FEED THE FUTURE DRC POOL MALEBO KINGABWA RICE INTENSIFICATION PROJECT

CLOSE OUT REPORT – OCTOBER 2015 – MARCH 2018 COOPERATIVE AGREEMENT NUMBER AID-660-A-15-00001

June 29, 2018

This publication was produced for review by the United States Agency for International Development. It was prepared by Winrock International.

PIRK II PROJECT

CLOSE OUT REPORT – OCTOBER 2015 – MARCH 2018 COOPERATIVE AGREEMENT NUMBER AID-660-A-15-00001

DISCLAIMER The author’s views expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect the views of the United States Agency for International Development or the United States Government.

PIRK II Final Report Contents I. Executive Summary ...... 2 II. Major Accomplishments: Summary of Actual Versus Planned Goals and Objectives ...... 4 Objective 1: Improved and expanded farmed and irrigated land area in the Kingabwa Perimeter ...... 4 1.1 Updated land use plan ...... 5 1.2 Inventory existing mechanized pump and irrigation infrastructure ...... 5 1.3 Development of the EMMP ...... 6 1.4 Further infrastructure improvements to water management and road infrastructure for the production areas ...... 7 1.5 Construction of additional irrigation infrastructure and improvements to the drainage system .. 7 1.6 Organize water management committees in Kingabwa ...... 8 1.7 Continued rehabilitation of access roads...... 9 Objective 2: Increased productivity for selected rice and vegetable varieties ...... 9 2.1 Expand technical assistance to support farmers in adoption of intensified production practices (SRI and UDP) ...... 10 2.2 Creation of composting micro-enterprises, agro-input delivery shops and other small and medium agricultural enterprises ...... 11 2.3 Continued rice varietal trials and seed multiplication efforts ...... 12 2.4 Creation of rice seed multiplication strategy and seed bank for improved rice cultivars and vegetable seed ...... 13 Objective 3: Improved post-harvest processing and handling of rice ...... 14 3.1 Facilitate credit to buy rice-processing equipment ...... 14 3.2 Complete feasibility study for electrification of APRKING building (grid or solar) and implement if deemed appropriate ...... 14 Objective 4: Improved market access and market linkages for smallholder farmers and producer groups ...... 15 4.1 Train farmers in market assessment and risk management ...... 15 4.2 Assist producer groups to develop business and marketing plans ...... 15 4.2.1 Facilitate linkages to purchasers ...... 17 4.2.2 Facilitate linkages between financial institutions and individual farmers and cooperatives to promote micro-lending ...... 18 4.2.3 Promote marketing of « Kingabwa » rice through specialized branding, facilitated storage, packaging, and transport...... 19 Objective 5: Strengthened farmer associations/cooperatives with access to markets and agricultural credit ...... 20

PIRK II Final Report 5.1 Provide continued technical assistance to associations (APRKING), cooperatives (COOPRKING), and organizations based in Kingabwa and Masina ...... 20 Objective 6: Enhanced land tenure security for farmers ...... 21 6.1 Identification of perimeters and collection of topographical data ...... 21 6.2 Facilitate individual land tenure titles to farmers according to the land use plan ...... 21 Objective 7: Increased adoption by local organizations/Kingabwa households of behaviors that enhance nutrition and health ...... 21 7.1 Conduct baseline health and nutrition survey ...... 22 7.2 Design participatory learning sessions on nutrition and gender, household budgeting and nutrition, nutritious cooking demonstrations, food sanitation and hygiene, etc...... 23 Objective 8: Increased cultivation and household consumption of diversified vegetables ...... 25 8.1 Pilot demonstrations of kitchen garden plots ...... 26 8.2 Diversification of vegetable crops ...... 26 Objective 9: Increased organizational and financial capacity for BATIDE ...... 28 9.1 Conduct an operational review of BATIDE to fully understand current operations ...... 28 9.2 Provide hands-on training, guidance, adaptive management and mentorship ...... 29 9.3 Empower BATIDE participation in PIRK implementation ...... 29 III. Lessons learned ...... 29 IV. Current Trends in the Sector and Proposed Follow-On Activities ...... 32 V. Other Recommendations ...... 34

Table 1. Planned and Concluded Construction Activities ...... 5 Table 2. Presentation of SRI pilot results in off-season ...... 11 Table 3. Key recommendations based on 3 pillars of agriculture, nutrition, and health ...... 23 Table 4. Seed Testing Results ...... 27

Annex 1. Project Performance Indicators ...... 35 Annex 2. Sustainability Plan ...... 37

PIRK II Final Report I. Executive Summary The Feed the Future DRC Pool Malebo Intensification Project (PIRK II) supports USAID/DRC’s goal of improving lives through coordinated development approaches in select regions (Objective 2), by promoting sustainable improvements to the local rice supply chain, and enabling a more robust domestic agro-processing industry and improved food security for the resident families of the Pool Malebo area. Winrock International was awarded this $999,694 cooperative agreement from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and Feed the Future to implement a two and half year project from October 1, 2015 to March 31, 2018. PIRK II was a partnership with Winrock engaged as the prime, one European partner – the European Cooperative for Development (EUCORD), and a local organization based in the DRC – the Bureau d’Appui et d’Assistance Technique aux Initiatives de Development (BATIDE). The project had a small team of eight staff to carry out implementation activities on the ground, and built on achievements of the predecessor project (PIRK), which was also implemented in the Kingabwa production zone. The Kingabwa site consists of six sites as part of the Pool Malebo area; the project worked in three peri-urban sites, located very close to the Congo River and relatively near to Kinshasa city. Targeted households source their livelihoods from a diversity of income generating opportunities, including using the Kingabwa site for agricultural production. The first PIRK project initiated agricultural activities for households living nearby, and PIRK II further built on these. PIRK II activities are described through the nine objectives and their outputs below, with an overall goal to make sustainable improvements to the local rice supply chain, enabling a more robust domestic agro- processing industry and improved food security for the resident families of the Pool Malebo area. PIRK II’s approach was to provide technical assistance to producer associations and cooperatives, as well as to target health and nutrition activities for Kingabwa families and empower local women to become change agents in their communities. Additionally, the project aimed to strengthen the administrative and financial management capacity of BATIDE to become a leading organization in the DRC. Winrock International provided overall project administration management and oversight for objectives 1, 3, 7, 8, and 9, with a team of four staff, including the Project Director and a civil engineer. The two partners, EUCORD and BATIDE, led technical activities; this involved EUCORD providing technical direction to BATIDE technical staff to implement the field implementation activities for objectives 2-6. The PIRK II team operated out of the BATIDE office in Kinshasa, allowing for additional synergies and deeper partnerships to occur. PIRK II staff engaged with provincial and ministry departments, local associations and cooperatives, and other donor projects to implement activities to meet the nine objectives. This included working with the Provincial Agriculture Ministry, National Rice Project (PNR), Ministry of Health National Nutrition Department (PRONANUT), Association des Volontaires pour le Développement Communautaire (AVODEC), Association des Producteurs de Riz à Kingabwa (APRKING), and Cooperative de Riz à Kingabwa (COOPRKING). The project approach was built upon active community engagement and participation, learning by doing, and capacity building to strengthen beneficiaries in meaningful ways. PIRK II leveraged additional support from BRALIMA (through the Heineken Foundation) to cover vehicle operations costs, as well as the National Institute for Professional Preparation (INPP) for in-kind contributions to repair the motorpump; training by Indigo, a private agricultural input company; and Korean Aid (KOICA) support to BATIDE for additional agricultural activities along the Pool Malebo area. The project was organized into nine objectives: Objective 1: Improved and expanded farmed and irrigated land area in the Kingabwa Perimeter – Over the life of project (LOP), PIRK II expanded the farmed and irrigated land areas for rice and vegetable production by 72 hectares, which were levelled and made ready to use for rice

PIRK II Final Report P a g e | 2 production. The project also installed irrigation infrastructure, rehabilitated a water pumping station, and installed 28 wells. These infrastructure improvements enable Kingabwa farmers to take advantage of two (or more) cropping seasons per year. Objective 2: Increased productivity yields for selected rice and vegetables varieties – Rice farmers rely on rain-fed rice production, with farmers having two harvests over the LOP. Through the use of demonstration plots, 832 farmers learned new rice production techniques, such as the SRI methodology (which relies on the use of irrigated land and sufficient composting material), as well as vegetable production techniques for six different vegetable varieties. To support sustainable rice and vegetable production, PIRK II established and supported: i) a compost enterprise that uses local household waste to produce compost for farmers; ii) a Seed Community Bank to multiply and market certified seeds selected through Participatory Varietal Selection; and iii) two water management committees to coordinate the irrigation system (one for wells and one for the water pump). Objective 3: Improved post-harvest processing and handling of rice – PIRK II facilitated a relationship between the Kingabwa Rice Association Cooperative (COOPRKING) and Procredit Bank, which resulted in COOPRKING receiving approval for a $7,800 USD loan for rice processing equipment. Objective 4: Improved market access and market linkages for smallholder farmers and producer groups – Farmers increased rice yields by 3.4 MT and sold the crop for a value of $470,149 USD through linkages with COOPRKING. With PIRK II assistance, COOPRKING and other project- supported entities participated in two agricultural trade fairs for the first time. At the fairs, they gained experience and knowledge of marketing their rice, established new linkages with buyers and other stakeholders, and sold nearly 1 MT of rice, 650kg of compost, and 375 kg of seed. Objective 5: Strengthened farmers associations/cooperatives with access to market and agriculture – Throughout project implementation, PIRK II built the technical and organizational capacity of COOPRKING, APRKING, and other agribusinesses (e.g., a compost center and seed bank). As a result, the organizations have developed business, marketing, and strategic plans; improved product marketing; and established new linkages with buyers and finance providers. Objective 6: Enhance land tenure security for farmers – PIRK II trained leaders at the Kingabwa site on advocacy, to enable them to take leadership of addressing issues related to land tenure rights. The project also organized a forum to dialogue on the issues of land tenure in which representatives from the local provincial and national agriculture ministries attended, in addition to local farmer representatives. The outcome of this forum and meetings was a list of recommendations for the farmers to take forward with the relevant ministries. Objective 7: Increased adoption of behaviors that enhance nutrition and health in Kingabwa households – PIRK II fostered of a network of women community volunteers who trained 1,802 households (23% women-headed households) on nutrition, gender issues, health, and sanitation and conducted culinary demonstrations for 740 people, including 50 men. One of the outcomes was that households adopted to eat brown “cargo” rice, including providing it to young babies to consume. PIRK II also fostered women’s empowerment, resulting in the establishment of women-owned enterprises, a women’s savings group, and increased women’s decision-making power in their households. Objective 8: Increased cultivation and household consumption of diversified vegetables – The consumption of legumes, vegetables, and fruit increased over the life of the project. PIRK II introduced six new vegetable varieties to support household diversification of vegetable consumption. Farmers planted 13.49 hectares of land for vegetable production and achieved $211,513 USD in vegetable sales. Objective 9: Conduct an operational review of BATIDE to fully understand current operations – A self-review Organizational Capacity Assessment (OCA) took place in May 2016. BATIDE took responsibility for different aspects of PIRK II implementation (including Objective 6 and negotiations

PIRK II Final Report P a g e | 3 with various stakeholders). The project provided BATIDE staff with targeted training and assistance on the most important areas for improvement. Over the LOP, PIRK II worked with 1,802 households, in which 2,362 direct and indirect beneficiaries (including 1,956 women) participated in training and/or awareness-building activities on rice and vegetable production, nutrition, women's empowerment, composting techniques, hygiene, health, and environmental sanitation. II. Major Accomplishments: Summary of Actual Versus Planned Goals and Objectives PIRK II deployed a series of activities within each of the nine project objectives. While the project made significant contributions to each program area, it was necessary to adjust some of the targets due to project implementation difficulties – namely, allocating budget resources to unanticipated costs in the project design (e.g. nutrition survey), delays in field activities due to civil society and political unrest, human resource and staff changes over the course of the program, and the relatively short project duration with only two rain-fed agricultural seasons, in which climate change on rainfall patterns had some impact. Details on results achieved compared to original targets can be found in the indicator table in Annex 1. The success of any project depends on the continuation of activities after the end of the external funding. To maximize sustainability, PIRK II focused heavily on transferring responsibility for next steps and ownership to local entities over the course of the project, particularly during the last quarter of the project. PIRK II established committees to manage water infrastructure; community microenterprises received financial and organizational support that should allow them to continue their activities; and BATIDE will continue working with the Kingabwa community after the end of the project. A strong emphasis on self-reliance and improving the governance and functioning of Kingabwa’s community organizations encouraged beneficiaries to take responsibility for their activities. This has resulted in established water management committees, development strategies, business plans, and linkages between various stakeholders. For more information on PIRK II’s sustainability plan, please refer to Annex 2. OBJECTIVE 1: IMPROVED AND EXPANDED FARMED AND IRRIGATED LAND AREA IN THE KINGABWA PERIMETER Increasing the available hectares of crops was an important focus to increase income generation Key Accomplishments: Objective 1 opportunities for households in Kingabwa site. One of • Expanded access to irrigated land area by 72 hectares. the difficulties that PIRK II encountered was the use of • Constructed 1,005 meters of irrigation available land in the three zones of the Kingabwa site. network and 536 meters of drainage The land area was reduced by changes in the flooding network, engaging beneficiaries in the retreat process due to the construction of a major execution of construction works to ensure a apartment complex, the Cité du Fleuve. This prevented sense of local ownership. • Rehabilitated a water pump at the irrigation flood waters to recede in its usual manner, affecting site, which became operational in June 2017. hundreds of farmers who have consequently been • Constructed 28 wells in the vegetable unable to use their land. These circumstances made growing area. Objective 1 all the more important. Furthermore, the • Established and trained two community- based committees to manage the water building of infrastructure on the land initiated pump and wells. institutional dialogue between farmers and public • Facilitated an MOU between PNR and the entities (see Objective 6); this empowered the farmers Water Management Committee. to independently negotiate with stakeholders. PIRK II undertook several infrastructure improvements to change the quantity of farmed and irrigated land for production at the Kingabwa site (see Table 1). Land development and installation of a water management system were prioritized to enable rice farmers to have the option to produce and harvest

PIRK II Final Report P a g e | 4 two (or more) crops of rice each year, using rainfed production and an irrigation system managed through the PNR-owned pump station facility to move water from the Congo River along canals to the fields. The plan was that this would enable farmers to use the System of Rice Intensification (SRI) and additionally grow vegetables at nearby allocated vegetable growing plots. Table 1. Planned and Concluded Construction Activities Activities (Works) Implementation Activities Rate (%) Planned Concluded 1 Levelling 1.1 Construction of small dams (HIMO) 4000 m 4000 m 100% 1.2 Leveling 72 ha 72 ha 100% 2 Irrigation network 2.1 Civil engineering (canal and structures) 960 m 1005 m 104% 2.2 Regulation equipment 30 units 30 units 100% 3 Drainage network 3.1 Main drainage 600 m 526 m 87% 4 Receiving basin or sand trap 4.1 Masonry rehabilitation 20 m2 20 m2 100% 4.2 M2 mortar for interior plaster 250 m3 250 m3 100% 5 Crossing structures 5.1 600mm metallic pipe 130 m 130 m 100% 6 Road rehabilitation I00 m 100 m 100% 7 Wells 24 28 125%

1.1 Updated land use plan To initiate site development activities to expand the arable area, PIRK II developed a land management plan based on a Tunisian study model conducted on a site similar to Kingabwa, along the Ndjili River. Carried out in the first quarter of Year 1, the study focused on the geo-referential delimitation of the zone to produce physical and topographical maps showing the different exploitation zones and related divisions. In April 2016, PIRK II developed four major maps, including a topographic map (at a 1/5000 scale) and three maps of hydro-agricultural infrastructure. During this process, PIRK II staff assessed land tenure issues, which led to the identification of 178 farmers who either have a provisional certificate or a document that grants them the right to own or operate land (see Objective 6).

