#1gef BIOREACH: Government of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago Ministry of Planning and Development F FIAT PANIS Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations Biodiversity Conservation and Agroecological Land Restoration in Productive Landscapes of Trinidad and Tobago PROJECT PREPARATION GRANT PHASE Validation Workshops 19 and 20th January, 2020 Asif Khan - PPG National Coordinator#2Agenda Validation Context PPG Phase 。 What it entailed ⚫ Role of stakeholders о о Summary of supporting Consultancies Next step towards making the project a reality#3Why the Validation workshop? The goal of the Validation workshop is to finalize all the key elements of the project design and support for the project by key stakeholders. These workshops will serve to: O Serve as the forum to present the project framework, financing, methods of execution, monitoring & evaluation with key project stakeholders; Managing expectations around timing and funding; O Explain the next steps in the project cycle; Validate project with relevant stakeholders#4What is Bioreach? The Goal is to promote biodiversity conservation, to restore degraded lands and improve livelihoods of rural communities in targeted productive landscapes Why? о о о These landscapes and biodiversity play important roles Biodiversity and productive landscapes face many threats ⚫ Their depletion therefore has an impact on livelihoods, health, agriculture, the environment#5Root Causes of Biodiversity loss and land degradation Poverty Agricultural Legacy Lack of Knowledge Poor Governance IAS & Disease Climate Change & Natural Disasters Can we continue doing business as usual?#6How did we get to this stage? The Global Environment Facility (GEF) was established to help tackle our planet's most pressing environmental problems; grant funding available to countries to help with this. In July 2018, the Ministry of Planning and Development, requested formally the support from FAO to develop a GEF 7 proposal to address these issues Submitted a Project Identification Form (PIF) to the GEF in April 2019 after consultation with key stakeholders; described the current situation and broad objectives Approval of PIF granted in June 2019 and issued the PPG to guide the design of the project. A Project Steering Committee was convened guide the design and outputs of various consultants and to undertake the technical development of the project First draft of project produced in Nov; reviewed and second FULL draft now prepared and presented#7Project Preparation Grant (PPG) Before the funds are released, the current situation and needs of the Country must be examined and understood. In order to assist with this and ensure we get it right, the GEF granted USD $150,000 in the form of a Project Preparation Grant to the FAO for development and delivery of the Project Document that will guide Bioreach Deliverables include: о O Scoping and Baseline studies • CoFinancing commitments. о о Socio economic Analysis Legislation, Policy and Capacity Development Needs Assessment Evaluation (M&E) O Knowledge Management, Consultations о Stakeholder Consultations Monitoring and conducted with gender and youth sensitivity: Inception, Validation, Focus groups#8Stakeholders' role during the PPG Provide information that will specify the future project's focus and ensure that project incremental reasoning, cost-effectiveness, risk and mitigation issues are addressed through a widespread and thorough consultation process with all stakeholders and project partners Examine and assess the work plan, project objectives, sites and activities Provide information on present/ planned projects, ensure the programme fits in to your development goals BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION AND AGROECOLOGICAL LAND RESTORATION IN PRODUCTIVE LANDSCAPES OF TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO#9Inception Workshops & Stakeholder Consultations Held in October 2019. Project was introduced along with the PPG phase and requirements from Stakeholders in shaping the project. Series of stakeholder consultations took place following the workshops by the Project team. Utilised various methods of engagement. Stakeholders assisted in setting the focus of Bioreach; importantly, we were able to develop a model for execution of the project (who has capacity and who can do what).#10Agency/Institution Division of Food Production, Forestry and Fisheries - THA Division of Infrastructure, Quarries and the Environment - Tobago House of Assembly Division of Food Production, Forestry and Fisheries - THA Fondes Amandes Community Reforestation Project Organic Agriculture Stakeholders Association of Trinidad and Tobago Ah Grow Wa Samaki Ecosystems Pineapple Farmers, Tableland - Estate Management Business Development Agency Ministry of Agriculture, Land and Fisheries – Regional South Moruga Hill Rice farmers/ Pineapple farmers and other farmers National Quarries/ IWECO/ SusTrust Land Settlement Agency Ministry of Agriculture, Land and Fisheries Ministry of Energy and Energy Industries National Reforestation and Watershed Rehabilitation Programme Forestry Division National Agricultural Marketing and Development Corporation (NAMDEVCO) Forestry Division Cocoa Development Company of Trinidad and Tobago Ltd (CDCTTL) Agency/Institution Dept. of Life Sciences - UWI Forestry Department - THA, NGO's and Sabre-wing expert - Tobago Tobago Agribusiness Cooperative Society Limited Department of Environment and Natural Resource Management - THA Division of Food Production, Forestry and Fisheries - THA and the Tobago Cassava Products Limited Tobago Agriculture Society National Reforestation and Watershed Rehabilitation Programme - Forestry Division Marillisa Farms The Santa Cruz Green Market UWI - Faculty of Agriculture - Soils Department UWI - Faculty of Agriculture - Life Sciences Forestry Division Asa Wright Nature Centre IADB CABI - Launch of Lead Farmer Curriculum Ministry of Agriculture, Land and Fisheries Institute of Marine Affairs Caribbean Agriculture Research and Development Institute (CARDI) Stakeholder Consultations#11Outcomes of Stakeholder Consultations Selecting of sites to focus activities Suggesting activities to achieve objectives Providing data and background information on past projects and initiatives Pointing us to persons/ groups already involved in similar or would be interested in the project Showing us what is already happening and how the project can support ongoing initiatives Form/forge partnerships Committing themselves to executing certain