The first six months of the project were reported upon and ...



1673117950083820492760Sustainable Integrated Land Management Solutionsfor Agriculture Value Chains in Zambia (SILMS)020000Sustainable Integrated Land Management Solutionsfor Agriculture Value Chains in Zambia (SILMS)Annual Progress Report 2016Final version following discussions-89471572326500-579120395605Submitted to:Ms Cecilia BrumerThe Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency, SIDAEmbassy of SwedenLusaka, Zambia020000Submitted to:Ms Cecilia BrumerThe Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency, SIDAEmbassy of SwedenLusaka, Zambia4863465176339518338801243965Date of submission: June 08, 20174000020000Date of submission: June 08, 2017-330200187515500Table of contents1. Background42. Deliverables to SIDA53. Start-up64. Project implementation activities75. Objective 1: increased access to inputs and extension145.1 Soil testing145.2 Establishment of seed multiplication enterprises165.3 Establishment of demonstration plots165.4 Establishment of tree nurseries185.5 Design of agro-forestry model205.6 Provision of smart subsidies215.7 Extension strategy225.8 Gender strategy236. Objective 2: increased access to markets and finance246.1 Agro-dealer gap analysis246.2 Agro-dealer associations strengthening246.3 Market analysis257. Objective 3: Mitigating deforestation267.1 Developing suitability maps for cotton production267.2 Traceability monitoring system277.3 Land use management288. Objective 4: Developing frameworks of practice289. Trainings3010. Monitoring and evaluation3011. Risk matrix3512. Project assumptions3613. Innovations and challenges3614. Finances4315. Audit 20164416. Planned activities 20174417. Conclusion4418. Annexes462016 work-plantable of trainings2017 draft work-planList of AbbreviationsAF AgroforestryCFU Conservation Farming UnitCOMACO Community Markets for ConservationDACO District Agricultural Coordinator ECS Emerging Cooking SolutionsFISP Farmer Input Support ProgrammeFTC Farmer Training CenterGART Golden Valley Agricultural Research TrustICCS Interim Climate Change Secretariat ICRAF World Agroforestry CentreIFPRI International Food Policy Research InstituteISFM Integrated Soil Fertility ManagementM & E Monitoring and Evaluation SCCI Seed Control and Certification InstituteSEK Swedish KronaSEI Stockholm Environment Institute SIDA Swedish International Development Cooperation AgencySILMS Sustainable Integrated Land Management Solutions for Agriculture Value Chains in ZambiaSNV Netherlands Development OrganisationZARI Zambia Agricultural Research InstituteZIFLP Zambia Integrated Forest Landscape Project1.BackgroundSNV, Netherlands Development Organisation, is the lead partner implementing the SIDA-funded Sustainable Integrated Land Management Solutions (SILMS) in collaboration with the Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI), World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF) and Zambia Agricultural Research Institute (ZARI). The total expected funding for this three-year project is SEK 39,508,017 or EUR 4,182,955 (established exchange rate EUR/SEK: 9.445).The purpose of the project is to increase incomes for smallholder farmers through the sustainable adoption of Integrated Soil Fertility Management (ISFM), agro forestry practices and deforestation free supply chains. The SILMS Project is built around four objectives which address the major constraints faced by smallholder farmers in Zambia such as lack of access to markets, finance, inputs and extension services:Objective One: Incentivise and enable small holder farmers to improve productivity using ISFM and agro forestry practices through increased access to affordable inputs and extension services;Objective Two: Increase access to markets and finance for small holders to support and sustain their adoption of ISFM and agro forestry practices; Objective Three: Mitigate further deforestation and damage to land from uncontrolled agricultural expansion in Eastern Province; and,Objective Four: Support the development of nationwide frameworks of practice that will enable wide spread adoption of ISFM and agro forestry practices and replication of the deforestation free supply chain model to other commodities.SNV is the implementer of this project, manages the grant and oversees the project’s implementation. Key partners in the program include SEI, ICRAF, ZARI and Nutri-Aid as sub-contractors and the District Agriculture Coordinating Offices of Katete and Lundazi districts as partners. Over the course of the year, additional subcontracts were agreed upon with COMACO in Mambwe district on cotton production, and Emerging Cooking Solutions on agro-forestry biomass energy. The project is implemented mainly in two districts of the Eastern province of Zambia namely Katete and Lundazi. In the two districts, the project follows a two-pronged approach. On the one hand it works closely through the District Agricultural Coordination Office (DACO) and government camp extension officers for the areas targeted – embedding the project and lessons learned within those institutions and supporting them to achieve their mandate while at the same time, benefitting from their involvement as additional support to the project’s implementation. On the other hand, the project pursues an explicitly market-based approach, working closely with the private sector, notably agro-dealers, input suppliers and output marketers. The objective is to increase access to inputs, finance, markets and extension services, without compromising the surrounding forested areas.The project can be visualized as follows:2. Deliverables to SIDA The following deliverables were achieved and submitted to SIDA;Project baseline study – submitted in May 2016Project Monitoring Plan – submitted in May 2016Mid-term review report – submitted in May 2016. This included an updated risk register, an updated M&E Plan as well as an updated work-plan. A presentation by SNV and project management at the Swedish Embassy was given and discussed. Recommendations to SNV included strengthening the gender component, exploring ties with Madison on access to finance and strengthening linkages to the ministry.Request for the 2017 disbursement (SEK 7 500 000) – submitted 1 December 2016Audited financial report for 2016 – to be submitted on April 30, 2017Annual Progress Report for 2016 – submitted on April 27, 20173. Start-up The project’s administrative start was on December 2015. Recruitment of project staff was completed by mid-January 2016 and included:Project Manager (based in Lusaka), initially Mr Thomas Were and replaced by Mr Arend van der Goes as of May 1st 2016Market Systems Development Officer/Deputy Project Manager (Based in Lusaka), Mr Mukwemba HabeenzuMonitoring and Evaluation Manager (Based in Lusaka), Mr Kennedy ChipampeAgribusiness and Natural Resources Officer (Based in Lundazi), Mr Zachaeus MtongaProject Officer Agribusiness (Based in Katete), Mr Herman Lukwesa502920321945Project driver (based in Lundazi), Mr Julius NyirongoThe team is additionally supported part time by a Gender Specialist (Ms Claire van der Kleij), a Project Accountant (Mr Kasalika Mulenga), a Procurement Officer (Ms Laudia Itwi), and a Communications Officer (Ms Nosiku Siyumbwa), in addition to general support services in Lusaka as well as technical expertise from SNV global. Overall quality control resides with the SNV Zambia Country Director.As part of the sustainability strategy (eventual handing over to the government), six (6) Camp Officers were assigned to the SILMS project by the District Agriculture Coordinators (DACOs) in Lundazi and Katete. This translates to one (1) Camp Officer in each of the six (6) camps (3 Camps in Lundazi and 3 Camps in Katete). To strengthen monitoring and oversight, both districts also assigned their respective Senior Agricultural Officers, Crop Husbandry Officers and Farmer Training Center managers to the project, during the last quarter of the year.4. Project Implementation ActivitiesThe first six months of the project were reported upon and discussed at length with SIDA during the mid-term review of May 2016. The following is a summary of that report and at the same time covers the remaining part of the year. The structure follows the work-plan of the project as it was presented during the mid-term review from start-up through the respective objectives (see annex) and where appropriate observations and/or recommendations for 2017 are given.2514600255905Launch. The project was officially launched on 16th March 2016 and the guest of honour was the Minister for Agriculture the Honourable Given Lubinda. Since then, contacts with the ministry officials in Lusaka went through ZARI and were limited to occasional meetings during workshops and other events. For 2017 it is recommended to have more structured meetings with ministry level officials based in Lusaka. Chipata inception meetingThe meeting was held on 20-21 January 2016 to introduce the project in detail to local partners and develop an initial work plan. It was very much appreciated that the launch took place first at the provincial level as it underscored the intent of the project to follow a bottom-up approach and effectively embed the project at the local level. Setting the tone for this was the participatory way of developing the project work-plan In attendance were the following:SNV SILMS teamMinistry of Agriculture officials that included the DACOs and Extension Officers selected to work on the project from both districtsICRAFZARINutri Aid TrustA weak point of the project approach was the fact that traditional leaders had not become a structural partner of the project. This may have been due to the explicit focus on DACO’s office and implementation through the Camp extension Officers. Only during the implementation of trainings on the demo-plots have head-men been involved in a more consistent manner. In 2017, more focus will be given on inclusion of traditional leaders, also because it is likely that some of the project gains may require customary by-laws to ensure respect and enforcement.Lusaka inception meetingThe meeting was held on