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The World Bank

FMOa o UL uSE ONLY

MICROFICHE COPY

Report No. 9982-BEN Type: (SAR)ASSEO, M. / X34920 / J8118/ AFlAG )Rb"

v 9 982-BEN

STAFF APPRAISAL REPORT

REPUBLIC OF BENIN

NATURAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT PROJECT

FEBRUARY 18, 1992

Agriculture Operations

Occidental and Central Africa Department

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CU E4CY EQUIVALENTS

Currency Unit: CFA Franc (CFAF)

US$1 - CFAF 2831

WEIGHTS AND MEASURFS

Metric System

FISCAL YEAR

January 1 - December 31, 1991

ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS

APV Agent polyvalont de vulgarisationPolyvalent extension agent

ADS African Development BankCARDER Contre d action r6gionale et do d4voloppo.mnt rural

Regional Action and Rural Development CenterCCCE Caiss central- de coopfration Aconomiquo (France)CENAP Centre national d'agro-p6dalogie

National Agro-Solls CenterCENATEL Contre national do tl6d&tection

National Rmote Sensing CenterCLCAM Cals., locale de cr6dit agricole mutuol

Local Agricultural Savings BankCRCAM Caisse r6gionale do cr4dit agricole mutuol

Regional Agricultural Savings BankDEFC Direction des evux, for&ts et chasses

Directorate of Water, Forestry and HuntingDFRN Direction dos for6ts *t des ressourees naturellea

Directorate of Forest* and Natural ResourcesDRA Direction de Is recherche agronomique

Directorate of Agricultural ResearchFAC Fonds d'uide I Is coop6ration (Frane*)FAO Food and Agriculture Organization of the United NationsEDF European Development FundCTZ German Technical Cooperation AgencyIDA International Development AgencyINC Institut national de cartographli

National Institute of CortographyMDR Minist4re du d6voloppoment. rural

Ministry of Rural Development"GO Nongovernmental organizationPAE Plan d'action environnmmental

Environmental action planUNDP United Nations Development ProgrammePRSA Pro30t do rostructuration des services agricoles

Agricultural Services Restructuring ProjectRAMR Recherche appllqu6, en milieu r6el

On-farm adaptive researchROR Responsable do d4v-loppoment rural

Rural devolopment managerSGSA Second Generation Special AccountsSEMP Sites d'exp4rimentation en milieu rural

Test sites in the rural environmentTS Technician sp6cialls6

Subject Matter SpecialistUNSO United Nations Sudano-Sahellan OfficoURF Unlt6 de rechorch- foresti4re

Forestry Research Unit

1/ Exchange rate as of December 1991. The parity of the CFAF with theFrench franc is fixed at 50/1.

FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY

REPUBLIC OF BENIN

NATURAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT PROJECT

STAFF APPRAISAL REPORT

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Paze

DOCUMENTS CONTAINED IN THE PROJECT FILE ................................. (iii)

CREDIT AND PROJECT SUMMARY .............................................. (v)

I. INTRODUCTION

A. Physical characteristics .............................. 1B. Socioeconomic situation ............................... 1C. Project origin ........................................ 2

II. THE AGRICULTURE SECTOR AND NATURAL RESOURCES

A. Agricultural production. 2B. Land occupation and the land tenure system. 3C. The degradation of renewable natural resources. 4D. Agricultural institutions. 5E. Policy for natural resources and environmental

management. 7F. Role of IDA. 8G. Previous IDA experience in the sector. 8H. The proposed local community land management approach. 9

C,

This report is based on the conclusions of the appraisal mission carried out inBenin in May/June 1991, consisting of Mr. Brizzi (mission chief), Mr. Grut(forestry), Mr. Versteeg (research-development/watershed development),Mr. Heymans (ecologist), Mr. Ahouanginou (training), Mr. Hounkpodote (land tenurespecialist), Mr. Bakayoko (financial analyst), Mr. Barrier, CCCE (training andland management) and Mr. Komp, GTZ (cartography and remote sensing). Secretarialsupport was provided by Ms. A.Vasquez. The project advisor has been Mr.J.Englishof the Environmental Policy Research Division. Messrs. M. J. Gillette and T.Nkodo are Department Director and Agriculture Division Chief, respectively.

This document has a restricted distribution and may be used by recipients only in the performanceof their official duties. Its contents may not otherwise be disclosed without World Bank authorization.

(ii)

III. THE PROJECT

A. Justification ........................................... 11B. Objectives .............................................. 11C. Brief description of the project .12D. Detailed description .. 13

1. Institution-building .132. Site-specific activities .16

IV. PROJECT ORGANIZATION AND MANAGEMENT

A. Organization .21B. Monitoring and evaluation ....................... ........ 22

V. PROJECT COSTS AND FINANCING

A. Cost estimate .23B. Financing .24C. Procurement .25D. Disbursement .28E. Accounting, auditing and reporting .29

VI. BENEFITS AND RISKS

A. Project justification .30B. Expected benefits .30C. Impact on the State budget .31D. Risks ... . 32

VII. AGREEMENTS AND RECOMMENDATIONS .32

ANNEXES

1. Pilot operation for the rural land tenure plan2. Management of gazetted forests3. Description of some possible actions of the terroir management plans and

research-development4. Basic cartographic needs5. Resident Technical Assistance - Summary Terms of Reference6. Project costs

Table 1: Project cost summaryTable 2: Summary accounts by project componentTable 3: Summary accounts by yearTable 4: Project components by year

7. Disbursement schedule8. Implementation schedule9. Supervision schedule

MAPS: IBRD No. 23346IBRD No. 23347R

( iii)

REPUBLIC OF BENIN

NATURAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT PROJECT

Documents in the Proiect File

Working Documents

1. Development/Management of Watersheds; Strengthening Research-Development Teams(Versteeg 1991)

Identification of Main Watersheds in Benin (Karemangingo 1990)

Basic Data for Development of the Lomon (Mono) and Beffa (Zou) Watersheds.(Karemangingo, Agbo 1990)

2. Participatory Development of Gazetted Forests (Grut 1991)

Development of Natural Forests (Hermans, Otchoun 1990)

3. Remote Sensing Component - Appraisal Mission (Komp 1991)

Strengthening of CENATEL, National Remote Sensing Center (Fofana 1990)

Remote Sensing and Soils Utilization Study (Komp 1990)

4. Land Tenure Policy in Benin (Janz 1990)

The Land Tenure System in Benin (Gastaldi 1990)

Pilot Operation for the Rural Land Tenure Plan in Benin (Hounkpodot6 1991)

5. Appraisal Report on the Training Component (Ahouanginou 1991)

6. National Parks and Management of Peripheral Zones (Heymans 1991)

Study on Transhumance in Benin (Bourgeot 1990)

7. Institutional Review (Perrault 1990)

8. Preparation Report (FAO/CP 1991)

9. Detailed Project Costs

(v)

REPUBLIC OF BENIN

NATURAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT PROJECT

CREDIT AND PROJECT1 SUMMARY

Borrower: Republic of Benin

Beneficiaries: Local rural communities, Ministry of Rural Development (MDR)

Amount: SDR 10.1 millions (US$14.1 million)

Terms: Standard IDA terms, with 40 years maturity

ProjectDescription: Over a period of five years, the project would support the

development of a national capacity for the planning,management and monitoring of natural resources, including thestrengthening of supporting legislation. The project wouldalso test, in representative zones, a model for ruraldevelopment that would promote more sustainable andresponsible management of renewable natural resources (land,forests, water, wildlife) by organized rural communities.These communities would be assisted by decentralizedgovernment and nongovernmental agencies.

The project would be implemented in conjunction with thepreparation of an Environmental Action Plan and with therestructuring of agricultural services, which would provide astrategic and institutional foundation.

Project-financed investments would comprise: (a) thestrengthening of (i) the planning, and monitoring capacity ofthe reorganized Directorate of Forests and Natural Resources(DFRN) and of the National Remote Sensing Center (CENATEL);and (ii) the establishment of poaching control posts in thenational parks; (b) the training and education of farmers andpublic servants, partly through technical assistance;(c) studies, including the preparation of a natural resourcesmanagement master plan for the Borgou Department; (d) thepreparation and implementation of integrated development plansfor three natural forests, iith local participation; (e) thedevelopment of watersheds in four test sites as part of landmanagement operations by local communities; (f) land rightsurveys on the same watersheds leading to mapping andrecording ir.dividual and community rights; (g) theimplementation of research and development operations on thewatersheds and in farmer fields; and (h) wildlife managementoperations, with the participation of the population, in twoareas adjacent to the national parks.