1.2 Inventory existing mechanized pump and irrigation infrastructure PIRK II surveyed the existing infrastructure equipment and facility at the PNR-owned pump station facility, and learned that the twenty-year old pumping station had not been in use for some time. PNR had two pumps with a capacity of 240 m3 per hour at the water pump facility, but through dialogue with PIRK II, it became apparent that neither was operational, and the solution was to refurbish one of the pumps using PIRK II funds. PNR gave its approval for PIRK II to use and repair the infrastructure, as well as to determine the shared user rights when the water pump was operational again. PNR’s analysis of the condition of the pump engine was submitted to INPP, who was to be responsible for the engine works. PIRK II developed a plan to replace the pump engine and repair the station’s infrastructure.

PIRK II Final Report P a g e | 5 1.3 Development of the EMMP The execution of an environmental impact study in compliance with USAID standards and procedures (particularly regulation 216 or Reg 216) was a major prerequisite for the infrastructure work to move forward. It is within this framework that an Environmental Monitoring and Management Plan (EMMP) was carried out by an external consultant for the PIRK II describing the environmental situation and how the project intends to protect the environment from possible degradation. The analyses focused on irrigation works, construction of water management infrastructure, the quality of irrigation water, and the impact of compost production. Related to construction, the EMMP demonstrated a threat to biodiversity through the destruction of natural habitats for aquatic fauna and flora and spawning grounds due to the removal of vegetation during excavation. The EMMP also noted a risk of long-term soil degradation phenomena such as salinization, alkalizing, sodication, clogging, and sedimentation of soils from excessive irrigation or inadequate drainage. Earth-moving and grading works under PIRK II were carried out in strict compliance with irrigation and drainage ecological standards in order to avoid the degradation of soil structure, disturbance and/or alteration of the initial soil profile, and loss of soil fertility. Considering the depth of the water table and the speed of the rising water, PIRK II installed boreholes at an equal distance so that the water table would not suffer from an environmental draw-down1 that could degrade the ecosystem. With regard to the quality of irrigation water, PIRK II conducted a preliminary hydrological study to check the quality of the water of the Ndjili River and the groundwater of the ground water table, as a baseline of physio-chemical parameters useful for the environmental monitoring of irrigation water. This study covered indicators of available bio-physio-chemical reference parameters such as phosphates, nitrites, nitrates, nitrates, ammonium, aluminum, lead, turbidity, electrical conductivity, pH, biological oxygen demand (BOD5), and chemical oxygen demand (COD). This enabled ongoing monitoring of irrigation water quality to avoid water infection by human activities since the site coexists with an urban environment. The results of the study also enabled better distribution of wells throughout the site according to the groundwater table and the quality of groundwater. The EMMP also provided recommendations in relation to the composting center's construction, including composting platforms and guidelines for the storage of household waste that have been scrupulously respected. PIRK II set up an Environmental Management Unit (EMU) responsible for ongoing environmental management and monitoring. The EMU is composed of a compost center representative (from APRKING) and an environmental expert. In addition to the environmental monitoring and follow-up measures prescribed in the EMMP, at the initiative of BATIDE and in collaboration with the NGO ACDI-VOCA, PIRK II held a training course on an environmental theme led by an international Farmer-to-Farmer (F2F) volunteer in July-August 2016. This included an overview of the assessment of the environmental impacts of the hydro-agricultural developments of the project. The PIRK II team, along with representatives of APRKING, COOPRKING, and the community, participated in this training. Upon conclusion of the training, the volunteer shared recommendations on monitoring water and soil quality, along with a kit for in situ analyses. The approved Initial Environmental Examination and EMMP were updated to reflect all aspects of project implementation, including the use of agricultural inputs and pesticides. PIRK II worked closely with ACDI- VOCA to engage another F2F volunteer to collect information on pest management, including the techniques of integrated pest management (IPM) and the potential use of pesticides. The F2F volunteer trained PIRK II technical staff and members of APRKING and COOPRKING on integrated weed

1 Draw-down is the change in head or water level relative to background condition, indicating the difference in head which has occurred at a given location relative to an initial time at the same location.

PIRK II Final Report P a g e | 6 management, pesticide safety, and the disposal of equipment and pesticides. The training emphasized that the use of pesticides should be made within an IPM framework, with the use of chemical pesticides as a last resort. The volunteer helped to develop a Pesticide Evaluation Report & Safe Use Action Plan (PERSUAP) action plan which used information gathered from the USAID Global Environmental Management Support (GEMS) project visit to Kingabwa Site in 2016. In addition, the company Indigo – the largest supplier of pesticides and chemical fertilizers in the DRC – also provided periodic training (every two months) to farmers on pesticides, safe use and disposal of equipment and pesticides.

1.4 Further infrastructure improvements to water management and road infrastructure for the production areas In Year 1, PIRK II conducted a situational analysis to guide priority approaches and methodologies for the infrastructure improvement. In August 2016, PIRK II carried out the activity to level 72 hectares of land through a contract with Developpement de l'Espace Rural (DER) firm. This was accomplished with relatively few issues, and the levelled land was then for the next phase of infrastructure development. In the original project design, the project anticipated levelling 120 hectares of land, but this was reduced to 72 hectares, in part due to budget constraints with installing the auxiliary infrastructure canals. As described in activity 1.2, PIRK II undertook an inventory of the condition of the existing water pumps at the leveled land site at Kingabwa. To verify the condition, INPP carried out an evaluation and signed an agreement with PIRK II to deliver and install a second-hand 4-cylinder air-cooled diesel motor pump engine to couple to the existing pump. This pump would be used to move the water from the Njili River to the fields. Despite some difficulties in obtaining a second-hand engine, the pump was successfully installed and started up on 27 June 2017. Over a ten-day period, the engine operated well; however, there were challenges. For example, some of the parts, which had not been a part of the agreement, were not present, and this disrupted how the pump performed. Additionally, batteries to run the pump needed to be charged before each use, and the fuel was kept in re-used containers, which was less than ideal. INPP and PIRK II mutually agreed to share the responsibility of fixing these issues. INPP financed the purchase of a tank and provided technicians to install the tank. PIRK II financed the purchase of an alternator and a pair of batteries to serve as a charging system. To better manage the water and avoid appropriation of the pump station by the PNR (which is the owner of the pump station facility infrastructure but not the pump), PIRK II conducted a long negotiation which resulted in a signed Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), with rules and regulations for parties involved in the use of the pump station. This agreement stipulates the farmers and the PNR’s rights and responsibilities, duties and obligations and their respective financial, human, and material contributions. In-person meetings with APRKING and INPP served to build trust, and ultimately negotiated that INPP will provide free support for the final electrical repairs of the pump, which will ensure that the pump continues to operate after the project ends. INPP agreed to monitor the situation over the next six months to ensure proper maintenance of the pump, as well as provide training to those who will be called upon to carry out maintenance as per a schedule. The pumping station is now ready for use to provide irrigated water to the 72 hectares of land. In July 2018, the farmers are expected to launch the use of the pump during the irrigated rice production in the dry season.

1.5 Construction of additional irrigation infrastructure and improvements to the drainage system The leveled land needed good drainage and a means to control the water levels for either rice and/or vegetable production. To move the water from the river to the fields, PIRK II entered into an MOU between the project and two organizations – LOKELA and APRKING. LOKELA is a local company that

PIRK II Final Report P a g e | 7 bid on, and won, the tender through a selection process. LOKELA’s role was to supply construction materials. APRKING’s commitment was to provide labor through the High Manpower Intensity Method (HMIM). APRKING members also participated in the construction activity, thus ensuring involvement, commitment, and ownership of the canals at the community level. PIRK II successfully constructed a total of 1,005 meters for the irrigation network consisting of a main, secondary, and drainage canals. The main canals directly pump water into the fields. To better control the distribution of water, the canal was equipped with metal valves to regulate the water flow through the fields. The project also constructed 526 meters of drains with longitudinal banks. Similarly, the construction of slopes led to the development of parcels through the confection of dykes over 4,000 meters. The photos below show the different canals and control valves that PIRK II installed.

To facilitate access to water during the dry season, PIKR II installed 28 wells at strategic points to enable increased vegetable production. Part of the activity involved digging up to a maximum depth of 3 meters. Where the water table was high, it was only necessary to dig an excavation for 2 meters in depth. Staff observed that the likely reason for the difference in the water table was due to the perturbation of the retreat of flood waters by the large infrastructure works beyond the site (Cité du Fleuve). Fortunately, PIRK II had sufficient materials to install four “bonus” wells, in addition to the originally planned construction. Farmers replicated the practice they learned from the initial construction and, in turn, installed these extra wells in their fields. All of the 28 wells are now fully operational and will provide water supply for the equivalent of 6.5 hectares. The presence of the wells brought relief to the farmers. Watering of vegetable crops can now be done with minimal effort since the water points are closer to the plots. Furthermore, in a site experiencing frequent flooding, appropriate techniques must be considered to ensure the maintenance and upkeep of structures, particularly after flooding. To address this, PIRK II established eight technical teams of garbage collectors (to prevent infrastructure from clogging) to work under the coordination and supervision of the APRKING president. Each team is composed of four people, including one mason and three helpers, who participated in a series of trainings that covered equipment functions and maintenance operation procedures. These trainings were provided by the PIRK II civil engineer, who will continue to monitor maintenance after the end of the project, in his role as a BATIDE agent.

1.6 Organize water management committees in Kingabwa While the construction of infrastructure is a good thing, its maintenance poses a long-term challenge. With this in mind, PIRK II dedicated efforts to set up sustainable management and maintenance of these structures. The project facilitated the establishment of two water management committees: (i) a Pump Water Management Committee to manage the pumping station and monitor on-site water supply, and (ii)

PIRK II Final Report P a g e | 8 a Well Water Management Committee to ensure access for other farmers who do not own the land where water points have been installed and to ensure the safety of wells. The Well Water Management Committee took over the management and maintenance of wells; an MOU was signed with BATIDE as a witness, and farmers are looking for ways to further improve infrastructure, such as the covering of wells to protect the water. Likewise, an MOU between PNR and the Water Management Committee was signed in April 2018. Kingabawa’s irrigation system has limited capacity and cannot serve all of the farmers at the site. The project has sensitized farmers to be aware of these factors. The establishment of the committees is a mechanism for the farmers to manage the assets available for their use and to ensure equitable distribution. The Pump Water Management Committee enables communities to have a contact person to discuss issues with at PNR. The Well Water Management Committee will help ensure that vegetable farmers have access to the water. Owners of the fields where the installed wells are located have made a solemn commitment to facilitate access to the wells for all vegetable farmers. As part of the project’s sustainability plan, the committee will also ensure that wells are maintained without neglecting the extension and application of management standards.

1.7 Continued rehabilitation of access roads PIRK II rehabilitated the access road of an area of 100 meters, facilitating access to the site and compensating for any deterioration suffered during construction. The task consisted of back-filling two portions of the road, and constructing a masonry canal section and vehicle passageway. The roadway was stripped to remove topsoil or materials of low bearing capacity, with a minimum thickness of 10 cm under the embankments. In addition to the stripping mentioned above, the execution team carried out a soil moistening and preliminary compaction. OBJECTIVE 2: INCREASED PRODUCTIVITY FOR SELECTED RICE AND VEGETABLE VARIETIES Increasing agricultural production was one of the main objectives of the PIRK II project. To achieve this major objective, PIRK II implemented a methodological and technical approach that was both iterative and cyclical, with the following essential steps of: improving seed quality, improving cultivation Key Accomplishments: Objective 2 techniques, disseminating the System of Rice • Trained 50 agri-multipliers (70% women) in Intensification (SRI) through training of trainers, production techniques for low land rice seeds. conducting demonstrations on site, and organizing • Introduced new rice varieties (Jasmine, Hubei-6, rice farmers through rice production and marketing Nerica, and Sipi) via participatory varietal selection (PVS). companies. The use of quality seed and the application • Trained 832 farmers in Kingabwa and Masina on of new technologies led to an increase in productivity improved rice and vegetable production from 2 MT/ha to 3.5 MT/ha. An SRI production techniques; 92% adopted new technologies experiment plot in the off-season (along with the such as improved seed, line planting, and SRI. rehabilitation of the pumping station) equipped • Established a composting center and seed bank enterprise (led by 15 women and 5 men) to farmers to begin to manage a second cropping season support rice and vegetable production. per year at the site, thus further increasing productivity yields in the future. PIRK II also successfully supported enterprise development along the rice value chain, which resulted in the creation of the compost center and seed bank, as well as further development of the rice cooperative. Although the project's scope focused on Kingabwa, PIRK II expanded its activities to the Masina site in the latter part of the project. This was primarily done to provide training to farmers in the early 2017 growing season because of a lower than expected number of beneficiaries due to seasonal flood water not receding as expected, as a result of the construction of the Cité du Fleuve. To facilitate this addition, PIRK II

PIRK II Final Report P a g e | 9 conducted experience exchange visits in the area and drew on previous and current KOICA work conducted by BATIDE in the Masina area. An important partner to mention for Objective 2 is the Association of Volunteers for Development (AVODEC), which supported composting activities from the construction of the center to perfecting the composting process.

2.1 Expand technical assistance to support farmers in adoption of intensified production practices (SRI and UDP) PIRK II trained farmers in the application of new farming practices, including: In-line transplanting: This technique consists of respecting the distances during the transplanting of rice seedlings to allow the plant to feed itself well and to facilitate the maintenance work, thus resulting in increased yield. Rice associations accompanied their members under the supervision of the project's technical team to apply this technique in their fields in all three areas of the Kingabwa site. PIRK II provided working materials for in-line transplanting, notably ropes marked according to the requirements of each variety and soil fertility. To accompany the farmers on a regular, permanent basis and to have local support, PIRK II selected and trained two lead farmers to play the role of agricultural monitoring agents. These lead farmers provided local technical assistance and also supervised agricultural extension campaigns aimed at encouraging Line planted rice farmers to use these new technologies. Use of organic compost: This allows the reconstitution of Kingabwa's soil structure and texture and prevents soil distortion and groundwater pollution. This practice is essential for the SRI technique. SRI: PIRK II disseminated SRI through training of trainers and field demonstrations - one during the rainy season (Season B/2017) and the other during the dry season (Season C/2017). Rice training courses covered seed production techniques, SRI practices, conventional techniques for lowland rice production, post-harvest techniques, economic aspects of rice production, and rice marketing. 832 rice farmers (97% women) participated in these trainings, organized and delivered by PIRK II and, in two cases, by ACDI/VOCA F2F volunteers. The demonstrations were carried out in a PNR-owned controlled environment to allow for a direct comparison between the experimental field and a plot using the traditional growing methods. In this arrangement, for the demonstration in Season B, the two elementary plots of land covered 0.2 hectares each, using the same variety (Giza 182 --one of three lines/varieties from the PVS process). For the Season C demonstration, the two plots extended over 100 meters each with the same variety, Giza 182. The following SRI technical principles were applied to the demonstration plots: • Nursery sowing: 12 Kg / Ha of seeds on 0.3 hectares (or 0.12kg of seeds of Giza 182 on 3m2 of nursery) • Auxiliary compost: 10T/Ha, applied 100Kg/100m2 for the experiment • Corrective manure: Urea: 50kg /Ha = 0.5kg /100m2 • Replanting: 1 strand/post at 12 days of age or 1 strand of 2 leaves • Spacing: 25cmX25cm • Weeding: 10 days, 20 days, 30 days and 40 days after transplanting with weeding machines with blades

PIRK II Final Report P a g e | 10 • Irrigation: submersion in the recommended times in the technical document The traditional parcel / system had 100m2 and the usual techniques were applied there among others: • Nursery sowing: 60 Kg of seeds on 0.3 hectares, i. e. 0,6 kg of seeds of Giza 182 on 3m2 of nursery • Replanting: 3-4 strands / post at 21 days of age at intervals of: 20cm X 20cm • Weeding: twice: on the 15th day and the 30th day after the first transplanting using hoes • Irrigation: use of the motor pump to supply the two experimental plots with water during the entire growing season (dry season) Table 2 highlights observations at 60 days after transplanting for the two plots and shows total yields after harvest.

Table 2. Presentation of SRI pilot results in off-season

grains

System Plot pole Area days Variety Number number of Plants/m2 of full Weight for 1000 gains production Yield in KG - Strands per Plant Height grains/strand 50% Flowering % Traditional 1 ha Giza182 25 5.5 87 70 97 30.1 80.0 3.211 32T0 kg kg SRI 1 ha Giza182 16 9.7 80.0 83 144 32 80.0 5.721 5700 kg kg Standard 2.97 4.95 9.19 33.23 1.34 - 1.774 deviation kg The results demonstrated that: the production of grains per strand is high for SRI; the vegetative cycle for SRI is reduced by one week; SRI plots demonstrate greater height; and the dry grain yield in SRI plots are higher compared to traditional systems. The goal was to increase yields by at least 50% using this technology. Pilots showed a 78% increase in yield compared to the traditional growing techniques. SRI technology uses very little seed, water, and fertilizer on well aerated soil rich in organic matter. Kingabwa farmers noted that the price of organic compost was too high; the 2 MT of compost needed for a 0.2 hectare field is estimated $200 USD. For this reason, PIRK II supported the creation and efficient operation of a local composting center (see activity 2.2), which would not only contribute to improving yields but also to sanitize the local environment by properly disposing of household waste. The project demonstrated to farmers the effects of compost on their crops, including by doing a cost-benefit analysis on compost grown cabbages (see activity 8.2), and encouraged farmers and enterprises to work together to find solutions to continued challenges, for example by providing compost as credit for vegetable growing. Urea Deep Placement (UDP): PIRK II also initially considered UDP as a potential solution for soil fertilization. The project installed a pilot plot; however, the high price of UDP, its unavailability in Kinshasa, and the lack of project funds to invest in local UP production facilities meant that PIRK II did not further pursue UDP practices despite some encouraging initial results.

2.2 Creation of composting micro-enterprises, agro-input delivery shops and other small and medium agricultural enterprises In order to generate a local source of essential plant nutrients to support increased rice productivity using SRI, PIRK II built a compost production center -- the Kingabwa Community Composting Centre (CCCK). The aim of CCCK is to produce organic fertilizer for SRI rice and vegetable production, while also contributing to more sustainable waste management in Kingabwa2. While the project initially considered

2 Waste collection at the household level was coordinated with PIRK II nutrition activities.

PIRK II Final Report P a g e | 11 supporting the creation of agro-input delivery shops and other agricultural enterprises, PIRK II decided to focus efforts on developing the CCCK and a new seed bank. Other small and medium agricultural enterprises were already part of the project through COOPRKING, APRKING, and AVODEC. To develop the composting micro-enterprise, PIRK II trained 17 farmers in year 1 on compost manufacturing techniques. PIRK II engaged AVODEC to provide technical support for this component – from the design phase through the creation of the composting center, as well as follow-up technical assistance. AVODEC provided PIRK II with the technical data for compost production to be taken into account during construction, as well as relevant information for the environmental impact analysis – e.g., related to orientation of the composting center in relation to wind speed and houses to avoid olfactory pollution, the concrete floor of the composting area to avoid soil pollution, the installation of the leachate management system, etc. Once established, CCCK collected 19 metric tons of household waste to start its first cycle of compost production. After three months of operation, CCCK produced 9 MT of compost, of which 1700 kg was sold at 8000 CDF (or $5 USD) per 50 kg bag. To help get CCCK started, PIRK II awarded the enterprise with a large batch of composting tools (e.g., wheel barrows, spades, shovels, rakes, gloves, machetes), and a motorized cart for the transport of garbage. PIRK II also supported initial staff costs for three quarters of the project to allow CCCK to generate enough funds to cover its expenses. The compost that CCCK produced was used in the PIRK SRI demonstration and in demonstration field schools for vegetable production. To ensure sustainability, communities should be heavily involved in compost production techniques. Thus, a team of "garbage collectors" were selected among the vegetable and rice farmers and trained on composting techniques. AVODEC provided the training, covering topics such as how to make a framework for the reception of waste; and sorting, loading, watering, maintenance, sifting, and packaging of compost in fine materials intended to improve the soil for leafy vegetables and coarse compost used in fruit vegetable pots. AVODEC also incorporated other agricultural production topics related to vegetable gardening, including information about the main vegetable varieties in Kingabwa and how to identify and control diseases that affect local crops. These various seminars on composting and vegetable farming were reinforced in May 2016 by another capacity-building seminar for agricultural producers in Kingabwa, led by an ACDI-VOCA F2F volunteer, in which AVODEC participated. At the end of the seminar, AVODEC updated its technical itinerary and produced a document entitled "practical guide for composting production," which was handed out to participants. Sixty beneficiary farmers composted waste and other bio-degradable materials and used the compost on their rice and vegetable fields. Further refinements to the compost production process have diminished production time from three months to two months.

2.3 Continued rice varietal trials and seed multiplication efforts Prior to project interventions, rice production was characterized by the use of degenerated and low yield seeds on a clayey-sand and alluvial soil. On average, production was estimated at between 1.5 T/ha and 2T/ha. PIRK II carried out Participatory Varietal Selection in the first year of the project, supervised by the PNR. The project chose 28 different varieties of rice from different research stations such as Institut National pour l’Etude et la Recherche Agronomiques (INERA), Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), AFRICA RICE, and PNR. Of the 28 introduced varieties, eight performed favorably for rice production in Kingabwa. Apart from improved varieties that are used in the Kingabwa site (Jasmine, Hubei-6, Sipi, and Nerica L17), three new varieties (Jasmine, Sipi, and Hubei) were the farmers’ preferred seed for most agronomic morphological and post-harvest characteristics. These varieties have since been multiplied by the project-supported seed bank, and have reduced the vegetative cycle from 5-6 months to 4 months.

PIRK II Final Report P a g e | 12 Eighty kg of these new seeds were kept for seed multiplication activities by the (largely female) seed bank microenterprise, in accordance with the MOU with PNR.

2.4 Creation of rice seed multiplication strategy and seed bank for improved rice cultivars and vegetable seed The need to have access to quality seeds prompted the establishment of a seed bank dedicated to the maintenance, availability, and diversity of rice varieties in the Kingabwa rice growing area. The newly- created Kingabwa Community Seed Bank (BCSK) worked closely with PNR in the areas of maintenance, propagation, and replacement of rice seed varieties. BCSK is run entirely by women who have established themselves as a limited liability company. PIRK II assisted the women with registration procedures and implemented a capacity building program to enable BCSK’s management committee to manage the business effectively. Eleven women participated in training run by EUCORD’s marketing and business development expert, covering the creation and organization of micro-enterprises. The Seed Bank put in place a sustainable strategy for the multiplication and marketing of good quality seeds, with the aim of contributing to improving the productivity and income of rice producers. This strategy revolves around three axes: • Strict compliance with the legal framework • Seed production according to new technologies (SRI) • Promotion and use of certified seeds To produce certified seed, Congolese legislation requires an application for authorization from the supervisory authority, the National Seed Service (SENASEM). Two SENASEM inspectors supervised two field trips to get acquainted with the techniques used by BCSK and the respect of regulation in rice seed production. After validation, a sample of 10 kg of randomly picked seed from 10 fields was sent to the laboratory for analysis. The analysis was positive, and the seed bank obtained certification for seed production in December 2017, which will last one year. PIRK II covered the cost of the certification process ($1,200 USD). During the final year of the project, BCSK produced its first seed by multiplying three varieties (Hubei, Jasmine, and Sipi). With its agrimultiplier members, the bank produced about six tons of seeds on two hectares of sown area composed of 10 fields of 0.2 hectares each. The balance between production and the need for seed in the production cycle will be the key to the success of professional rice seed production. To do so, BCSK plans to continue its close collaboration with PNR for the supply of basic seeds. The last axis of the strategy revolves around the promotion and distribution of certified seed by the supervisory authority. BCSK identified clear marketing guidelines for the Product, Price, Place and Promotion of its seeds. This involves: • identifying quality basic seed in collaboration with the PNR, • using appropriate production techniques to ensure the production of quality seed, • an incentive pricing policy linked to price discrimination which provides for a gradual reduction in prices per kilo, and following low prices, • increasing the company's turnover, and • a grouped sales policy at specific points, participation in agricultural fairs, the organization of open days, other actions to ensure easier market penetration. BCSK is also exploring synergies with COOPRKING, which could purchase and resell the improved seed.

PIRK II Final Report P a g e | 13 OBJECTIVE 3: IMPROVED POST-HARVEST PROCESSING AND HANDLING OF RICE The project’s scale of investment in post-harvest infrastructure Key Accomplishments: Objective 3 had to be reduced due to budget limitations. PIRK II focused on • Facilitated a loan from Procredit facilitating access to credit to enable cooperatives to self-fund Bank to COOPRKING, to enable rice processing equipment, and provided training in post-harvest the cooperative to purchase rice management and marketing, which helped the farmers processing equipment. understand the importance of maintaining high quality standards to better market Kingabwa rice.

3.1 Facilitate credit to buy rice-processing equipment PIRK II’s original design included electrification of a storage unit through the National Electricity Company (SNEL) that would power rice post-harvest processing equipment (see Section 3.2). However, insufficient project budget was allocated for this costly expense, and, as such, the project decided to facilitate COOPRKING’s acquisition of rice processing equipment instead. For sustainability reasons, the cooperative was encouraged contribute to acquisition costs with 20% down-payment or loan. PIRK II organized meetings between COOPRKING and Procredit Bank, to help the cooperative obtain credit to purchase rice processing equipment (see activity 4.2.2). The bank agreed in principle to finance a sheller machine; however, the bank also suggested that apart from its own monitoring system, another organization should be involved. Since BATIDE will play an important role in ensuring the sustainability of the actions after the project ends, it will intervene in the supervision of the loan by providing practical financial advice to COOPRKING to ensure the repayment of this first loan. Plant installation work is anticipated to begin in May 2018. This equipment will enable COOPRKING to increase its rice volume and to process and sell a profitable tonnage in a season. With this strategy, COOPRKING will be able to fully repay the loan during the next three agricultural campaigns. APRKING, which already has a sheller machine, made an official request to USAID for a generator set so that the organization can process rice on site at the storage site. The organization is committed to making the necessary investments to reduce the vibrations that would result from the use of the generator in order to project the building against cracks and therefore the degradation of the storage unit. With these two acquisitions, Kingabwa's rice processing would gain momentum from a large-scale, long- term transformation process.

3.2 Complete feasibility study for electrification of APRKING building (grid or solar) and implement if deemed appropriate At the beginning of the project, PIRK II was in direct contact with SNEL for electrification and developed an electrification plan with an estimated budget of $10,000 USD. An agreement in principle was reached between the two parties; however, SNEL's hesitation and instability repeatedly postponed the conclusion of a collaboration agreement that could have led to the installation of a power line. Meanwhile, the project experienced budgetary constraints which excluded the installation of solar panels as an alternative plan. Electrification would certainly have facilitated rice processing. To compensate this, PIRK II instead focused on facilitating COOPRKING’s access to finance for the equipment.

