S31q Special Evaluation of the Resources
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S31Q 63/ SPECIAL EVALUATION OF THE RESOURCES CONSERVATION AND UTILIZATION PROJECT Under Contract No. PDC-1406-I-04-1096-00 Work Order No. 4 Submitted To: USAID/Nepal Prepared By: Frederick F. Simmons, Team Leader DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATES, INC. Charlotte Miller Office of International Cooperation and Development U.S. Department of Agriculture Prachanda Pradhan Development Research and Communication Group Kathmandu, Nepal David B. Thorud College of Forest Resources University of Washington April 1983 DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATES, INC. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The authors would like to express their sincere appreciation to the staff of USAID/Nepal, officials of His Majesty's Government of Nepal, the RCUP and SECID staff, and the people of Mustang, Myagdi and Gorkha for their openness and hospitable assistance and cooperation despite the special burdens such inquisitive visitors bring. Annex 2 contains the names of the many persons who met with the team and patiently answered their questions. DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATES, INC. ii LIST OF ACRONYMS ADB/N Agriculture Development Bank, Nepal ADB Asian Development Bank ADO Agriculture Development Officer CCC Catchment Conservation Officer COo Chief District Officer DFO Divisional Forest Officer ISCWM Department of Livestock Development and Animal Husbandry FAO Food and Agriculture Organization FY Fiscal Year GON Government of Nepal GTZ German Technical Cooperation HMG/N His Majesty's Government, Nepal IBRD International Bank for Reconstruction and Development IRNR Institute for Renewable Natural Resources IHOP Integrated Hill Development Project IROP Integrated Rural Development Project JTA Junior Technical Assistant K-BIRD Karnali Bheri Integrated Rural Development Project KHARDP Koshi Hill Area Rural Development Project NCCNR National Council for the Conservation of Natural Resources PCC Panchayat Conservation Committee PIC Project Implementation Committee PRDP Panchayat Resource Development Plans RCUP Resource Conservation and Utilization Project DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATES, INC. iii SECID Southeast Consortium for International Development SATA Swiss Association for Technical Assistance SCA Soil Conservation Assistant TCF Technical Cooperation Fund UNDP United Nations Development Program USAID/N United States Agency for International Development, Nepal USAID/W United States Agency for International Development, Washington DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATES, INC. TABLE OF CONTENTS Page . 2 I. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY. ... .. 6 11. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS . 20 III. THE SETTING . " 22 of Environmental Degradation . r e s n Consequences inNepal: . 25 with Soil and Water Conservation Problms Grappling . 30 Commitment of the Government. AND BACKGROUND OF THE RESOURCE CONSERVATION IV. 34 UTILIZATION PROJECT. .. .. .. ITS METHODOLOGY • •. 39 V. SCOPE OF THE RCUP EVALUATION AND MULTI-SECTORAL APPROACH TO VI. THE INTEGRATED . .. .. 42 RESOURCE CONSERVATION AND UTILIZATION . " . " 42 in the Hills . Conditions ... 46 of Nepal Policy Orientation. ..... Government Projects . 47 Previous Experience with Multi-Sector Integrated . 52 Conclusions . IN THE RCUP . .. 54 VII, ACHIEVING MULTI-SECTOR INTEGRATION Organizational Arrangements in Government Alternative .. ... 61 to Deal with Soil and Water Conservation. RCUP Level. .... 62 Alternative Organizational Schemes at the . 64 Conclusions . 65 . .. VIII. RCUP STRUCTURE AND OPERATIONS. 65 Coordinator . The Project . 67 Role and Composition of theem ..... 71 Coordination and Management . 71 Conclusions . 73 ................ IX, LOCAL LEVEL PROJECT IMPACT at the District Governmental Organizational Arrangements d ......... 73 District and Village Levels ...... ......... 77 RCUP Local Planning and Implementation .. Achievements, Prospects and Decentralization . 79 to RCUP . Relationship . 82 Impact of Traditions and Government Legislation . 85 Evaluation Team Observations. INC. DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATES, v X. RCUP TRAINING ACTIVITIES.............. .... 91 Training Design and Manpower Analysis ............. 91 The Institute for Renewable Natural Resources ......... 92 The Training Wing . ... ... 93 Training. ... 93 u~herParticipant Issues . .. ... .. 94 Conclusions . ... ... 95 XI. THE SCALE OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEM VERSUS THE SCOPE OF THE RCUP ................... 98 The Scope of RCUP-Planning Targets. ... 101 Other Related Activities . ........... 102 Scope vs Scale: Tentative Conclusions. ............ 103 Evaluation of Interventions . 105 XII, REQUIREMENTS FOR FUTURE USAID SUPPORT . .. .. .. 108 REFERENCES. 112 ANNEXES . 