(vi)

T Foreign 1Local . Exchange I Iotal

2 ofCost Estimates ------ US$ million ------ Base Costs

Planning and management 1.9 3.1 5.0 23Monitoring and evaluation 0.8 1.9 2.7 12Poaching control 0.3 0.5 0.8 4Training 0.9 0.7 1.6 7Studies 0.2 0.6 0.8 4Managt. of natural forests 1.8 1.1 2.9 13Watershed development 2.4 2.3 4.7 22Land tenure operations 0.6 0.5 1.1 5Research and development 1.0 0.5 1.5 7Wildlife management 0.4 0.3 0.7 3

Total base 10.3 11.5 21.8 100Physical contingencies 0.7 0.8 1.5 7Financial contingencies 0.7 0.4 1.1 5

TOTAL COST 11.7 12.7 24.4 112

e;nancing Plan

Local Foreign Total Z of Base Costs

…US$ ruillion…

Government 2.0 0.3 2.3 9IDA 6.3 7.8 14.1 58German aid 2.1 3.0 5.1 21CCCE 1.1 1.2 2.3 9UNDP 0.2 0.4 0.6 3

dTotal 13.7 12.7 24.4 100

Estimated disbursements of IDA Credit

IDA Fiscal Year

92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99

______-_____-__---- US$ million -------------------

Annual 1.5 1.7 2.0 2.4 2.4 2.1 1.5 0.5Cumulative 1.5 3.2 5.2 7.6 10.0 12.1 13.6 14.1

(vii)

Benefits and Risks:

The principal benefits of the project are that it would: (a) helpdevelop (i) a system to gather and process information on naturalresources; and (ii) a planning capacity, based on appropriate legislation,that takes account of natural balances; (b) help introduce sustainableagricultural systems through the preparation and implementation, incollaboratior. with the local population, of community land developmentplans seeking the most appropriate forms of managing water, land, plantand animal resources; (c) encourage the development of private andcommunity grass-roots initiatives; and (d) help protect national parks byreducing poaching and increasing State revenues from fuelwood and hunting.

The main risks could stem from: (a) inadequate Government commitmentto decentralized management of natural resources by local communities andprivate entities; (b) a shortage of qualified local personnel capable ofa participatory approach with rural communities and lack of experience ininterministerial natural resources management coordination; and (c) adelay in the implementation of the restructuring of agricultural services.These risks will be reduced by the project's emphasis on the introductionof legislation favoring participatory management and the implementation ofnatural resources management by rural communities themselves and privatesector, Careful selection of local team members, training andenvironmental sensitization at all levels would be another advantage.Moreover, satisfactory initiation of the restructuring of agricultureservices wot:ld se required for project start-up.

Internal Rate of Return: not applicable

Maps: No. IBRD 23346No. IBRD 23347R

REPUBLIC OF BENIN

NATURAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT PPOJECT

APPRAISAL REPORT

I. INTRODUCTION

A. Physical characteristics

1.01 Benin has an area of 113,000 km2 and a population of 4.6 million, 65Sof whom live in rural areas. The population is increasing at an average annualrate of about 3.2Z. Its geographical distribution is very uneven. Populationdensity varies from 340 inhabitants/km2 in the DUpartement of Atlantique to about14 inhabitants/km2 in Borgou. As a result, 63Z of the population is concentratedon 12Z of the land area. The urban population accounts for 30? of the total andis increasing at 4Z a year (8Z in Cotonou). Benin is divided into three mainclimatic zones, sub-equatorial in the south, with rainfall between 900 mm and1,500 mm annually; Guinean-Sudanese in the center, with marked temperaturevariations and an average rainfall between 1,000 mm and 1,200 mm/year; andsemiarid Sudanese in the north, with rainfall of 900 mm to 1,100 mm/year and highevapo-transpiration (see Map). Plant cover is relatively uniform, in the formof a very degraded savannah woodland extending from the north of the country tosome 50 km from the coast. This savannah is interspersed in places with gazettedforests. Further south are residual forests, small areas of deciduous and semi-deciduous forest, oil palms on the sedimentary zones and coconut trees along thecoast. Soils are generally poor, mainly ferruginous. Bottom-lands have a higheragricultural potential, but are generally hard to work.

B. Socioeconomic situation

1.02 The annual per capita income was about US$380 in 1989. Benin'sprincipal resource is its arable land, which makes it self-sufficient in food inoverall terms and enables it to produce cash crops such as cotton and to a muchlesser degree, palm oil as a source of foreign exchange. The primary sectoraccounts for about 40Z of GDP, more than 5OZ of export receipts and 752 ofemployment. The average annual rate of growth of agricultural production in the1980-1988 period was 4.2Z, which is remarkable but was largely achieved throughmore extensive utilization of available land. The geographical configuration ofBenin together with the deep-water port of Cotonou and its relatively good roadand rail network, allows it to provide transit services for landlocked countriesto its north. The secondary sector accounts for about 8Z of GDP, essentially inthe form of manufacturing, cement production and limited offshore oil resources.The tertiary sector basically consists of informal but vigorous tradingactivities.

1.03 Between 1983 and 1987 Aenin's economy grew only slowly, partly as aresult of a decline in trade and a collapse of the regional transit traffic, butmore particularly as a consequence of the inefficiency and poor management of theproduct've sectors dominated by the State. In 1989 the Government introduced aprogram of economic reforms prepared with the assistance of the Bank and IMF.This program reflected a change in Benin's economic policies, the reduction ofthe State's role in the economy and promotion of private sector activities, abalanced management of public funds, an improved balance of payments situation,and concern for the country's natural environment. The strategic choices adoptedby the Ministry of Rural Development (MDR) during the seminar on the strategy ofthe rural sector held at Cotonou in July 1990 are in line with these objectives.

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C. Proiect oriain

1.04 A Natural Resources/Environment Project was identified in March 19&9with the assistance of a number of donors, the Bank and an NGO. In November 1989IDA approved a Project Preparation Fund (PPF) of US$750,000 to financepreparatory activities and launch preliminary stuaies. In March 1990. theGovernment and donors agreed on the principal project components. Preparationwork was comnleted by FAO/CP in November 1990, and the project was appraised byIDA in Mav 1;91. IDA, the United Nations Soudano-Sahelian Office (UNSO), Germanyand Prance h&ve been assisting the government since the beginning of 1991 inpreparing ar -r.vironmental Action Plan (EAP) that will define national policiesand propose _. action plan over the medium and long term.

II. THE AGRICULTURE SECTOR AND NATURAL RESOURCES

A. Agricultural production

2.01 Food production is relatively diversified, meets Benin's food needs,and much of it is traded with neighboring countries, especially Nigeria. Maizeis predominant in the southern departments and is the most widely-planted cropoverall (about 450,000 ha), followed by sorghum in the north (130,000 ha),cassava (115,000 ha), yams (90,000 ha), beans (85,000 ha) and peanuts (100,000ha). In most cases food crops are growr, in association, and yield: are low. Theareas devoted to yams, sorghum and maize are increasing significantly as a resultof population growth and the availability of land in the north of Benin. Riceproduction is marginal, although its consumption is steadily increasing, beingmet by imports.

2.02 Cotton cultivation has also expanded rapidly in recent years to coverabout 120,000 ha in 1990-91, for a total production of about 146.000 tons of seedcotton and 59.000 tons of fiber. Yields are satisfactory (C,200 kg of seedcotton/ha), and the areas planted are still increasing. Cotton constitutes awell-organized subsector guaranteeing a floor price to producers, supplies ofinputs, credit, and processing and marketing of the final product. The declinein palm oil production continues as a result of the aging of the plantations, awater deficit that limits yields, declining profitability Ln relation to othercrops and very low prices in an international market dominated by production fromAsia.

2.03 Stockraising, with about 1 million cattle, 2 million small ruminantsand half a million hogs, represents one fifth of agricultural production (9Z ofGDP). About 7 million ha of available pasture are only partially utilizable inthe absence of watering points. Three quarters of this area is in the northernprovinces, where the low utilization of space gives rise to traditional extensivestockraising. Total meat production is about 30,000 tons per year, along withsome 43 million liters of milk, about 200 million eggs and 20,000 tons of game.Animal traction has expanded rapidly, particularly in the cotton productionzones; it has contributed to the growth of cultivated areas, sometimes to thedetriment of the rational exploitation of natural resources. Potential animalproduction in northern Benin is high in terms of pastures, but is limited by poormanagement of surface water resources, archaic production systems and increasingcompetition from crops. Benin's fishing activities, with a production of about40,000 tons per year, provide some 50Z of animal protein requirements. Lagooncatch accounts for two thirds of production. Per capita consumption has fallenby half in the last 25 years; production is still declining as a result ofproblems of lagoon salinity, siltation resulting from the deforestation ofwatersheds, and over-exploitation.

