The Seedling
December 2013 – Issue 2
Newsletter Contents
Pg.
View from Project Management..........
2
Stakeholder workshops....................... 4
Interview with Ramnarine Rampray..... 6
Sharing the Knowledge........................ 9
Scoping the market for eco-products... 10
Monitoring and Evaluation.................. 11
“Growing our own food is critical for the country and farmers are important members of productive society. We (farmers) should be recognized for the hard work and contribution that we make. For the future I hope that farming will be more sustainable, safe and healthy...and I hope that we can reduce the use of chemicals on farms and we can utilize better farming methods which are chemical free and less expensive.” - Ramnarine Rampray, Grand Found Road Farmer
The Seedling
December 2013 – Issue 2
A View from Project Management
Dear Readers,
Thank you for subscribing to the 2nd issue the
Seedling newsletter which provides updates of our
work with farming communities in support of
sustainable agricultural production in the Northern
Range. We invite you to take a read and gain
insight into our work over the past couple of
months!
In February 2013, TCF received a grant from the
UNDP GEF Small Grants Programme (GEF SGP) to
undertake a new project ‘Building Small Scale
Farmers’ Capacity to Implement Sustainable
Farming Practices in Trinidad’s Northern Range’
which is being done with farming communities in
the Lopinot, Santa Cruz and Aripo watersheds, or
EcoAgriCulture 2. The overall goal of
EcoAgriCulture 2 is to build capacity of small-scale
subsistence farmers within the Northern Range to
implement sustainable farming practices, explore
opportunities for improving livelihoods and food
security, and reduce the negative environmental
impacts of unsustainable hillside farming.
The Baseline Assessment study which was
undertaken since April 2013 for the Lopinot, Aripo
and Santa Cruz Valleys was completed in October
2013. This study included an assessment of the
potential economic and environmental impacts of
the adoption of more environmentally sustainable
hillside farming practices in these valleys.
Stakeholder Workshops were held in for Lopinot
and Grand Found Road, Maracas Bay (which is part
of the Santa Cruz watershed) in October 2013. The
purpose of these workshops were to continue to
build relationships with the Lopinot and Grand
Found Road communities and provide project
updates of EcoAgriCulture 2, including validating
the results of the Baseline Assessment. See Page 4
for more information on these workshops.
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December 2013 – Issue 2
In November 2013, TCF received approval from the
UNDP GEF SGP to include a new project activity,
“Scoping a local market for eco-friendly agricultural
goods” under EcoAgriCulture 2. This six month
study will commence in December 2013 and was
developed based on needs voiced by farmers for
improved access and new markets for their eco-
friendly agricultural produce, and recognition of
the higher costs associated with implementing SFPs
should be reflected in the prices paid by
consumers. More details of this new project
activity can be found on Page 10.
For 2013, TCF has been placing significant focus on
knowledge management and the development of
appropriate, strategic and more targeted
knowledge management activities and products in
order to increase the impact and visibility of the
Foundation’s work. We have recently completed
our Knowledge Management Strategy for our
Sustainable Land Management Programme. See
Page 9 for more details on knowledge management
at TCF.
In this issue we also highlight Mr. Ramnarine
Rampray a well-known farmer in Grand Found
Road community. Mr. Rampray tells us about his
experiences in farming, and what he hopes
EcoAgriCulture2 can do for farming in Grand Found
Road, Maracas Bay; Page 6.
Season’s greetings from all of us at The Cropper
Foundation and all the best for 2014!
Sasha Jattansingh
Project Manager, EcoAgriCulture 2
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December 2013 – Issue 2
Stakeholder Workshops at Lopinot and Maracas Bay
In October 2013 we held stakeholder workshops in
the Lopinot and Santa Cruz Valleys in order to
continue building relationships with the farming
communities and to provide updates of
EcoAgriCulture 2. The main findings of the Baseline
Assessment study for Lopinot and Grand Found
Road was presented and validated by community
members and also served as a forum to discuss the
challenges, opportunities and priorities for farming
in Santa Cruz and Lopinot.
The workshops were different in each community.
In Lopinot, the workshop was held at the Lopinot
Community Centre and was more formal, with
Powerpoint presentations and a live performance
by an organic percussion band, the Jewels of
Nature and an original song by one of the project
consultants, Dr. Shango Alamu. Twenty six persons
attended the workshop, including farmers,
community members, government agencies and
representatives from the GEF Small Grants
Programme.
At Grand Found Road, Maracas Bay, the workshop
was held under a shed against the backdrop of a
farm. Nineteen persons attended the workshop,
which was a mixture of informal presentations and
discussions amongst attendees. Despite the
different modalities of delivery, both workshops
were highly interactive and encouraged open
dialogue amongst farmers, members of The
Cropper Foundation and other representatives.