PIRK II Final Report P a g e | 14 OBJECTIVE 4: IMPROVED MARKET ACCESS AND MARKET LINKAGES FOR SMALLHOLDER FARMERS AND PRODUCER GROUPS PIRK II successfully supported the creation of market Key Accomplishments: Objective 4 linkages for farmers, and project-supported • Facilitated $470,149 USD in sales of 545.47 MT of white rice and paddy rice. microenterprises also received crucial marketing and • Supported COOPRKING, BCSK, and business management training. These activities contributed CCCK to develop business, marketing, towards increased sales for COOPRKING and other and strategic plans. COOPRKING’s project-supported entities (such as the Kingabwa formalized plans enabled it to qualify for a $7,800 bank loan. Community Seed Bank (BCSK) and APRKING), and opens • Enabled agribusinesses to participate in up future potential for further growth. the Kinshasa International Agricultural Fair, which generated nearly 1 MT in rice Overall, the total turnover related to the sale of rice sales and new buyer relationships. recorded by PIRK II amounts to $470,149 USD. The original target of $1,400,000 USD in sales was not achieved by the project because rice production at Kingabwa site was affected by access to land, the delays in responsiveness by PNR to solidify the MOU for an operational water pump, and only two full rainy season harvests during the project period. As noted during a Data Quality Assessment (DQA) meeting with USAID, PIRK II recorded the sales volume on the rice flows that passed through the COOPRKING and BATIDE shellers for reliability and validity of the data, and given that these were an integral part of PIRK II activities, it was expected that the value and volume of sales would be representative of farmers’ rice sales. However, in reality, farmers do not process everything through COOPRKING and BATIDE, and individual sales were not recorded for PIRK II’s monitoring and evaluation purposes.

4.1 Train farmers in market assessment and risk management Based on organizational assessments and Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT) analyses which determined gaps and capacity building needs, PIRK II conducted targeted training for COOPRKING, CCCK, and BSCK on organizational structure and governance, business plan development, marketing plans, and strategic plans. The approach was to work closely with the organizations’ management committees to ensure that they have a good mastery of different management and analysis tools which are essential to the management of a company. PIRK II organized weekly sessions with the management committees, provided ongoing technical assistance, and conducted feedback meetings after each formal training.

4.2 Assist producer groups to develop business and marketing plans COOPRKING PIRK II worked with COOPRKING to develop two essential documents: a business plan and a marketing plan. The marketing plan laid out the pathway to register Ngwélé rice as a trademark and addressed the need for uniformity in rice processing and increasing available tonnage. As part of the business planning process, PIRK II assisted COOPRKING to conduct an analysis of the Ngwélé rice marketing plan based on three assumptions: i. The basic assumption provides an overall target for the sale of 495 tons of white rice by 2019 (i.e., 165 tons annually) and 66 tons of improved varieties of lowland rice (i.e., 22 tons each year), for a cumulative turnover of approximately $597,000 USD. This assumes an annual profit margin of more than $55,000 USD after repayment of the borrowed capital and payment of all COOPRKING-related operating expenses and fixed charges. ii. The pessimistic hypothesis was based on weak financial mobilization in 2017, which will lead to the failure to achieve the minimum profitable tonnage. COOPRKING will be able to survive if they sell more than half of the tonnage expected during 2017 and they manage to maintain a profitable

PIRK II Final Report P a g e | 15 tonnage for the following two years. The reimbursement of the loan will result in a small profit margin for the Cooperative under this scenario. iii. The optimistic assumption was based on an underestimation of the reinvestment of almost all of the cash received after each year. This would allow COOPRKING to gradually increase the volume of sales to 200 tons of white rice in 2018. COOPRKING would then achieve an important profit margin, enabling it to repay the loan and cover shares, assets, and fixed costs while guaranteeing financial autonomy, with a profit margin of more than $80,000 USD. The composting center CCCK benefited from the same management capacity building support as COOPRKING. After several meetings and a training on entrepreneurship, the CCCK management committee updated the vision and mission of the organization to serve as the cornerstone of the company's philosophy and strategy. CCCK's vision is to become an indispensable center for the supply of organic fertilizers to farmers while contributing to the sanitation of the city and the perimeter of Kingabwa through the recycling of organic waste. From this vision stems the mission to contribute to increasing farmers' incomes by providing superior quality organic compost to increase productivity and maintain rich soil. CCCK identified 20 major strategies after conducting a SWOT analysis focused on the following management axes: organizational factors and governance, production and technology factors, and commercial and financial factors. Overall, these strategies are characterized by the following objectives: • Establish the basis for the CCCK to carry out its social mission; • Gradually increase the quantity and quality of compost; • Develop effective customer service; • Increase the profitability and financial autonomy of the CCCK; and • Seize opportunities to expand the center by creating subsidiaries on the site. CCCK has put in place an action plan to operationalize these strategies. Its members have also developed a business plan that takes into account the need to make good quality organic fertilizers available to agricultural producers by taking advantage of the city of Kingabwa’s bio-degradable waste. The business plan notes the establishment of two new units in the next three years, which would result in an increase in the production of compost, a decrease in the cost of production, and consequently, a decrease in the price of compost, with the hope that farmers can then use compost on a large scale. CCCK anticipates selling $83,000 USD (830 tons) of compost, based on production of 20 tons of compost per cycle (41 cycles over three years). To be competitive and provide access to fertilizers to a larger number of farmers, CCCK also opted for a decreasing tariff policy in view of the economies of scale that could be achieved during the first 18 months. The seed bank BSCK also followed the same trainings and support as the two previous organizations. The business plan now serves a management tool, involving members in the achievement of objectives and as a precondition for negotiation with donors, bankers, and suppliers. With a sales target of 48 tons of improved seeds in three years, the farm account analysis gives a unit cost of $0.97 USD per kilo of seed, while it is sold at $2.00 USD per kilogram – a considerable profit margin which, once reinvested on the basis of an adequate policy of revenue sharing, would allow the company to grow quickly. Furthermore, like CCCK and COOPRKING, BSCK also embarked on the development of a strategic plan; however, the seed bank has not yet gathered all of the information to finalize its strategy. Nevertheless, in terms of governance, BSCK’s vision is to ensure the sale of almost all of its members' seed production and to make a significant contribution to the production of lowland rice in Kingabwa and elsewhere within the country. With this vision, the seed bank’s mission is to provide a framework for seed production by bringing together producers and making quality lowland rice seeds available to

PIRK II Final Report P a g e | 16 farmers at a good price for its members. To do so, the bank intends to build a strong partnership with Kingabwa rice farmers and use it as a springboard to become a major supplier of quality seed.

4.2.1 Facilitate linkages to purchasers The approach to the development of value chains as an intervention strategy for supporting producers in the intensification of rice production requires strengthening the capacity of producers to improve linkages and market access, including relationships with buyers and trade partnerships. As such, PIRK II facilitated COOPRKING's participation in the first International Agricultural Fair of Kinshasa (FAIKIN) in 2016, and BSCK and CCCK in the second edition of FAIKIN in 2017 (under the banner of COOPRKING). This initiative of the provincial government of Kinshasa through the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development is a commercial showcase where various visitors (consumers, investors, donors, curious, economic operators, etc.) discover agricultural products from Kinshasa. The 1st edition of FAIKIN was crucial to increase awareness of Ngwélé rice, which until then was not widely known by the general public. With almost 1,300 visitors and 1 ton of rice ($920 USD) sold in just over a week, COOPRKING has since been regularly approached by new consumers, and the market for Ngwélé rice is constantly expanding. The fruits of this participation go beyond the commercial aspects and have also raised political interest, a rare effect in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The mayor of Limité, impressed by the exhibition, granted a plot of land of 4m2 on the Avenue Poids Lourds for COOPRKING to set up a sales stand. COOPRKING installed its advertising panel and is mobilizing resources to construct a permanent stand, which would serve as the first exclusive Ngwélé rice outlet in Kingabwa, on one of the city's largest avenues. COOPRKING billboard on Avenue Poids Lourds With the installation of the billboard, calls to find out about Ngwélé rice have increased. COOPRKING’s management committee claims to have an average of at least seven calls per week from people who would like to place an order or who request additional information on prices and quality. This acquisition already opens up the prospect of intensifying agricultural production and increasing sales if the quality of the rice is guaranteed and if it can be covered by a legal act for the recognition of the Ngwélé brand in order to prevent piracy. To obtain this guarantee, COOPRKING initiated a procedure to obtain the Ngwélé Rice Labeling Certificate to make it a registered trademark. This was made possible because COOPRKING obtained a tax number from the General Tax Directorate (DGI), at its own cost. While the first fair resulted in COOPRKING obtaining space from the mayor for the establishment of a sales stand, the second fair enabled the cooperative to showcase the various products of the Kingabwa site. The second edition, under the theme: "Enterprizing, Innovating, and Investing in the Agricultural Sector," took place in August 2017 in the premises of the Academy of Fine Arts. Under the leadership of COOPRKING, the consortium of agribusinesses supported by PIRK II set up a communal stand in the corporate area, which exhibited several products: consumer rice (COOPRKING), improved varieties of lowland rice seed (COOPRKING and BSCK), and compost (CCCK). The corporate zone was developed for companies and services working in the agricultural sector, particularly agricultural production firms, suppliers of agricultural inputs (engines, fertilizers, etc.), and suppliers of various agricultural services (credits, support, etc.). The establishment of the stand in this area allowed the project-supported agribusinesses to exchange and enrich their network with various actors in the agricultural sector.

PIRK II Final Report P a g e | 17 The PIRK II agribusiness stand welcomed 1,172 visitors over 10 days. Visitors were immersed in the explanation of the process of production of flooded rice in the Kingabwa site, varieties of rice produced in this site, the characteristics of cargo rice, the range of rice sold by COOPRKING, the seed production process, the different ranges of seeds produced by BSCK, the composting process, and the compost produced and sold by CCCK. The nutritional and culinary virtues of rice were also explained to potential consumers, who were also able to taste samples of PIRK II-supported agribusinesses’ stand at white and cargo rice. COOPRKING conducted three FAIKIN II in 2017 interviews during the event with the newspaper Prosperity, AFRICA TV and RTNC 2 TV stations. During the event, COOPRKING succeeded in selling 537 kg of rice, including 52 kg of cargo rice (mainly from the UBEI variety, which is semi-aromatic), 225 kg of aromatic white rice (Giza 182), and 260 kg of semi-aromatic white rice (Ubei). Likewise, CCCK sold 650 kg of compost, and BSCK sold 375 kg of seed and recorded several contacts requesting Giza 182 seed. As a result of the exhibition, L'Alimentation du Fleuve Congo and KIN FOOD, well-known supermarkets in Kinshasa, asked COOPRKING to exhibit Ngwélé rice in their facilities. Adam Smith International, through its ELAN DRC project, also expressed interest in working with COOPRKING to improve the rice value chain in Kinshasa province. Likewise, the company FORONIA, well known in the Congolese agri-food industry, expressed the wish to work with COOPRKING in the field of rice processing equipment; this company has a high-performance sheller machine capable of shelling rice without impurities. Furthermore, CCCK established contact with horticultural contractors who are currently experimenting with the compost produced by the center in their vegetable gardens. Ministry of Agriculture representatives also met COOPRKING during the fair. Subsequently, the provincial Ministry of Agriculture concluded an agreement with COOPRKING for the exhibition of Ngwélé rice in a space reserved by the Ministry. In its policy of providing local and organic produce to Kinshasa, the Ministry organizes two temporary markets every Thursday and Friday in two places: the oil mill roundabout in Kambabare and the Gombe market. COOPRKING sold 2305 Kg of rice at $1.2 USD/kg at this new market, representing a turnover of $2,766 USD. In short, the FAIKIN forum enabled COOPRKING and other PIRK-supported agribusinesses to make their products known. COOPRKING plans to capitalize on this event by formalizing partnerships with the contacts that have shown interest. These potential partnerships could increase demand, and thus open the possibility of reducing fixed costs and consequently applying competitive prices that could significantly increase turnover. For the moment, the average selling price over a two-year period is $0.83 USD/kg compared to the market price in Kinshasa, which is $0.9 USD/kg for unscented rice. This price is still low compared to the price of imported scented rice, which, according to PIRK II field investigations, averages $3 USD/kg. The quality of Kingabwa rice is much higher than a large proportion of the imported rice that is not aromatic. There is therefore a large margin to increase prices as long as COOPRKING farmers can generate a sustainable demand for their rice and maintain consistent quality. If they are successful, this price increase would positively affect all Kingabwa farmers and boost cooperative membership.

4.2.2 Facilitate linkages between financial institutions and individual farmers and cooperatives to promote micro-lending At the end of the project, only COOPRKING was mature enough to qualify for loans from a financial institution. The cooperative approached two organizations to gain access to credit: MEC IDECE (Mutuelle

PIRK II Final Report P a g e | 18 d' Epargne et de Crédit) and Procredit Bank. To facilitate partnership agreements between COOPRKING and MEC IDECE (Mutuelle d' Epargne et de Crédit), PIRK II coordinated meetings with representatives from both entities. COOPRKING did not initially meet the criteria for obtaining credit because they did not have an account within the institution. Since then, COOPRKING opened an account within the MEC on its own. From the discussions, it was discovered that COOPRKING could benefit from a ceiling credit of $10,000 USD but they would need a cash deposit of at least 20% of the ceiling amount at the time of request. Thus, COOPRKING intends to pay $2,000 USD after the 2018 harvest. COOPRKING used its newly-developed marketing plan to convince the MEC ICEDE representative of their ability to refund the credit. The MFI offered credit conditions that seemed more advantageous because members could also benefit from it, but the management committee considered that the interest rate was too high. In the second half of 2017, PIRK II also supported COOPRKING to establish a reliable partnership with Procredit Bank, which is active in the promotion of small and medium-sized enterprises in the DRC. PIRK II targeted this bank because it lends to farmers groups and agricultural SMEs in the eastern part of the country, and after initial discussions, the bank confirmed willingness to replicate this experience in the west. As described in activity 3.1, PIRK II organized several working sessions with COOPRKING managers and bank delegates. The cooperative’s management committee presented the financial statements and schedules of the cash flows illustrating various scenarios that could guarantee repayment of the loan and meet the expectations of Procredit Bank. COOPRKING proposed to acquire a consumer rice processing unit that would enable it to pay back the loan over an 18-month period. The debt service proposed by COOPRKING provides for a semi-annual repayment of capital and a monthly payment of interest. The cooperative needs $12,250 USD, including $7,800 USD from Procredit Bank, to be able to acquire the equipment.