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2.04 Fuelvood consumption, currently estimated at 5.2 rtillion tons, isincreasing in line with the growth of the rural population; this has led tosignificant pockets of deforestation in some areas and to all-around uncontrolledexploitation. Wood is the principal source c; fuel for at least 80% of thepopulation. Currently, the cutting of forest timber is prohibited except fromold state-managed teak plantations (around 46,C00 m3?, which do not meet nationalneeds. The supply of construction poles (about 86,000 m3) from thinning andclearing exceeds demand.

2.05 There are four main agricultural production systems. In terms of thenumber of producers involved, the most important is the agro-pastoral system,with crop fatming predominant. These producers earn most of tneir income fromcrops, while stockraising, although present, is hardly integrated at all intofarming practices, except as regards animal traction. The second most widespreadsystem is the agro-pastoral. with pastoral dominating. The system is typicallyfcund among those Peuls who are becoming more sedentary and for whom stockraisingensures self-suffici'ncy in milk and meat and provides the bulk of their income,with crops completing their basic subsistence. Third is the pastoral system inthe form of exclusive stockraising by nromadic Peul herders practicingtranshumance along well-established routes. Feed and water problems often resultin overgrazing and rapid environmental degradation. The fourth, pure cropfarming systum, is rare, as in modern commercial farming.

B. Land_occupation and the land tenure system

2.06 Although some form of tree cover is found on about 65Z of Benin'sterritory, most of this vegetation is greatly degraded. Its deterioration iscontinuing, as a result of the pressure from shifting agriculture, overgrazingand bush fires. Only some 200,000 ha are still covered with species of economicvalue, while the bulk of the cover (60Z of t:... country) consists of the most openstands, '.aamely woodland and bush savannah. Some 2.6 million ha (19Z of Benin'sland a:ea) are A±ficially protected as gazetted forests (1.3 million ha),national parks (750,000 ha), hunting zones (580,000 ha) and reforestation areas(4,000 ha). However, areas of significant but unknown size within theseprotected areas have been cleared for farming, hunting or stockraising. Thereis a serious lack of basic information on Benin's plant cover and soilcharacteristics, which underscores some significant cartographic needs.

2.07 Smallholdings predominate everywhere, along with traditional methodsof land conveyance and allocation. Average farm size is about 1.7 ha for aseven-person family, the average ranging from 0.4 ha in the soutb, where only 5%of farms exceed 5 ha, to 12.7 ha in the north, with 20% of farms over 5 ha.Access to land is extremely difficult in the south, where it is increasinglycommon for land to be sold and demographic pressure has led to overexploitationof agr4cultural resources. There has been no real improvement in productionmethods that would lead to a sustained increase in productivity. In the north,traditional systems predominate; land is often negotiated and allocated insymbolic terms but the concession remains precarious.

2.08 The State recognizes both traditional forms of ownership andi±dividual ownership. Unless a deed is registered (law of 8/14/65), there is nolegal framework for the recognition of land ownership. The absence oflegislation or even of a rural land register means that the land tenure systemfails to generate security, and, in the absence of a transparent market, does notmake for optimum use of the land. The current land ownership situation featurescomplex rules and customs that govern rights to land and water points. Codifiedsystems embodying the right to exclusive ownership have been superimposed on thetraditional system deriving from collective ownership. The approp:iation of landby the State for production purposes is now a thing of the past. Unregisteredindividual appropriations are rapidly increasing, some for speculative purposes.The heavy pressure on land gives rise to frequent litigation among neighbors.On the other hand, in the north, newcomers move into previously uncultivated

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areas, sometimes in un ontrolled fashion, and are being fairly willingly acceptedby the existing population, with or without the sanction of the land chief, tothe extent of land availability. There is a need to adapt Benin's land tenurepolicy to the various prevailing situations, without imposing a system alien tolocal procedures, which are still partly effective.

C. The degradation of renewable natural resources

2.09 The competition between farming, stockraising and forestry, thespread of bush fires, the disappearance of the forest cover as a sotirce offuelwood, the decrease of soil fertility, possible climatic changes, the silting-up of lagoons and the consequent disappearance of fish resources, are all beingexacerbated by increasing demographic pressure. Shifting slash and burncultivation is still the most common practice, to the detriment of tE. naturalsavannah, Increasingly, fallow land is subject to bush fires or ove.grazed.Constant clearing is leading to the disappearance of gallery forests and bush.Low watershed seepage and heavy runoff result in soil losses which. togethe- withriverbank erosion, lead to the silting-up of watercourses and village wells.Farming is penetrating further and further, including into wetter and morefertile but more distant bottom-lands. Declining soil fertility is the cballengefor tomorrow's agriculture, in en economic context in which access to chemicalfertilizers is still limited (basically to cotton). Mineral exports in the formof cereals and root crops are six times higher than eventual restitutions throughfertilizers. Further mineral losses result from erosion and bush fires.Agriculture is therefore a "mining" activity, and the land is being exhausted inthe absence of sufficiently long fallow periods. Given that at present rates thepopulation of Benin will double in 20 years, the time has come to address therapid exhaustion of the stock of uncultivated land resulting from shiftingcultivation, and to propose researched and tested alternatives while furtherexpanding research into the subject (Annex 3).

2.10 The gazetted forests, along with the parks in the savannah region,are in theory protected by the authorities. In practice they are suffering frompoaching, grazing, bush fires and encroachment by farmers. Furthermore, thefarmers do not understand the reasons for gazetting forests, and theadministration's protection policy has often been ineffective. The early(precautionary) burning policy in the parks is not always properly understood andwell applied by the forestry authorities. As a result, uncontrolled latesecondary fires attributable to hunters and poachers are common, with disastrousconsequences for the fertility of soils and their capacity to regenerate the treecover.

2.11 The growing need for fuelwood is leading to deforestation all aroundthe towns, incipient desertification (Malanville, Boukoumb4, Ouake) and ashortage of free fuelwood. In southern areas, the problem is further amplifiedby the density of the population and the near-complete occupation of the land bycrops. Currently, there is a real scramble for fuelwood, and the sources ofsupply are shifting toward the last gazetted forests in the Oueme valley. Thereis also considerable laxity in the checking of export permits, particularly inthe Malanville region, from which significant amounts of wood are taken to Nigerand Nigeria.

2.12 The insecurity of the land tenure system, combined with the absenceof cultivation practices designed to promote a sustai..able agriculture, hasresulted in farmers and stockraisers losing interest in maintaining and managingtheir land assets. In the north, fires are responsible for the destruction of50,000 ha/year, and land is cleared for cotton and yams at an annual rate ofaround 100,000 ha. The Karimama district in northern Borgou is showing clearsigns of desertification, and the adjacent Kandi and Banikoara districts to thesouth are showing the same symptoms as Karimama a few years ago. In the south,demographic pressure has led to excessive fragmentation and a significant

reduction in fallow periods, which, with no improvements in crop practices, havenegative effects on soil fertility.

2.13 Transhumant stockraising puts an increasingly heavier burden on thenatural pastures. During the dry season it leads to bushfires and to treelopping and pollarding, to allow the herds to browse among the new shoots. Thestraying of animals into crops also gives rise to conflicts with farmers andmakes planting of forest species a hazardous operation. Controlling herdmovements is a prerequisite for the integration of forestry into farming systems.While domestic transhumance is relatively well integrated in the national landuse patterns, large-scale cross-border transhumance is difficult to control. Itis extending further and further into the south of the country, where it isresponsible for severe degradation and conflicts. Cross-border transhumance isin principle governed by the Livestock and Meat Economic Community (CEBV)regulations, which allow the free movement of herds between Niger, Mali, Burl,inaFasso, Togo and Benin. However, the articles of the agreement are not suited tothe ecological and economic context of cross-border transhumance.

D. Agricultural institutions

2.14 The Ministry of Rural Development (MDR) is responsible for assistanceto and regulation of crop farming, stockraising, fisheries, forestry and huntingactivities, as well as agricultural research. The structures of MDR are in theprocess of reorganization. The envirormental activities proposed in this reportfor public sector implementatior. are expected to be administered within the newstructures of MDR.

2.15 Field level dissemination and implementation of agriculturaldevelopment policies are the responsibility of the Regional Action and RuralDevelopment Centers (CARDER) extending the MDR to each department. Prior to theongoing reorganization, the CARDERs had expanded their activities to a number ofcommercial operations, which diverted them from their principal mission ofproviding support and technical assistance for producers. Each CARDER hasreceived, to greater or lesser effect, foreign assistance to finance most of itscapital and operating expenditures.

2.16 Significant institutional reforms are under way in MDR and theCARDERs with the assistance of IDA and other donors. The objective is to developa vital central tool for planning, monitoring and regulation, and to concentratethe activities of the CARDERs on tasks normally carried out by the publicadministration in areas such as extension, monitoring and evaluation, supervisionof rural works and legislation. In addition, regional projects bringing thepublic and private sectors together would help strengthen rural producerorganizations and enterprises and promote the development efforts of ruralcommunities.