January 27-28 2016 to introduce the project in detail to international partners and finalize the work plan. A detailed plan was made for the period April – July 2016In attendance were the following:SNV SILMS teamDACOs from both districtsICRAFZARINutri Aid TrustSEIAKVOContracts with partners (ICRAF, ZARI, Nutri Aid Trust, AKVO, & SEI)19832491305560All the local and international partners signed sub-contracts with SNV that included detailed work-plans and budgets. ICRAF and ZARI became de facto co-managers of the SILMS program, participating in regular progress reviews of the project and adjusting the SILMS work-plan in July and in October. This close collaboration enabled critical corrections within SILMS on several occasions, such as on the design of the extension strategy, the decision to allocate demo-plots to all lead farmers and the design of the agroforestry system to be promoted by SILMS itself. ICRAF and ZARI field staff based at Msekera Research Institute were increasingly involved in the project, for instance in dispensing the ISFM and Agroforestry (AF) trainings. Towards the latter part of the year, contracts were signed with Columbia University, COMACO and Emerging Cooking Solutions.A missing element was the fact that throughout 2016 no contract or MoU existed between SILMS and the districts. This means that other than the jointly elaborated work plan, all collaboration was based more on goodwill than any formal relations. For 2017, draft MoU will be signed with the DACOs.Akvo training on Data collection in ChipataAkvo is the partner offering the M&E platform for the project. Akvo, based in Nairobi, operates an internationally recognized open source platform. SNV has successfully used this in Zambia with the ministry of health and it was considered versatile and appropriate for agriculture as well.The SNV SILMS team, all local partners and 16 youth engaged as enumerators for the baseline study attended a five day AKVO data collection training using smart phones in readiness for the Baseline Survey20726404635500Numerous difficulties were encountered (mainly in correct coding of indicators) and a number of delays were unavoidable. An important example is the need to wait for the actual trainings at the demo plots before entering details of farmer attendees. These trainings started in December only and continued into February 2017. A final Akvo training on features enabling inclusion of georeferenced photographs and so-called geo-shaping (visual representations of farmer plots) was also given in February 2017.During the course of the year, an important observation was made by the DACOs. Collecting SILMS data was cumbersome and in addition to an already very busy year for extension officers (due to FISP). It was agreed to integrate the regular government data collection requirements into the Akvo system. It is expected that this will facilitate appropriation of SILMS promoted activities and thus strengthen sustainability of the project. Baseline surveyA Baseline Survey was conducted as soon as the project team was in place and the report completed in May.Key findings include:Application of ISFM is very fragmentary; 92% do only crop rotation, often incorrectly, on limited part of their farms, there is a widespread lack of equipment, an excessive focus on maize, and –as expected-no testing of soils106299091858500Agroforestry knowledge is low (56.8% farmers), and of these only 27.2% practice AF (fertilizer trees); there is an overall problem of sourcing seeds and seedlings at district level; the free distribution of seedlings by projects is hampering uptake by other farmers; a lack of Agroforestry info and no concern or understanding of deforestationInclusive business relationships between the farmers and markets in both districts is low and informal with only 21% entertaining a farmer-trader relation and 23.2% a farmer-agro dealer relation; the focus is on crop seeds + pesticides (none on AF)Only 22.4% of farmers have access to finance; reasons: no track record, no collateral, high interest rates; Current sources of credit include:Processors/traders: 32.8%Cooperatives: 30.2%Microfinance institutions: 0.9%Banks: 1.7%Agro Dealers identifiedIn order to increase access to inputs for smallholder farmers during the year under review the project mobilized a total of 30 Agro Dealers (15 Lundazi and 15 Katete) in its operational camps. Several capacity building activities were carried out for Agro Dealers during the year which included:Training in ISFM and agroforestry to equip the Agro Dealers with knowledge of the technologies to enable them provide extension services at point of sales of agricultural inputsGender trainings analyzing the (male dominated) customer base and strategies to attract more female customersTo familiarize the Agro Dealers with technologies, a go-and-see visit to Golden Valley Agricultural Research Trust (GART) and Conservation Farming Unit (CFU) in Chisamba GART was arranged Output marketing trainingBusiness modeling workshops between Agro dealers and Agro dealer associationBusiness modelling workshops between Agro dealers and Input suppliersBusiness plan training and participation in the finance fair in ChipataBusiness plan competition for the soil testing kitsSoil testing trainingOn-site mentorship and coachingThe trainings have established a level of trust with SILMS as was confirmed during the numerous monitoring visits by SILMS management. It has become clear that SILMS is not a competitive business but rather a facilitator of business relationships and initiator of new businesses (such as the soil testing). More effort needs to be made to convince agro-dealers that AF also makes business sense. In 2017 it is foreseen to develop a business case for agroforestry by developing a cost benefit analysis and market scoping.Identification and training of Lead FarmersThe project has identified 210 Lead Farmers (105 in Katete and 105 in Lundazi). The lead Farmers have undergone several trainings from ZARI, ICRAF and SNV which include:ISFM training conducted by ZARIAgroforestry training conducted by ICRAFGender training conducted by SNVThe lead farmers were identified according to a number of criteria. These included having a certain status and respect within the community as confirmed by the Camp Extension Officers; not being a lead farmer under another program; having already adopted some innovative farming practices; willingness to be trained and transmit knowledge. Overall, one third of lead farmers are women.Monitoring revealed a significant difference in effectiveness between lead farmers. The difference between the best and the least was significant, in the sense that the more successful lead farmers had a more structured approach in preparing for the roll-out, which led to higher attendance and also a more pedagogical approach during the actual trainings (some used hand-written speaking notes outlining the entire sessions. This particularly came to the fore during the roll out trainings that lead farmers had to conduct on their demonstration plots. For 2017, when the expansion of the extension strategy will be determined, a choice will need to be made to retain or to release those lead farmers that did not perform well enough.ISFM, Agroforestry and Gender training for agro-dealers conducted in Chipata 11th – 15th April 20163086100160337500The training was conducted by ZARI (ISFM), ICRAF (Agroforestry) and SNV (Gender). The aim of the training was to equip Agro Dealers, Ministry of Agriculture officials and the SNV team with the necessary knowledge to enable them to better provide extension services to the smallholder farmers. The training was attended by 30 Agro Dealers, 8 Ministry of Agriculture Extension Officers and SNV SILMS team. For most participants, the ISFM section was a structured refresher course of a technology that they were familiar with. The agro-forestry part was largely unfamiliar, while gender was really a new concept. For the project staff it was clear that more follow up would be needed to deepen understanding by participants and also to ensure onward transmission to follower farmers.Go and See Visit at GART and CFU in 3rd – 5th May 2016233934019469100For the trainees from the ISFM, Agroforestry and Gender to familiarize themselves with the technologies exposed to during the training a go and see visit to Golden Valley Agricultural Research Trust (Gart) and Conservation Farming Unit (CFU) in Chisamba to see Agroforestry technologies in practice was organised in partnership with ICRAF. The visits showed convincing data on yield increases of crops under agro-forestry systems, the benefits of crop rotation as well as spacing requirements. However, it was also realized that these were almost laboratory type situations which required significant external inputs and funding. It was considered unlikely that an individual small holder farmer could actually adopt the full package. It was decided to visit actual agro-forestry sites in the field to assess what the final SILMS model should look like.Cotton Sitting Tool An external consultant was engaged in May to develop and adapt the tool from the SNV Indonesia model for palm oil to an appropriate Zambian model for cotton (see below for the implementation stage). Call for proposals for the Supply of Soil Testing equipment Through the procurement department a call for proposals for the supply of soil testing equipment was put out and the following organisations responded to the call:Columbia UniversitySoilcares Ltd andWagtech Africa LtdAfter the evaluation process Columbia University was selected to supply the soil testing equipment. As per contract Columbia University supplied five soil testing kits.Soil Testing business plan competitionA business plan competition among Agro Dealers to present their business case for the soil testing service was done. A total of 21 business plans were received: 7 from Lundazi and 14 from Katete Agro Dealers. Through the evaluation of the submitted business plans and one on one interviews the five winning agro dealers were selected (2 from Lundazi and 3 from Katete) to become soil testing service providers.Soil Testing training As part of capacity building from Columbia University a 14 days training was conducted. The training comprised of classroom training to practical training of collecting soil samples and analysis. A total of 10 Agro dealers, 8 ministry of agriculture officers, 2 ZARI officers and SNV SILMS officers were trained by Columbia University.5. Objective 1: Incentivise and enable small holder farmers to improve productivity using ISFM and Agro forestry practices through increased access to inputs and extension services 5.1. Soil Testing: Declining soil fertility has long been suspected to be caused in large part due to incorrect fertiliser regimes. Stunted, discoloured crops point to acidification and leaching of soil nutrients and continued application of mineral fertilisers seems to do more harm than good. The opportunity to introduce soil testing as a local business as seen both as a chance to ensure that ISFM could have its maximum effect and also to diversify business for local agro-dealers. 