4.2.3 Promote marketing of Kingabwa rice through specialized branding and facilitated storage, packaging, and transport The implementation of the marketing plan made it possible to mobilize more than 11 tons of paddy through COOPRKING’s own means of financing. (The Cooperative purchases rice from its members, then processes and resells it.) This increases COOPRKING's turnover and ensures a comfortable profit margin. To store this quantity of rice, COOPRKING signed a lease agreement with APRKING for use of its warehouse. The marketing plan recommended that the cooperative update its rice bag packaging. As a result, a new design was approved by the COOPRKING board of directors and contains some of the usual information such as the address and contact number for the cooperative to enable customers to easily identify the seller and facilitate the placing of orders. COOPRKING’s improved rice bags

PIRK II Final Report P a g e | 19 OBJECTIVE 5: STRENGTHENED FARMER ASSOCIATIONS/COOPERATIVES WITH ACCESS TO MARKETS AND AGRICULTURAL CREDIT As demonstrated under Objective 4, PIRK II was successful in supporting market and credit access to Kingabwa Key Accomplishments: Objective 5 • Built the technical and organizational organizations, as well as in improving organizational capacities capacity of COOPRKING, APRKING, as a foundation for future growth and development. CCCK, and BSCK. • Assisted CCCK to improve packaging 5.1 Provide continued technical assistance to materials as part of its marketing strategy. associations, cooperatives, and other • Developed a training plan with organizations based in Kingabwa and Masina COOPRKING to support further development. COOPRKING Along with the support described under Objective 4, PIRK II supported COOPRKING’s development of a SWOT analysis to help it develop its strategies and identify their major challenges. This diagnosis was carried out in 2016 and resulted in 19 recommendations, categorized from high to low priority, related to organizational strengthening, production, financial management, and technology. With the support of PIRK II, COOPRKING improved its skills and increased assets that enabled the cooperative to boost its organizational dynamics and financial turnover. PIRK II supported the COOPRKING management committee to strengthen its overall management and commitment of its members. This support led to the revision of administrative and financial procedures to facilitate the establishment of clear regulations and a transparent payment circuit that limits the possibility of fraud or conflicts of interest. PIRK II shared clear instructions to the COOPRKING management team to ensure that it stays compliant with agreed-upon procedures. PIRK II also assessed the technical weaknesses of the cooperative’s management team and developed a summary training needs plan, which COOPRKING will share with its partner OSISA to seek additional support on these topics. OSISA is a South African organization that supports cooperative and community based structures; it has been working with COOPRKING for a few years and will continue to do so in the future. APRKING PIRK II provided ongoing technical assistance related to rice production to members of APRKING, as outlined in Objective 2. The composting center PIRK II improved CCCK’s marketing by assisting with the development of improved bags that contain all the elements indicated for advertising the center and its compost (see photo below). This was one of the recommendations from CCCK’s business and strategic development plan, as described in Objective 4.

PIRK II Final Report P a g e | 20 OBJECTIVE 6: ENHANCED LAND TENURE SECURITY FOR FARMERS BATIDE took the lead on this component and was directly Key Accomplishments: Objective 6 • Trained 20 community leaders on involved in discussing land tenure with farmers, public advocacy and leadership. authorities, and others, in this difficult area that affects • Worked with leaders to develop an farmers. action plan to advocate with authorities to be granted land titles. 6.1 Identification of perimeters and collection of topographical data PIRK II completed Kingabwa perimeter identification and topographic data collection as part of the land planning process (Component 1). While some perimeters were surveyed, it proved to be out of the project scope to survey all the plots of land in the Kingabwa area. The topographical data collected will nevertheless serve as a basis for future work, and relevant documents have been transmitted to APRKING farmers and public authorities.

6.2 Facilitate individual land tenure titles to farmers according to the land use plan The ownership of arable land in Kingabwa remains a key issue that has not yet led to sustainable solutions. The process of obtaining a land title for Kingabwa farmers does not, unfortunately, depend on the dynamism of PIRK II; instead, this is largely dependent on the public administration. PIRK II initially worked directly with the Ministry of Agriculture to try to find sustainable solutions to the land issue in Kingabwa. After many meetings and a project-organized conference on land tenure in 2016, the Ministry favored an approach that entails obtaining a title deed in its favor for all the agricultural lands of Kinshasa. The Ministry also decided to issue farm certificates to all farmers; it believes that the approach will be more beneficial, as all lands will be protected by a public institution. To assist the communities themselves, PIRK II identified a group of leaders who participated in a USAID- organized training course on advocacy and leadership, added a few community leaders, and trained the group on advocacy campaigns. Twenty community leaders actively participated in a hands-on training that resulted in the development of an action plan to encourage the authorities to take appropriate steps to grant land titles to farmers in Kingabwa. The leaders learned advocacy techniques and tools that can help them initiate actions to influence decision-making by the land authorities. OBJECTIVE 7: INCREASED ADOPTION BY LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS/ KINGABWA HOUSEHOLDS OF BEHAVIORS THAT ENHANCE NUTRITION AND HEALTH As a corollary to a diversified diet, PIRK II encouraged better health and nutrition behaviors in the Kingabwa area through a community-based approach. Community nutrition volunteers took on a leadership role of spreading good nutrition and health messages to community households, in addition to formal training by the PIRK II gender and nutrition specialist. There has been great community enthusiasm for PIRK II’s nutrition and health activities, evidenced by the large numbers of people attending sensitizations and culinary demonstrations. Beneficiaries report that they have increased their understanding of nutritional value of various foods and how to cultivate and prepare more nutritious foods for children. New vegetables have been introduced to the site, which are cooked by households and restaurants, and there is an increased awareness on the role of “cargo” (brown) rice in children’s nutrition.

PIRK II Final Report P a g e | 21 In the final two quarters of the project, PIRK II carried out a Key Accomplishments: Objective 7 rapid survey of 100 households, using a random sample • Empowered and trained 13 women to selection from the 1,802 project-supported households. The serve as community nutrition survey showed that six out of 10 households consumed more volunteers; these women supported than five new and varied types of food, leading to diversified 1,802 households. • Collaborated with PRONAUT on a nutritional intake. Women also made progress in allocating baseline nutrition survey of 300 their incomes, with 89% of women estimating that they have households. increased decision-making power to allocate their own • Conducted awareness-raising income without interference from their spouse. activities (including home visits, skits, and culinary demonstrations) and trained 740 individuals on nutrition, 7.1 Conduct baseline health and nutrition health, hygiene, and environmental survey sanitation. • Empowered women through training In collaboration with the National Nutrition Programme focused around economic, leadership, (PRONANUT), PIRK II conducted a study on the nutritional and gender sensitization themes. status in Kingabwa, to provide the basis of project activities to improve the nutritional status of the community, particularly for women and children. Survey findings included: Household Socio-Economic Situation – Households supervised by PIRK II are overcrowded and are in poor conditions. The average household size is nine people and by far exceeds the national average of DRC's urban centers, which is six people per household. This is problematic because the dwellings have on average only three rooms. The study also noted that 41% of households are headed by women, which is far from the national average for cities where the proportion is 25%. This could be an asset for social mobilization activities aimed at changing behavior regarding food. Nutritional Status of Children Under 5 Years of Age – The nutritional status of children under five is poor. The rate of Global Acute Malnutrition (GAM) is 7% and the stunting rate is 24%. Note that for these rates to be acceptable according to the World Health Organization, it must be lowered to 5% and 20% respectively. The nutritional status of children in households in the project zone of influence is of concern when comparing the statistics from this survey to the DRC DHS 2013-14 survey, which estimates GAM rate of 4% and a stunting rate of 18% for the entire city of Kinshasa. The causes of this unsatisfactory nutritional situation are complex and numerous and can be found in the food and environmental situation of households. Infant and Young Child Feeding (IYCF) – IYCF is a serious problem and deviates from the average of Kinshasa city. The survey found that 47% of children are breastfed within an hour of birth. Furthermore, 18% of children under six months were exclusively breastfed, and only 8% of children 6-23 months receive adequate diets. Apart from the minimum diet indicator, which matches the national rate (8%) according to DHS 2013-2014, breastfeeding within the hour and exclusive breastfeeding rates are lower than average, with 51% for breastfeeding within the hour and 48% for exclusive breastfeeding. Household Food Consumption – The household food consumption in Kingabwa is in a critical status according to the results of previous surveys. This study noted that one in three households has poor to mediocre food consumption. The results of the multiple indicator cluster survey conducted in 2010 showed that for the city of Kinshasa, the proportion of households with poor or borderline food consumption is 5%. Legumes, dairy products and fruits are barely consumed in households. Households rely increasingly on the cheapest food and reduce the amount of food they eat to survive. Water and Sanitation – Access to tap drinking water does not pose a problem in principle for households in the project zone of influence, although more than half of the household’s access to tap water is located outside their plot. This creates a risk of water contamination during transportation, especially if the households live in an unhealthy environment. The disposal of household waste and

PIRK II Final Report P a g e | 22 household wastewater is done haphazardly. This is making the housing plots and streets very unhealthy environments. Not everyone washes their hands regularly, with only 35% of households claiming that they always wash their hands with soap or ash before eating. Furthermore, not all of the households have proper latrines. Health – There is a high morbidity rate in the surveyed households. More than eight out of ten households (87%) stated that at least one household member fell ill in the two weeks preceding the survey. An average of two people per household fell ill two weeks preceding the survey. It is also noted that nearly one in three people resorted to self-medication, and 6% did not receive any treatment. The households’ participation in health activities is also problematic. Although immunization coverage against measles is good (90%), attendance of children to pre-school consultations (PSCs) is very low. Only 23% of children surveyed had attended PSCs the month before the survey and only 68% of households owned Insecticide Treated Mosquito Nets (ITN). Women’s Empowerment – Regarding women's empowerment, the survey found that in general, the income from women's activities is managed by women themselves in 70% of the cases, and nine out of ten women said they were satisfied with their income management. The time women spend on domestic charges is less than two hours on average, and women surveyed are generally satisfied (90%). It was found that 63% of the women surveyed are members of an association. Rice Cultivation – Agriculture is the main source of income for 87% of households surveyed. Besides rice, other vegetable crops are also grown. Nevertheless, agricultural training is incomplete; only 36% of households reported to have learned new rice cultivation techniques, and 41% reported to have learned other ways to market rice.

7.2 Design participatory learning sessions on nutrition and gender, household budgeting and nutrition, nutritious cooking demonstrations, food sanitation and hygiene, etc. A major recommendation of the baseline survey was for the project to establish a multi-sectoral intervention approach that is based on three pillars to strengthen the community dynamics (Table 3); these recommendations were integrated into PIRK II activities. Nutrition activities incorporated recipes that could be made with brown cargo rice and newly introduced vegetables varieties (eggplant, tomato, spinach, sprout, cabbage, collards and cabbage), and were also tied to awareness-raising on waste management (related to the composting center). Table 3. Key recommendations based on 3 pillars of agriculture, nutrition, and health Agriculture Nutrition Hygiene & Healthy Environment Strengthen leadership in agricultural Organize the referral of cases of Organize a garbage disposal system activities, the main source of acute malnutrition to care centers (creating composting centers) and household income waste water treatment facility

Promote crop diversification for food Educate households on IYCF Educate households on diversification, but also to enable practices and perform cooking environmental and bodily health with households to increase revenue demonstrations emphasis on hand washing

Promote vegetable gardening on Sensitize households to use small farming plots when possible health

Awareness-raising PIRK II identified 13 Community Nutrition Volunteers (CNVs) to facilitate the implementation of the nutrition activities. They were chosen based on their level of education, their commitment to volunteer

PIRK II Final Report P a g e | 23 work, their reputation, and their dynamism. Once identified, they were briefed on the project's philosophy and strategic objectives, before participating in a training-of-trainers cycle on awareness-raising techniques and outlines of the topics to be covered. The CNVs were the cornerstone of the nutrition program, regularly conducting awareness raising sessions and household visits (with or without the support of the PIRK II technical team). They are expected to play a key role in the sustainability of activities at the Kingabwa site. Apart from their technical role, the women made part of their fields available to the project for demonstrations. Awareness-raising activities incorporated several themes focused on diversified household feeding and infant and young child feeding based on recipes that could be made from rice and according to the food available in households. These trainings were complemented by breastfeeding training for the mothers. Mass outreach meetings were an effective tool to reach more beneficiaries in a relatively short time. PIRK II established a household awareness calendar focusing on the various themes (nutritional practices, health, hygiene, and environmental issues), and as such, held weekly awareness meetings in the community. The project also initiated participatory theaters and skits, in which groups played scenes to demonstrate the harmful effects of bad practices and provide advice through practical actions that spectators can quickly understand and imitate. Nine sketch sessions were organized for around 360 people. The project's awareness-raising messages also passed through other means of communication, such as banners, T-shirts, caps, and other promotional materials. PIRK II also organized culinary training sessions focused on specific themes selected according to needs expressed by the beneficiaries. During these sessions, project staff taught nutritional practices to the different layers of beneficiaries, especially pregnant women, breastfeeding women, volunteer women, and vegetable and rice farmers operating the project site. These sessions consisted of formal trainings divided into the following sections: • The role of food to meet and satisfy the nutritional needs of the body for its development; • Three types of food, especially energy, construction and protective food; • The diet that recommends adherence to four elements, namely: o Staple foods that give strength to the body (rice, corn, yam, cassava, bread, etc.) o Protein foods of animal origin are used to build up the organism (meat, chickens, fish, eggs, shrimps, caterpillars, etc.) o Protein foods of plant origin build the organism (growth); legumes beans, cowpeas, peanuts, peas, soybeans o Fruit and vegetables that provide fibers, vitamins, and other nutrients These lessons were followed by practical demonstrations of different culinary activities with local products. The PIRK II nutritionist gave detailed presentations of the different recipes that could be cooked with local products including the six vegetables introduced by PIRK II and brown “cargo” rice. The different stages of the preparation of recipes based on local products from vegetable and rice cultivation were practiced in front of the audience following the cookbook so that the beneficiaries were able to master the techniques. At the end of this activity, which brought together women producers and those who live in surrounding neighborhoods, meals were distributed to participants, Culinary demonstration including children from 0 to 5 years old. Trainings led to a wide adoption of cargo rice, which is important to complement the feeding of infants.