2.17 The Directorate of Forestry and Natural Resources (DFRN), whichreplaces the old Directorate of Water, Forestry and Hunting (DEFC) of MDR hasauthority over forest and wildlife management (protection, reforestation,enforcement, training). The old directorate had 45 staff in Cotonou divided into10 services and 20 divisions. This resulted in a separation of disciplines thatcreated overlapping responsibilities and paralyzed operations. To these centralunits must be added the decentralized structures which, as part of the CARDERs,consisted of a service in each department, a district-level unit and arepresentative in each commune. In addition, the national parks, hunting zonesand certain gazetted forests had their own specialized brigades. There was noclear indication as to who had responsibility over field DEFC agents and, as aresult, there was a weakening of the esprit de corps of DEFC personnel. The sameagents were responsible both for law enforcement and for the provision ofassistance to farmers. Furthermore, the lack of resources and effectivesupervision made it impossible to achieve DEFC objectives; frequently itperformed nothing but enforcement tasks.

2.18 The current restructuring is designed to reduce the number of DFRNservices to three and to separa'e clearly in the field the support and advisoryfunctions, from supervision and enforcement functions to be performed by theforestry agents. The DFRN will also supervise the National Remote Sensing Center(CENATEL), which is responsible for continuous surveillance of ecosystems, usingremote sensing and thematic mapping to help define rural land use policies.Technical complementarity would be sought between CENATEL, the National Instituteof Cartography (INC) as regards the supply of basic maps and the geometricnetwork, the National Agro-Pedology Center (CENAP) as regards the printing ofthematic maps, and capacity available in Abidjan for data support conversion.

2.19 A new Ministry of the Environment, Housing and Urban Development wascreated in August 1991 as part of the reorganization of Government structures.While it is intended to play a coordinating role in the environmental sector,including leadership in the EAP process, the new ministry would deal mainly withurban environmental aspects and not impinge on the present responsibilities ofMDR. The Ministry of Justice, which incorporates the Interministerial Committeefor Land Tenure Affairs, the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of the Interiorwould also play important roles as regards the legislative and regulatory aspectsof land tenure policies.

2.20 The Forestry Research Unit (URF) which reports to the Directorate ofAgricultural Research (DRA), is the only entity established to research someaspects of the management of renewable resources. However, it only has oneresearcher in forestry and none of its further research staff has an appropriatelevel of training. Furthermore, the technical assistance it was receiving fromFrench cooperation has just ended. A Master Plan for Agricultural Research isbeing prepared and should produce recommendations for a strategic reorientationof the national research effort, including forestry research. Within thatreorientation, the URF's original function (to test the growth of differentspecies from the standpoint of their integration into industrial plantationprograms) needs to be redesigned in favor of research into the implication forthe rural population of the association of agro-silvo-pastoral activities.

2.21 Village groups (GV) are very active in the cotton zones. Theirsuccess is explained by the clear economic advantages for group initiatives inthat context. Insofar as the villagers are convinced of the advantages to themof the proposed land use plans, they can be expected to collaborate withinsimilar groups.

2.22 The provision and administration of agricultural credit has facedserious difficulties in Benin. The bankruptcy and liquidation of the NationalAgricultural Credit Bank (CNCA) left a considerable void, which has been onlypartially offset by the ongoing rehabilitation of the mutualistic Regional andLocal Agricultural Savings Cooperatives (CLCAMs and CRCAMs). These constitute anational network which has kept the confidence of the farmers, although theiractivities are mostly concentrated in cotton growing areas.

2.23 A number of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) are involved in thepromotion and support of village groups or grass-roots initiatives and indevelopment assistance to the poorest segments of the rural population. So far,the preponderant role has been played by foreign NGOs; however, the recentpolitical changes and resulting enkcouragement for private initiative have led toa remarkable sprouting of local development associations that are destined toplay an expanding role in providing support for the rural sector.

2.24 Various projects financed by foreign donors have forestry or ruralenvironment objectives. They are: (a) the development of national parks(European Development Fund--FED), the first phase of which has been completed;(b) the development of watersheds and campaign against bushfires (UNDP/FAO),which closes in October 1991; (c) multipurpose tree plantations (UNSO), whose

second phase has just started; (d) fuelwood (African Development Fund--ADF/OPEC/WFP), whose current phase extends from 1986 to 1992; (e) forestrydevelopment (the IDA component has been disbursed but the project is continuingwith KfW assistance for a new planting program of 3,000 ha of teak); (f) thesurvey, study and development of bottom-lands (UNDP/FAO), whose current phaseextends from 1986 to 1992; (g) a sensitization program for the coastal populationof West Africa to the protection of natural resources (EDF), whose activities inBenin have not yet started; (h) cattle farming development in Borgou (EDF), whosecurrent phase concludes at the end of 1991; (i) promotion of stockraising inAtacora (German Technical Cooperation--GTZ), whose current phase extends from1989 to 1994; (j) stockraising development in Eastern Borgou (UNDP/UNEF/FAO),whose current phase extends from 1990 to 1995; (k) lagoon fisheries (GTZ), whosecurrent phase extends from 1986 to 1996; and (1) ecology of natural pastures inNorthern Benin and introduction of agro-silvo-pastoral units (Belgium/ISF throughthe National University of Benin), planned through 1996. Numerous smalleroperations are being carried out by NGOs throughout Benin.

E. Policy for natural resource and environmental management

2,25 The seminar on agricultural policy held at Cotonou in July 1990defined the major goals of Benin's rural development, which are part of the newnational policy framework. These goals are: (a) to increase export receipts andimprove the competitiveness of national production while reducing publicexpenditure; (b) to improve rural living standards by raising individual incomesand upgrading services and infrastructures; (c) to ensure food security; and(d) to ensure rational management of natural resources in a spirit of solidarityamong generations.

2.26 Benin's economic growth will depend on its agriculture for a longtime to come. The country's principal current concern is to protect itsproductive potential and develop a sustainable agriculture. The national seminaron the campaign against drought and desertification held at Parakou in April 1985adopted a number of resolutions identifying sector objectives, but it did notdefine either action plans or the resources to implement them. Hence, despitethe Government's recognition of the critical importance of sound management ofresources, corresponding policy issues have always been discussed in theabstract. In terms of legislation, a public hygiene and water code andregulations for the protection of nature and control of hunting activities aredated of l9d7. These laws still do not meet Benin's real needs and have had onlya limited application. A new forestry code has recently been prepared in thecontext of the proposed natural resources management activities. It includes thedefinition and recognition of rights held by rural populations on forestresources under management plans and the possibility of rehabilitating naturalforests with local participation in the context of management plans and possiblerevenue sharing between local communities and the Administration. It is vitalthat the Government promote a proper rural development strategy that reconciles,as far as possible, the various imperatives of agro-silvo-pastoral developmentfor the benefit of the inhabitants concerned. Furthermore, if their security oftenure is strengthened, it is hoped that farmers can be dissuaded from exploitingthe soil simply to make a quick profit.

2.27 The overall response of Benin to the environmental challenge wouldbe built around an Environmental Action Plan (EAP) initiated with UNSO, German,French and IDA assistance. The EAP would define the overall objectives, themeans to improve national implementation capability and the policy andinstitutional framework. The pilot actions to be implemented through thisproject would develop hands-on experience and help formulate the EAP.Environmental action programs benefiting from the experience of pilot operationswould thereafter be initiated.

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F. Role of IDA

2.28 The recent reorientation of Benin's development strategy entailsrequests from its government for IDA to provide assistance keyed to the strongpoints and main issues of the country's economy. The assistance strategy willtie in with the Government's adjustment efforts under its structural adjustmentprogram. IDA's assistance in the years ahead, in the rural sector, is plannedto include support for agricultural services, private sector promotion,agricultural credit, improvement of food security and management of naturalresources and of the environment.

2.29 The rural sector of Benin is in the process of an extensive, step-by-step review, financed by IDA and French assistance. The objective of the reviewis to analyze needs and problems in the sector and identify development actions.The July 1990 seminar (para. 2.25) led to the preparation of a rural developmentpolicy letter which served as the basis for negotiations of the AgriculturalServices Restructuring Project in May 1991. The drafting of a sector reviewreport is in its final stages. The conclusions of these studies, the experiencederived from earlier projects and the recommendations of various IDA missionshave made it possible to sustain a fruitful dialogue with the Government andother donors and to propose policy actions, institutional changes and specificinvestments designed to address the main rural development and environmentalissues.

2.30 Future IDA financed operations in the agriculture sector will begeared to Benin's strategic policy and investment options. The EnvironmentalAction Plan, the restructuring of agricultural services and natural resourcesmanagement will help address the principal issues in the strategy and actionprograms for the environment, the institutional framework, support services forthe rural population, and the rational management of renewable natural resources.These activities will at the same time promote legislation and initiate an actionprogram, whose main planks will be the development of local capacity for naturalresources planning, the introduction of a monitoring system and the initiationof remedial actions.