272034068580A business plan competition was held whereby the prize would be a combination of soil testing kits and training and coaching on how to use them. Five agro-dealers (two from Lundazi and three from Katete, were chosen by a committee. Two of the winners were women) Under guidance of Columbia University and its team based in Malawi, a two-week training was conducted involving the winning agro-dealers, camp extension officers, ZARI and SILMS staff. Throughout the dry season, community sensitisation and soil testing was conducted. Prices were set at 100 Kwacha per test. The first few months showed a very slow uptake, but through word of mouth this expanded steadily leading up to 980 tests and total income generated of at least 98000 Kwacha ($9800). One “soil doctor”, Mr Tembo, claimed the income helped him open a new shop.The key challenge was a general mistrust by farmers for new and unknown services, particularly as farmers were asked to pay upfront. While there were some delays initially the reputations of the soil doctors were rapidly cemented and business expanded gradually. Word of mouth advertisement solved this issue. Camp extension officers did not subsequently involve themselves in monitoring of soil testing activities. It became clear that ZARI (who is actually mandated nationally on soil testing issues) would be a more appropriate partner and it was agreed to expand their role. To this end an addendum to the ZARI contract was made. Monitoring visits by Columbia University confirmed an acceptable respect for the testing protocols with minor adjustments and some initial difficulties in uploading of data. Also, the soil doctors needed additional guidance in the interpretation of soil results, particularly in terms of providing advice to farmers on remedial measures.A mistake occurred later on in the year when the soil testing business started taking off. All soil doctors decided to train additional staff and there it was found that gaps in the protocol had occurred with the assistants not consistently following all the steps in the testing process. It was agreed to organise a refresher training in 2017 in time for the next season.A Whatsapp group was created to share information on challenges, solutions, best practices, photos, ask and share advice. The Columbia Malawi team has been a constant source of advice and was thus able to maintain quality control from a distance.The soil testing activity has garnered great interest from various stakeholders and was taken up as an activity under the World Bank Zambia Integrated Forest Landscape Programme. In 2017, sufficient data points will exist to create a soil map for the district. Soil doctors have been advised to expand their business outside of the camps covered by SILMS and a focus will be on guiding them to plan for additional kits and replenishment of chemical reagents.5.2 Establishment of Seed Multiplication Enterprises: Through ZARI the Seed Control and Certification Institute (SCCI) trained 18 smallholders, 6 extension officers and SNV SILMS officers on the setting up and managing of a seed multiplication enterprise. The project has so far set up 20 seed multiplication enterprises with the following seeds being produced: Beans Seeds - 9 hectaresSoya beans Seeds – 14 hectaresGroundnuts Seeds – 8 hectaresIn order to link the seed multipliers to markets the project is working with Zamseed in Katete. Zamseed has provided the seed multipliers with groundnuts breeders seed to cover three hectares in Katete for piloting and has committed to buy from the farmers.The seed multipliers have undergone several inspections from SCCI as part of the process for their seeds to be certified. So far all the inspections have been successful and the multipliers have been certified.5.3 Establishment of Demonstration plots: A critical aspect of the extension strategy is to give the lead farmers the tools needed to relay ISFM/AF knowledge to their follower farmers. It was agreed that all lead farmers would create demonstration plots. To remain within the budget of the project it was decided that this would be a mix of large (20m x 50m) and small demos (10m x 40m). The large demos were subdivided into three equal areas with paths between and the choice of crops was left up to the farmers (two had to be among the crops promoted by SILMS). + Maize. The choice of maize was a strategic one. It remains the most important crop in the province and any significant yield improvements would act as a convincing argument for the more nutritious legumes promoted by SILMS.In order to provide practical training to farmers the project supported Lead Farmers to establish 210 demo plots and central training demo plots at the two FTCs in Katete and Lundazi. This was to ensure that Lead Farmers can easily reach followers farmers. To guarantee mobility all the lead farmers were equipped with bicycles.The SILMS ISFM and Agroforestry demo plots model was based on the best practices seen at GART, CFU, Malawi and also COMACO which was visited separately by SNV. Appropriate tree species were subsequently chosen and plans made for subsequent trainings and demonstration plots (see below) An initial on-the-job training for lead farmers was held at the District Farmer Training Center (FTC). The training –given by ZARI, ICRAF and SNV (on gender) - included technical training as well as training on rolling out to follower farmers. Camp extension officers, crop husbandry officer, and senior agricultural officers were also present.The follower farmers were identified by the lead farmers themselves and focused on fellow villagers within a practical distance from the demo plot sites. The lead farmers were provided with log books to record trainings and bicycles to follow up the follower farmers, as well as seeds. Trainings on planting started when the rains took hold, followed by weeding and pest control. Harvesting happened in April and May 2017 and will be reported upon during the May 2017 review.A key challenge was revealed following SNV monitoring visits. There was a grave misunderstanding on the tree planting protocol. This included fundamental aspects of spacing and even of species use. An additional training was scheduled at the FTC focusing only on tree planting. It was also reiterated that a hedge ought to be planted around the demo-plots, whereby a choice was given to plant pigeon pea or Tephrosia.The actual tree planting on the demonstration plots took place in beginning of 2017, but it can already be said that overall this was a success with a provisional survival rate of 90%.At the time of the second training at FTC, the occasion was seized to demonstrate the linkage of AF to biomass production for fuel pellets with the ECS cook-stoves.2423160854075005.4 Establishment of Tree Nurseries: Nine smallholder farmers were identified and trained by ICRAF on how to set up tree nursery enterprises. To enhance backstopping for the tree nursery farmers 6 extension officers, 2 DACOs and SNV SILMS officers were also trained by ICRAF on how to set up and maintain a tree nursery enterprise. As part of the training an exposure visit to ICRAF Malawi was arranged for the trainees for them to appreciate and see how successful tree nurseries operate. During the go and see visit the participants were exposed to production of fruit trees, drip irrigation, the concept of seed banks and lessons learnt in Malawi. So far 20 nursery enterprises have been set up with two at the farmer training centers (FTC) in both districts. Tree-nursery farmers were identified according to criteria of personal interest of the farmer, having land available to set aside for establishment of a nursery, proximity of a water source and vetting by Camp Extension officers. Nine farmers per district were selected and one nursery for each FTC and participated in Go-and-see visits to both Msekera and Malawi. From these visits a design was selected for the nursery and an estimated output for the first year sufficient to supply all 210 lead farmers with one hectare of planting material. Considering the SILMS AF design of 2000 Gliricidia/Ha and 200 Musangu/Ha x 210 lead farmers = 462000 seedlings. Divided over 20 nurseries, this comes to 10 beds per nursery of 2500 seedlings/bed (or 25,000 seedlings per nursery farmer).Monitoring revealed different sizes of beds and numbers of seedlings were planted. There were severe delays in the delivery of plastic sleeves for the seedlings by the vendor. The nurseries at both FTCs were not satisfactory, implying a lack of follow-up on the part of the government and SILMS. The nursery in Lundazi was built on the wrong place under a large tree, thus getting too much shade. For the training exercises at FTC both FTCs needed to be stocked by the private sector. Despite these difficulties, all demo-plots were able to be supplied with seedlings. For 2017, the intention is to focus on creation of mother blocks to safeguard future stocking of the nurseries. The tree nursery entrepreneurs expressed a desire to expand into fruit trees. A focus will need to be on clarifying the business model.5.5 Design of agroforestry