RESETTLEMENT POLICY FRAMEWORK (RPF) Public Disclosure Authorized FOR THE LIBERIA SMALLHOLDER TREECROP REVITALIZATION SUPPORT PROJECT (STCRSP) Public Disclosure Authorized DRAFT REPORT 17 October 2011 Public Disclosure Authorized AGRER S.A. Etudes et Conseils Public Disclosure Authorized Brussels LIBERIA SMALLHOLDER TREECROP REVITALIZATION SUPPORT PROJECT (STCRSP) TABLE OF CONTENT List of Tables ii Acronyms/ Abbreviations ii EXECUTIVE SUMMARY iii 1. INTRODUCTION: PROJECT DESCRIPTION AND METHODOLOGY 1 2. PRINCIPLES AND OBJECTIVES OF WORLD BANK OP 4.12 4 3. LEGAL AND INSTITUTIONAL POLICIES AND GUIDELINES 8 4. ESTIMATED POPULATION AND CATEGORIES OF AFFECTED 15 PERSONS 5. ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA FOR AFFECTED PERSONS 22 6. METHODS FOR VALUING AFFECTED ASSETS 23 7. ORGANIZATIONAL PROCEDURES FOR DELIVERY OF 27 ENTITLEMENTS 8. IMPLEMENTATION ARRANGEMENTS 31 9. GRIEVANCE REDRESS ARRANGEMENTS 33 10. FUNDING ARRANGEMENTS 38 11. CONSULTATION AND PARTICIPATION MECHANISMS 46 12. MONITORING ARRANGEMENTS 49 13. DISCLOSURE REQUIREMENTS 51 References 52 ANNEXES A. ADMINISTRATIVE ANNEXES A-1 TOR A-2 ITINERARY AND CONSULTATIONS AT NATIONAL LEVEL A-3 LIST OF PEOPLE MET DURING FIELD CONSULTATIONS B. TECHNICAL ANNEXES T-1 ENTITLEMENT MATRIX MOA FOR TREE CROP LOSS/ DAMAGE T-2 DEVELOPMENT OF RESETTLEMENT (ACTION) PLANS OR ABBREVIATED RESETTLEMENT PLANS T-3 IMPLEMENTATION PROCESS INCLUDING CIVIL WORKS T-4 SMALLLHOLDER LAND USE REPORT AGRER S.A RESETTLEMENT POLICY FRAMEWORK i LIBERIA SMALLHOLDER TREECROP REVITALIZATION SUPPORT PROJECT (STCRSP) LIST OF TABLES Table 1 Comparison between World Bank and Liberian Laws and Mitigation Measures Table 2 Total targeted acreage and direct beneficiaries Table 3 Acreage and direct beneficiaries targeted by Project year – Cacao/ coffee Table 4 Acreage and Direct beneficiaries targeted by Project year - rubber Table 5 Acreage and direct beneficiaries targeted by Project year – oil palm Table 6 Eligibility criteria Table 7 General guidelines and methods for costs preparation Table 8 Eligibility criteria Table 9 Entitlement Matrix Table 10 Proposed schedule for Grievance Redress Table 11 Itemisation of budget ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATONS CDA Cooperative Development Agency EPA Environmental Protection Agency EPO Equatorial Palm Oil ESMF Environmental and Social Management Framework ESMP Environmental and Social Management (Mitigation) Plan EU European Union FO Farmer Organization GOL Government of Liberia Ha hectare LISGIS Liberia Institute of Statistics and Geo-Information Services MARCO Morris American Rubber Company MLME Ministry of Lands, Mines and Energy M&E Monitoring and Evaluation, MOA Ministry of Agriculture MOF Ministry of Finance NGO Non-Governmental Organization PAP Project Affected People PIU Project Implementation Unit PMU Program Management Unit RAP Resettlement Action Plan RPF Resettlement Policy Framework SIA Social Impact Assessment SRC Salala Rubber Company STCRSP Smallholder Tree Crop Revitalization Support Project TOR Terms of Reference WB World Bank AGRER S.A RESETTLEMENT POLICY FRAMEWORK ii LIBERIA SMALLHOLDER TREECROP REVITALIZATION SUPPORT PROJECT (STCRSP) EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The proposed project will be the first, preparatory stage of a long term pro-poor growth program focused on developing the tree crop sector in Liberia. The target group will be poor smallholders in the main country’s tree crop producing counties, with particular attention given to the participation of women and youth. This RPF was developed as part of the accompanying reports on Environmental and Social management Framework (ESMF) and on the Social Impact Assessment (SIA) conducted in Liberia in July-September 2011. The RPF is a requirement for projects that may entail involuntary resettlement as mentioned above. Such involuntary resettlement may imply issues of compensation, land acquisition, impact on people’s livelihoods, restriction of access and restriction of access to assets including economic and natural resources. Besides this requirement, the RPF presents an opportunity for project stakeholders on how to address compensations issues relating to affected properties, livelihoods, land matters and incomes generated through project implementation and has the potential to make PAPs better off than what their previous conditions were prior to the commencement of the project if mitigation measures are well developed, effectively implemented and consistently evaluated and monitored. The policy objectives of OP 4.12 on Involuntary Resettlement relevant for this Resettlement Policy Framework (RPF) comprise the following broad principles: (a) Involuntary resettlement should be avoided where feasible, or minimized, exploring all viable alternative project designs; (b) Where