G. Previous IDA experience in the sector

2.31 The policy dialogue which is being conducted between the government,IDA and interested donors regarding a rational approach to environmental problemsand the conservation of natural resources has evolved from the Forestry SectorDevelopment Project which IDA has confinanced with KfW. That credit financedinstitutional strengthening of the Forestry Department and the planting of 3,800ha of teak under public sector management. At the same time, it led to broaderreflection on the rational management of natural resources within a morecomprehensive approach that would involve the rural population and other privateoperators and could promote the development of a sustainable production base.

2.32 Rural development has often been planned and implemented within asectoral and regional frame, along objectives elaborated without involving thelocal inhabitants in the decision-making process. Village communities were notmade responsible for the sustainable management of the natural resources on whichtheir long-term development would rely. The emphasis has been on reforestationand ambitious protection measures which have often been inapplicable orunsustainable.

2.33 The recent strategy of reducing State involvement in the productionand marketing process and favoring a more decentralized approach and communitydevelopment is conducive to a more ample farmer participation. It will encouragethe development of sustainable production systems by allowing farmers and

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stockraisers to identify in conjunction with MDR staff, ways of alteringproduction practices that have become unsuitable, and to ensure the villagers'willing participation in managing natural resources for long-term economic gains.

2.34 Although this approach ie still experimental (para.2.35), pilotoperations of this nature in Sahel countries, and to a limited extent in Benin,show preliminary results. Community response is generally positive and VillageCommittees prove active in solving land related conflicts and in organizing thecommunity for better and sustainable management of their common resources.Although activities of this type are expanding rapidly and increasingly beingadopted by Government services, NGOs and donor agencies, some potentialconstraints have to be highlighted: (a) empowerment of local communities in themanagement of natural resources implies the clarification of rights over theutilization of those resources and the enactment of supporting legislation (land,forest, wildlife); (b) the institutional organization varies considerably in theimplementation of natural resources management; however a consensus emerges thatthe planning and management of field operations should be as decentralizad aspossible, with proper articulation between various Government services and withNGOs for overall coherence and long term development impact; (c) theparticipatory approach requires considerable sensitization and training oftechnicians and planners; it also requires flexibility in adapting the pace ofpreparation and implementation of management plans to the local community'scapacity and willingness.

H. The proposed local community land management approach

2.35 The local community land (terroir) approach is community-based,participatory and holistic. The key element in this approach is the preparationof a land development plan by the community with the assistance of amultidisciplinary team of technicians. The plan would include rules govcrningaccess to and utilization of natural resources, including the necessary landimprovement works. These improvements must start with and be accompanied byawareness-building measures and specific diagnostics, and should be based on thevillagers' acceptance of the resulting management responsibilities. The planwould be implemented with technical and financial assistance from governmentaland non-governmental sources. The approach, which is in line with the objectivesstated in MDR's letter on rural development policy of May 1991, has a number ofcorollaries, namely:

(a) Policy reforms. The most important issue to be reso4ved is thedefinition of clear land tenure policies. This requires anexperimental, pragmatic and gradual approach. Land tenure problemsmust be tackled at: (i) the local level, by terroir, to takeaccount of traditional customs and organizations; (ii) the regionallevel--monitoring local actions; (iii) the national level--gatheringthe data to prepare government policy on land tenure. The approachmust take account of the specific features of local land tenureconditions and must enjoy the largest possible political support.Environmental legislation must provide a basis for policies andactions in the sectors concerned (forests, hunting, water,transhumance...). The Environmental Action Plan would helpelaborate environmental policies and legislation.

(b) Strengthening the planning and monitoring/evaluation capacity of thecentral services. This requires a data gathering program on (i) thechanging condition of natural resources; (ii) the dynamics of landoccupation and productivity; (iii) the demographic carrying capacityof the land and the identification of zones at risk; (iv) theproduction/consumption balance for fuelwood; and (v) climaticchanges. This will facilitate the preparation, at national andregional level, of sector policies and plans for natural resourcemanagement.

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(c) The empowerment of local communities must be accompanied bydelegation and decentralization of management of field activities.Local management units should bring together villager and supporttechnicians under a local manager who would assist and oversee thepreparation and implementation of land use management plans on apartnership basis between the technicians and the community.Programs and budgets would be agreed between the management unit andthe central authorities on an annual basis. The units must ensurecoordination with local public services, NGOs, private entrepreneursand credit agencies. The local management units would benefit fromgovernment support services in terms of training, information andmonitoring from the central level.

(ti) Training must be provided to villagers, technicians, extensionistsand local and central public servants. The training of producersalong with extension agents should create a convergence betweentraditional practices and knowledge and the possibilities foracceptable technical improvements. In addition to the training onthe terroir approach received on recruitment, the teamsparticipating in the pilot operations and the extension agents andtechnicians working with these teams should be trained in the newmethods of working with the rural inhabitants (joint analvsis andtesting) and in agricultural techniques, in the context of naturalresource development and management. By involving both the pilotoperations teams and the extension agents, this training would helpto build a national capacity ensuring the expansion andreplicability of the approach.

Ce) The promotion of new farming systems and agro-silvo-pastoralproduction methods will be essential to the improvement oftraditional agriculture. Under the terroir approach, the promotionof new farming systems and production methods must ensurecompatibility between the collective interest and individualinterests. The approach will comprise: (i) actions at theindividual farm level (anti-erosion measures, rotation improvements,use of organic fertilizers, crop and forage diversification,integration and intensification of stockraising); (ii) actionsrequiring the active involvement of all members of the community(anti-erosion works, development and management of forestry, pastureresources, bottom-lands and water points); and (iii) other actionsat the village level to improve the community infrastructure andservices (water supply, access roads, input purchases, agriculturalcredit, marketing and maintenance). The approach will have to takeinto account the specific situations of different groups within thecommunity with particular emphasis on women and young farmers.

(f) The approach adopted for research and development under thereorganization of MDR fits the requirement of community landmanagement. It allows researchers, extension agents and producersto work together at all stages of the planning, execution andevaluation of the tests undertaken. Research activities would berefocused on the fields of rural producers working in conjunctionwith the pilot operation teams. The aim would be to better identifyconstraints, generate a technology better suited to local needs,improve technology transfer by encouraging closer collaborationamong all parties and ensure management by the rural producersthemselves.

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(g) Coordination with other ongoing activities should lead to exchan3esof experience and the transter of available technologies, and shouldenable technicians to be given practical training. This would helpensure more balanced rural development and provide the informationrequired to improve the management of natural resources, via thesensitization and empowerment of local communities.

III. THE PROJECT

A. Justification

3.01 Agricultural development in Benin ls increasingly hampered by thedeterioration of natural resources. The demand for arable land, resulting frompopulation growth, has reduced the duration of the fallow period, led to thecropping of land normally reserved for grazing and undermined the tree cover.In addition, uncontrolled bush fires, uncontrolled herd movements and land tenureinsecurity have thwarted the establishment of sustainable production systems.The result is (a) a loss of production potential, due to decreased soil fertility(para 2.09) and significant erosion on cultivated hillsides; and (b) growingpressure on protected land.

3.02 There is at present in Benin an overall balance between food supplyand demand. This balance is however achieved at the expense of a gradualdepletion of natural resources and decrease of soil fertility, which endangersits sustainability. The proposed natural resources management actions thereforeseek neither a substantial short term increase in agricultural production (otherthan in areas where food security is at risk) nor a protection of renewableresources at the expense of more immediate production levels. They seek methodsto increase productivity with lesser pressure on natural resources. Villagerswould be made aware of the long term benefits of resource sustainability, of theshort term advantages of increased food security in risk areas and of moreappropriate and less costly production methods.

3.03 Sustainable balance between food supply and demand requires theimprovement of land (including rangeland) assets and management, sedentarizationand intensification of agriculture, improved growing methods, and henceprotection of natural resources. The proposed project is intended t6 assist thegovernment in implementing its stated policy of making the short term objectivesof villagers compatible with their long-term interests, making the ruralcommunities and stockraisers responsible for the management of their assets; andto develop appropriate and replicable technology for that purpose, acceptable tothe local inhabitants. Sensitization campaigns undertaken would highlight priorand free consent of local populations, based on their understanding of theexpected short and long term advantages. Improvement of the economic context asregards outlets, trade, inputs and infrastructure in both rural and urban areaswould be sought through other programs.