At the workshop, farmers and other
representatives determined the priorities for
implementation of sustainable farming practices,
as part of EcoAgriCulture 2 in a participatory
manner for each watershed. The following are the
priorities determined for Lopinot and Santa Cruz
Valleys:
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December 2013 – Issue 2
Lopinot Valley
Promote new farming practices that would reduce the build-up of pests and disease over a 5-year period
Encourage the development of new local markets for ecologically friendly produced agricultural goods
Train Extensions Officers in sustainable farming practices so they can communicate new ideas to farmers; a
Support Farmer Organizations that cannot only apply for farmer’s causes but can increase market opportunities
Santa Cruz Valley
Encourage the use of new non-chemical pesticide formulations on farms
Create Opportunities for farms to recyle more of their farm wastes as on farm inputs
Train Extensions Officers in sustainable farming practices so they can communicate new ideas to farmers
Help resolve Tenure issues and increase on-farm investment.
The setting of priorities for the Lopinot and Santa
Cruz valleys will guide the implementation of the
next set of activities under EcoAgriCulture 2,
particularly the design of intervention strategies
which commenced in October 2013 and is being
spearheaded by Dr. Shango Alamu, on behalf of
The Cropper Foundation.
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The Seedling
December 2013 – Issue 2
Interview with Mr. Ramnarine Rampray, Grand Found Road Farmer
We caught up with Mr. Ramnarine ‘Cokes’ Rampray – the Public Relations Officer of the Grand Found Road
Farmers Association, and a long-time farmer in the Maracas Bay area - for a quick chat about his experiences
in farming, and what he hopes to see from the EcoAgriCulture 2 project.
How did you become interested in farming?
I am a third generation farmer. My grandfather and
my father were farmers. My father introduced me
to farming when I was younger and passed down
the knowledge, techniques and methods he used
on his farm. Farming is in my blood.
How do you think farming has changed from your
grandfather’s and father’s time to present?
In my father’s time, I remember that farmers
applied very little chemicals to their crops. They did
not use fertilizers or pesticides unless necessary
such as if you had mole cricket infestation. The
most common pesticide formulation was
something called 13-13-21. Today, chemical
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December 2013 – Issue 2
fertilizers and pesticides are used heavily on farms,
including my own. Sometimes I wonder if it is safe
to eat the produce that I grow because I know the
amount of chemicals I have to apply to my crops.
Would you like your children to become farmers?
I think that farming is one of the biggest gambles.
Farmers are gamblers. There are risks associated
with crop quality and quantity, risks with the
weather and pests and diseases. Also, when you
get the crops to the market, one of the biggest risks
is the inconsistent market price you will receive on
a given day. The prices fluctuate all the time and do
not take into account the high input costs, labour
and time required to grow these crops. Because of
these issues, I do not want to encourage my
children to become farmers. Farming is hard work
and high costs with little profits and high risks.
However, if they are interested in learning about
farming and working the land I will train them.
What do you think is the biggest issue facing
farming in Trinidad and Tobago today?
Farmers in Trinidad are heavily reliant on chemicals
– fertilizers and pesticides to grow their crops. You
can solve almost any problem that you have on
your farm with chemicals. I can tell you there is a
difference in how fruits and vegetables taste when
they were grown without chemicals and with
chemicals. The food my father used to grow used
to taste natural and full of flavour than the food I
grow with all the chemicals I have to use. I
definitely believe that farmers need to be educated
on suitable alternatives in order to reduce the
heavy use of chemicals on their farms.
Can you tell me what you consider are the top
needs for Grand Found Road, Maracas Bay
farmers?
Farmers in Grand Found Road need better road
access to our farms. We have been trying to get
the authorities to address this situation but we
have not been successful. Poor roads and
sometimes no roads make it very difficult to get
the produce out from our farms. Famers in
Maracas Bay also need improved drainage since
during the wet season, flooding is a problem and
we do not have proper bridges to access our farms.
Farmers here are willing to engage in self help
activities to improve the roads and drainage but we
would require the materials and equipment from
the relevant agencies.
What are your thoughts about the future of
farming in Trinidad and Tobago?
Growing our own food is critical for the country
and farmers are important members of productive
society. We should be recognized for the hard work
and contribution that we make. For the future I
hope that farming will be more sustainable, safe
and healthy. I hope that we can reduce the use of
chemicals on farms and we can utilize better
farming methods which are chemical free and less
expensive.
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December 2013 – Issue 2
How do you think the EcoAgriculture 2 Project
can influence farming in Grand Found Road?
I am very positive about this project and this
collaboration with farmers here and The Cropper
Foundation. I hope that this Project would educate
and assist farmers to try better farming practices,
especially concerning the use of chemicals on their
farms. I also hope that The Cropper Foundation will
continue to work with Grand Found Road so the
benefits can be felt in the long term. Many projects
have been started here but once they are
completed, the organizations just leave with no
follow up. I hope that this project will be different
and we see positive results.