model: Following the visits to GART, Msekera, CFU, Total Land Care and actual COMACO sites, the key consortium partners agreed upon a model combining the native Faidherbia albida (“Musangu”) and the naturalised Gliricidia sepium. Musangu, besides being a nitrogen fixing tree, also undergoes a phenomenon called reverse phenology, meaning it is counter seasonal and has leaves when other trees do not (offering shade) and sheds the leaves during the end of the dry season, offering natural fertiliser and –when the rains come- lets through sufficient sunlight for newly planted crops. Gliricidia is a fast growing and nitrogen fixing tree. It is commonly used in AF systems where it is trimmed to be at bush height. The leaves can be used as fodder or mulch for ground cover. COMACO uses the wood trimmings as fuel and SILMS intends to use it as biomass for producing fuel pellets (a higher energy value than directly burning wood).The actual spacing used in the AF system was the topic of quite some debate as a trade-off needed to be agreed upon between more space for crops (= wider spacing of trees; the CFU model) or more nitrogen fixing capacity of trees (= more trees and closer spacing; the COMACO model). SILMS opted for a hybrid model following the CFU spacing for Musangu and interspersed with symmetrical rows of Gliricidia (slightly wider spacing than COMACO). The temporary trade-off is less nitrogen fixing capacity the first 5-7 years (the period for the Musangu root system to spread and reinforce the Gliricidia root system. The advantage of the 5 meter spacing of Gliricidia (besides allowing more crop space) is that it even allows a tractor to enter in between rows. The design is as follows:In 2017, more sensitisation and follow up needs to be done to ensure appropriation and adoption by farmers. More emphasis needs to be given on the values of planting trees. Consideration needs to be given to the need of creating a fire break around plots and customary by-laws forbidding livestock to trample the fields. It was noticed that during the planting season, villagers respected planted fields and kept their livestock tied up. However, after harvest livestock is let loose. Any farmer practicing Conservation Farming suffered from livestock eating crop residues left as ground cover (mulch). Extensive deforestation also leads to an increase in wind which also leads to blowing away of ground cover, spreading of wild-fires and facilitating the spread of pests. Replanting trees and ensuring plots are surrounded by hedges can mitigate these factors.At the end of the year, the tree planting had not yet started (crop planting was ongoing and continued through January 2017, with tree planting commencing in February)5.6 Provision of the ISFM and Agroforestry smart subsidy for early adopters: In order to encourage smallholder farmers to adopt ISFM and Agroforestry practices an incentive was given to farmers through a smart subsidy. The criteria that was used to identify early adopter of ISFM and Agroforestry was that a farmer would be required to have their fields tested. This was achieved after farmers were trained by the lead farmers on ISFM/Agroforestry and the importance of having their soils tested. A total of about 900 smallholder farmers had their soils tested and received a subsidy package that included a component of ISFM and Agroforestry. 5.7 Extension strategy: Given the project target of reaching 10,000 farmers in 2016 (20,000 over the project cycle), project partners discussed the structure most likely to achieve these targets. Given this is a program with the government, it was clear that Camp Extension Officers would play a key role. It was also clear that the Lead Farmer model followed by most other projects was also a successful model. It was agreed to combine the two approaches and this resulted in the following structure:The target of 10,000 farmers has not been reached. A survey based on lead farmer registers estimates 6800 farmers trained. Most lead farmers were not able to organise 45 followers. On average, they managed to reach 32 farmers, with some being far below and others above this average. Reasons cited were that farmers were busy planting their own fields and/or were waiting for the FISP subsidies. However, this cannot explain why a significant number of lead farmers were successful. Successful farmers held their trainings in the afternoon after others had returned home from their fields. The day(s) before they would have passed door to door to remind people of the upcoming training. They would have solicited the help of the Headman or Headwoman. The best lead farmers would have prepared handwritten notes on the topics they would teach.Training by Camp Extension Officers has not been realised. While the extension strategy foresaw them training 90 farmers each, it became apparent that most of their time was spent on monitoring FISP and other activities. For 2017 it is recommended to rely more fully on the Lead Farmer extension capability. A revised extension strategy for 2017 will answer the question on who will train the next group of 7500 follower farmers. Discussions with COMACO are ongoing (2017), who maintain a stepped system of layers of authority among lead farmers. To catch up on the numbers in 2017, more emphasis will need to be put on repeating the extension messages. Extensive use of communication media (radio, pamphlets) will play a prominent part in 2017. More extensive monitoring is also needed. While the SILMS Lusaka team (often with, or overlapping with ICRAF and ZARI) was in the field every month and the SILMS field officers were in the field on an almost daily basis, this was not enough to ensure follow up of the numerous project activities often ongoing in parallel. The extension officers were entirely dependent upon project funding to be mobile. It is therefore recommended to engage two full time monitoring staff equipped with motorcycles to follow up SILMS field activities and follow up on the work of extension officers.5.8 Gender strategy: The premise of the SILMS project is that any gender gap is a lost economic and social opportunity. A strategy was developed together with the gender specialist from AgriProFocus, with as objective to ensure equitable & long term business opportunities and relationships for women farmers and women headed agri-businesses. The first draft was peer reviewed by the Swedish embassy, ICCS, and the SNV gender consultant. The main conclusion was that Lundazi and Katete approaches needed to be split due to cultural and traditional differences. The initial 30% target mentioned in the project document was adjusted to 50-50 equality and adoption of the IFPRI women empowerment index (focus on production, resources, income, leadership, time) was chosen. A second decision was made for tactical reasons: integration of gender into ISFM, AF, and business modelling (joint project interventions). An extra gender training for lead farmers was conducted on 24-28 October 2016. The strategy can be pictured as follows:6. Objective 2: Increase access to markets and finance for small holders to support and sustain their adoption of ISFM and Agro forestry practices 6.1 Agro Dealer Gap Analysis: The Agro Dealer Gap Analysis was conducted in both districts. The aim of the gap analysis was to identify the challenges that Agro Dealers and Agro Dealer associations were facing in both districts and to come up with solutions to mitigate these challenges. The Gap analysis revealed that for Agro dealers to consolidate and make bulk orders needed to be done through the Agro dealers association, association leadership needed capacity building and more interaction between Agro Dealers and inputs suppliers was required. In this regard a training in leadership and organisations skills for associations was conducted and a platform for interaction between Agro Dealers and input suppliers was created by the project through a business modelling workshops in Katete and Lundazi.6.2 Agro Dealer associations strengthening: Capacity building exercises were conducted with two in Lundazi and Katete which resulted in the following:The associations developed a business model to enable them raise revenue through membership fees, bulk ordering of inputs, share capital raised, signing of distributor contracts with suppliers etc.The association leadership was trained in Association Leadership and organisationAssociation elections were held and female representation increased in the association executives6.3 Market Analysis: A market analysis was done to identify the challenges farmers face in selling their produce and to identify remedial measures. The market analysis experienced a major challenge in that the key output markets were unwilling to provide information. Some Key findings were:Major output Market players:NKWCargillAfgriCOMACOAlibooVendersFarmers are unable to satisfy the demand for the following crops:BeansCottonGroundnuts Soya BeansPrices of the crops are determined by market forces where a farmer didn’t receive any loan from the buyer. If on the other hand a farmer received an input loan the price for the crop is determined by the buyer. It was also discovered that individual farmers have no say in determining the price of their crops. When it comes to loan recoveries it is found that women tend to adhere better to agreements and repayments defaults tend to be lower among women as compared to men. Challenges faced by buyers:Side sellingQuality of crops usually mixed with dirtySome buyers do not have enough financial resources to buy more produceSupport services provided by buyers to smallholder farmers:Input loansExtensionPackaging materialChallenges faced by farmers:Uncalibrated scales which results in farmers been cheatedDistance to markets which hinders women from participating in marketing activitiesPrice fluctuationsDelayed payment for their produceLack of aggregation of cropsMitigation possibilities explored by SILMS of challenges faced by farmers include:Bring markets nearer to farmersPromoting of aggregationEncourage cash payment terms7. Objective 3: Mitigate further deforestation and damage to