B. Objectives

3.04 Two basic objectives are pursued: (a) institution-building includingthe review, enactment and enforcement of legislation, policy design,strengthening of the planning, monitoring and evaluation capacity; and (b) pilotactions that promote sustainable uses of agro-sylvo-pastoral resources and helpstem the degradation of renewable natural resources. Activities would proceedin tandem with the preparation of an Environmental Action Plan, which wouldeventually help establish national expertise on environmental issues in thevarious sectors of the economy.

3.05 The pilot operations would test: (a) the use of techniques conduciveto sustained production, without undermining the production potential, by giving

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priority to improving locally known techniques, while also testing otherpromising techniques; (b) a better agro-silvo-pastoral integration as part ofvillage land management; (c) the empowerment and involvement of the communitiesand individuals in the management of natural resources; and (d) linkages withother agricultural servicee and sectoral programs to improve the operations'sustainability.

3.06 This five-year operation would constitute the first phase of a long-term program. Its experience would be gradually integrated into the other rural,forestry and livestock development programs, and would provide support to CARDERactivities and those of other rural support entities.

C. Brief description of the project

3.07 The project would combine (a) institution-building activities, whichare national in scope; with (b) site-specific field activities of three types:(i) management of three gazetted forests; (ii) watershed development at fourpilot sites including land tenure operations and research-development activities;and (iii) wildlife management at two pilot sites on the border of the nationalparks and hunting areas. The main components of the project would be:

1. Institution-building

(a) Institutional support, comprising strengthening of the planning,management and monitoring/evaluation capability, includingformulation o' a national forestry program, review of presentlegislation and enforcement of poaching control in the nationalparks.

(b) Training of farmers and local communities, multidisciplinaryextension agents, specialized technicians, land management teams andplanners.

(c) Various studies.

2. Site-specific activities

(a) Management of forestry resources: Development plans would beformulated for better management and protection of three pilotnatural forest sites by the local inhabitants.

(b) Watershed development/management: Activities would be carried outat four priority test zones that are representative of the diverseecological and rural socioeconomic situations in the country.

(c) Land tenure operations: Land tenure surveys would be carried out,with the assistance of the communities, on the same watershedscomprising the registration of land rights (land tenure plans), witha view to the eventual formulation of a national land legislation.

(d) Research and development: The research and development network nowbeing established by the DRA would be strengthened in the fourwatersheds so that trials could be carried out with and by thefarmers in agro-silvo-pastoral activities with the assistance ofresearchers and extension agents.

(e) Wildlife management: Wildlife management would be promoted on twosites of the Pendjari and Djona hunting areas, with farmerinvolvement.

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D. Detailed description

1. Institution-buildinR

(a) Strengthening of the planning, management, monitoring and evaluationcapability

3.08 The new Directorate of Forests and Natural Resources (DFRN) wouldplay a key role in information management, policy preparation and planning. Itwould in particular prepare a national forestry resource utilizationprogram for an optimal combination of conservation of protected zones and parksand satisfaction of the needs of the inhabitants. The forestry policy would bebased on prior studies involving the evaluation of national forestry resources(para.3.11) and an understanding of the wood subsector (para.3.19). TheDirectorate would formulate the strategy and means of exploiting presently E q-owned industrial forests (fuelwood project, the Lama plantation, etc.) in * _rto transfer forestry concessions to private operators through competitive biduingand in accordance with preset specifications. DFRN would further identify themeans of encouraging private forestry plantations and processing. Furthersupport to policy formulation and preparation of a forestry program would beprovided by FAQ under UNDP .ofinancing. Assurances were obtained duringnegotiations that the forestry program would be finalized by June 30, 1993. Anew forestry code has been prepared by DFRN and submitted to Parliament. Itsadoption would be a condition of credit effectiveness. The Government, jointlywith donors, would evaluate progress in the implementation of the forestry policyand new forestry code during the mid-term review of the project (para. 4.11).

3.09 Policy formulation and reforms would have to involve all the actorsor participants who make the policy operate, including farmers communities, thegeneral public, interest groups, the legislative apparatus and theAdministration. The cox sultation process is being carried out within theEnvironmental Action Plan activities through regional and national workshops.MDR would maintain close linkages between the entities involved in thepreparation of the EAP, the Interministerial Commission for Land Tenure Affairsresponsible for the preparation of land legislation, and the DRA, which wouldcoordinate the research and development network.

3.10 The project would finance the few necessary building renovations andincremental office space, office and transport equipment, training, technicalassistance and incremental operating costs.

3.11 CENATEL would, under DFRN, be responsible for environmentalmonitoring and would update available information on natural resources and theenvironment (mapping, forestry inventory, land use maps, location of watersheds,erosion, transhumance, migration of populations, etc.) through remote sensing.This capacity would be used to determine the causes of resource degradation, helpin rural planning and decision-making, permit the monitoring of the impact ofdevelopment policies, propose remedial measures and guide sectoral investments.CENATEL would produce nationwide coverage maps on a scale of 1:100,000 of currentland use and plant cover. It would also provide, on request, ad hoc informationand cartographic services to private agents or enterprises. The Center wouldbecome the national archive for baseline satellite data. It would have a certainamount of management autonomy. Technical complementaritv with the NationalCartographic Institute (INC) (establishment of the metric network) and theNational Agropedology Center (CENAP) (map printing) would be sought. A detailedlist of studies and monitoring operations to be carried out is given in theirorder of priority in Working Document no. 3. The project would finance thepurchase of aerial photos for the pilot sites, a national coverage of satelliteimages, equipment for, inter alia, setting up a geodetic reference system,teleanalysis, thematic photo-mapping, and baseline map production (Annex 4),minimum transportation resources, initial technical assistance and outsideconsultations or subcontracting as well as incremental operating costs.

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3.12 To control poaching, seven of the most sensitive control postswithin the Pendjari national park, the Atakora hunLing zone and the W nationalpark would be strengthened. Greater poaching control, would help ensure thesurvival of the natural heritage of Benin in the national parks of the north,which are subject to strong human pressures. The proposed actions would providecontinuity between earlier activities financed by EDF and a regional nationalpark program under preparation, also for EDF financing. The project would financethe means of transportation and communications for the forestry posts, theirrehabilitation and incremental operating costs.

(b) Training

3.13 Training would be provided to villagers and local communities,polyvalent extension agents, technical specialists and planners since in manycases attitudes and practices regarding environmental management must bedrastically changed. It would supplement the training to be provided under theongoing restructuring of MDR and draw upon existing structures and localexpertise. The main task would be to organize training for project personnel andsubsequently to permit, through the local management teams and agriculturalservice agencies, the transfer of the necessary know-how to the ruralpopulations. The component would make the terroir management proceduresunderstood by Beninese officials and entities which are as yet unfamiliar withsuch an approach.

3.14 Training of villagers. The village communities would be made awareof the risks associated with the degradation of natural resources and of theactivities proposed as palliatives. Villagers would be trained on theobjectives, means and procedures of resource management (terroir managementcommittee, conditions for access to financing, land tenure plans), and oncorresponding techniques (land improvement, intensification of production, forestmanagement, diversification of economic activities). Villager training wouldrely on experimentation and acquisition of know-how through contact with theextension agents, technical specialists, researchers and other service providers.Some 120,000 people would be reached in the rural areas.

3.15 The Savalou (Zou) rural promotion center, to be built and managed bythe Mani-Tese NGO and modeled after the Tempdgr4 center, would train out-of-school rural youth in natural resource management. The project would financetraining costs of the center during two-years, after which the center wouldachieve financial autonomy. A one-year resident program would be offered to some20 youth every year. These youth would then provide contact points for ruraldevelopment activities and services.

3.16 The training of the local management units, research and developmentstaff and rural extension agents would enable them (a) to carry out a diagnosticstudy of agricultural and farming systems; (b) help the community set itspriorities, appraise investments and negotiate the necessary financial andtechnical support; and (c) advise and counsel their communities in proceedingwith the investments. These staff would be selected on the basis of theirmotivation and ability to follow a participatory approach (capacity for dialogue,knowledge of the local language). Basic training for the local management teamsand CARDER extension agents, RDRs and subject matter specialists working withthem would be provided by MDR with the assistance of a specialized institution,which would provide methodological support missions one month a year to ensurethe appropriate focusing of the training. If necessary, seminars and field tripsin West 4frica would be organized for team personnel. Overall, some 34specialists from the local management and R-D teams, 37 extension, outreach andresearch agents, 14 RDRs, and 12 forestry agents would be trained. In addition,training for CARDER agents is to be provided as part of the restructuringoperations.

