i Poverty Reduction in Coconut Growing Communities Volume III: Project Achievements and Impact Pons Batugal and Jeffrey Oliver, editors ii POVERTY REDUCTION IN COCONUT GROWING COMMUNITIES VOLUME III The International Plant Genetic Resources Institute (IPGRI) is an independent international scientific organization that seeks to improve the well-being of present and future generations of people by enhancing conservation and the deployment of agricultural biodiversity on farms and in forests. It is one of 15 Future Harvest Centres supported by the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR), an association of public and private members who support efforts to mobilize cutting-edge science to reduce hunger and poverty, improve human nutrition and health, and protect the environment. IPGRI has its headquarters in Maccarese, near Rome, Italy, with offices in more than 20 other countries worldwide. The Institute operates through four programmes: Diversity for Livelihoods, Understanding and Managing Biodiversity, Global Partnerships, and Improving Livelihoods in Commodity-based Systems. The international status of IPGRI is conferred under an Establishment Agreement which, by January 2005, had been signed by the Governments of Algeria, Australia, Belgium, Benin, Bolivia, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chile, China, Congo, Costa Rica, Côte d’Ivoire, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Ecuador, Egypt, Greece, Guinea, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Iran, Israel, Italy, Jordan, Kenya, Malaysia, Mauritania, Morocco, Norway, Pakistan, Panama, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Senegal, Slovakia, Sudan, Switzerland, Syria, Tunisia, Turkey, Uganda and Ukraine. Financial support for IPGRI’s research is provided by more than 150 donors, including governments, private foundations and international organizations. For details of donors and research activities please see IPGRI’s Annual Reports, which are available in printed form on request from [email protected] or from IPGRI’s Web site (www.ipgri.cgiar.org). The geographical designations employed and the presentation of material in this publication do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of IPGRI or the CGIAR concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. Similarly, the views expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of these organizations. Mention of a proprietary name does not constitute endorsement of the product and is given only for information. Citation: Batugal, P. and Oliver, J., editors. 2005. Poverty Reduction in Coconut Growing Communities, Volume III: Project Achievements and Impact. International Plant Genetic Resources Institute – Regional Office for Asia, the Pacific and Oceania (IPGRI-APO), Serdang, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia. Inside layout by: Jeffrey T. Oliver Cover pictures (clockwise from top left): Tiara Mataora, Research Officer of the Ministry of Agriculture of Cook Islands, admiring the typhoon-resistant Cook Island Tall coconut variety (Photo by R. Bourdeix, CIRAD); A Vietnamese project beneficiary proudly showing one of her high-yielding variety coconut seedling which she grew in her household nursery in Tam Quan Nam (photo by Jeffrey Oliver); A Hung Phong, Vietnam entrepreneur with her various high-value coconut products (photo by Jeffrey Oliver); A Filipino coconut farmer happily weaving single-ply coconut fibre rope which would later be used to make geotextile (photo by Rodolfo Coronel). ISBN 92-9043-653-0 IPGRI-APO PO Box 236, UPM Post Office Serdang 43400 Selangor Darul Ehsan Malaysia © International Plant Genetic Resources Institute, 2005 Contents iii Contents Foreword v Introduction vi Acknowledgement viii SECTION 1: Summary of Project Achievements and Impact Summary of achievements and impact of the Poverty Reduction in Coconut Growing Communities Project 3 Country project achievements South Asia Bangladesh 27 India 30 Sri Lanka 33 Southeast Asia Indonesia 36 Philippines 40 Vietnam 44 South Pacific Fiji 48 Papua New Guinea 50 SECTION 2: Project Achievements under the Sustainable Livelihoods Framework Organizing farmers and communities to catalyze project activities 55 Investing in the future through village-level microcredit system 60 Empowering farmers through training and capacity building 65 Increasing livelihood opportunities through market research and strengthening of market channels 69 Conserving and enhancing coconut diversity to sustain productivity 73 Increasing farmers’ incomes and improving farm productivity through coconut- based income-generating technologies: 77 Enhancing farmers’ incomes through high-value product diversification 77 Maximizing farm productivity