PIRK II Final Report P a g e | 24 To promote improved hygiene in the community, the PIRK II nutrition trainings also incorporated guidelines on hygiene rules to promote food safety. Lack of hygiene, sanitation, and inadequate care practices have led to an increase in infectious diseases in Key Accomplishments: Objective 8 • Facilitated $211,513 USD in vegetable sales and Kingabwa. This situation is aggravated by poor consumption of 78 MT of vegetables. access to drinking water and health services. To • Established 15 demo plots (8 led by women) to combat this, the PIRK II team held awareness grow six new varieties of vegetables; supported 182 meetings on hygiene and sanitation in the farmers to cultivate 282 small plots of these vegetables. residential environment every Wednesday and • Conducted 12 horticultural training sessions with Friday of the week. These sessions increased 239 Communitywomen and sensitization26 men. on hand hygiene beneficiaries’ understanding of why and how to • Conducted 3 demonstrations for 29 women and 7 wash their hands with soap or ash before eating men on nursery preparation. or handling food. PIRK II also collaborated with • Distributed 183.4 kg of six different vegetables seeds to 62 households and 42 vegetable BRALIMA, in particular with its WASH and equipment kits to 27 farmers (64% women). Mayamba projects, which resulted in the construction of latrines for the APRKING storage house and the construction of drinking water pipes at the Kingabwa agricultural site to improve hygiene. Household visits To reinforce the awareness program, CNVs visited beneficiaries to become familiar with the realities of their lives and create affinities with them that would favor the respect of hygienic practices and the adoption of nutritional practices advocated by the program. The first 10 visits were conducted under the supervision of the PIRK II nutrition specialist. A total of 1,802 households benefited from these visits. Each visit lasted an average of one hour, during which a CNV relaxed the atmosphere with questions of everyday life before tackling the planned themes. Associated training, monitoring, and reporting tools were reviewed on a weekly basis by the PIRK II nutrition specialist. Women's empowerment PIRK II carried out several training workshops to promote women's empowerment. The trainings covered 10 themes, with the goal to enable women to a) become aware of their ability to become a leader in their community, b) participate in the decision-making process in their home, and c) contribute financially to their household income through economic initiatives. Six of the 10 women's empowerment themes dealt with economic aspects, such as household income management, household budgeting, planning, etc. The first workshop dealt with the basic principles of gender and equity. Women were able to express themselves freely on issues that concerned them, such as household management and women's responsibilities in the home and in society. The exchange of experiences during these workshops, between farmers from Kingabwa and Masina, was enriching. As a result of these trainings, several small businesses emerged in the vicinity of the site where it was possible to buy Kingabwa's agricultural products: white rice, cargo rice, vegetable leaves, and vegetables. These businesses were created spontaneously after the training sessions. Other emerging activities were taken at the initiative of a group of women still under the leadership of the CNVs; this included the establishment of a rotating savings system – which contributed greatly towards women’s empowerment and reinforced the women’s knowledge and capacity related to financial management. OBJECTIVE 8: INCREASED CULTIVATION AND HOUSEHOLD CONSUMPTION OF DIVERSIFIED VEGETABLES PIRK II beneficiaries successfully diversified vegetable production and increased household consumption of vegetables. To maximize the chances of increasing production, PIRK II promoted use of quality vegetable seed. As such, the project signed an MOU with INDIGO, which provided farmers with quality inputs and

PIRK II Final Report P a g e | 25 regular support on several topics, including the application of new technologies, phytosanitary inspections, integrated pest management methods, the agricultural calendar, use of adapted seeds, crop rotation, and the use of phytosanitary products. This support for experimentation with new crops resulted in the diversification of crops grown in the Malebo Pool and promoted partnerships between producers and companies selling quality agricultural inputs, which will have lasting benefits beyond the life of the project.

8.1 Pilot demonstrations of kitchen garden plots Based on the recommendation of the Nutrition Baseline Study to diversify and increase vegetable production, PIRK II implemented a vegetable production program to improve the nutritional status of the Kingabwa community, particularly benefiting children, pregnant, and lactating women. PIRK II introduced six new vegetable varieties (from East West Seed) recommended by PRONANUT and defined a technical itinerary and appropriate cultivation practices for these crops (eggplant, tomato, china sprouts, cauliflower, spinach, and spring onion). The first step was to conduct an awareness campaign (e.g., via meetings and field visits) to sensitize the beneficiary households and encourage the community to adopt new methods and introduce the new vegetables into their gardens. These activities were carried out in conjunction with the nutrition program (Objective 7), working closely with the women volunteers (CNVs). PIRK II installed 12 demonstration field schools to facilitate learning and integration of new technologies and practices. Project staff used participatory methodologies, and the demonstration fields were conducted under the vegetable farmer field school approach, involving leaders of the different areas (most of whom are women) in the different experiences related to the phases of the vegetable cycle. This provided farmers an opportunity to learn by practicing. At the end of each session, the farmers met with the PIRK II technical team to discuss the session and share their opinions. PIRK II provided training and technical assistance to 265 vegetable farmers. The overall process followed the following steps: • Introduction and adoption of vegetable production practices, including appropriate choice of soil, preparation of the seed bed, planting, transplanting, care and maintenance, treatment, and crop protection. • Monitoring of the practical application of the various technologies and other transversal themes taught during training courses, both theoretical and practical. • Training of households that joined the vegetable committee during the sensitization campaign. PIRK II provided producers with quality agricultural inputs to help households improve farming practices and boost crop yields. On this basis, the project distributed kits of small materials consisting of gardening tools, including a hoe, machete, spade, rake, and watering can. A total of 42 market garden households (represented by 27 women and 15 men) received this support, after nomination by the vegetable farmers’ committee. As a result of the PIRK II trainings, 83 farmers (28 men and 54 women) adopted the six newly introduced varieties, and 122 farmers (56.4%) demonstrated significant improvement in cultivation practices, varietal changes, integrated pest management.

8.2 Diversification of vegetable crops In response to the low availability of vegetables in the city of Kingabwa, PIRK II distributed 183.4 kg of seeds from six vegetable varieties to 62 market gardeners, including 51 women and 11 men. This seed lot covered 0.172 hectares distributed in 4 blocks, including: 100g of aubergine, 100g of tomato, 120g of china sprouts, 80g of cauliflower, 15kg of spinach, and 168kg of spring onion. In addition, EUCORD collaborated with East West Seed to obtain 3 kg of seed from Thailand, including green beans, lettuce, Kang Kong, spinach and cabbage. This premium quality seed was tested in Kingabwa, and a brief report was shared

PIRK II Final Report P a g e | 26 Kangkong Dishes at a culinary demonstration with the company for evaluation. The results of this analysis showed that 7 out of 8 varieties have been positively evaluated by the farmers (see Table 4). Table 4. Seed Testing Results Varieties Farmer preference score over 10 points; Respondents: 30 Quality Vegetative Hardiness Tolerance Adaptation Varietal Average cycle character score -istics Cabbage Lasaka 9 6 7 8 9 9 8/10 Cabbage Pakse 8 6.5 8 7 9 8 7.75/10 Lettuce Rapido 9 8 6 6 8 7 7.33/10 Chinese cabbage 8 9 8 6 9 7 7.83/10 Spinach super 9 8 6 7 8 8 7.66/10 palak Yard long bean 7.5 7 6 8 7 6 6.91/10 Gita Kangkong 8 9 8 8 9 8 8.33/10

Based on the results of the seed testing, farmers considered that the new varieties of cabbages have several advantages over traditional seeds, in particular with regard to product quality, tolerance, adaptation and variety type. Chinese cabbage has satisfactory adaptability and an interesting vegetative cycle, is resistant to diseases, and its quality is appreciated by consumers. The lettuce culture is much appreciated for its relatively short growing cycle, the quality of the product, its variety but also its adaptation to the local environment. Concerning spinach, the Super Palak variety won the producers' preference. The green bean is especially appreciated for the quality of the product and tolerance to weather conditions. Kangkong, a vegetable unknown on the Congolese market, was preferred by the vegetable producers in Kingabwa. It attracted the attention of the farmers because it adapts very well and is similar to other leafy greens eaten in Kingabwa. For this reason, it received a higher score than the other varieties. In this respect, Kangkong was the subject of sensitization and popularization among the vegetable farmers and consumers. Several recipes were made and popularized during the culinary demonstration sessions. Beneficiaries now appreciate Kangkong's leaf dishes because of their nutritious richness and taste, which is quite good compared to the sweet potato leaves that were eaten regularly at Kingabwa. PIRK II encouraged vegetable farmers to increase production and offset soil degradation through the use of organic compost produced by CCCK. As part of the extension of CCCK's compost production, PIRK II conducted a field trial of off-season compost production of cabbage in the plot near the APRKING warehouse. The growers prepared and transplanted the boards with seedlings and followed the recommended practices including the application of organic fertilizers in accordance with the intended dosage. In addition, organic fertilizer was applied on a strip labelled “A,” and the next one labelled “B”

PIRK II Final Report P a g e | 27 was left as a control. The 200 kg per 12 m2 compost rate was used for topsoil application and incorporation; that is 800 kg for a treatment covering one tenth of a hectare of culture. At the end of the test, the treated strip was more developed than the untreated one, though the difference was not perceptible to the naked eye. To demonstrate the results to the farmers, PIRK II invited the farmers as witnesses on harvest day and they participated in the weighing of each cabbage. The findings were unequivocal: treated cabbages were heavier than untreated head cabbages. The A-band produced a quantity that weighed 105kg in total, while the B-band plant weighed only 71kg. The difference was of 180 grams on average per cauliflower, representing an increase in efficiency of 32.3%. This testimony has contributed to an increase in the sale of compost, although sales are still low. Demonstrations of this kind should continue through the women volunteers to ensure continued incorporation of compost produced by CCCK. These results have obvious economic benefits; culture dictates that a cabbage that weighs more is more expensive than cabbage that weighs less. Experience has shown that the profit margin of a compost bed is $34.03 USD while that without compost is $26.05 USD, a difference of $7.98 USD. At first glance, this difference seems minimal but by practicing extrapolation on 1 ha, which would shelter at least 400 beds, the difference per hectare would be $3,192 USD. The sustainability of these activities will be ensured by community lead farmers and CNVs who will continue to popularize the new technologies and practices. OBJECTIVE 9: INCREASED ORGANIZATIONAL AND FINANCIAL CAPACITY FOR BATIDE An operational review of BATIDE conducted in April 2016 highlighted a need to develop clearer processes in terms of administration and finance, as well as a more robust filing system to allow a more timely execution of key financial and administrative tasks. However, it was a self-review and not satisfactory. A Scope of Work was subsequently produced to request a F2F volunteer to conduct an operational review of BATIDE but was not granted by ACDI/VOCA. This component was therefore not completely fulfilled and was particularly challenging due to leadership issues experienced by BATIDE. Besides the absence of BATIDE’s Director for most of the project, its interim director ended up not having the necessary skill set to successfully lead project activities. He was subsequently replaced and later quit his new position as PIRK II M&E officer, which again negatively affected the available human resources for the project. Once the current project director joined the team, little time was left, and the implementation of project activities linked to the core objectives were prioritized.

9.1 Conduct an operational review of BATIDE to fully understand current operations BATIDE has been called upon to apply management standards of an international non-governmental organization like Winrock International. BATIDE’s main strengths and challenges (based on the 2016 organizational assessment and Winrock and EUCORD’s experience) include the following:

• Strong technical team with diverse skills, well adapted to Key Accomplishments: Objective 9 work with farmer and community organizations • Assessed BATIDE’s organizational • Good local reputation and rapport with local capacity to identify areas for stakeholders, particularly in Kingabwa improvement. • Provided ongoing training and new • Lack of leadership has negatively affected the tools to improve BATIDE’s performance of existing staff - while processes were in organizational capacity. place, they were not always followed • Supported BATIDE to secure • Human resources management procedures and standards additional funding from KOICA for complementary work. are not clear and should be developed

PIRK II Final Report P a g e | 28 • Administrative and financial procedure exist, but they are not systematically followed • Need to review and develop processes in light of Result Based Management approaches After the organizational assessment in 2016, PIRK II recommended that BATIDE update its administrative and financial procedures manuals to reinforce the principles of transparency, reduce the risk of fraud, and better detect conflicts of interest. PIRK II also recommended a reformed recruitment process to enable the organization to always have a qualified team.

9.2 Provide hands-on training, guidance, adaptive management and mentorship EUCORD and Winrock provided support to empower BATIDE staff to effectively manage project activities, and to increase their organizational and leadership capacities. This included formal training for the project leader, M&E specialist, and employees. In planning for the sustainability of BATIDE activities, PIRK II assisted BATIDE in fundraising by reviewing proposals and reaching out to potential donors; and training BATIDE staff in technical areas, finance, and administration. Several of these funding proposals were selected to be reviewed by donors. The BATIDE staff also received customized training depending on their responsibilities, including monitoring and evaluation and administration and finance. The entire BATIDE team also received M&E training to support them in collecting quality data. BATIDE’s interim Director, Dody Ntambwa, attended a five-day African leadership and capacity building training organized by USAID’s AfricaLEAD regional project in April 2016. Furthermore, both EUCORD and Winrock introduced new tools for planning, financial management and monitoring and evaluation to enable the organization to better organize their work, make more effective decisions, and be more efficient in the implementation of activities. The most significant contribution was supporting BATIDE in accessing a 90,000 USD Korean International Cooperation (KOICA) grant for the development of the Tshuenge site along the Pool Malebo. This enabled BATIDE to implement a project supported by an international donor in accordance with their procedures, in full autonomy.

9.3 Empower BATIDE participation in PIRK implementation BATIDE was responsible for implementing the land tenure component autonomously, as well as providing significant leadership in all project objectives. Addressing land tenure was challenging for two reasons. The absence of continuity in leadership meant that even though BATIDE had the opportunity of autonomously implementing this component, it had little capacity to give continuity to any substantial action. At the same time, a continuously reduced budget meant that very little means were available to carry out meaningful actions. Nevertheless, providing leadership and advocacy training to farmers was a creative solution that empowered the farmers to take action for themselves. BATIDE staff took other opportunities to lead in the implementation of project activities and use their own initiative to find solutions. For example, the BATIDE project specialist (guided by PIRK II and in coordination with USAID and PRONANUT) developed materials and methodologies for nutrition and health activities (culinary demonstrations, plays, home visits). Likewise, BATIDE was instrumental in redefining the most appropriate activities to implement in face of budget constraints, such as facilitating COOPRKING access to credit rather than direct provision of equipment or electrification. BATIDE was also able to create synergies between PIRK II and their own KOICA-funded activities in the Tshuenge site by setting up experience exchanges between farmers. BATIDE staff were also instrumental in negotiations with local public institutions. III. Lessons learned The project accomplished multiple successes and also faced several challenges that contribute to important operational and programmatic lessons learned.

PIRK II Final Report P a g e | 29 Technical lessons learned PIRK II found that through production support and demonstration field activities, the project's beneficiaries became aware of and changed their behavior in relation to agricultural practices and agronomic standards. The production of rice at the Kingabwa site requires a strong involvement of association members so that they can increase their circulating capital and acquire the financial means necessary for expansion. Producer members in Kingabwa initially demonstrated a “wait and see” attitude; building up a spirit of entrepreneurship and “can-do” attitude was a challenge. Beneficiary selection prior to the project start is crucial in this aspect. In addition, targeted association strengthening should incorporate farming as a business and entrepreneurship orientation along with technical training, and demonstrate how association members can capitalize on collective action. Female participation can bring about positive change and outcomes. Practical training and mobilization of women, who represent more than 70% of producers in Kingabwa, is a powerful factor for success and contributes to reducing the drop-out rate from rural work, motivating the involvement of discouraged households. PIRK II incorporated women’s empowerment and gender equity training, as an important way to encourage women and elevate their roles in household activities and decision-making. Bringing women and men together to discuss gender-related embedded norms was beneficial because it created a safe space in which participants could explore each other’s contribution to the household. These activities should be replicated in future work. Local ownership also proved to be an important success factor for PIRK II. Women volunteers and other participants of demonstration field activities were very proud to contribute directly to solving the problems that affect them by putting a point of honor on conscientiously carrying out the tasks entrusted to them and are now acting with good will to join efforts to seek to further develop community fields during the following growing season. These participatory approaches should be replicated in future work. Strengthening farmer associations’ and cooperatives’ abilities to secure agricultural credit was difficult. Nevertheless, with PIRK II support, COOPRKING now has the appropriate tools to approach lenders and secure external financial resources. Capacity building on business planning and marketing plan development proved to be crucial. The integration of production activities with WASH and environmental sanitation activities was successful in encouraging beneficiaries to contribute household waste to the composting center. CCCK’s compost production was made with the household waste, but nevertheless, the cost of production and therefore the sales cost remains relatively high at $5 USD for 50 kg. This price is not affordable for all farmers, who would need at least 2 tons per hectare. The CCCK should either reduce the production cycle time or find a way to reduce its fixed costs. This would require additional investments in the medium term. In the first year of PIRK II, a nutritional assessment identified a lack of dietary diversity to be a contributing factor to malnutrition in Kingabwa. PIRK II’s approach of integrating vegetable production, alongside culinary demonstrations to use the vegetables, in addition to follow up household visits by community volunteers, has resulted in these foods being adopted into household diets. This type of multi-pronged approach to nutrition should be replicated in future work. Legal access to land was a significant challenge. Legally, all active farmers in Kingabwa are expected to obtain a land use contract from the commune before land registry starts doing its work. There are many administrative and legal steps required to obtain a land title and this proves overwhelming for farmers. In the absence of direct activities that could boost the land certification process for Kingabwa rice farmers, and given the fact that it depends entirely on the public administration, PIRK II trained community leaders in advocacy techniques to provide them with tools that can help them initiate actions to influence decision- making authorities. At the end of this process, farmers developed an action plan that includes clear messaging targeted at specific influencers, and the identification of partners and other stakeholders that can contribute to successful advocacy. Equipped with this plan, the communities should be table to take

PIRK II Final Report P a g e | 30 charge and advocate for their land tenure. For future projects, land tenure procedures could be a sine qua non condition negotiated with relevant public authorities for the project to be implemented. A commitment of public institutions to the donor prior to the project start could contribute to effective land tenure processes. Environmental challenges The project experienced some weather difficulties in FY17; rainfall was not high enough, thus directly impacting rice production yields and targets. While the project could have circumvented the water issues through the implementation of an appropriate irrigation system, the system was not fully installed until the end of FY17. Aspects of climate variability should be taken into account in the implementation of future activities, and project coverage should remain flexible. Due to the construction of a the Cité du Fleuve, a large apartment complex a few miles away from the site, seasonal flood waters did not recede as usual, causing hundreds of farmers to lose their land. Land tenure procedures, as described above, could have perhaps mitigated this. PIRK II received guidance from the USAID Global Environmental Management Support team when a PERSUAP was being re-evaluated and revised for projects. Having the PERSUAP guide and training in the initial six months of the program would have increased the farmers knowledge about the safe use of agro-chemicals and pesticides. Operational lessons learned The range and breadth of PIRK II’s nine components proved to be a challenge for implementation due to a tight budget and leadership issues which in turn also affected expenses. The scale of infrastructure works was too ambitious for this limited budget and it proved very challenging to work on getting the pumping station operational with public entities. The profitability of SRI operations on the leveled 72ha will be crucial in maintaining the pump. During project design, it is advisable to ensure adequate time and funds to carry out infrastructure activities. PIRK II engaged with several institutional partners. At times, this affected timely delivery; e.g., for the certification of the seeds with the SENASEM (National Seed Service), the certification and labeling of the Ngwélé rice by the Ministry of Industry, INPP implementation of pump repairs, and the granting of land titles by the Ministry of Agricultural and Land Registry. PIRK II learned that engaging the public sector requires considerable effort and planning, and that deadlines may slip when working with key government departments or others. PIRK II adapted to these challenges by continually engaging with the entities, and gently pushing them along until the deliverables were met. Having a backup, alternative plan in place is crucial, as is constant communication with the relevant parties. Political demonstrations in Kinshasa and political unrest affected freedom of movement to/from Kingabwa especially for the PIRK II team, and this impacted the timing of some project activities, particularly construction activities including the installation of wells and testing of the pump. Allowances for delays in implementation activites at Pool Malebo and Kingabwa is required since the area is a particularly active hotspot for political unrest. Regarding leadership issues, PIRK II unfortunately experienced several key personnel changes. Because of unforeseen personal circumstances, original project director, Jean Pierre Sassa, had to resign his position in the initial months of year 1. He was followed by an interim project director, Dody Ntamabwa, and ultimately replaced by Emola Peppen for the second year of implementation. Additionally, home office coordination also changed. Given the short duration of the project, changes in project leadership resulted in an additional challenge, and slowed down implementation and affected the quality of certain activities such as the M&E. These human resource issues were unpredictable and unavoidable, and resulted in increased staff costs. Nevertheless, despite these organizational challenges, PIRK II continued to remain flexible around implementation, finding solutions to issues as they arose, in order to keep the program

PIRK II Final Report P a g e | 31 moving forward. Flexibility and proactive problem-solving, as well as good communication with partners, stakeholders, and USAID, are key. M&E lessons learned For a relatively small project, PIRK II initially had many indicators on which to report. A revised MEL Plan was submitted for comments and review in November 2016, and several of the indicators were removed. Additionally, from the onset of PIRK II, the project did not have a designated M&E staff person. This impacted the establishment of M&E systems from the project onset, and affected reporting thereafter, particularly for the more difficult to track outcome indicators. Ensuring that a designated M&E expert is hired and remains throughout the duration of the project to lead the M&E data collection, data management, verification, and validation process, and to guide the technical staff to understand the importance of M&E as a continuous aspect of project monitoring and performance, is key. PIRK II established baseline targets from the first PIRK project outcomes in 2013. The assumption that all of the direct beneficiaries would roll over to the new project, even though there was an almost two- year gap, was something that should have been addressed early in the project. Having sufficient funds to carry out an independent baseline survey at project start up would have enabled more appropriate targets to be identified and adjusted accordingly. PIRK II technical staff were not cognizant of how to manage rigorous M&E reporting for USAID, and they did not have the benefit of attending any trainings that the MECC (M&E contractor) might have provided for other USAID implementation partners. Added to this, the timing of the Data Quality Assessment being held towards the later part of project implementation did not provide sufficient time to address the concerns and get on track. DQAs should be conducted with at least one year of remaining project implementation time, and inclusion at M&E trainings would be useful. While the feedback on health and nutrition activities was positive, PIRK II faced challenges in collecting evidence and data on the impact of this component’s activities. The project carried out a very detailed baseline survey with PRONANUT, which produced the most complete information to date on the nutritional situation in Kinshasa’s suburban areas, but its relatively high cost ($10,000 USD) meant that an equivalent survey could not be carried out at the end of the project. Budgeting sufficient funds for an endline survey on the nutritional situation would have further contributed to project outcomes and learning. IV. Current Trends in the Sector and Proposed Follow-On Activities Kingabwa’s farmers are now better equipped to improve their rice and vegetable production and to carry out other income generating activities throughout the year, be it counter-season rice production, vegetable growing, or by participating in project-supported microenterprises. Registration of the Ngwélé trademark, the availability of improved seed and fertilizer enterprises, the presence of new outlet sales points, and the linkage of COOPRKING to finance providers further gives rice farmers in Kingabwa the tools to become important providers of local aromatic rice to the Kinshasa market. Regarding the sustainability of land tenure, although collaboration has not yet resulted in land titles, community leaders are currently well equipped to implement an advocacy campaign to influence government decision-making. While the foundation has been laid, the Kingabawa community still needs to commit themselves in more depth to ensure the prosperity of supported enterprises. As such, COOPRKING needs more members and to do so, must prove its worth to existing members. Likewise, the water management committees need to demonstrate the ability to generate enough income to maintain infrastructure works. Therefore, any follow up activities should incorporate organizational support and facilitate access to finance for these organizations. Furthermore, one of PIRK II’s most successful accomplishments is the integration of new varieties of vegetables being grown near the households where the need for dietary diversity and more nutritious food is critical. The continuous engagement of the community nutrition volunteers brought change to

PIRK II Final Report P a g e | 32 households, and was a particularly strong component of the project. PIRK II ensured that women were the leading participants throughout the program. Ensuring that these activities are replicated and continue in other Pool Malebo area sites will be of great benefit to those communities. There are also many zones at the Pool Malebo area that could benefit from a similar, integrated approach to rice and vegetable production and community nutrition and health, and we suggest that this experience could be replicated in zones such as Tshuenge or Masina. To further reinforce the work completed by PIRK and PIRK II, the team recommends the following areas for follow-up support: • Initiate a new approach of individual landscaping • Pump irrigation o Train PNR staff in pump irrigation management o Discuss with famers appropriate irrigation fees and irrigation channels maintenance duties (following assessment of production, harvest, and sales costs) o Train farmers in association management and conflict resolution o Develop and test irrigation protocols for PNR and farmers o Conduct comparative SRI trials with reduced application of compost • Rice o Mechanized production o Increase access of improved varieties and seed systems o Improve fertilizer (compost) and marketing distribution o In-field waste management • Expanding the nutrition/vegetable component o Add two more sites (e.g. Masina and Tshuenge) o Strengthen new well water management committees and introduce rotating savings programs to the groups of women who are managing the wells o Introduction of pedal irrigation to the new wells o Work closely with health clinics, food caterers, and primary schools in Pool Malebo sites to increase understanding of nutritious diet • Strengthening of private sector entrepreneurs (consolidators, millers, processors, equipment providers, other service providers (e.g. vegetable seeds)) o Review existing business model and develop new and improved models o Facilitate credit and purchases of equipment (land preparation, harvesting, milling) o Facilitate marketing contract for rice and vegetables o Chain governance, regulatory and institutional arrangements • Continuation of institutional strengthening of BATIDE o Revisit OCA (annually) and Strategic planning exercise o Develop asset expansion and repair strategy (including office equipment and office vehicle) o Rendering support services more effective (e.g. through a training program) • Address remaining recommendations from COOPRKING’s SWOT analysis o Strengthen the cohesion and involvement of members in COOPRKING activities o Strengthen members in the assessment of production costs and income calculations o Formalize partnerships with various state services (PNR, SENASEM, INERA, etc.) and others o Intensify cultivation of exotic vegetables and identify potential trading partners o Facilitate access to microcredit for members

PIRK II Final Report P a g e | 33 V. Other Recommendations PIRK II required a diverse set of technical skills to manage and implement very different technical expertise areas: (i) infrastructure and construction site development; (ii) agricultural productivity and linkages to end markets; (iii) local organizational capacity development and access to raising funds or finance; and (iv) household nutrition consumption and dietary diversity. This reflected an ambitious project design with a small budget, a small in-country team for implementation, and a short project timeframe. If the project were redesigned, the overlap of activities and scope are complementary because they do align to a larger outcome and impact that USAID and the project designers envisioned. However, the funds would ideally have been at least tripled in size, and the timeframe at least three years to give time for behavior change in people and organizations. Were these factors not a possibility, then the project would have benefited from a smaller scope of technical delivery to allow for concerted efforts and concentrated focus in one or two areas. Lastly, the area of land tenure is particularly hard to address in a short timeframe.

PIRK II Final Report P a g e | 34 Annex 1. Project Performance Indicators

FTF Indicator 3 Unit 2013 LOP Target FY16 FY17 FY18 LOP Ref PIRK I final (3/18) Actual Actual Actual Actual LOP (Oct-Dec) (10/15 - 3/18) Project Objective: Food security and living standards for people cultivating rice in the Pool Malebo area of Kinshasa are improved.

EG.3.1 Number of households nr 1,979 2,000 1,202 1,802 847 1,802 benefitting from USG assistance4 EG.3.2- Number of hectares under ha 299.96 699.96 126.13 130.86 5.39-Veg 262.38 18 improved technologies or (120 ha total total Rice-TBD total management practices as a under SRI) Veg- Veg-5.81 (harvest Veg: result of USG assistance 2.29- Rice; data) 13.49 Rice- 125.05 Rice: 123.63 248.68 EG.3.2- Number of for-profit nr 5 9 2 5 5 5 20 enterprises, producer organizations, water users’ associations, women’s groups, trade and business associations and community- based organizations (CBOs) that applied improved organization-level technologies or management practices with USG assistance EG.3.2- Number of individuals who nr 400 1,000 396 753 79 8325 1 have received USG M:189 M:188 M:20 supported short-term F:207 F:565 F:38 agricultural sector productivity or food security training EG.3.2- Number of farmers and nr 1,032 1,618 536 708 58 7666 17 others who have applied M:247 M:236 improved technologies or F:289 F:472 management practices as a result of USG assistance EG.3.2- Value of smallholder $ 1,102,985 $1,437,000 $266,869 $350,068 $64,986 $681,923 19 incremental sales generated Rice: $202,545 Rice: Rice: with USG assistance $215,000 – Rice $52,604 $470,149

3 PIRK II has used the new FTF indicator numbering and terminology as per July 2016 for this report, and submitted a revised PMP and MEL Plan to USAID in November 2016. 4 This is a continuing number of discrete households receiving ongoing support. 5 Winrock is reviewing the new/continuing farmers and others over the life of project to provide an accurate number in the final report. 6 Winrock is reviewing the new/continuing farmers and others over the life of project to provide an accurate number in the final report.