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3.17 Central level staff (para.4.03) responsible for the planning andcoordination of the activities financed by the project (coordinator, trainer,rural works and forestry specialists and the head of land tenure operations)would receive training either before project start-up, to the extent that thepeople have already been identified, or immediately afterwards, in the form ofintensive short-term internships on the terroir management approach, provided byspecialized institutions, possibly abroad, supplemented by visits to similaractivities in the West Africa region. The financial controller of DFRN wouldreceive sJmilar periodic training in financial control, management and monitoringprior to project start-up. Specialized short-term training would be given abroadby remote sensing specialists to CENATEL technical personnel in photographicprocessing, satellite imaging techniques and the use of specialized software.CARDER and ministry managers. local authorities, local management units and NGOs,would attend national seminars organized by the central level staff each year andcourses nt the local faculty of agronomy, and would participate in study tripsto provide broad-based awareness-raising in the terroir approach and facilitateits understanding.

3.18 At the start of activities, specialized consultancy would be soughtto help the training specialist establish the details of the training programsand modules for the first year as well as the curricula for seminars andworkshops. Further technical assistance, lasting one year, would be provided tothe training specialist in the implementation of the programs.

(c) Studies

3.19 The project would finance:

(a) a master plan for Borgou natural resource development, to include:(i) an inventory of available natural resources; (ii) an evaluationof carrying -Apacity; (iii) the delimitation of homogeneousdevelopment areas and zones at risk; (iv) the determination ofpriorities for lanid use and main transhumance routes; (v) a newdelimitation of protected zones; (vi) the formulation of developmentmodels for rural areas; and (vii) the location of livestock waterpoints. The plan could also propose a terroir development programfor the short, medium and long run, in accordance with environmentalprotection regulatioids. The study should draw from previousexperience and ongoing experiments of the various parties alreadyinvolved in the area such as CARDERs, teams or NCOs. It would notbegin until the necessary base maps on soil su.titability, plantcover, etc., which are already planned to b produced usingsatellite imagery, are available;

(b) a study (possibly by an NGO) of wood subsectors to identify overalland local needs for ligneous material, the main production areas andcommercial channels, in order to calculate proje:ted supply anddemand over the next 10 to 20 years and help define the forestryprogram;

(c) the means of establishing, managing and funding a Natural ResourceManagement Fund to facilitate the sustainability ard expansion ofactivities beyond the pilot areas and the duratien of projectfunding;

(d) an analysis of the causes and economic impact of the degradation ofnatural resources in Benin; and

(e) other studies as necessary.

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2. Site-specific activities

(a) Management of natural forests

3.20 The gazetting of forests during the colonial period with a view tooverall protection was often not understood by the local inhabitants.Legislation, severely limiting community usage rights, was not enforced owing toa lack of means. Today, natural forests are shrinking at an alarming rate asthey are increasingly cleared by farmers and stockraisers. The protection ofsuch forests requires the establishment of conservation and management planswhich, while wa ntaining the gazetting, allow for local community involvement inreforestation, and for profit-sharing on permitted utilizations. The managementplans would be formulated by the communities with the assistance of localmanagement units, in close cooperation with the Forestry Administration, whichwould oversee implementation.

3.21 Three pilot forestry operations would test participatory managementmethods for different types of natural stands, involving the communities andforestry associations, in the gazetted forest of (a) the Oueme Superieur(southern Borgou and Atacora), supplying fuelwood for Parakou and Djougou with142,500 ha still relatively untouched by agricultural clearings; (b) Toui Kilibo(northern Zou), covering 49,000 ha, with villages established within the forestand subject to recent uiicontrolled encroachments; and (c) Dogo-Ketou (north ofthe Oueme), covering 43,000 ha already largely settled and subject to fairlystrong demographic pressure, with half of the forest apparently cleared and therest largely degraded. Preparatory assistance for the eventual management of theMont Kouff6 forest is also being envisaged by FAO under UNDP financing.

3.22 Prerequisites for the forestry management operations are:(a) mapping and inventory; (b) a sociological survey to determine pertinentvillage structures, forestry user groups, land tenure aspects, currentutilization of the forest (water, grazing, hunting, gathering, crops, wood,etc.); and (c) identification and extension of techniques for limiting pressureon forested areas (agro-silvo-pastoral intensification, improvementof infrastructure, villager plantations, pasture management). After suchpreparatory activities lasting about six to twelve months, a forest managementplan would be established, defining the possibilities for natural and artificialregeneration, the regulations governing the utilization of wood and byproducts,necessary human resources and a timetable. Operational guidelines would definethe role of village groups in the multi-purpose forestry management plans.

3.23 The forestry management plans would propose targets and actions toimprove forestry protection as part of the new participatory approach (a) in theforest: control of fire, grazing and hunting, thinnings, natural regeneration,enrichment of deteriorated existing forests and planting in already clearedareas; (b) outside the forest: improvement in farming techniques,sedentarization and stabilization of agriculture; and (c) along the peripheries:demarcation, delimitation, firebreaks, and buffer plantations where the foresthas been destroyed (see Annex 2).

3.24 Participatory management operations would be possible only wherevillages exist on the periphery, and forestry activities would be limited toauthorized sustainable uses within pre-agreed management plans. For each forest,the management plan should clearly identify the areas to be protected in full,and buffer zones where a rational management system can be established with asharing of revenue between the Government and the local communities or forestrygroups. That revenue could be generated from several sources: thinnings,selective cuttings for biological improvement, fuelwood, charcoal, honey, meatfrom hunting, fishing, hay, karite nut butter, fruits and other products ofgathering, as well as the fees paid by users outside the community (grazing,hunting and other). Protection and replantation works would also provide anincome to employed workers. Regulations would specify how revenues would be

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distributed, as well as the conditionA governing the agricultural activitiescoupled with replanting methods in the buffer zone. A revenue sharing formulafor each management plan to ensure farmer participation would be agreed betweenthe government and the communities.

3.25 Buffer zones would be located on already cleared areas within thegazetted forests. A participatory replanting system would enable the farmers tocontinue producing their crops on state land, interspersed with young forestplantations which they would establish and maintain during some three years,after which the height of the trees would preclude cropping and anotherdeforested tract would be assigned to the farmers in the buffer zone. Thegovernment would encourage this participation through compensation for theseedlings and their maintenance (see Annex 2). The local management teams andthe Forestry Administration would provide monitoring and regular support.

3.26 Project activities would not entail any involuntary resettlement buttake into account both the interests of indigenous populations and protectioncriteria. Nor would the project require in semi-dry partially degraded foreststhe kind of intensive development that would be needed in moist tropical forests.

3.27 At each pilot site, a team consisting of a forestry developmentspecialist, a sociologist specialized in rural groups, an agronomist withexpertise in herding and an accountant would provide support to the communitiesinvolved in this component. Topographical support would be needed for theformulation of the development plans on the basis of aerial photos and fielddemarcation. The CARDER polyvalent extension agent would work with the team inaccordance with an agreement to be concluded between the project coordinator andthe CARDER. Forestry agents would also be involved within their respectiveduties. Preparatory activities and subsequent preparation and implementation ofmanagement plans would begin at the Toui Kilibo site first to ensurecomplementarity with the activities planned by the watershed team based in nearbyOuesse (para 3.28). Activities at the Ouemd Superieur and Dogo-Ketou sites wouldbegin respectively in the second and third years of the project. An expatriateforestry specialist would help in start-up operations at the three sites. Hewould first be based in Parakou and later in Sav4 or Cotonou. The project wouldfinance the construction of offices and sheds for the forestry associations ateach site, means of transportation and equipment for the support teams,strengthening of the forestry posts around the pilot sites, improvement works,consulting services and incremental operating costs.

(b) Watershed development

3.28 Pilot development plans would be undertaken in four watershedsrepresentative of different agro-ecological zones and located at: (a) Aplahoudin Mono, with a high population density and extensive soil degradation, requiringerosion control, biological measures to improve soil fertility, development ofbottom-lands and agro-forestry; (b) Ouesse in Zou, still potentially rich in landbut subject to uncontrolled settlement, bush fires and conflicts betweenstockraisers and farmers; (c) Boukoumbe in Atacora, characterized by totaldeforestation, strong human and animal pressure, lack of available land, andproduction on steep slopes associated with significant erosion; and (d) Ouakd inAtacora, suffering from severe bush fire problems, poor and degraded soils andheavy emigration, requiring the sedentarization and intensification ofagriculture, development of agro-forestry and protection of land. Watersheddevelopment activities, following the two phased approach described below, wouldbe gradually initiated, starting with the two watersheds of Ouesse (Zou) andAplahoue (Mono), where socioeconomic studies and preliminary development planshave already been prepared. After similar preparatory studies, activities wouldbegin at Boukoumbe during the second year of the project and finally at Ouak4during the third year.