elements#12What did we learn? Already an undercurrent of change - capture this No shortage of plans; little execution - support existing Overburden agencies - partnerships with ngo's, cooperatives Youth and women already in agriculture - challenges with sector have led to innovations Farmers do not want to be told something works - want to see results Tobago farmers known for more environmentally friendly practices Farmer organisation seems to be lacking; how to effectively communicate? Chemical companies filling the gap in extension services#13Project Team, Roles and Findings Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations preparing the Project Document for the GORTT; guided by the PSC and Stakeholders Team includes: ⚫ Claus Ecklemann - Lead Technical Officer о о Asif Khan - PPG National Coordinator о Erum Hasan - GEF Design Specialist о O Beverly Chase - Environmental, Socioeconomic and Gender Dept Life Sciences, UWI - Land degradation & restoration aspects • CABI - Agroecology and Green value chains. о о Andrew Dalip - Legal consultant#14Legal Consultancy Examined the listing of laws and regulations that govern land ownership, land use and planning in TT; analyse whether the project elements and activities listed under Component 1 of the project could be implemented in the current legal framework of the country Concluded that the critical pieces of legislation that govern land use and land use planning while containing many conflicts, is wide enough to allow for the incorporation of the proposed multi- stakeholder committee in the planning process by a participatory process; also legislated is the provision of sustainable communities#15Gender, Enviro and Socio-Economic Consultancy Conduct a gender analysis in relation to the sectors of intervention, prepare the Stakeholder Engagement Plan and the socio-environmental analysis Developed a stakeholder engagement plan, which considers sectors, groups and their level of influence on the project Mapped out the role of Civil Society and the Private Sector in the project Gender Equality and Women's empowerment - gender at the national level, gender and income + poverty, gender and agriculture and the environment Strategic gender entry points in the project#16Land Degradation & Restoration Consultancy Assess and identify degraded sites suitable for restoration and provide justification why these sites were selected and to develop options and recommendation for restoration work; developed in consultation with the FD. Proposed strategies include: о • Restoration of Productive Forests 。 Rehabilitation of Fire Burnt Areas о о Riparian Zone Restoration, inclusive of wetlands O Agricultural Land Restoration#17Owner/Area Present Site Tenure (ha) Condition Site Owner/Te Area nure (ha) Present Condition Riparian Zone Restoration Agricultural Land Restoration Restoration of Productive Native Forests Between Mt Cats Hill Open Range. FR. GORTT 100 Depleted forest Tamana and Tumpuna Forest Reserve (4km long 40m wide) Private land Degraded 16 riparian forest Bunsee Trace, Siparia FR. GORTT 50 Lastrow. Abandoned agricultural land Rehabilitation of Fire Burnt Areas Tunapu Tunapuna VMFR Aripo River Moruga Open Range. between Northern Range and Caroni River (10km long | 40m wide) Private land. Water course reserve behind " 40 Degraded riparian forest na, behind Hillview HDC/Go 10 Fire degraded forest Hillview Private 20 Degraded agricultural College. RTT broken State College. land FR. GORTT 100 Depleted forest land canopy Lands Agricult VMFR Cumuto River Cedros between Arena Forest and Mt Tamana (13km long 40m wide) Private land. Water course reserve ural Degraded Lands Todds Fire 52 riparian forest Aripo Lastrow. Forest Reserve FR. GORTT 100 Depleted forest Charuma River between Central Range Reserve and Nariva Swamp ESA (6km long 40m wide) Livestoc Private k land Station 40 Abandoned agricultural land Road Forest Reserves degraded FR. GORTT 10 forest broken (N and S) Private land. Water course canopy 24 Degraded riparian forest reserve UWI UWI Orange Grove private Field land Abandoned Fire agricultural 5 land. Fire climax TOTAL 300 Freeport Mission Reserve degraded FR. GORTT 10 forest broken Station grassland Hydrological restoration of the Kilgwyn Swamp in Tobago State land 34 canopy Abandoned NIHER NIHER agricultural Restoration of fresh water marshes in the Caroni Basin State Land (Fomer Caroni 1975 Ltd) ST ST Science private City land Courland 10 land. Fire Watershe climax Private 20 grassland d to Anse Fromage 20 Fire degraded watershe d 15 Monoculture, Felicity GORTT 150 abandoned land Riparian State restoration of and Courland Private Watershed land TOTAL TOTAL 275 Degraded 150 riparian/wa tershed TOTAL 50 50 331#18Agroecology and Green value chains Consultancy Provide baseline information on ongoing and potential agroecology initiatives in T&T. Contribute to the project strategy with inputs to the logical framework and project implementation plan with respect to the component on Agroecolgy Examined the local agricultural sector and its suitability/ use of agroecological practices. Also, examined specific commodities (Cocoa, Coconuts, Pineapple, Avocado, Roots & Tubers; Moruga Hill rice) and strategies inclusion of agroecology principles into their production. Looked at finding opportunities for the 'green' value chains (production to marketing) Developed a standardized curriculum for Lead Farmer training in TT; that will seek to promote sustainable agriculture in farmers utilizing the FFS model Suggestions for integrating agroecology into local policy#19Summary of Curriculum Sequence 1. 2. 3. 4. Definitions of agroecology. Components of the environment. Sustainable agriculture concepts and principles. Soil health and recycling. Strengthening the "immune system" of agricultural (crop & livestock) production systems. Water management. Biodiversity and food sovereignty. Climate change impacts on food systems. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. Building a community of practice. Market creation and biodiversity-based value chain. Transitioning to agroecology.#20о Full draft is now complete Next Steps Finalisation of the Project Document for submission ⚫ Consult with stakeholders via the validation workshops; ensure concerns are addressed and integrated о Seek approval of the PSC and the Focal point о Capacity Assessment of executing agencies о ⚫ Submission to the FAO/ GEF Unit by 10th March 2020; then to the GEF for approval Expected launch of Bioreach - August 2020; project is designed to be executed in four years