it is not feasible to avoid resettlement, resettlement activities should be conceived and executed as sustainable development programs, providing sufficient investment resources to enable the persons displaced by the project to share in project benefits. Displaced persons 3should be meaningfully consulted and should have opportunities to participate in planning and implementing resettlement programs; (c) Displaced persons should be assisted in their efforts to improve their livelihoods and standards of living or at least to restore them, in real terms, to pre-displacement levels or to levels prevailing prior to the beginning of project implementation, whichever is higher. The RPF addresses the issues of estimated population and categories of project affected people (PAP), the consultation and participation mechanisms, their eligibility criteria and methods for valuing their assets, the organizational procedures for the delivery of entitlements, implementation, funding, grievance redress mechanism and M&E arrangements. The RPF is prepared to take care of any potential social impacts related to land, restriction of access and livelihood impacts. AGRER S.A RESETTLEMENT POLICY FRAMEWORK iii LIBERIA SMALLHOLDER TREECROP REVITALIZATION SUPPORT PROJECT (STCRSP) 1. INTRODUCTION: PROJECT DESCRIPTION AND METHODOLOGY Introduction The Government of Liberia is exploring the feasibility of a World Bank supported agricultural development project – the Smallholder Tree Crop Revitalization Support Project (STCRSP), with the principal objective of improving the income opportunities of poor farmers by a combination of rehabilitating unproductive farms, undertaking replanting and new planting programs, facilitating future replanting and development programs, and improved financing mechanisms and institutional arrangements. The proposed STCRSP has been identified in response to this request. The proposed project activities include rehabilitation of existing farms owned by small holders in cooperatives through various support mechanisms, rehabilitation or development of nurseries, rehabilitation of feeder roads and reconstruction of small bridges and office refurbishment. These activities have potential social safeguards implications and could lead to impacts that would need to be mitigated. As a result, the proposed project has triggered the World Bank policy on involuntary resettlement, OP 4.12 which aims at reducing adverse social impacts associated with project development and implementation and outlining mitigations measures where avoidance of impacts would not be possible. The GOL has responded to this policy by preparing a Resettlement Policy Framework (RPF) to serve as guidance for the project since the actual sites for project intervention are not known at the early project preparation stage. The GOL through the Ministry of Agriculture (MoA) is applying part of the fund secured to prepare this RPF. Project Description The following is a short description of the Project’s main features, for more details refer to Annex A-1. The main characteristics of the Liberian tree crop sector at present are the old age of plantations, as there have been no significant replanting activities for the last twenty five years, and their low productivity. The proposed project will be the first, preparatory stage of a long term pro-poor growth program focused on developing the tree crop sector. The target group will be poor smallholders in the main country’s tree crop producing counties, with particular attention given to the participation of women and youth. Objectives The proposed project’s development objective is “to increase incomes and productive assets of poor smallholder tree crop farmers by facilitating their access to finance, markets and inputs, and strengthening their organizations, and prepare a national development program for the various tree crops through testing various technical options and institutional and financial mechanisms.” To achieve such an objective, the project is structured around three components: (i) Smallholder Tree Crops (cocoa/coffee, oil palm & rubber) Revitalization; (ii) Institutional AGRER S.A RESETTLEMENT POLICY FRAMEWORK 1 LIBERIA SMALLHOLDER TREECROP REVITALIZATION SUPPORT PROJECT (STCRSP) Building and Preparation of Future Large Scale Tree Crop Development Program; and (iii) Project Coordination and Management. Components Component 1: Smallholder Tree Crop Revitalization Component one has three sub-components focusing on cocoa, coffee, oil palm and rubber revitalization. The activities to be implemented under the component include rehabilitation of existing small farms, new planting, and promotion of improved marketing and value chain system. Other activities include the strengthening of farmer-based organizations at all levels through provision of