the seedling - issue 3
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Issue 3 of The Cropper Foundation's EcoAgriCulture 2 ProjectTRANSCRIPT
The Seedling
April 2014 – Issue 3
Newsletter Contents
Pg.
View from Project Management
2
Understanding Community Needs 3
Parlays and Panchayats 5
Interview with Mark Boneo 8
Sharing the Experience 11
Monitoring and Evaluation 13
What’s coming up 15
“Although the agriculture sector is currently plagued with issues that hinder its
development, I think with the change in the current conversation about farming and the increased involvement of NGOs and youth,
the sector will progress.”
- Mark Boneo, Lopinot Village young farmer
Fresh, local tomatoes for sale in Grand Found Road
A View from Project Management
Dear Readers,
Thank you for subscribing to the 3rd issue of The
Seedling which gives you updates of our work with
farming communities in support of sustainable
agricultural production in the Northern Range under the
EcoAgriCulture 2 project. We invite you to take a read
and gain insight into our work over the past couple of
months!
In February 2013, TCF received a grant from the UNDP
GEF Small Grants Programme (GEF SGP) to undertake a
new project ‘Building Small Scale Farmers’ Capacity to
Implement Sustainable Farming Practices in Trinidad’s
Northern Range’ which is being done with farming
communities in the Lopinot, Santa Cruz watersheds, or
EcoAgriCulture 2. The overall goal of the project is to
build capacity of small-scale subsistence farmers within
the Northern Range to implement sustainable farming
practices, explore opportunities for improving
livelihoods and food security, and reduce the negative
environmental impacts of poor farming practices on
hillsides.
For 2014, TCF has been placing significant focus on
building partnerships with communities and
stakeholders. Building relationships and trust amongst
farmers and community members are crucial to
promoting buy-in of any community-focused
interventions for improved environmental management
and sustainable agriculture.
We have also been working with the Lopinot and Grand
Found Road, Maracas Bay communities to improve their
community governance framework, with specific focus
on farmers. See pages 3 and 5 for more information on
our community engagement strategies and
strengthening community governance mechanisms.
TCF has also been promoting sustainable agriculture,
environmental management and community
development as viable and relevant employment
opportunities for young persons under the
EcoAgriCulture project. We have recently engaged
young people to commence internships in technical
assistance for implementing sustainable farming
practices and knowledge management and
communication activities. We are also in partnership
with various tertiary education institutions in the form
of in-field internships under the EcoAgriCulture 2
project. See page 11 for more details of our newest
interns.
In this issue we also highlight Mr. Mark Boneo a young
farmer in the Lopinot area. Mr, Boneo tells us about his
interest in eco-friendly farming and what he hopes
EcoAgriCulture2 can do for farming in Lopinot; Page 8
Sasha Jattansingh
Project Manager, EcoAgriCulture 2
Pg 2 The Seedling │ Issue 3
Understanding Community Needs
In looking back at the successes and lessons from the
first EcoAgriCulture project, which focused on primarily
the technical implementation of sustainable farming
practices, TCF concluded that a focus on community
engagement and strengthening would be critical in the
next round of project design and implementation.
With this thinking, EcoAgriCulture 2 places equal
emphasis on community empowerment, particularly
farmer groups and organisations within the selected
project areas. Research has shown that the
sustainability of such initiatives is vastly improved when
the community buys into the work, and this buy-in is
only sustainable if the various groups responsible for
community governance are effective and strong.
The Lopinot and Grand Found Road, Maracas Bay
communities are similar in that each community has
several groups that play a part in the governance of
these communities – from general community/village
councils, to farmers’ organisations, to women’s groups
and so on. In both cases, the farmers’ organisations
have been through many different stages of growth
since their inception, with both organisations admitting
to being slightly stagnant for many years and
attempting to stimulate a resurgence, to be helped by
this project.
While TCF understands that overall community
engagement is necessary and the involvement of the
umbrella community governance mechanism (the
community/village councils) is critical, the resources
and timeframe of the project has prompted a focus on
the farmers’ organisations with lateral engagement of
the umbrella organisations within the community. The
project has involved the farmers’ organisations in
Lopinot and Grand Found Road, Maracas Bay in a very
participatory and organic way, from the development
and design of the project and its deliverables itself, to
the way forward in the implementation of the project’s
activities.
The focus of the community governance aspect of the
project, is on the How, Why and What aspects of
community governance – Why does the group think it
should be better governed; What does the community
group need to be more effective; and How can TCF and
the group work together in building its governance.
