The “Demonstrating Sustainable Mountain Pasture Management in the Suusamyr Valley, Kyrgyzstan” project which is under the Central Asia Countries Initiative on Land Management (CACILM): Country Pilot Partnerships (CPP) umbrella funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) grant of US$950,00, was signed in December 2007 between the Government of the Kyrgyz Republic and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
The goal of this project is functional integrity of mountain rangelands in the highlands of Kyrgyzstan as a contribution to greater ecosystem stability reduced soil erosion and enhanced food security. The objective of the project is to develop in the Suusamyr Valley a cost-effective and replicable pasture management mechanism which reduces the negative effects of livestock grazing on land and which improves rural livelihoods.
The project is designed to produce four outcomes:
Outcome 1. A set of innovative pilot measures which have been designed and validated for demonstrating the feasibility and profitability of sustainable rangeland management
This outcome will be achieved through a number of pilot measures, which will lead to enhanced management of village and roadside pastures and will promote the return to transhumance. To this end, the project will support local communities in setting-up a grazing plan for using pastures in a more efficient and hence in a sustainable way. Main
Outputs in support of this Outcome include:
1.1 Knowledge of the potential of the rangeland for livestock grazing in different parts of Suusamyr Valley;
1.2 Grazing plan for village pastures that has been developed and introduced in a participatory manner;
1.3 Basic infrastructure necessary for grazing at distant places;
1.4 Feed production (cultivation of fodder plants) introduced and promoted.
1.5 Storage of hay and other feed for supplementary feeding in winter promoted.
1.6 Improved shelters/stables which allow livestock to stay there longer during the cold season (avoidance of early grazing).
1.7 Village and roadside pastures improved with forage plants and fertilizer.
1.8 Enhanced marketing channels for livestock and livestock products.
Outcome 2. Capacity and awareness of rural communities and local governments for monitoring, planning and regulating the use of pastures in a sustainable way
Considering the fact that most of the present-day stock farming is carried out by people with no history in the farming sector the project will pays special attention to build both local government and local community capacity through a series of training and experience sharing among farmers. The project will also promote establishment of a local institutions and its capacity building for a sustainable grazing management.
The key outputs will include:
2.1 Pasture User Association (PUA) founded to advocate for the interests of herders and livestock owners;
2.2 Farmers and livestock owners trained in professional livestock and rangeland management;
2.3 Decision-makers fully aware of the negative environmental impacts of poor livestock husbandry;
2.4 Greater responsibility of local governments for rangeland management.
Outcome 3. An enabling environment which allows rangeland users to effectively and sustainably manage pastures
Building on the local level capacity building and the project will create an institutional and regulatory framework that will ensure practical implementation of Pasture management on the ground. The PM mechanism will result in a practical set of rules that will fall within the mandate and legal remit of the Suusamyr AO and local community, as primary institutional scheme for Sustainable Pasture Management Mechanism.
The following outputs are proposed to fulfill the expected reform and capacity building interventions:
3.1 Clearly defined institutional roles and responsibilities at national and local level;
3.2 Participatory designed leasing system for rangeland;
3.3 Economic incentives for leasing rangeland distant from home villages;
3.4 Conflict resolution/arbitration system;
3.5 Access to micro-credits;
3.6 Legal framework reflecting the challenges of modern pasture management;
3.7 Detailed proposals for institutional reforms.
Outcome 4. Learning, evaluation, and adaptive management.
This Outcome relates to overall project management, steering, reporting and evaluation as well as to capture and dissemination of lessons and best practices associated with project objectives and components. Project reporting on all activities and outputs (along with periodic reviews of the project work-plan and budget), and Project evaluation will follow standard UNDP and GEF requirements with particular emphasis being placed on ensuring that indicators are measuring satisfactory and sustainable project success.
Outputs will include:
4.1 Project management;
4.2 Experiences with measures against overgrazing in high altitudes evaluated;
4.3 Outputs and activities adapted continuously according to achievements and failures of the project;
4.4 The project’s performance is monitored and evaluated;
4.5 Project results and lessons learnt disseminated for replication.
EVALUATION OBJECTIVES
The Mid term evaluation (MTE) is initiated by UNDP Country Office Kyrgyzstan in line with the UNDP-GEF Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) guidelines in order to assess the overall project progress, make sure the project is on track to deliver the agreed outcomes, and produce recommendations on any adjustments needed.
The purposes of the MTE are:
(i) To assess overall performance against the project objective and outcomes as set out in the Project Document, project’s Logical Framework, and other related documents;
(ii) To assess the effectiveness and efficiency of the project;
(iii) To analyze critically the implementation and management arrangements of the project;
(iv) To assess the progress to date towards achievement of the outcomes;
(v) To review planned strategies and plans for achieving the overall objective of the project within the timeframe;
(vi) To assess the sustainability of the project’s interventions;
(vii) To list and document initial lessons concerning project design, implementation and management ,;
(viii) To assess project relevance to national priorities (including achieving gender equality goals);
(ix) To provide guidance for the future project activities and, if necessary, for the implementation and management arrangements.
In brief the purpose of the evaluation is to assess the progress that has been achieved in the first half of the implementing phase of
the project, according to UNDP/GEF guidelines and to draw lesson so far so that we could improve on the process.
Project performance will be measured based on Project’s Logical Framework Matrix (see Annex 3 of the detailed ToR), which provides clear performance and impact indicators for project implementation along with their corresponding means of verification. Success and failure will be determined in part by monitoring changes in baseline conditions.
Recommendation of the evaluation should also include follow gender criteria:
- Are women and men involved into project activity equally?
- Is the project maintaining a positive gender equality situation in improving national policy and regulatory framework for mainstreaming biodiversity into fishery sector?
- Is the project enhancing visibility and awareness of gender-related issues in improving livelihoods of the Suusamyr valley?
- Will the project benefit to women and men equally?
The evaluation team is expected to work with key project stakeholders, including UNDP Country Office in Kyrgyzstan, Department of Pastures under the Ministry of Agriculture of the Kyrgyz Republic, Suusamyr Aiyl Okmotu (LSG), “Suusamyr” Pasture Users Public Association, Public Foundation “Central Asian Mountain Partnership Alatoo”, women NGOs and Civil Society Organizations.
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