Overall targets
Remote rural communities in Chin State have improved food security and nutrition The development objective will be measured against the following success criteria: • Increased household food production (quantity and diversity) • Improved local knowledge on sustainable agricultural techniques and diet / food preparation for good nutrition
Immediate targets
1) By the end of the project 130 families in 4 villages of the Mara community have access to sufficient and nutritious food year round 2) By the end of the project, staff of partner organisations, leaders of family farmer groups (FFG) and women self- help groups are employing new knowledge/ skills on sustainable food production 3) By the end of the project, communities, Village Administrative Committee members and Church Local Standing Committee members are promoting sustainable approaches to natural resource management.
Target groups
The project will be focused around the villages of Lailenpi, Sabawngpi, Peite and Tisi villages in Matupi township of South Chin State. Project staff from local partner organisations are based in Lailenpi, and the other villages are reachable within a day by motorbike. Villages have been selected on the basis of knowledge of availability of water and land, and where the local partner organisations are known and trusted by communities. The villages are also a selection from each of the mountain areas in Mara region. The local population are members of the Mara community, with an average family size of 7 persons. The Mara community are Christians, members of the MEC (Mara Evangelical Church). Most of the population are farmers, sometimes alongside other roles / livelihood activities, with only an elite not engaging in subsistence agriculture. 1) Farmer families Selected families will be formed into Farmer Family Groups (FFGs), with 10 families per group. FFGs will receive training and inputs, and will apply new sustainable agricultural techniques on land registered to the group which will also serve as a model farm for sharing new approaches with the wider community. 30% of each FFG will be made up of families headed by single women, in order to ensure project benefits reach most vulnerable households. A total of 13 FFGs will be formed: 4 in Lailenpi, 4 in Sabawngpi, 2 in Peite, and 3 in Tisi. Selection of families for the group will use criteria agreed with the community including: • Commitment to sustainable farming • Dedication and commitment to participate in project for two years • Each family will have 2 supporter families as guarantee if they fail to work • Express agreement to sign contract to not produce drug plants • Demonstrate willingness to share knowledge and seeds with community • Families having 2 full time working members • Head of household aged between 35 and 60 years, with age of youngest children above 5 because if their children are too young they cannot engage in farming Final choice will be taken by vote of the community to confirm who are perceived to be the families that would be most likely to share the results of the project. The 130 families from four villages will be trained on sustainable farming, provided tools and equipment and they will become trainers for their community. 2) Self-Help Groups (SHGs): These women’s groups have been in existence since 2007 and were created under the support from local partner TSD (formerly SDD) who are building their capacity and training e.g. in skills such as weaving, soap production, etc. In one of the project villages (Tisi) these groups do not exist, but will be established. There are an average of 11 women per group, and their main objective is to improve the family’s situation with regards education, food, health and finances. SHGs are seen as a vital channel for multiplying and applying knowledge shared through the project. Women are the main land workers, so information on sustainable techniques and new crops can be applied directly in their own farms/gardens. In addition, training on healthy diet, food processing and nutrition will enable the SHG members to directly improve the situation of their own family. To achieve this, the 24 leaders of the SHGs will participate in trainings on food production, nutrition etc., and will be supported to pass this information on to the village SHGs. Local partner project staff will monitor and support the SHGs. In addition, 5 further women from the SHG Federation will also participate in the training, to ensure a wider information sharing about the project and an appetite among non-project communities to work further on sustainable agriculture and nutrition. 3) Partner organisation staff: 10 staff, 5 from HHM and 5 from TSD will receive direct training on new techniques of sustainable farming and the remaining 30 staff, (15 from HHM and 15 TSD) of partner organisations implementing the project will also receive significant capacity building via the project. In particular this will be on the project themes of sustainable agriculture and nutrition. In addition, support staff of the organisations will be trained on financial management which will strengthen their organisations’ overall capacity. 4) Church Local Standing Committee (CLSC) Members/ Village Development Committee (VDC) members: HHM will work with CLSC in Lailenpi and Peite and TSD will work through Village Development Committee in Sabawngpi and Tisi villages. The CLSC holds monthly meetings in the community and generally the decisions adopted by it are implemented by the community. All the community are church members including farmers and land owners whose buy-in is crucial to the project. The VDC is made up of representatives of: local administration, Church, Women and youth. Their tasks include: baseline data collection for village development status, organisation of participatory plan for the village development goals (where food and education are the top priorities), monthly reporting to the Church and the local authorities and preparation of proposals for the development of the village. Two Committee members will be given specific training which will increase their knowledge in new sustainable agricultural approaches and techniques. This will enable them to share the information with the local community who respect and trust them, which will support community buy-in of new technologies. 5) Village Administrative (VAC) Committee members: The VAC are a local administrative unit, who meet once a month, and whose primary responsibilities are: holding legal responsibility for the land and the water sources; endorsement of land registration; report to the government of all development initiatives and their progress and public order. 1 administrator per village will be invited to trainings to improve their knowledge on natural resource management as part of our advocacy objective.
Resume
Den sydlige del af Chin-staten er en af de fattigste og mest forsømte regioner i Myanmar. Projektområdet er bjergrigt og afsides beliggende og har dårlige forbindelser til resten af landet. Indbyggerne i dette område – Mara-folket – døjer med en kronisk mangel på fødevarer. Den skyldes primært klimaforandringer, svedjebrug, manglende færdigheder, udstyr og viden om bæredygtigt landbrug og produktion af næringsrige fødevarer, og manglende adgang til markeder. For at gøre noget ved denne situation vil projektet forbedre fødevaresikkerheden og ernæringen i den sydlige del af Chin-staten og dermed bekæmpe fattigdom. Med støtte fra Mission Øst vil to meget engagerede lokale organisationer, HHM og TSD, opbygge deres kapacitet for at sikre en ændring til bæredygtige dyrkningsmetoder. Metoden bliver kaldt ”Noget at spise hver dag”. Organisationerne vil samarbejde med og træne grupper af familiebønder og selvhjælpsgrupper for kvinder, så de kan anvende den nye metode.