In attempting to understand what the groups need to
better self govern, the project built a framework around
three key elements:
1. Looking at the group as a formal organisation
with behavioural and dynamic elements;
2. Participatory information gathering; and
3. Utilising traditional and culturally relevant
methods of community engagement.
In looking at the community group from a ‘firm’
perspective, the project used a model of thinking that
was loosely based on the McKinsey 7S model of
organisational effectiveness and its 7 interconnected
elements of effectiveness that are separated into the
‘Hard’ (Strategy, Structure and Systems) and ‘Soft’
elements (Shared Values, Style, Skills and Staff). In this
model, the ‘Hard’ elements are easier to define and
impact, while the ‘Soft’ elements are often less tangible
and more difficult to impact in the short term. In
moving forward within the life of the project, the
immediate initiatives will focus on the ‘Hard’ elements
of the farmer organisations and their development.
In developing a participatory and culturally relevant
approach, TCF uses constant contact and relationship
building with the farmers and the communities by
regular visits and visits that are sometimes done to
simply visit and catch up. This has led to a much greater
level of trust than would have been possible through
regular workshops and more formal gatherings. The
relationships that have been built have also been
strengthened by the gradual positioning of community
members and farmers into project leadership roles. One
good example of this is the use of community members
and farmers as chairpersons and master of ceremonies
for workshops and meetings, which facilitates easier
and more in-depth participation by fellow community
members.
TCF has also attempted to revive some older and more
traditional methods of community engagement apart
from the more conventional workshop and meeting
approaches. Two types of engagement, the ‘Panchayat’
and ‘Parlay’ have been utilised in both communities.
These approaches, born from the East Indian and
French Creole traditions respectively, and were used as
a form of local government for generations. The use of
these two methods has proved very successful at
generating interest, attendance and participation by not
only farmers, but the wider community.
In both communities, it is clear that most members still
share a very deep-rooted connection to the history and
traditions of the community and care about the future
prosperity and development of their family and friends
within their community. They speak strongly about their
self-reliance and ability to decide what is best for them,
but they recognise that there is always room for
improvement and learning in their own self-
determination and self-governance.
A cross-section of community
members and events in
EcoAgriCulture
Pg 4 The Seedling │ Issue 3
Parlays and Panchayats
The third stakeholder workshops for both communities
were held on March 15th (Grand Found Road, Maracas
Bay) and on April 10th (Lopinot) which took the form of
a Panchayat and Parlay respectively. These approaches
are based on the traditional systems of decision making
in the communities as told to the project team by the
members of the community. In short, these methods
are based on the overriding principle that the
community should decide what their needs are and how
they should be addressed, through open discussion and
consensus.
In both communities, these community led forums were
attended by 30+ community members and stakeholders
who participated in discussions that centred on the
challenges and issues faced by Lopinot and Grand
Found Road, Maracas Bay with respect to sustainable
agriculture and community development on a whole, as
well as the steps and opportunities that they envisage
can be taken and leveraged to mitigate these issues and
meet some of these challenges.
Some of the challenges are shared between the two
communities, and can be seen to be national concerns
for communities and farmers in general. Some of these
overarching issues are:
Land tenure;
Availability of labour;
Ageing farming population;
Competition and access to markets;
Maintaining the effectiveness of a community
group.
In the Grand Found Road, Maracas Bay community,
much of the focus was placed on the organisational
elements of the group that fall within the ‘Hard’ section
of the 7S framework of organisational effectiveness. It
can be inferred that since the group has been in
dormancy for several years, these elements are critical
for development if the group is able to move forward; if
these foundational elements are not in place, focusing
on the softer elements of effectiveness in governance
would be futile.
In Lopinot, where the farmers’ organisation has been in
existence for a long time and has been active and well
defined, many of their opportunities have focused on
the elaboration of some of the ‘Soft’ elements in
support of their vision for the community such as
training and market development for their tourism
products. As opposed to Grand Found Road, Maracas
Bay, the Lopinot farmers’ organisation has established
structures and systems for governance, and so feel
themselves able to focus on some of the external issues
that are relevant to their development and
sustainability.
Pg 5 The Seedling │ Issue 3
Some of the primary issues for Lopinot include:
Encouraging eco-friendly farming practices;
Link agriculture to food security;
Greater community togetherness and unity to
deal with community issues;
Revive cocoa and coffee heritage in Lopinot;
Promote value addition in agriculture;
Promote eco-tourism opportunities in Lopinot;
Develop a Lopinot brand e.g. Lopinot chocolates
The project will therefore focus its facilitation and
capacity development initiatives on the following
themes in Lopinot:
Encouraging youth participation in agriculture
and the farmers’ group;
Development of value added agriculture and
products;
Eco-tourism and other sustainable livelihood
options.
Several generations of Grand Found were represented at their Panchayat
Pg 6 The Seedling │ Issue 3
Some of the primary issues for Grand Found include:
Flooding and poor drainage;
Lack of infrastructure to access farms e.g.
bridges, roads;
Limited training and employment opportunities
for youth in Grand Fond Road;
Limited use of the Maracas Bay Community
Centre;
Access to markets, including markets which are
nearby the community.
The project will therefore focus its facilitation and
capacity development initiatives on the following
themes in Grand Found Road, Maracas Bay:
Organisational Development;
Registration and Structure;
Understanding group management and
governance;
Building partnerships.
Nick, a Grand Found Road farmer, chairs the Panchayat in March 2014
Pg 7 The Seedling │ Issue 3
Interview with Mark Boneo Through EcoAgriCulture 2, we at TCF have had the opportunity to meet and get to know the wide array of
people and personalities that live in the Lopinot and Grand Found Road, Maracas Bay communities. The team
here at TCF is constantly amazed and enriched by the stories, experiences and friendships we have made over
the past year. One of the best surprises to date has been meeting Mr. Mark Boneo, a young experimental
farmer who is finishing up his high school studies with the hope of furthering his academics over the next few
years and developing his agricultural business in Lopinot. The following is an interview with Mark about his
hopes for himself, Lopinot and the country.
Tell us about yourself
My name is Mark Boneo and I live in the beautiful
community of Lopinot. I am 17 years old and I am
currently pursuing management of business, accounting
and environmental science at St Mary's College. I am a
farmer and operate within the Lopinot area. I represent
the Youth Ambassadors of Trinidad and Tobago and
most recently I have been selected as the Youth
representative for Vision on Mission at the United
Nations.
Mark’s aquaponic system at his home in Lopinot
Pg 8 The Seedling │ Issue 3
How did you become interested in
agriculture?
In Lopinot, agriculture is not just a means of food
production but is part of the way of life. Having grown
up within that culture, I have developed a passion for
agriculture. Additionally about a year ago I had the
opportunity to visit a fully automated Aquaponics
system and greenhouse in Colorado. Exposure to this
technology blew my mind away and motivated me to
start farming. Moreover, the issue of food security in
T&T and the Caribbean region at large has also led to
me asking myself the question of, "who is going to
provide food for our population in the future?”.
We’ve constantly heard that agriculture is
unattractive to young people. Why do you
think this is such a widespread opinion?
Agriculture may be unattractive to young people for
various reasons. Traditionally agriculture has proven to
be labor intensive and costly with minimal returns.
Additionally, agriculture has been ranked very low on
the social strata, therefore most parents deter their
children from it. Moreover, the complexity of
agriculture has been greatly underestimated. The fact
that agriculture is very exciting and full of scientific
processes is often overlooked and replaced with the
idea that agriculture merely involves planting a seedling
and picking its fruit. Therefore young individuals are not
motivated to become farmers because it is seen as an
obsolete, unprofitable and boring occupation.
Additionally individuals are unaware of the modern
technological advances in agriculture and how
profitable, productive and exciting it is.
How can we then encourage more young
people to get into the agricultural sector?
Although encouraging youth in agriculture may be
challenging it is still very possible and needed.
The first step it to deal with the perception issues. This
is by no means a quick fix but it is possible. In my
training as a Bold Leader/ Youth ambassador I have
learned to positively influence perceptions via
conversational projects. It involves changing one's
normal conversations about agriculture to a totally
different direction with minimal effort. For instance
when the conversation arises about how labor intensive
agriculture is, individuals may also talk about how
important farmers are to the food security of T&T. Once
this is done by a few individuals, it would cause ripple
effects and before you know it, the conversation about
youth in agriculture in T&T would have taken a whole
new direction, where perhaps farmers are appreciated
for what they are really worth.
Other factors that may encourage young individuals to
become farmers are governmental incentives. Although
some may argue that there are a vast amount of
incentives offered by the government, it is very difficult
to attain with all of the bureaucracy involved.
Therefore is it almost impossible for these grants to be
utilized by the young farmers.
What do you think Lopinot needs to ensure
its agricultural legacy continues?
