on testing, initiation and promotion of new natural resource management concepts/strategies/approaches through various community development processes. There are two priorities. The first is the introduction/promotion of such practices as sloping agricultural land technology (SALT) and community-based coastal resource management (CBCRM). The second pertains to the improvement of the productive capacity of natural resources through resource stabilization and enhancement and/or improvement of infrastructures. The overall goal is to achieve a sustained higher productive capacity of targeted farming and fishing households through the following sub-component:

i) Land Resource Management - This sub-component shall endeavor to develop new crop options and farming systems which could be disseminated by field extension workers. Hence, the foundation for this intervention is contingent on the improvement of quality of extension services and the formation of a pool of up to 240 farmers who are trained in various cropping and land management techniques. They will supplement and facilitate the work of Field Extension Agents (FEAs).

Moreover, Land Resource Management shall include on-farm trials, demonstrations in all ecosystems and the conduct of six farming systems development studies. An experiential learning process shall also be adopted. This involves the visit of 30 farmers per year within the region to inspect and study various cropping practices and the outgrower/cooperative systems that are well established in Malaysia and Indonesia.

ii) Marine/Water Resource Management - This targeted the development and distribution of proven fishery enterprise options by Community Fisheries Extension Workers (CFEW). Moreover, this involves the training of local fisherfolk on community-based fishery and coastal resource management; the conduct of surveys and trials including assessment of sites for seaweed and cage culture, lagoon ranching and fish aggregation device; resource survey of the Municipality of Lakewood in Zamboanga del Sur; trap fishery and cage culture demonstration; and operation of seaweed nursery.

The implementation of this sub-component shall adopt a geographically focused and capacity-phased strategy. Accordingly, efforts shall be concentrated in strategically located communities (in accordance with a defined site selection criteria), which shall serve as nuclei for the planned spread and radiating-effects.

As a phased strategy, the implementation of this sub-component shall commence and unfold in the following manner: a) training and placement of Community Fisheries Extension Workers (CFEWs); b) establishment of extension service in target communities; c) creation of linkages with other institutions; d) conduct of surveys and trials; e) promotion of proven production systems; f) training and support for community fisher organizers; g) establishment of micro-enterprises in marketing; h) post-harvest handling; and, i) resource monitoring.

iii) Infrastructure and Resource Enhancement - Sustainable development requires investment for the maintenance and enhancement of the resource base. The survey of land area is an initial step. Subsequently, the identification, distribution and adoption of appropriate on-farm and land management practices, and, the delivery of new, as well as the improvement of existing support infrastructure, follow suit. The community development process shall serve as vehicle in the identification of sub-projects to improve/increase the productivity of the resource base. These sub-projects shall be financed through the Community Infrastructure Fund (CIF).

3.) Small Enterprise Development and Credit

Natural resource use, improvement and increased output enable the expansion of farm and fishery enterprises. These lead to opportunities for services, processing, trading and small-scale manufacture. The adoption/installation of the following mechanisms shall ensure the unfolding of new and/or expansion of existing enterprises:

i) Business Advisory Services - this provides for the availability and accessibility of effective technical assistance and advisory services by government and private sector for owner-operators of on-and off-farm enterprises. Moreover, the sub-component involves the facilitation of credit supply; ensuring credit availment by communities; and, delivery of external services and entrepreneurial skills training at individual, barangay and municipal levels.

Enterprise training shall focus on identification and appraisal of opportunities, procedures in establishing business enterprises, business management including financial and credit management. Technical training is contingent on the type of enterprise that is involved.

ii) Enterprise Development Credit - The project shall provide for an accessible credit facility, through lead credit conduits (at 13% interest rate), to ensure the initiation and expansion of on-and/or off-farm enterprises. The fund shall be made available in cooperation with local participating credit institutions (at 18% interest rate), which will take responsibility for re-lending to individuasls and groups. It is envisaged that some 36,000 loans, including repeat loans, shall be made over the 6 years of the Project.

Loans for agriculture will have short and medium terms of 12 months to 4 years. Long term loans of six years and above shall only be entertained where there is sound collateral and where borrower intercrops short-term crops to ensure early cash inflow. Fisheries loan shall primarily support enterprises that diversify production to reduce pressure on marine resources.

4.) Project Organization and Management

Sustainable and effective development requires the building of capacity, partnership and linkages among institutions that have proven capability to improve identification of needs and ensure the delivery of services. The project strategy shall bring various institutional partners in a coherent, well- coordinated and mutually supporting capacity and working relationships, instilling the discipline of a dynamic, quasi-commercial, market-oriented, performance-driven and term-based management approach. The government line agencies shall convey and introduce technical expertise into the development process. DAR is the lead agency supported by DENR,DA, BFAR, ATI and NCIP. Working together, these agencies shall program and assist in the development of the project sites, at the discretion of the beneficiary communities and under the jurisdiction of project management in accordance with obligated financial, technical and administrative resources.

NGOs shall develop the critical link between the formal agencies and the target communities and assist these communities develop their capacity for management of development on site. In some circumstances, specialist assistance for development planning and execution are best obtained from the private, professional or academic sectors.

LGUs shall provide development instigation, program planning, financing, implementation and control at the local level. Community Organizations are essential to ensure the participation of targeted beneficiaries in all aspects of the development process.

DAR will work closely with DENR, DA, BFAR, ATI, NCIP, LBP and other line departments and in partnership with: LGUs at the provincial, municipal and barangay levels; NGOs, POs and beneficiary communities; and with private and academic sector consultants and contractors (see Figure 1).

Site Operation Units (SOUs) shall be established in each province. The provincial SOUs shall manage the provision of all downstream services and resources, including staff and optimum employment of local expertise.