through intercropping 79 Boosting farm earnings and family nutrition through integration of livestock in a coconut-based farming system 81 Mobilizing project support through strategic public awareness 83 Creating and nurturing partnerships and collaborations for project sustainability 85 iv POVERTY REDUCTION IN COCONUT GROWING COMMUNITIES VOLUME III SECTION 3: Project Success Stories Documenting success stories under COGENT’s Poverty Reduction in Coconut Growing Communities project 91 Individual farmer and income-generating group success stories South Asia Bangladesh 94 India 112 Sri Lanka 134 Southeast Asia Indonesia 162 Philippines 167 Vietnam 177 South Pacific Fiji 186 Papua New Guinea 188 SECTION 4: Participatory Project Evaluation Overview of participatory project evaluation 191 Community-level participatory project evaluation: Determining farmers’ perception of the link between coconut genetic diversity and sustainable livelihoods 194 Impact assessment of the Poverty Reduction in Coconut Growing Communities Project in the Philippines 205 SECTION 5: Project Impact Project impact evaluation by CBO Presidents, NGO Heads and NARS Leaders 219 Participatory impact evaluation by CBO Presidents 219 Participatory impact evaluation by NGO Heads 232 Participatory impact evaluation by NARS Leaders 236 SECTION 6: Project Sustainability and the Way Forward Learning from experience: Lessons learned from the Poverty Reduction in Coconut Growing Communities project 249 Sustainability of poverty reduction in coconut growing communities: Can it be attained? 262 Institutionalizing and scaling-up research on poverty reduction in coconut growing communities 268 Foreword v Foreword The success of the “people-centered, crop diversity-based” ADB-funded “Poverty Reduction in Coconut Growing Communities” (PRCGC) project of IPGRI-COGENT could be largely measured according to two criteria: (1) the fulfillment of its set goals and objectives, particularly testing sus- tainable coconut-based income generating technologies and promoting co- conut diversity in the communities; and (2) the extent and breadth of its actual positive impact on the lives of its intended beneficiaries, specifically the coconut farmers and their families. This publication, which is the final installment in a three-part series under the PRCGC project, is a testament to the project’s overall success in terms of the two criteria mentioned. The implementation and completion of the PRCGC project is, in itself, an achievement for IPGRI as the project is one of the first of its kind to be undertaken by the Institute under its new mandate of plant genetic diversity conservation and utilization – of linking PGR conservation and its use to poverty alleviation. The PRCGC project marks an important milestone for IPGRI in its thrust towards its new mandate of promoting diversity through a people-centered approach to serve as a model for similar projects to be undertaken by the Institute in the future. Aptly entitled “Poverty Reduction in Coconut Growing Communities, Volume III: Project Achievement and Impact”, this book documents the actual achievements of the project and its perceived initial impact on its farmer-beneficiaries through reports, articles and writeups substantiated by socioeconomic data and photos. Moreover, this book highlights the stories, experiences and testimonies of actual people – the communities, the farmers and their fami- lies, the country project implementers – attesting to what the project has achieved and how it affected and benefited their lives. I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate the COGENT Team, led by Dr. Pons Batugal and his staff, for effectively implementing, monitoring and coordinating the PRCGC project. My heartfelt gratitude as well goes out to the national partners, the CBOs, NGOs, and most especially to the farmers for their hard work, perseverance and cooperation. I would also like to thank our donor, the Asian Development Bank, for their full support of the project and their faith in IPGRI-COGENT. May the impact and achievements of this project, the fruits of our common effort, continue to benefit the present and future genera- tions of coconut farmers. Percy E. Sajise Regional Director International Plant Genetic Resources Institute Regional Office for Asia, the Pacific and Oceania vi POVERTY REDUCTION IN COCONUT GROWING COMMUNITIES VOLUME III Introduction About 96% of coconuts are grown by smallholders tending four hectares or less of land, in many cases not owned by them. About 85% of the 12 million hectares of coconuts are grown in the Asia Pacific region. Coconut farmers are marginalized: they grow coconut and associated crops in rainfed and often environmentally fragile areas; most