land from uncontrolled agricultural expansion in Eastern Province 7.1 Developing Suitability maps for Cotton production: Discussions with the expected end-users did not go as expected. An initial meeting was held with the cotton association and cotton companies (NKW and Cargill) though an agreement on collaboration has not yet been reached. CARGILL entered into an agreement with Profit + to switch to soya.NWK’s initial interest dropped quickly once they realized our collaboration would not come with funding. CAZ seems to place less priority on Easter Province.It was agreed therefore to produce general suitability maps for Katete and Lundazi while exploring other options. During this work it was discovered that in fact the tool could be expanded beyond the traditional single commodity approach and become valid as a multi commodity tool useful in general as a landscape planning tool. Soils reasonably suitable for cotton are also reasonably suitable for soya, beans, groundnuts, maize and sunflower for example. The consolidated maps of Katete and Lundazi below show a mosaic of no-go areas (red + the parks) and go-areas (green is very suitable and yellow is degraded but can be rehabilitated). An example of using these maps for planning would be a policy of reconnecting the green areas by rehabilitating the yellow ones.In the meantime, the attention shifted back to cotton but in another sense: introducing soya beans as a replacement for the more forest and environment unfriendly cotton (requiring massive and annual burning of fields). A collaboration with COMACO ensued in Mambwe district in three Chiefdoms and involving 750 families. They each received 20Kg of seeds and were trained by COMACO. The areas show a much more critical picture with many more no-go areas. The finalisation of this activity has been carried over to 2017, mainly to map the beneficiary farms of COMACO as well as hold the final validation workshop with local stakeholders.7.2 Traceability monitoring system: Essentially, this is a “chain of custody” issue, being able to prove the origin of produce and thus whether or not it has entailed deforestation. The system is to work in conjunction with the Siting tool. Following an assessment of areas suitable for agricultural expansion, subsequent introduction of ISFM/AF production, it becomes imperative to monitor the adjacent “No-go” areas for any signs of deforestation (a sudden spike in productivity could indicate that a farmer has brought a forested area under cultivation). In the case of SILMS, traceability is to be integrated into the Akvo monitoring system, allowing a comparison of yield data with the areas known to be under cultivation. The entire activity has been rescheduled to 2017.7.3 Land use management related activities: The project document states these are yet to be assessed. This is still the case as a number of new developments have arisen. The development of the World Bank Zambia Integrated Forest Landscape Programme (ZIFL-P), a large REDD+ type program to be established in Eastern Province in the districts of Chipata, Katete, Petauke, Nyimba, Lundazi and Mambwe is strongly considering district development planning process to become the conduit for its funding. SILMS has no area planning component although the Siting tool and Traceability tools could become useful. SNV is therefore considering anticipating this development and will explore in 2017 how it can influence and perhaps pilot a district planning process. An administrative constraint would be that currently SILMS is only in a minority of camps and most of the district is not covered.An alternative solution would be to support the COMACO Community Conservation Areas (CCAs) and have as entry-point the new community forestry legislation. This will be decided in 2017.8. Objective 4: Support the development of nationwide frameworks of practice that will enable wide spread adoption of ISFM and Agro forestry practices and replication of the Deforestation Free Supply Chain model to other commodities Field consultations and data collection were undertaken in June, whereby SEI met with project stakeholders in Katete and Lundazi. These included:DACOs Katete and LundaziPACODistrict Forestry OfficersZNFU representativesZambia Cotton BoardNWKTetratechVision FundCOMACOBioCarbon partnersBased on these consultations and subsequent exchanges with SILMS staff, a Policy- and Practice Brief were developed. Key recommendations from the Policy Brief are:Facilitate the establishment of agroforestry enterprises, such as seed banks for propagating and selling seedlings and farm woodlotsSeek innovative ways to support improved access to finance and credit by farmers and agro-dealers.Support to traditional leaders (chiefs and village headmen) on land use planning for customary lands and controlling bush fires.Nurture the establishment of collective action groups for smallholder farmers and agro-dealers. Encourage greater coordination between the government departments responsible for agriculture and forestry.The Practice Brief identifies initiatives that seek to enable widespread and sustained adoption of ISFM and agroforestry practices among smallholders. It also assesses the piloting of the DFSC model in the cotton sector in the Eastern Province and the potential for its replication from cotton to other commodities; and finally shares initial lessons learnt in the implementation of ISFM, agroforestry practices and DFSC model in the cotton sector within the context of the SILMS project. NWK practices are compared and recommendations were given to join up with ZIFL-P and COMACO.It should be noted that NWK no longer practices agroforestry nor conservation farming type activities. The project continues to position for ZIFL-P and a number of practices that are promoted under SILMS have in fact been adopted by ZIFL-P. The pending issue is what implementation modalities are finally chosen and if SILMS could be leveraged. A tentative partnership with COMACO has been initiated in Mambwe district focusing on replacing cotton production with soya beans together with 750 farmers and introducing the Siting Tool and Traceability tool.During the course of the year it became apparent that SEI –being based in Nairobi- had difficulties keeping up with the fast changing developments in the field. In terms of keeping abreast with the emerging frameworks of practice, SNV was better placed considering its daily presence on the ground, monitoring all inputs and contributions of the consortium partners, engaging with government, donors and potential partners. It was agreed therefore that SEI would shift its focus in 2017 to a more technical role and focus on a newly emerged topic: Integrated Water Resource Management and possibly also on mechanisation of AF.9.Trainings A list of trainings conducted by SILMS (January to December 2016) is included as annex to this report.10.Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) This progress report provides an account of activities implemented in the first year (2016) of the SILMS project. It sets the Life of project targets and intervention results for the first year so that subsequent years’ performance will be measured relative to the results of this year. Some results performance indicators will be accumulated year by year to create a trend to enable analysis to generate meaning for the performance so that decisions are made based on sound evidence.Analysis of Year 1 achievements against the Life of Project targets and Year 1 TargetPerformance IndicatorsLife of Project TargetsYear 1 TargetsYear 1 Achievements% of achievement against Year 1 targetsMeasures to be taken to ensure targets are achievedNumber of Farmers trained in ISFM& Agroforestry by Extension Officers and Lead Farmers20,00010,0006,911(3,276M , 3,635F)69%Development of additional farmer mobilization strategies with an option to expanding the project operational campsPercentage increase in productivity for targeted farmers20%000Marketing only in June/July 2017Percentage change in the volume of each commodity sold 80%000Change to be reflected after salesPercentage change in income generated from commodities sold 15%5%0(To be captured during the midline survey schedule for July 2017)0Results to be captured during midline survey after the marketing seasonPercentage of targeted farmers practicing ISFM and/or agroforestry75%000Limited to 210 demonstration plots during this first yearPercentage of targeted farmers buying improved seed and seedlings from trained seed multipliers and tree nurseries 75%000To be known during preparation for second farming season (latter part of 2017)Number of trained and active Agro dealers in ISFM and Agro forestry606032(21M, 11F)53%Number of trained and active government extension Officers121214(12M, 2F)117%Additional staff included two crop husbandry officerIncrease in annual income generated by Agro dealers21, 000 ZMW12,000 ZMW20,000 ZMW100%Number of inclusive business arrangements established and functional1510660%The major challenge was that major companies lacked their own resources to support inclusive business arrangements other than those that received grants for specific areas. The project will aim to leverage on other projects existing in its operational areas that are offering grants to the private and develop collaboration with them in order to establish additional functional inclusive business arrangements Percentage of targeted SHF accessing finance through associations engaging in financial relationships with MFI/ banks/ etc.75%00Results to be captured during midline survey after the marketing seasonPercentage increase in volume of commodity sold through inclusive business arrangements80%10%0 (To be captured during the midline survey schedule for July 2017)Results to be captured during midline survey after the marketing seasonNumber of repeat loans accessed from MFIs or banks15000Activity to be fully developed in 2017Percentage reduction in the level of new deforestation caused by cotton in Eastern Province35%000Monitoring only possible starting in in 2017 when traceability tool is to be completedPercentage increase in cotton