(In short there are several key needs which are)
Land Ownership - a major prerequisite when
accessing government incentives and loans;
Access roads to farms- most farms are located
on the hillsides and access to farms are very
limited ;
Coaching in the fields of sustainable production,
marketing and entrepreneurship in general ;
Pg9 The Seedling │ Issue 3
Youth involvement in farming- Lopinot has a
large population of young individuals and they
need to pick up the baton.
What are your thoughts about the future
of farming in Trinidad and Tobago?
Although the agriculture sector is currently plagued
with issues that hinder its development, I think with the
change in the current conversation about farming and
the increased involvement of NGOs and youth, the
sector will progress. Additionally through globalization
and the internet, current and potential farmers are now
able to access technological discoveries in the field of
agriculture at their fingertips.
How do you think the EcoAgriculture 2
Project can influence farming in Lopinot?
I think the EcoAgriCulture 2 project has a very important
niche with regards to the current state of farming in
Lopinot. One of the major issues mentioned is the
ability of the farmers to market their products.
Currently farmers are paid very little for their produce.
Therefore as The Cropper Foundation, through
EcoAgriCulture 2, seeks to identify markets for Lopinot
products, this should potentially encourage members of
the community (young members in particular) to
become farmers.
What’s next for Mark?
Well hopefully within the next few years I will have my
BSc in Finance and have opened my own company that
provides environmentally friendly and healthy food
products that are affordable to the average person in
T&T and the Region as a whole.
Do you have any closing remarks for our
Readers?
Farming can be exciting, fun and rewarding. It is also an
opportunity for youth entrepreneurship and the
diversification of our nation's economy.
Mark Boneo, Lopinot farmer/student/young
leader
Pg 10 The Seedling │ Issue 3
Sharing the experience
TCF was built around the idea of giving back to the
community that has sustained it for so many years;
mentorship and providing a space for young people,
being a primary tool through which this is done.
The EcoAgriCulture 2 project follows this ethos by
facilitating the participation of young persons with an
interest in the themes that this project covers. These
internships are both informal and academically based,
that run from actual implementation activities to
communication and social media management.
The project interns have been working now with TCF for
approximately 4 months, both in-house and in the field,
and shown time again that they are committed to the
cause...we’ve definitely made a few good choices!
TCF has formalised a relationship with the University of
Trinidad and Tobago (UTT) which is meant to be a long
term partnership. In this first phase, TCF has developed
internships for three (3) students in the Food Science
and Technology Programme at UTT, to assist on the
EcoAgriCulture 2 project in order to complete their
respective programmes. These interns are:
Donna Phillip
Patrice Williams
Sheryllann Farmer
TCF has also gained some in-house interns who are
working with us on both blogging and graphic design:
Elizabeth Massy (blogging)
Shahad Ali (blogging)
Joash Berkeley (graphic design)
We have also facilitated the involvement of
postgraduate students from the University of the West
Indies (UWI) in completing a community needs
assessment for Lopinot, as part of their postgraduate
course in Sustainable Rural Development. This work
also informs our own community engagement and
development activities. These students are:
Jai Rampersad
Roselin Moncher
Ezaquiel Da Costa Babo
Brent Georges
Karina Atisha Ali
Tracy James
Donna-Marie Renn
Angela Ramkissoon
Pg 11 The Seedling │ Issue 3
Pg 12 The Seedling │ Issue 3
Our UTT Interns at Grand Found Road
The UWI and UTT interns in discussion at Lopinot Lopinot parlay participants
Monitoring and Evaluation
To date the implementation of various activities under
the project has been according to schedule since we
started in February 2013. We have developed six
milestones to help us and our stakeholders assess the
progress of the project. These are:
Milestone 1: Establish Technical Team for the Project
Milestone 2: Baseline Assessment of farming
communities in selected watersheds
Milestone 3: Participatory planning exercises for the
design of intervention strategies
Milestone 4: Implement Community Governance
exercises in selected watersheds
Milestone 5: Implement sustainable farming practices
in selected watersheds
Milestone 6: Scoping study of local market for eco-
friendly agricultural produce
The chart below tracks our progress in achieving these
milestones to date.
Pg 13 The Seedling │ Issue 3
The chart below tracks our spending against UNDP fund disbursements, and also counterpart (TCF) funding.
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The Cropper Foundation
Building 7
Fernandes Industrial
Centre
Laventille
Port of Spain
Contact: Sasha Jattansingh, Project Manager
Email: [email protected]
Tel: +868-626-2628/2564
www.thecropperfoundation.org
The Seedling Creative Team:
Editor: Omar Mohammed
Articles: Sasha Jattansingh, Omar Mohammed
Pictures: Mark Thomas, Shango Alamu
In partnership with:
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