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3.29 On each site, in a first phase lasting about one year: (a) the localcommunities would be made more aware of their responsibilities and of the formsof support that would be offered them under the terroir management operation; (b)the first villages to be assisted would be identified; (c) interested inhabitantswould, with outside technical support, work on a diagnostic of the naturalresource management problems in their area on the basis of their knowledge of thesituation and its causes; (d) research and development operations would beginwith the local inhabitants in conjunction with the extension service to developsolutions to the problems diagnosed; (e) the first land tenure surveys anddelimitation of property would begin with a view to establishing a land registry;(f) the community would appoint representatives (Terroir Management Committee)who, together with the techn4:al support team, would identify and preparepriority actions under a mul.-year plan for the sustainable management ofnatural resources; and (g) the same people would seek financing and technicalsupport for the implementation of those actions. They would present adevelopment brief as a basis for contracts with providers of services oLcomplementary funds (NGOs, government, financial institutions). The multi-yearplans would reflect the various problems facing community members, including themost disadvantaged groups. In this regard, the position of women is oftendelicate and would be given particular attention so that they can participate inthe committee and benefit on an equal footing from the development process, withparticular attention to land tenure, water and fuelwood chores, and technicalassistance. Research and development activities would further test how theinterests of women would be best served.

3.30 The second phase would see the implementation of the management planand continuation of research and development operations and land registration.It is impossible to anticipate the type and size of investments envisaged by themanagement plans. For costing purposes of the watershed development action, anumber of models have been produced (Annex 3) and lump sums of about US$50,000have been tentatively allocated to each of about 40 villages (10 per site)concerned. Experience from similar pilot actions in Benin and elsewhere suggestsa number of possible activities: (a) seed beds and village or private fuelwoodand timber plantations, land improvement, conservation and reclamation; (b) therational management of wooded savanna to enhance forestry potential andprotection; (c) improvement and intensification of traditional agro-livestock-forestry farming systems, inputs in organic matter from improved fallow or agro-forestry systems, contour ridging, alternate rows of fallow land and crops, etc.;(d) erosion control techniques (filtering hedges, low stone walls, ravinecorrection); (e) development of bottom-lands; (f) management of pasture land andtranshumance zones; and (g) improvement of local infrastructure and services ofcommunal interest (roads, storage, wells, associative eniterprises for inputsupply, access to agricultural credit, marketing and maintenance, etc.). Urgentaction for which the benefits are clear could begin without waiting for themanagement plans, so as to stimulate the local communities and respond to anexpressed need that is consistent with the overall approach. In each watershedand throughout the period, the activities would expand gradually from 2 to 10villages, while remaining flexible as regards requests from other villages.

3.31 Each pilot zone woull be assisted by a local management unit basedin Azove (Mono), Ouesse (Zou), Djougou and Boukoumbe (Atacora). The unit wouldbe composed of an agronomist specialized in rural works, two technicians (agro-forestry and agro-pastoralist), a sociologist and an accourtant. In thevillages, the team would seek an agreement with the CARDER to provide extensionagents capable of working with the multidisciplinary team on an equal footing.The CARDER subject matter specialist and sector chief would also work with theteam, providing monitoring on behalf of the CARDER. The team would provide thecommunities with assistance for the preparation and implementation of themanagement plans. An expatriate agronomist specialized in rural work would berecruited to assist in start-up, coordination and monitoring. For each pilotsite, in supplement to resources available to the villages, the project wouldfinance preliminary studies, offices and limited storehouse space, transportation

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resources for the team, equipment, land improvement works under the managementplan, consulting services and incremental operating costs.

(c) Land tenure operations

3.32 The pilot operations would introduce an experimental, pragmatic andgradual approach for each terroir, leading to the formulation of a rural l'dplan describing the relations between holders of land tenure rights. At the sametime, a legal document, which could be used as collateral and as a basis fortransaction, would be established. Over the short run, at the watershed sites,the nature and severity of land tenure problems would be assessed. Eventually,a national polic, would be formulated on the basis of field data and technical,sociological, legal and political analyses. as a prelude to land legislation andto a national renewable resource management policy.

3.33 The project would finance investments and operating costs for landtenure surveys at the four watershed pilot sites to: (a) determine thedemographic, geographic, economic, land tenure, legal and sociological featuresof the area; (b) identify corresponding land rights (nature, origin, duration,conditions of acquisition, nature of identified conflicts); and (c) delimit thoserights. The resulting land tenure plan would include (i) a map on a scale of1:10,000 (from photos at 1:30,000) showing the terroir borders and communal orindividual plots; and (ii) a register of the rightholders and of the nature ofrights they exercise. The rural land tenure plan would indicate the rights asthey are perceived and recognized by the villagers and as resulting fromagreements between individuals, neighbors, families and villages, declared to thesurvey team and not contested by third parties (see Annex 1). The survey teamswould not be empowered to either change the declarations received or settle anyconflicts. Contested rights would not be registered until the conflicts areresolved.

3.34 An information and awareness-raising campaign and a demographicsurvey would be carried out at the pilot sites before the field works proper.The topographical surveys would have the same value as those carried out by theprefecture. All operations, from the demographic survey through the registrationof rights would carry legal status. For that purpose, an official order of theMinistry of the Interior and the Ministry of Rural Development would be issuedbefore the start of the land tenure operations. Survey results could be appealedwithin some three months of their publication. Recognized right owners would begiven a receipt and a plat that could be used to obtain provisional or definitivetitle under the future land legislation.

3.35 The land tenure component would be implemented by the localmanagement team assisted by topographers contracted from INC. The RuralLegislation and Promotion Directorate of MDR would maintain and operate the ruralland tenure registry. The Ministry of the Interior, through the prefects andsubprefects, would be responsible for the information campaign and thepublication of the land tenure plan before the start of the appeal period. Thesubprefecture and prefecture land offices would monitor and maintain the landtenure plan in their localities. The Terroir Management Committees would do thesame at the village level. The Ministry of Justice would be responsible for theeventual preparation of the land tenure code.

(d) Research and Development (R-D)

3.36 This component would require coordination and close liaison with theR-D activities proposed under the ongoing restructuring of MDR and therestructuring of agronomic research to be soon elaborated. MDR's R-D activitieswould be focused on on-site adaptive research, overseen by the farmers with theparticipation and monitoring of researchers and extension agents. Moreover, R-Dcenters would be established, under the restructuring of agricultural services,in each of the four main agro-ecological regions to support field experimentation

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and staffed with a multidisciplinary team of researchers. The pilot watersheddevelopment sites of Aplahoue, Ouesse, Boukoumbe and Ouake are part of the R-Dnetwork. Natural resources management activities planned by the local managementteams would be c.rried out in close collaboration with R-D programs and buildupon their results. MDR's R-D operations would take into account the calendarproposed for the natural resources pilot activities in the different sites.

3.37 R-D activities on the pilot sites would take into account thefarmers'constraints in soil protection, improvement of fallow, establishment ofcrops, agro-forestry and the management of the terroir to generate bettertechnology. Liaison with rural exter.sion shoulIdensure the subsequentdissemination of the innovations introduced on the farmers' fields. Contactswith national and international researchers on specific subjects could generateideas for subsequent experimentation in the field or at the research stations.

3.38 The planned strengthening of the research and development teams inforestry matters would compensate for certain gaps in knowledge as regards:(a) the management of natural forests and natural and artificial regenerationtechniques; (b) the management of fires end clearing techniques; (c) themanagement of pasture land; and (d) agro-fcrestry and regeneration techniques insavanna areas. The reorientation of forestry research from its current focus onstate forest plantations to the above objectives would be achieved as part of thereorganization of agronomic research.

3.39 A watershed development specialist would assist eachmultidisciplinary research team in Mono, Zou and Atacora. A forestry engineerwould be added to the Zou team for the operations slated in Toui, and one inBorgou (Ina) for Oueme Superieur. A research technician would provide supportto the R-D teams at each watershed site. The project would finance theestablishment, equipment and incremental operating costs of these specialists.

3.40 The Toui Forestry Research Unit (URF) would serve as a base for theR-D teams. To that end, the project would finance the establishment, equipmentand operating costs of a research technician. The URF lacks appropriate fundingand suffers from a lack of expertise and from poor skills mix. In order not tolose the experience of URF, the project would also finance ongoing experimentsfor two years, pending the formulation of the agronomic research master plan.

(e) Wildlife management

3.41 Wildlife management would be initiated at the sites of Batia andAlphakouara, located on the border of the Pendjari and rjona hunting areas.These are the two most sensitive buffer areas providing access to the Pendjariand W national parks. Grass-roots involvement by the villagers would be soughtin the various renewable natural resource utilization and site development plans(socioeconomic development, conservation of nature, wildlife management, agro-silvo-pastoral equilibrium, small livestock or game farming, tourismpossibilities). The rational use of a buffer area between the hunting zone andhuman settlements would be conceived under the management of a village committee.Moreover, as part of the development of the Batia site, the organization ofhunting in the "free hunting" area would be entrusted to the local inhabitantsunder the supervision of forest rangers. Tracking, food, beverage and otherservices would be