producers adopting BCI principals 75%10%00%In 2017 a decision will be taken on whether it is feasible to continue with cotton.Number of farmers adopting ISFM/ agro forestry practices in cotton 10%10%0 (This will be reported in 2017 report as the focus has now shifted to Soya)0%Percentage increase in yield of cotton for targeted farmers 22%000%Indicator to be reviewed in 2017, in case cotton will be dropped as a commodity.Number of Practice and policy briefs generated 622100%A strategy will developed to ensure all implementing partners initiate and develop policy briefs to be peer reviewed by SEI to increase the number of policy briefs initiated National platforms/ workshops conducted to synthesize results at district levels to policy recommendations9300%The activity will be taken over by SNVDistrict and provincial level meetings held with key stakeholders to review results and develop practice248563%The activity will be taken over by SNVFollowing the baseline survey, the project reviewed and revised the SILMS M&E framework and developed the detailed Performance monitoring plan (PMP) which was submitted to SIDA in May 2016. The PMP outlines how the monitoring function will be carried out in order to measure routinely progress towards achievement of results and to support learning in order to generate a wealth of knowledge, experience and evidence. The document has three components: The narrative description of the program’s overall Monitoring and Evaluation [M&E] strategy including but not limited to the results framework, and audience analysis The M&E matrix that covers all indicators; data collection methods, responsibility, and frequency; data sources and baselines/targets. Annexes containing Indicator Reference Sheets for project specific indicators and monitoring and reporting tools. So far the SNV M&E unit together with government extension officers have collected data using the smartphones on the following projects items:Lead/follower farmers registration – their social demographics and GPS locations and type of ISFM/Agroforestry trainings attended Registration of tree nurseries (tree seedlings type and quantities) and their GPS locationsRegistration of seed multiplication – Seed type and size of seed plots and GPS locations Registration of demonstration plots/ GPS LocationsTrainings conducted by type and record of participantsRegistration of Agro dealers and their GPS location The SILMS M&E Manager provided various M&E technical assistance missions to the project sites to build the capacity of both SNV project staff, government extension officers, soil testing providers (Agro dealers) and Community facilitators (lead farmers). The following are some of the technical missions conducted: Technical support to the Government Extension Officers and SNV field Staff in data capturing using the AKVOFLOW Monitoring tool – Akvoflow is the application that is used on Smartphones to conduct surveys – data capturing/collection with the advantage of real-time sharing of captured data. The M&E manager supported the government camp officers together with Crop Husbandry Officer and the Senior Agriculture Officer (SAO) in the use of smartphone to recruit the lead farmers, capturing of GPS points for Demo plots, tree nursery, seed multiplication and registration of follower farmers. This was a hands-on mentorship involving field work going from one demo plot to another and from house to house capturing lead farmers’ details and also capturing GPS points. The SILMS project has provided the Smartphones to about seven (7) government agricultural officers per district to build their capacity in data capturing and reporting.Technical support to Soil testing Providers (Agro dealers) in data management. Uploading of the soil analysis results and issuance of soil test results to farmers was a challenge for most of the agro dealers especially at the initial stages. Hence, the M&E manager, with the support from the Columbia University staff undertook technical assistance trips to the two districts to provide on-site mentorship in data management of soil analysis, which included uploading of soil analysis data on the cloud database, printing out of soil test results to farmers. The technical missions helped to revert the situation and most of the agro dealer were able to upload soil test results and also give out test results to the farmers. The M&E Manager also participated in the field soil sampling to ensure procedures were followed. Support in the monitoring of ISFM and Agroforestry roll-out trainings by lead farmers: After the training of lead farmers in ISFM and Agroforestry, the roll out of the same trainings to the follower farmers needed to be tracked. Hence the M&E support was crucial at this stage to make sure that the right practices and procedures were followed and also to ensure that documentation of people that were being trained was done systematically across all the six (6) agricultural camps. There were quite a lot of challenges that were noticed during the monitoring of this activity. For instance, documentation was poor until a hard cover book, which acts as a register for farmers attending the trainings, was introduced. There was poor attendance of follower farmers recorded across all the camps, mainly because of the poor timing of the trainings as they coincided with busy period of the farming season when most of farmers were busy doing land preparation and planting on their fields hence found it a difficult to attend trainings. Also the delayed distribution of the Government FISP disrupted some of the planned trainings where poor attendance was recorded. To some extent, the delays were unavoidable: the trainings were necessarily following the farming season, with planting supposed to start with the first rains. The first rains were followed by dry spells, delaying the actual planting. The project was reactive, waiting for the rains to stabilize. By then, both districts experienced a rush to the fields. The key mistake made by many lead farmers however, was to schedule the trainings in the mornings when follower farmer were out planting in their own fields. Those that scheduled trainings in the afternoon, generally recorded much higher attendance. In addition, external monitoring was undertaken by SIDA, represented by David Viking, Cecilia Brumer from the Embassy of Sweden and Jacqueline Ernerot from the SIDA helpdesk in Uppsala conducted a monitoring visit of SILMS in both the Lundazi and Katete sites. They visited the District Commissioner, the DACOs and were shown the Farmer Training Center where an ISFM training was ongoing. This presented an opportunity to exchange with ZARI, ICRAF and some of the lead farmers. The mission then visited a soil doctor as well as a tree nursery farmer and a demonstration plot.A second visit with the entire development section of the Swedish embassy was planned for first quarter of 2017.11.Risk matrixThe matrix (revisited in May 2016), highlighted 6 major risks. With the exception of those relating to cotton, the assessments were correct: RISKOUTCOMEChanges in weather patterns (drought and flooding as witnessed in 2015)impact on the yields of targeted value chains thus disrupting the inclusive business modelWeather risks were indeed realized with the rains coming late. This resulted in delays for the project with training and the actual planting season starting only in December. Rains were also unusually heavy in February causing additional damage to SILMS supported crops.Small holders shift to perceived “better earners” (for example cotton instead of maize) and cause negative impacts such as food insecurityShifts away from food security crops to better earning cash crops did not happen, but not for the reason that SNV predicted. A general discontentment with the maize market kept people on soya as the main cash crop but also sunflower (where value adding processing can be done locally)Displacement of deforestation activities caused by perception of better incomes from expanding cotton productionDisplacement of deforestation activities due to shifting towards cotton also did not happen for the same reason. In fact, SNV started supporting COMACO in Mambwe district to enable three Chiefdoms to switch from cotton to soya.Drop in the global/ regional market prices mean that traders and processors offer less for the productA drop in the global/ regional market prices was expected which would mean that traders and processors offer less for the product. The contrary happened at least for maize (Malawi prices) and soya (Zambia prices). In any case, the risk was less relevant as the 2016 season would only be harvested in April-May 2017 and bulking contracts that group the sales of farmers are still being worked out by SILMSPresidential, Parliamentary and Local Elections in 2016 disrupt work on the ground and to get practice frameworks and replication and scaling in placeDisruption of project activities during the presidential election was expected and activities were rescheduled accordingly. The basic response was to avoid activities requiring gatherings of participants in order to avoid confusion with political gatheringsMajor input and commodity traders not interested in investing in Inclusive Business ModelsLack of interest by large input and commodity traders in Inclusive Business was not expected and it was assumed that the new E-voucher system would actually boost project activities. This turned out to be largely untrue as traders were interested more in the possibilities of SNV brokering farmers to buy and sell as groups rather than the more complete package of inclusiveness. Also, the E-voucher system experienced enormous delays and thus it could not be verified if it would have had any effect on SILMS.12.Project assumptionsThis section reviews the project assumptions as specified in the project document and also offers new insights relevant to the continuation of the project.Smallholder farmers access to information on ISFM and Agroforestry. The project engendered significant interest from farmers as evidenced by the reasonably high levels of participation in trainings at the demonstration