115 Annex A: Evaluation Scope of Work Annex B: Persons Met by the Team Annex C: Physical Activities Completed Annex D: Soil and Watershed Conservation Act, 1982 Annex E: Decentralization Act, 1982 Annex F: Profiles of Integrated Rural Development Programs in Nepal DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATES, INC. vi RCUP CATCHMENT AREAS (Shaded) NEPAL &WWI* 14 ZONES and 78 DISTRICTS f. IN. " Kali Gandaki "•u "Catchment K A R- N A L :Area / ,. / KATHMANDU -............. a" JJ jafae *Darundi - "" :-" om,.le,/ ~Jako l 00H A U'LA"q I R" . -. .... : ohlapur .., .. .. ao a..b.. ".I e 1..pur -, . ',..-. ... .. ... { . _.,.,, , ki i .iwkl4r ,, .. V_ ..... I'../' Batik . .. .... ..... ... : N R,°'-A, A,.N. , ucia .. Palil nBoundary 4t- '- Pates 1 . ..... ..... ;.. .. ' ... , '.wnernolionolBoundary , .. T. - %, Oistrict Boundary A.T 0 REFOuOl-".u-L,'.r1.- -mApuaC . us&I-.-I mr-,- i -- - " I. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The Problem: Environmental Degradation in Nepal Approximately fifty-six percent of Nepal's population live in the hills and mountain regions of the country. These areas are characterized by high human and animal population densities combined with generally steep and relatively unstable terrain. The population-based pressures for expanding crop land, the use of forests for firewood, fodder and lumber, and the overgrazing of pasture land are resulting in increasing erosion and other environmental degradation. Unless checked, this degradation will ultimately threaten the productive base of Nepal's hill region. The degree of environmental deterioration is already acute in some locations, but a recent FAO-supported reconnaissance survey indicated that eighty-two percent of lands above the Terai (lowlands) are in "good" to "excellent" condition, and only three percent are in "poor" or "very poor" condition. Most landscapes in Nepal have a high degree of biological resiliency and relatively strong recuperative power. The government and the population living in the hill areas share a genuine concern regarding the deteriorating hillsides, and there appears to be growing support and commitment for programs aimed at responding to the environmental problems. Consequently, while the situation in the hills is serious and continues to worsen, it is not irreversible. U.S. Assistance Design of the Resource Conservation and Utilization Project (RCUP) began in late 1977 and required more than two years to complete. The project was authorized by AID in July 1980, and the grant agreement was signed by the two governments the following month. Funding for the initial five year phase of the project was set at $27.5 million from AID and the equivalent of $5.1 million from the development budget of the Government of Nepal (GON). While the AID authorization financed activities only for five years in two catchment areas, the project paper indicated that "ideally it would be extended after the first five year phase to include two additional catchment areas for a total fifteen year period." The project has two principal components: (1) support for a range of conservation and development activities conducted in two major river catchments -- the Kali Ghandaki, which includes portions of the Mustang and Myagdi Districts, and the Ghorka region which is drained by the Buri Ghandaki River and two smaller streams, the Daraundi and Chepe Kola; and (2) support for a multi-faceted education and training program aimed at developing the technical and managerial staff needed for a long-term attack on the problems of environmental degradation. AID support is provided partly through a contract with the Southeast Consortium for International Development (SECID). Under this arrangement, AID finances technical advisory personnel, participant training, project commodities and the construction of office and housing facilities required for project operations in the catchment areas. AID also provides financial support for eligible activities carried out in the two catchment areas by the various GON agencies engaged in conservation and development programs. This support is provided in the form of local currency channeled through the GON development budget. DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATES, INC. - -2- Although the project was authorized in July 1980, field activities were not initiated until nearly one year later. Purpose and Methodology of the Evaluation Since activities under the project got underway less than two years ago, an evaluation in the usual sense is premature. However, recurrent concern has been expressed regarding the feasibility of executing a multi-sector project which involves nine different departments and agencies from four separate GON ministries, operating in two major river catchments. Therefore, the Mission decided a special evaluation was warranted. The purpose of the evaluation was to examine the basic assumptions on which the RCU Project rests and reassess their validity in light of progress achieved and problems encountered over the past two years. The evaluation was aimed at answering the following three interrelated questions,