2.2.1 Participatory planning methods and tools used
2.2.2 CAP structure
2.2.3 Types of activities included in the CAPs
2.2.4 Size of CAPs
Before starting the actual participatory planning of activities, the results of the PRA generated data were presented to the community for verification and comments in a feed-back or restitution meeting. This is also the starting point of the Village Planning Workshops, during which the following exercises were carried out, resulting in the formulation of a Community Action Plan (see also Field Document 3/97):
1. Verbal ranking of problems, during which a list of problems is drawn up (ideally this list should closely reflect the results of the presentation of the PRA data), this list also includes opportunities for improvement;2. Prioritization of problems, which consists of a broad discussion and reshuffling of the listed problems;
3. Listing of activities, based on the prioritized problem and opportunity list; and
4. Prioritization of activities, based on the listed activities and a broad discussion on actual possibilities to carry out such activities.
The 26 Community Action Plans all follow the same structure. They indicate in the form of a table what the planned activities are, where they should be done within the communities, when they should be done, the number of beneficiary households, what the project should do, what other institutions should do, and what the community should do (see Table 1).
However, further analyses indicates that many activities are hidden, as can be seen from the Majhgaon (Chhoprak #7) example in Table 1 (see also Field Document 3/97 Table 24). Though only 6 activities are listed in the first column, further analysis of the 5th and 6th columns reveals some hidden activities, notably compost making training, forest management training and study tour, and fodder and forage training. Furthermore, it should be noted that there is a link between the different activities: waste water from protected water sources will be used in vegetable production; the forest should be protected and on-farm fodder production increased.
Table 1. The 1996 Community Action Plan of Majhgaon (Chhoprak #7).
|
Activities |
Where to be done |
When to be done |
Number of beneficiary households |
What should be done by the project |
What should be done by other institutions |
What should be done by the community |
|
Water source protection |
Dhadiyan sources |
Poush-Chaitra |
9 |
Provide outside materials (cement, rods, etc.) |
|
Collection of local material (sand, stones, etc.) |
|
Vegetable production and commercialization |
Around Amidibote, using water from Majuwa source (after protection) |
First dry season after completion of the water source protection (Mangsir, November 1996) |
10-12 |
Provide pipe, cement and seeds |
|
Pragati Women Group will easily do it |
|
Gairi ban forest development |
Gairi ban forest |
Starting from Poush (mid-December 1995) |
60-62 (including households from other communities) |
- Forest User Group organization |
District Forest |
Forest protection and preparation of the management plan |
|
Fruit sapling distribution |
Majhgaon village |
Asar-Shrawan |
46 |
Provide saplings and technology |
District Agriculture Office should provide training |
Protection and development |
|
Fodder (trees) and forage (grass) seeds and sapling distribution |
Majhgaon village |
Asar-Shrawan |
46 |
Provide planting material |
|
Protection and development |
It is also important to note that other institutions than the project are expected to be involved in the realization of the CAPs, most often mentioned are the District Forest, Agriculture Development, Livestock Services and Drinking Water Supply Offices.
The CAPs include many separate (but often inter-related) activities, including:
(a) Conservation activities, such as gully and landslide control, forest handover and management, conservation plantation and improved stoves;(b) Small scale infrastructures, such as water source protection, water catchment ponds, small scale hill irrigation and trail improvement;
(c) Farming systems oriented activities, like livestock breed improvement, plantation of grasses, fodder, fruit, vegetables, nursery, and related training activities;
(d) Income generating activities, like vegetable and animal production and commercialization; and
(e) Social services, like the construction of community houses, a health center, latrines and adult literacy classes.
It should be noted that several factors influenced the planning process, most notably:
(i) Expectations of the local population of the kind of activities the project would (be able to) support.(ii) Project policy on terms and conditions for the participatory implementation of activities, such as levels of subsidy. Here it should be noted that the project amended its implementation and subsidy policy shortly after completion of the PRA. Subsequently several communities/user groups wanted to amend their CAPs likewise.
(iii) The whole participatory planning procedure itself, and its focus on communities and user groups, favours the selection of activities that will benefit communities rather than individual households.
The 26 CAPs included a total of 223 activities, of which 177 could be defined as physical activities, and 46 as training activities (Table 2.). The number of activities per CAP was on average 8,6 and varied from only 1, in Nawalpur (Harmi #6) to 18, in Belbas (Khoplang #4).
Table 2. Total physical and training activities included in the 1996 Community Action Plans of 26 PRA communities in the Bhusunde Khola watershed.
|
VDC and Ward |
PRA Site |
Planned Physical Activities |
Planned Training Activities |
Total Planned Activities |
|
|
Ampipal |
|||||
|
|
5 |
Ratdanda |
2 |
1 |
3 |
|
6 |
Simpani |
2 |
- |
2 |
|
|
7 |
Simpani Hatiya |
2 |
2 |
4 |
|
|
9 |
Darmichaur |
7 |
1 |
8 |
|
|
Sub-total Ampipal |
|
13 |
4 |
17 |
|
|
Chhoprak |
|||||
|
|
1 |
Chitre |
9 |
- |
9 |
|
2 |
Chiuribot |
2 |
1 |
3 |
|
|
2 |
Thumki |
5 |
3 |
8 |
|
|
2 |
Amarai |
5 |
1 |
6 |
|
|
3 |
Katarbari |
8 |
- |
8 |
|
|
4 |
Salbot |
8 |
- |
8 |
|
|
5 |
Faudargaon |
4 |
- |
4 |
|
|
7 |
Majhgaon |
11 |
5 |
16 |
|
|
7 |
Bawaligaon |
11 |
5 |
16 |
|
|
8 |
Tutunga |
10 |
1 |
11 |
|
|
8 |
Jaisithok |
7 |
4 |
10 |
|
|
8 |
Firfire |
9 |
- |
9 |
|
|
8 |
Arubote/Mathure |
8 |
1 |
9 |
|
|
9 |
Katubanse |
10 |
6 |
16 |
|
|
Sub-total Chhoprak |
|
107 |
27 |
134 |
|
|
Sub-total Chhoprak |
7+8+9 |
66 |
22 |
88 |
|
|
Harmi |
|||||
|
|
3 |
Harmi Bhanjang |
5 |
- |
5 |
|
6 |
Nawalpur |
- |
1 |
1 |
|
|
6 |
Ghimiregaon |
12 |
3 |
15 |
|
|
Sub-total Harmi |
|
17 |
4 |
21 |
|
|
Khoplang |
|||||
|
|
1 |
Suntale |
5 |
1 |
6 |
|
1 |
Falamkhani |
5 |
3 |
8 |
|
|
4 |
Belbas |
14 |
4 |
18 |
|
|
4 |
Kolkate |
10 |
- |
10 |
|
|
4 |
Khurpajung |
6 |
3 |
9 |
|
|
Sub-total Khoplang |
|
40 |
11 |
51 |
|
|
Total 26 PRA Communities |
|
177 |
46 |
223 |
|
Physical activities usually form the core of the CAPs. There were on average 3.8 times more physical activities than training activities in the PRAs, and only in 1 case were there more training than physical activities planned, namely in Nawalpur (Harmi #6). The were on average 6.8 physical activities, ranging from 0 in Nawalpur2 (Harmi #6), to 14 in Belbas (Khoplang #4).
2 In fact the Nawalpur PRA and Planning exercise was dominated by a few "radicals", who seemed to oppose any other activities than those proposed by themselves, i.e. improved stoves training.
Training activities were often hidden as accompaniment to physical activities. This reflects also the role of the facilitator. In a number of CAPs the planned number of training activities was very low, though other CAPs with similar physical activities also included specific and related training activities. This factor is particularly important in the organization of training events (i.e. communities that did not include training in their CAP should be invited for training events relevant to their physical activities). There were on average 1.7 training activities planned per CAP, ranging from 0 in Simpani (Ampipal #6), Chitre (Chhoprak #1), Katarbari (Chhoprak #3), Salbot (Chhoprak M), Faudargaon (Chhoprak #5), Firfire (Chhoprak #8), Harmi Bhanjang (Harmi #3) and Khurpajung (Khoplang #4), to 6 in Katubanse (Chhoprak #9).