plots. The assumption remains valid but it has also been noticed that extension services by the DACO’s officers persists to be difficult and highly dependent upon outside support. The project reacted by placing more emphasis on the lead farmer extension structure and also more emphasis on extension services by agro-dealers. The project will continue to engage the DACO’s offices and the new MoU focuses explicitly on ensuring effective services.SHF apply ISFM and agro forestry correctly to their plots. The project assumes at least 80% uptake However, a strong wait-and-see attitude was evident as the uptake of ISFM and AF was minimal. Farmers explicitly said they would wait for harvest time to see what the demo-plots would yield. The SILMS reaction was to adapt the 2016 harvest activities and turn this into a comparison between yields from demonstration plots with yields from traditionally planted plots (a plot of equal size). The assumption remains valid but needs more follow up than expected.SHF increase yields and reduce costs. Given the previous point, this cannot yet be verified although current photos of demo-plots (March 2017) are quite promising. The project did hear however that there is widespread belief that –especially- AF is more labor intensive than the traditional way of farming. It was not fully understood that tree planting is a one-off exercise and will yield soil fertility benefits (and subsequent reductions in mineral fertilizer needs and therefore costs). Also, the fact that use of a ripper as opposed to a conventional plough entails exactly 50% less work was not factored in by most farmers. More clarification on benefits will need to be part of the 2017 communication campaigns.Agro-dealers and Extension officers provide extension services to SHF and are motivated to give information: see first point. It should also be noted that generally, agro-dealers are not yet convinced of the profitability of offering AF services. SNV was requested to have a session on developing a business case for AF (which has been taken up in the 2017 work plan). Once they stock up on AF inputs, the extension services can follow. Already, some agro-dealers are selling new items such as lime (following the soil doctor recommendations when faced with acidic soils)Agro-dealers consolidate and purchase bulk input orders for SHFs: In order to promote bulk input orders among Agro dealers, SNV in conjunction with Nutri-Aid trust initially carried out a gap analysis exercise with the Agro dealer Associations in Katete and Lundazi. The objective of the exercise was to identify the existing gaps in the Agro dealer Association leadership and bulk input ordering (minimum one truck load or 30 tonnes) in regard to achieving economies of scale. The Gap analysis revealed that for Agro dealers to consolidate and make bulk orders needed to be done through the Agro dealers association, association leadership needed capacity building and more interaction between Agro Dealers and inputs suppliers was required. In this regard a training in leadership and organisations skills for associations was conducted and a platform for interaction between Agro Dealers and input suppliers was created by the project through a business modelling workshops in Katete and Lundazi. This has yielded some positive results as the Lundazi Agro Dealer association started making bulk orders for chemicals.SF adopt the trainings to manage Seed multipliers and Tree nurseries as commercial enterprises. The assumption remains valid. 18 seed multipliers and 18 tree nursery farmers have been trained and have started operations. Seed multipliers have been formally certified by the government’s SCCI.Looking forward it is expected that more income will be raised from sales of certified seeds due to mainly the higher value given to certification. The aim is for the seed multipliers to sell their certified seed to seed companies.Processors supply extension and inputs to SHF producers under contract to them: Several meetings and discussions were conducted with several processors. From these meetings an MOU was signed between COMACO and SNV. The aim of the MOU was to support COMACO’s conservation and livelihood efforts under their Sustainable Agricultural Land Management program in Mfuwe through supporting their Community Conservation Areas. The partnership between SNV and COMACO saw 750 smallholder farmers receive soya beans seed loans, resulting in formation of a soya bean out grower scheme to supply COMACO. Other processors seemed to have challenges in supporting out grower schemes though Cargill received a grant from Profit Plus which enabled them to support farmers with inputs. Various approaches will continue to be monitored throughout 2017, to ascertain the most appropriate model.SHF respect the terms of the contracts with the processors and do not engage in side selling. This point has not yet been achieved in 2016 as the first harvest under the project was to take place in April/May 2017. Cotton farmers intensify yields in approved zones. The assumption proved irrelevant as most farmers turned away from cotton. It was explored whether organic cotton would be an option, but here too it was clarified that in that case large swaths of land would be needed to ensure no fields nearby use pesticides (risk of contamination through the wind)13.Innovations and ChallengesThe SILMS project experienced a number of challenges during its first year of implementation. These included shortcomings or weaknesses in the project that were for the most part turned around by inclusion of new activities such as on IWRM or fuel wood. Others required a change in focus, such as the extension strategy and the introduction of more demonstration plots. Still others affect the sustainability of the project itself, and proposals are made to address these during the coming period.Integrated Water Resource Management. The inclusion of IWRM came about following a Swedish Embassy mission to Katete and Lundazi. Discussions with district agricultural staff as well as farmers revealed an increasingly erratic climate. The vulnerability of farmers depending on one crop a year was highlighted by the unpredictable rain patterns of the last several years (and was to be confirmed during the 2016 planting season with rains appearing late November followed by about three to four weeks of drought; farmers who had planted with the first rains saw their young crops wither). SNV was thus advised to consider including water management in the project and this was scheduled for 2017.Prediction of droughts. The significant variance of weather patterns even within districts are increasingly a risk factor for farmers. SILMS was approached by Agripredict, a young start-up company that presented a weather application linked to an early warning SMS alert. Two staff were recruited as interns to further develop the concept and focus on drought prediction during the planting season. A first field visit was planned for January 2017 and will be reported upon during the May 2017 review.Mechanisation of agro-forestry. Even when following the ISFM/AF recommendations of the SILMS project, leading to higher yields and incomes, most farmers will not rise above a certain level of incomes. The most recent data from Katete DACO’s office reveals an estimated average farm size of 1.5 hectares. Recent Lundazi data show a slightly higher average of 2 Ha. Only so much land can be worked upon by hand, so real change must come from increasing productivity and this requires some form of mechanisation. The idea is not new and has failed before. Several efforts at introducing tractors –including numerous attempts by NWK- have all failed. It was said that the step was too big. High investment costs, difficulties in repaying and difficulties in maintaining tractors were cited as main reasons. SILMS saw an increasing usage of animal traction –basically ploughs drawn by two oxen and even a system of renting out oxen and ploughs. But can mechanisation be considered in agro-forestry plots? This is to be the topic of a research –and possibly a pilot- in 2017.Fuel wood and deforestation. There are two key drivers of deforestation that often go hand in hand: agriculture and energy. While the agricultural angle is amply covered by the SILMS project, the same beneficiaries continue to require fuel-wood for cooking purposes. With increasing deforestation, gathering fuelwood becomes more difficult as well. In Katete for instance, average collection time is now 4 hours per day. With the introduction of AF systems, a potential source of fuelwood is created. SILMS was introduced to Emerging Cooking Solutions (ECS) who were looking to expand their operations to Katete. ECS is a social enterprise aiming to solve the charcoal crisis by offering a combination of high end energy efficient stoves and fuel pellets made from waste wood. An agreement was reached to explore the potential usage of AF waste from annual pruning of AF trees. This includes plans to test the efficiency of various AF species for use in pellets, develop a business model with low income small holder farmers as suppliers of biomass and eventually set up a pelletizing plant and business in Eastern Province.Uptake of ISFM/AF by farmers. It was observed that even lead farmers from long established programs such as CFU and COMACO do not automatically adopt improved practices on their own land even after having witnessed higher yields on their demonstration plots. Interviews with them do not reveal a clear picture, but Council staff say it is because the message needs to be continuously reinforced and repeated. Within SILMS an overall “wait-and-see” attitude was observed, also among lead farmers who did not duplicate the demonstration plots in their own fields. They wanted to see the results first. Even with improved results, there is no guarantee that wider uptake will follow. The SILMS project will follow a three pronged strategy to ensure uptake:Closer and more frequent monitoring (which includes reinforcing the message)A wide communication campaign (mainly radio)Creating more reason/motivation to switch to and invest in ISFM/AF. Investing in AF in order to produce biomass for fuel as explained above is one such motivation. Another is fodder production through AF. This was an actual request made by farmers in both districts when SILMS introduced AF. By choosing particular tree species favoured by livestock, the problem of livestock eating crop residue can be checked, although obviously a new problem is created unless a hedge is also planted. It is here also that customary by-laws could play a role. On customary by laws, we have already seen how effective this can be for charcoal bans and setting aside forested areas. For this reason, we want to actively pursue obtaining by laws for ISFM/AF (basically requiring trees to be planted) and respect for the outcomes of the Siting Tool.Appropriation of SILMS concepts by DACO’s office. Throughout 2016, an unbroken correlation persisted between project funds for fuel and allowances and Camp Extension Officer (EO) activities. No funds meant no activities. Marrying of project monitoring requirements with government monitoring requirements (through the Akvo questionnaires in the phones) has not –during the reporting period- led to a noticeable improvement. Slight differences exist, with Lundazi being more responsive. This is the district that maintained a closer liaison with the EOs. With the 2017 MoUs spelling out clearer roles and responsibilities, it is expected to see some improvements although the pressure exerted by the project (no new funds if no reports) can still bias appropriation by the district. In addition, SNV strongly proposes the recruitment of two M&E/outreach staff, to be outfitted with motorcycles, whose sole responsibility is to support EOs and also to follow through with lead farmers when SILMS has conducted trainings or other exercises. The two staff would not replace the monitoring tasks of the existing SILMS field officers, but rather act as an extension of their outreach. For example, EOs can explain the tree planting protocol ad farmers can promise they will do it, but this needs to be checked. The outreach activities tied to this checking is reminding farmers and correcting, or guiding where appropriate..District planning process. The SILMS project was designed to be –at least in the initial stages- a stand-alone project. Its fourth objective on defining nationwide frameworks of practice opens the project up to consider various options. The main consideration that became apparent during the year is the entry point of the WB Zambia Integrated Forest Landscape Program on District Development Planning. If SILMS is to be considered, it will need to also become part of that planning process. Already, SILMS is a member of several district level planning platforms such as the DDCC (District Development Coordinating Committee). Another related point of consideration is (re)establishing contacts with traditional leaders by ensuring closer involvement in SILMS activities.Assuming a green development agenda for the districts, we can see the siting tool, the traceability tool, the fuel wood component, to soil testing which leads to lower and more targeted fertilizer regimes, the M&E system of SILMS and one or two other aspects could all become structural elements underpinning a district planning processIssues of scale of the SILMS project. A point of concern raised by the Agro-dealer Associations and also by several larger traders was the limitation of SILMS to just three camps per district. This reduced relevance of SILMS because it precluded sufficient scaling of a number of activities. The Association is reluctant to deal with SILMS as its membership goes beyond the three camps and any deals with SILMS would seem to be limited to the priority camps. Traders doubted the ability of SILMS to facilitate sufficient bulking size of farmer produce. The current solution by SILMS is to expand those activities that do not have budgetary implications, like encouraging soil doctors to seek business outside the SILMS camps, focus on developing the SILMS model and focusing on adoption of this model. Of course, if ZIFL-P reaches implementation status and SILMS could be involved, this would provide additional funding to cover the entire district and even add four more districts.Extension of the SILMS project. Perhaps it is too early to consider any extension/expansion of the project, but typically any AF results of the project cannot be confirmed within three years (or two actually as the planting of trees could only be done during the last month of 2016). Practical observation (no soil testing was done) by COMACO show yield increases under Gliricidia to become apparent only after about three years. The root systems that fix the nitrogen, need some years to spread out and act upon the surrounding soil. The issues of “uptake” described above require close supervision and coaching that may well take us beyond 2018. The final proof of the pudding is in the eating and if during the current project cycle, farmers do not see a convincing improvement due to AF, they will hesitate to adopt it.14.Finances A full financial report is due next May 2017 but the following is noted. During the latter part of 2016 it became apparent that the project would underspend. This was due to several delays, most notably in the implementation of Objective 3 (Siting tool, traceability tool, which in turn had repercussions on other activities) and Objective 4 (implementation of activities under SEI). The Embassy requested an estimate of the carry-over into 2017 and a clarification whether the funds would be spent and on which activities. The following table, based on October 2016 expenditures was submitted to the embassy: Code description2016 budget (SEK)2016 actualBalance as at 31/12 /16Program coordination & monitoring3,593,4213,178,277.95415,143.44Other direct operational costs712,956618,159.7994,796.12945Start-up phase667,258918,609.47-251,351.70Objective 13,515,7152,542,314.54973,400.89Objective 2259,907586,057.79-326,151.13Objective 32,462,245534,821.511,927,423.64Objective 42,488,991568,610.471,920,380.32Indirect costs1,428,3961,428,396.000.00Interest earned??0.00?15,128,88910,375,247.524,753,641.59Prepaid amounts (not yet expensed)???SEI first installment?1,033,778.07?ICRAF first installment?650,802.38?Akvo Kenya?397,645.092,082,225.54Balance as at 31/12/20162,671,416.0515.Audit 2016April 2017 is also the time when the project is being audited. The report is independent and is therefore submitted separately. Recommendations of the audit can be incorporated during the upcoming May 2017 Review.16.Planned Activities for Next year (2017) Looking forward, a four day review session involving all consortium partners took place in Chipata in February 2017. Partners presented their experiences and findings and these were thoroughly discussed. Based on this analysis the sessions continued with a planning discussion for 2017. In essence, the analysis and recommendations of the 2016 review are reflected in this annual report. The draft work-plan for 2017, including budget is presented here as an annex. 17.Conclusion During this first year of operation, the SILMS project has firmly established itself and is considered to be one of the projects that is showing results. Supplier contracts have been signed between agro-dealers and input suppliers. Soil testing has become a growing business for both men and women entrepreneurs. Structural changes have been made within the organizational set-up of agro-dealer associations, including more women in management. Extension services of government now include knowledge on ISFM/AF/gender. Lead farmers have also been equipped with knowledge on ISFM/AF/Gender and have started their roll-out trainings to follower farmers. On access to finance, success was more mitigated, with farmers not responding to Vision Fund trainings and Micro Loan Foundation not pushing through and relinquishing women’s savings groups to SNV (to be pursued in 2017). We intend therefore to intensify this activity this year through the development of policy briefs to support the inclusion of agroforestry inputs in FISP as a sign of government’s efforts to support climate smart agriculture and to mitigate climate change effects. Separately we intend to organize a workshop with agro-dealers to make the business case for AF. Also separately, we have started discussions with investors (AZULT trading and scheduled to meet Mercy Corps on their Agrifin Accelerate program).Output marketing was also mitigated, perhaps because the harvest would only be in April/May 2017 at the earliest. Monitoring of the project revealed a strong wait-and-see attitude where it concerned adoption of ISFM/AF practices. Not even lead farmers dared adopt in their own fields what had been taught through SILMS. The majority explained that they wanted to see the harvest first. While disappointing to the SILMS partners, this was an understandable reaction of better safe than sorry on the part of the farmers. It was also revealed by the varied results in the demo-plots that one-off trainings would not suffice and that regular refresher trainings would be needed. This would be reinforced in 2017 by an extensive communication campaign.The collaboration with the consortium partners was nothing short of excellent, although the assignment given to one partner was –in hindsight- unrealistic and was changed for 2017. The collaboration with the Swedish embassy was also excellent, with regular updates and exchanges, including visits. The many discussions on challenges and opportunities, on what worked and what did not, was very constructive and lead on occasion to new ideas such as on inclusion of wood fuel and integrated water resource management.32308804445000This report represents a frank analysis of SILMS activities in 2016 and offers numerous recommendations for 2017. These have been taken up in the provisional work-plan which was developed during a consortium meeting in February 2017. We believe this represents the most effective way forward.With many thanks from the SILMS team. ................
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