PIRK II Final Report P a g e | 35 FTF Indicator 3 Unit 2013 LOP Target FY16 FY17 FY18 LOP Ref PIRK I final (3/18) Actual Actual Actual Actual LOP (Oct-Dec) (10/15 - 3/18) Veg: $147,523 Veg: Veg: $51,609 -Veg $12,381 $211,513

EG.3-b WEIA Index % <20 N/A N/A N/A N/A

Custo Increased productivity (yield) MT/h 3.39 3.5 & 5 3.44 2.2 3.44 3.40 m of rice (MT/ha) a (SRI) Custo Number of people trained in nr N/A 400 164 683 57 7407 m nutrition through USG- M: 23 M: 13 M:14 supported programs F:141 F:670 F:43 Custo Number of additional food nr Poor/ 33% 25% 100% 100% 100% m items consumed per Mediocre household (food diversity)

7 Similar to EG.3.2-17, Winrock is analyzing the data for new/continuing participants on trainings.

PIRK II Final Report P a g e | 36 Annex 2. Sustainability Plan

In 30 months of implementation, PIRK II took measures to ensure the sustainability of project activities and achievements and continuity after the end of the funding period. Only by ensuring the sustainability of the actions can the success of the project be fully appreciated. SUMMARY OF ACHIEVEMENTS AND ACTIONS FOR SUSTAINABILITY Component 1: Improved and expanded farmed and irrigated land area in the Kingabwa Perimeter By rehabilitating the pumping station and constructing an irrigation system on 72 ha of land, PIRK II set up the conditions for farmers to benefit from two annual rice growing seasons. PIRK II has put in place the following parameters to ensure ongoing maintenance and sustainability of the pump: ✓ PIRK II established a water management committee composed of representatives of rice farmers and the National Rice Programme (PNR), owner of the pumping station facilities. ✓ PNR will allow continued use of the pumping station for at least five years. ✓ The INPP has given its agreement to bring its technical expertise for the maintenance of the pump and will form a local team to continue maintenance until September 2018. ✓ BATIDE will continue monitoring activities in Kingabwa through occasional staff visits and through its rice mill. A Memorandum of Understanding between PNR and the water management committee describes the obligations of all the signatories and provides the necessary guarantees to ensure that the station operates smoothly by ensuring adequate partner contributions and responsibilities and by getting the commitment of the PNR to relinquish its exclusivity over the use of the station for at least five years. During this period, all of the signatories have a right to use the station. For the irrigation system, PIRK II leveled and parceled the irrigable surface (72ha), and constructed a network consisting of main and secondary canals (1000m dug and 527m masonry) and drains. To ensure sustainability, the project acted at two levels: upstream, by taking special technical measures during implementation, and downstream by setting up a team that will maintain the works after the project ends. At the technical level, during the implementation phase, the project leveled the area to be irrigated and built a supply and drainage network. This has the advantage of avoiding excessive irrigation and inadequate drainage during the operation of the system and mitigating the degradation of soil quality that could be generated by salinization-alkalization phenomena. To ensure permanent maintenance of the irrigation network, PIRK II took the following actions: ✓ Established eight technical teams that work under the coordination and supervision of the APRKING president. The teams participated in five trainings to understand the technical aspects of the irrigation system and wells, including preventive operations, systematic maintenance, and possible conditions to manage. ✓ The PIRK II civil engineer will continue to monitor the maintenance work as a BATIDE agent. BATIDE will play an indispensable role after the withdrawal of PIRK staff in the monitoring of major activities and will ensure that communities have taken ownership of actions initiated by the project. PIRK II also constructed 28 wells to facilitate vegetable crop production during the dry period; this includes 24 main wells and an additional four wells constructed on farmers’ sites with surplus materials. To ensure sustainability and local ownership, PIRK II took the following actions:

PIRK II Final Report P a g e | 37 ✓ Established a water management committee composed of vegetable gardeners and the owners of the fields where the wells were installed. The main purpose of the committee is to ensure that wells are well maintained and that market gardeners have easy access to wells. ✓ Engaged local farmers as volunteers to install the four surplus wells themselves. This strategy proved useful because by installing the wells themselves, the beneficiaries were de facto more involved and expressed a clear ownership for the works. Component 2: Increased productivity yields for selected rice and vegetable varieties Rice production To facilitate long-term production and productivity increases of rice and vegetable farming, PIRK II provided training-of-trainers demonstrations (SRI in rainy season and in the off-season) to a select group of beneficiaries, so that they could take ownership of the technique and be able to replicate it with other rice growers. To maximize the chances of diffusion, PIRK II worked closely with two farmer leaders who serve as mentors/guides for everything related to rice production in the area. These mentors participated in all of PIRK II’s rice production trainings and conducted follow-up training sessions on the site under the supervision of the PIRK II rice expert. If necessary, BATIDE will provide sporadic support in case of farmer request or rectification following evaluations that will be made by BATIDE during ongoing monitoring missions. Compost Center PIRK II also created and built the capacity of a composting center – the Kingabwa Community Composting Center (CCCK), which will provide rice growers with access to quality compost to practice SRI, as this technique necessarily requires the use of organic fertilizers. The main concern was whether the center could continue to operate without project assistance. With this in mind, PIRK II implemented several actions to help the composting center become an autonomous enterprise: ✓ Established a steering committee to help make the center profitable. ✓ Provided support to the center in the drafting of the statutes, establishment of administrative and financial procedures, and development of a business plan. If the company is able to apply all the provisions contained in the above-mentioned tools, it will continue to operate without major hindrance provided that farmers purchase the produced compost. ✓ Gradually reducing the project’s financial and technical support in mid-2017. In addition, the Association of Volunteers for Development (AVODEC), which provided the necessary technology to the composting center and supported the organization in its initial phase, agreed to support the CCCK for a one year period. These interventions are sporadic but they are necessary to optimize the compost production cycle. These interventions have already allowed the reduction of the compost production time. Seed bank The seed bank benefited from a similar approach to ensure the sustainability of its actions. After having received training on seed production techniques and having obtained an official seed production certificate by the supervisory authority for two years, the bank can henceforth concentrate on marketing their seed and improving their sales strategy. In principle, good seed quality being directly correlated with good quality and increased rice yields, the bank should not have difficulty in selling its seed, considering that farmers were involved in selecting the seed that they preferred, and this specific seed was multiplied by the bank.

PIRK II Final Report P a g e | 38 Component 3: Improved post-harvest processing and handling of rice To facilitate local procurement of rice processing equipment, PIRK II coordinated conversations between COOPRKING and Procredit Bank. The Bank assessed COOPRKING’s financial statements and proposed financial flows for reimbursement and agreed in principle to fund a sheller. The Bank has also suggested that, besides its own monitoring system, BATIDE could also intervene in the supervision of the loan by providing practical financial advice to COOPRKING to ensure the repayment of this first loan. BATIDE has agreed to take this on. In addition, APRKING, which owns its own sheller, has made an official request to USAID to obtain a generator to power this equipment at the site within the storage unit. The organization is committed to making the necessary investments to mitigate the vibrations that would arise from the use of the generator, to protect the building against cracks and thus the degradation of the storage unit. With these two acquisitions, the rice value chain would have good initial conditions to emerge in the coming years. Component 4: Improved market access and market linkages for smallholder farmers and producer groups The sustainability strategy related to this component was to provide COOPRKING with marketing tools and facilitate its networking with relevant actors in the rice value chain. PIRK II worked with COOPRKING on marketing issues and assisted the cooperative to develop a marketing plan for the next five years. The plan includes, among other things, market penetration strategies and a financing policy for the creation of significant working capital fund to allow the company to purchase sufficient rice from its members to reach maturity and be profitable. PIRK II also facilitated the participation of project supported organizations (COOPRKING, Seed Bank and CCCK) in two agricultural fairs in Kinshasa. These two events enabled companies to publicize their products and establish relevant contacts for future partnerships or support. Each organization made several promising contacts. To serve a larger customer base, PIRK II aimed to lower production costs, which is reflected in the business plans that include medium- and long-term investments to reduce these costs. It was also important that marketed rice could be easily distinguished from rice produced elsewhere. It is in this context that PIRK II initiated a procedure for registering the “Ngwele” rice trademark with the Ministry of Industry. The identification number with the General Tax Directorate (DGI) has already been obtained and at this stage, only the signature of the Minister is pending for the trademark to be official. In addition, PIRK II worked with COOPRKING to design a branded rice bag, which incorporates a new logo and contact information to make ordering easier for customers. Component 5: Strengthened farmers associations/cooperatives with access to market and agriculture PIRK II worked closely with the rice producers (APRKING) and marketing cooperative (COOPRKING) to improve their organizational capacities and governance so that they are equipped to boost rice production in the Kinshasa region and compete with imported aromatic rice. This means that organizations have updated their statutes, reviewed their internal procedures, and trained their members with a special focus on management and strengthened their market penetration strategy. PIRK II supported the organizations’ management committees in the performance of their tasks on a daily basis to enable them to better master the running of their organizations. PIRK II also accompanied them in negotiations with the various stakeholders, such as the banking and financial sector. These actions have strengthened the cooperatives’ capacity to operate more effectively and efficiently in the future, and will provide COOPRKING with the necessary credit it needs to purchase enough rice from its members to become profitable.

PIRK II Final Report P a g e | 39 COOPRKING’s implementation of its strategy and its ability to provide its members services and increased profit margins will be key determinants of its sustainability. COOPRKING has the tools and resources to become a reputable rice marketing cooperative in the Kingabwa area but still needs to demonstrate to its members and rice farmers in the area that it is advantageous for farmers to sell their rice through the cooperative. In terms of building up their customer base, the participation of two agricultural fairs and the granting of a sales stand to the COOPRKING have already been important in multiplying COOPRKING’s clients. The registering of the Ngwele rice brand and the marketing of rice in distinctive bags are also elements that will contribute to the building of a long-term market for Kingabwa grown rice. PIRK II also asked COOPRKING to share its evaluation report with the South African NGO OSISA, which offered additional organizational support to COOPRKING. This support, combined with the tools provided by the PIRK II project, give the COOPRKING a solid base to continue to grow their business operation over the coming years. Component 6: Enhance land tenure security for farmers PIRK II trained community leaders in advocacy techniques to provide them with the skills to initiate actions to influence the decisions of the relevant land authorities. As a result, the community leaders developed an advocacy document (including well-defined and time-bound indicators), which should be implemented in 2018. PIRK II also involved OSISA in this process so that they can accompany Kingabwa farmers in protecting the land they use against the threat of urban sprawl. Besides OSISA, BATIDE will also participate in monitoring the actions set out in the advocacy strategy. Component 7: Increased adoption of behaviors that enhance nutrition and health To ensure community ownership and sustainability after the end of the project, PIRK II identified 13 community volunteer women (CNV) to facilitate monitoring and conduct nutrition activities under the supervision of the PIRK II gender and nutrition expert. These CNVs have been the cornerstone of the nutrition program, as they have regularly conducted sensitization sessions and home visits, following a training-of-trainers by the PIRK II technical team. The project therefore counts on them for the continuity of nutrition actions on the site after the funding period ends. While the frequency will probably diminish, they are committed to continuing the work. During the implementation of PIRK II, these women already initiated joint initiatives to put into practice the lessons learned and to finance cooking demonstration sessions themselves. BATIDE will accompany the women in the implementation of common initiatives (in conjunction with BATIDE’s ongoing work) and to monitor their actions periodically, so that they stay motivated to continue their work with the community. One common activity could be coordination with the BRALIMA-built health center. Component 8: Increased cultivation and household consumption of diversified vegetables Vegetable production in the target community has been diversified and has increased, following the recommendations of the Nutrition Baseline Study conducted in April 2016 in partnership with the National Nutrition Programme (PRONANUT). The project installed 32 school fields that served as demonstration sites. A group of five people have been selected to play the role of supervisors in the implementation of the activities after the end of the project. Component 9: Capacity building of BATIDE The PIRK II project was set up so that BATIDE actively participated in the implementation of the project under the assistance of Winrock and EUCORD; EUCORD and Winrock accompanied and assisted BATIDE all along the project. Also, in order to contribute to BATIDE’s financial sustainability, the project supported BATIDE in accessing grants from other donors, such as the $90,000 USD KOICA project which

PIRK II Final Report P a g e | 40 was awarded to BATIDE in 2017. Since BATIDE has local presence in Kingabwa through a rice mill, PIRK II will rely on BATIDE to help ensure the sustainability of the implemented actions. Infrastructure: To enable BATIDE to achieve economies of scale, PIRK II used BATIDE facilities for the duration of the project. As a prelude to the end of the project, Winrock assisted BATIDE in submitting several funding proposals that are currently being analyzed by the donors. The proposals provide for the reimbursement of rental costs. Human resources Almost all BATIDE staff were originally hired by Winrock and have followed specific training according to the areas of each agent, particularly in Monitoring and Evaluation and in Administration and Finance. The expertise acquired by the staff will improve the technical and organizational quality that would allow BATIDE not only to support the follow-up actions after the implementation phase but also to be able to implement other projects by other donors autonomously. Administration and finances BATIDE has been called upon to apply the standard management standards of an international non- governmental organization like Winrock. Thus, BATIDE had to review its administrative and financial procedures manuals and apply new procedures that are in line with the principles of transparency, fight against fraud and management of conflicts of interest. Technical aspects Winrock provided BATIDE with new planning and monitoring and evaluation tools. This will enable BATIDE staff to better organize their work and be more efficient in the implementation of activities and especially to facilitate the manager's decision making in a timely manner.

PIRK II Final Report P a g e | 41