Do you have any closing remarks for our Readers?
I just wanted to let people know that I love
farming. I was involved in farming since I was a
child. Farming is hard work but enjoyable. My hope
for farming is that it can be profitable and farmers
can make a comfortable living for themselves and
their families.
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December 2013 – Issue 2
Sharing the Knowledge
In 2014, TCF will celebrate a decade of involvement in sustainable land management, from both the technical and social aspects, with a gradual movement towards the incorporation of economic considerations. With this experience comes a wealth of information, data and knowledge – both in house and through our wide network of collaborators; from farmers to academics and everyone in between.
Through this work, one of the primary issues faced was the lack of available knowledge – and if such applicable knowledge existed, there lacked an appropriate mechanism or tool to identify and disseminate stakeholder-specific knowledge. In addition, the modification and replication of lessons learnt would be beneficial to other countries in the Caribbean who will have to deal with, if not already, with pressing issues of land management in the face of increased development.
It is our hope that TCF will be seen as an
indispensible partner through:
the creation of an indispensible repository for sustainable land management knowledge and expertise that is able to inform and promote the relevant SLM thinking at the community, national to regional levels (and even internationally);
the development of procedures and methods for generating stakeholder-specific, value driven knowledge management material and tools, that directly contribute to the knowledge base of the sector; and
targeted and coherent branding of TCF’s SLM programme through consistent communication between and among TCF and relevant stakeholders, ensuring that the TCF SLM brand is instantly recognisable in the context of sustainable land management.
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The Seedling
December 2013 – Issue 2
Scoping the Market for Eco-Goods
TCF is pleased to announce that the GEF SGP
UNDP approved a new project activity entitled
“Scoping a local market for eco-friendly agricultural
goods” to be undertaken as part of the
EcoAgriCulture 2 project.
EcoAgriCulture 2 seeks to address the technical
difficulties associated with adopting sustainable
farming practices (SFPs) of Northern Range small
scale farmers. However, these farmers have
expressed a need for assistance in accessing and
creating markets for such goods to ensure that the
higher costs associated with SFPs are reflected in
the prices paid by consumers.
This new project activity aims to address a key
marketing question faced by farmers who adopt
SFPs “How do we put the right eco-friendly grown
product in the right place, at the right price at the
right time?” to ensure sales and provide a
sustainable income.
This question will be addressed through a
combination of consumer surveys, producer focus
groups and targeted interviews of costumers in
order to identify the right ‘product’ (specific crops
types and farming practices) the right ‘price’ (what
premium consumers are willing to pay) and the
right ‘place’ (a specific farmers market vs.
supermarkets vs. a dedicated eco-section in a
General Market).
This component will also crucially identify the
challenges associated with eco-markets faced by
producers, consumers and middlemen such as
supermarket associations and small business
owners in order to develop recommendations on
supply chains that address these challenges. A
review of regional and international experiences in
developing these markets will also be conducted.
The project team believes that results of this new
activity will provide benefit well beyond this
project as it will be developed into a technical
paper that will be used by other famers who desire
to enter the eco-produce market in Trinidad and
Tobago and across the wider Caribbean.
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The Seedling
December 2013 – Issue 2
Monitoring and Evaluation
To date the implementation of various activities under the project has been according to schedule since we
started in February 2013. We have developed six milestones to help us and our stakeholders assess the
progress of the project, which includes the new project activity, approved in November 2013. These are:
Milestone 1: Establish Technical Team for the Project
Milestone 2: Baseline Assessment of farming communities in three selected watersheds
Milestone 3: Participatory planning exercises for the design of intervention strategies
Milestone 4: Implement Community Governance exercises in selected watersheds
Milestone 5: Implement sustainable farming practices in one of the selected watersheds
Milestone 6: Scoping a local market for eco-friendly agricultural goods
The chart below tracks our progress in achieving these milestones to date.
0 20 40 60 80 100
Milestone 1
Milestone 2
Milestone 3
Milestone 4
Milestone 5
Milestone 6
Percent Completed
Project Milestones (M1 to M10)
Planned
Actual
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December 2013 – Issue 2
The chart below tracks our spending against UNDP fund disbursements, and also counterpart (TCF) funding.
$0.00 $25,000.00 $50,000.00 $75,000.00
SGP Funding
Counterpart Funding
Amount Spent
Project Spending (M1 to M10)
Actual
Planned
The Cropper Foundation
Building 7
Fernandes Industrial
Centre
Laventille
Port of Spain
Contact: Sasha Jattansingh, Project Manager
Email: [email protected]
Tel: +868-626-2628/2564
www.thecropperfoundation.org
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The Seedling Creative Team:
Editor and Graphic Designer: Omar Mohammed
Articles: Sasha Jattansingh, Omar Mohammed and Alexander Girvan
Pictures: Mark Thomas and Peter Poon Kwong
In partnership with: