5. To facilitate a correct implementation of the objectives and strategy, the Programme assists countries to set up an institutional framework at various levels, to mobilize domestic and international financial resources, and to develop an innovative South-South Cooperation scheme.

Main Achievements

6. Over 75 developing countries applied to the SPFS. The lessons learned and results obtained in some 20 countries during the first three years contributed, in the current biennium, to the extension of on-going country programmes and a rapid incorporation of new countries. By December 1999, the Programme was operational in 54 countries, including 32 in Africa, 12 in Asia, 2 in Eastern Europe, 7 in Latin America, and 1 in Oceania. (Annex 1). The following paragraphs summarizes the main results of the four components of Phase I, with special reference to the Latin American and the Caribbean Region.

Water Control

7. In many agro-ecological zones of developing countries water control practices are essential to increase food production and avoid sharp year-to-year fluctuations. They include water management and irrigation, with emphasis on a wide range of low-cost infrastructures and techniques particularly adapted to small farmers' agriculture. Phase I activities in some countries such as Haiti entirely addressed the irrigated agriculture, while in other countries, such as Bolivia, initial activities started under rainfed conditions with the subsequent incorporation of water control. In most countries, however, demonstrations have covered both types of agriculture.

8. Activities on water management in Haiti, in 1998/99, are mainly been implemented thanks to the work provided by the local farmers' associations, whose members devoted 1 free workday per week to the rehabilitation of two irrigation schemes. So far the following results were achieved in the two selected areas: in Dubreuil irrigation scheme 226 farmers rehabilitated 4,000 m. of the main channel and 3,500 of secondary channels; they also worked at improving 1,000 m. of the road bordering the main channel; in Laverdure 78 farmers rehabilitated 2,000 m. of the main channel and 2,500 m. of secondary channels. Since August 1998, a programme of agricultural credit for farmers, supported by Ministry of Agriculture, has been established by the water users association in Laverdure and it is also being established in Dubreuil. So far 523 farmers benefited from the Programme. Two shops providing agricultural inputs to farmers are also being established.

• In other Latin American countries, as Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua, water control activities are recently started in irrigated agriculture with special focus on strengthening water users' associations and rehabilitation of existing irrigation schemes.

Crop Intensification

9. Agricultural intensification enhances single practices (soil preparation, varieties, fertilization, etc) as well as production and processing technological packages. In the SPFS experience, singles practices tend to predominate in rainfed areas while technological packages are more common in rainfed areas. Crop intensification focussed initially on few products (rice, maize), but sorghum, wheat, millet, cassava, yam and horticulture were incorporated in the last seasons. Monitoring data indicates that the improved farming systems and technologies promoted by the Programme reach high rates of adoption and substantially higher yields and incomes.

• In Bolivia, the average results for the main crops, i.e., potato and maize are as follows: potato yields demonstrations sites are reported to have been increased by 40% in irrigated and by 90% in rainfed plots, with a net farmers income increased by 67%. Maize yields increased by 58% in irrigated and by 42% in rainfed plots. The economic analysis of average achieved results shows a net income per SPFS about three times than this in surrounding areas not applying improved technologies.
  
  
• In Haiti, intensification consists of seed multiplication, input distribution, and prevention of post harvest losses (one TCDC Bolivian expert worked for two months with the national team). Technical packages, already tested locally, have been selected and verified. Post-harvest activities have been improved. As of the end of March 1997, demonstration plots were established at Laverdure and Dubreuil. Technical practices have been diffused mainly for beans. In 1998, in Dubreuil and Laverdure, 19 farmers cultivated improved quality of maize (5 ha.). The results showed an average production of 3.4 TM per ha., instead of the 2 TM of the reference plots. Demonstrations on rice in Laverdure had low results for the presence of a rice disease. In Poteau-Hook (Torbeck) site, selected as a new area for demonstrations, 14 farmers cultivated an improved seed variety of rice in 14 plots (5 ha.). Results are very positive. In the case of the lowest quality' variety the results are 2.6 times the average yields in the area. In Laverdure, demonstration campaign on beans, involving 32 farmers and 12 ha, had yields of 950 kg/ha.

Diversification on Small Animals and Fisheries

10. The diversification component, particularly targeted to women and small farmers' agriculture, is generating new skills for small animal production, apiculture, fish farming and artisanal fishery. The incorporation of this component into the SPFS has been strengthened since 1999 and thus has not yet reached its full momentum. However, diversification is generally well suited to small farmers' agriculture and activities are progressing well in many countries.

• In Bolivia diversification component started in 1997, basically aimed at the improvement of small animals (cuyes and hens) breeding in Cochabamba, Vallegrande and Tarija Department in collaboration with the local University.
  
  
• In Ecuador activities on improved pigs breeding are presently on-going, while in Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua the focus will be on goats, poultry, pigs and rabbits.

Constraints Analysis

11. Analysis and removal of constraints at farmers' level is essential to facilitate the participatory development of concrete farming systems. Similarly, even though most African countries have been implementing structural reforms in order to create conducive institutional and policy environments to agricultural development, the wide replication of innovations demonstrated successful on a limited scale, normally requires the resolution of upstream and downstream constraints of various types. Ad-hoc constraints analysis was carried out by the SPFS for the formulation of the first National Programme Documents.

12. Since 1997, however, participatory and multidisciplinary identification of constraints, as well as ways to remove them, constitute a formal activity of the formulation and implementation of all country programmes. Important progress has been achieved, particularly at farmers' and households' level. Work on constraints analysis at sectoral and macroeconomic levels still require further strengthening and their crucial role as a requisite to launch the Phase II of the SPFS better understood. Many countries are taking advantage of the on-going extension of the Phase I to new sites in order to expand the constraint analysis work.

• In Latin American and Caribbean Region, constraints analysis activities are currently on-going in Bolivia and Haiti, where preliminary reports have already been prepared; activities are also started in Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua. In the four countries a workshop on constraints analysis and participatory approach has been held in 1999.

Other results

13. Although not separate components of the Programme, Phase I is achieving a positive impact on training and institutional building at various levels. A considerable number of farmers (with predominance of women and small farmers) and staff of public institutions and NGOs are being trained, through technological demonstrations, workshops and other dissemination events. The Programme is also contributing to constructive dialogue and collaboration among farmers, farmers' associations, NGOs, and the public sector, reversing past tendencies to isolation or confrontation. National, regional and local steering committees with the capacity to manage food security programmes are gradually being established.

14. The attached Box summarizes the main activities and results achieved in a few countries.

SPFS Selected achievements in Latin America and the Caribbean Region

• BOLIVIA

The SPFS started in October 1995 in four areas: the Central Valleys of the Department of Tarija, the High Valleys of the Department of Cochabamba and the Integrated Zone as well as the Vallegrande Valleys, both of the Department of Santa Cruz. In the four areas, the SPFS implementation was mainly related to the intensification component. In 1997, preliminary activities on constraints analysis, water control and diversification components were started, the latter based on the improvement of small animals (cuyes and hens) breeding in the Cochabamba Department. In 1999, the diversification component and some minor activities to complete the intensification components are funded by FAO/RP. A TCP on water control is being finalized. The experimental activities carried out by the SPFS on intensification component have been successful. During the crop season 1997-98, a total of 101 demonstration plots were planted, with maize, potato, peas, kidney beans, beans and rice as the main crops, and a total of 2,082 small-medium farmers participated in the programme, of which 554 (27%) are direct beneficiaries and 1,528 (73%) non direct beneficiaries.

• ECUADOR

Preliminary activities in the field started in November 1997. Food security is a main priority for the Ecuadorian Government and a wide "Food Security Committee" has been established to coordinate the implementation of food security activities in the country. SPFS is supporting the creation of an operational network on food security including public and private sector, multilateral agencies and bilateral donors.

SPFS activities are mainly focused on improved water management of the existing irrigation infrastructures and on the introduction of improved and integrated agricultural practices in order to increase the small farmers' incomes and their access to food. Two pilot sites have been selected, one on the uplands (Ambuquí) and another on the coast (Portoviejo). Moreover, a TCP project on water control to be implemented in Portoviejo area has been recently approved by FAO, for a total amount of USD 340,000, while the SPFS activities in Ambuquí area are supported by a SPFS/project funded by FECD (Fondo Ecuatoriano-Canadiense de Desarrollo) for an amount of about USD 335,000. The latter has been declared operational in July 1999.

Two small projects on diversification have been funded by TELEFOOD and other two by the FAO 1% Committee and Olimpic Committee.

• HAITI

Phase I was declared operational in January 1996, but main activities at field level started in June 1997, for the intensification, water control and constraints analysis components. Demonstrations for the production intensification component started in 2 areas: Laverdure and Dubreuil. Main crops are rice, maize and beans but also other food crops in existing production systems. Since the initial phase, the attention has been focused on the information on new techniques, the organization of groups of farmers' and their training. In 1998 about 2,500 farmers (including 350 women) participated in the demonstration activities and to the works for rehabilitation of little irrigation perimeters.

Up to now, the Programme has been financed from funds provided by FAO Regular Programme. In January 1999 we added to SPFS an additional project, financed by the French cooperation for a total of US$ 500,000. The project includes two very important components: training and support to farmers.

• GUATEMALA, HONDURAS and NICARAGUA

In 1997 the SPFS/National Programme Document and National Plan of Operations were prepared by the respective National Team in each country and starting-up activities were funded by FAO/RP. During 1998, the Spanish Government agreed on funding SPFS in the three Countries. Three SPFS Trust Fund projects (including the four SPFS components) of about US$ 550,00 and 18 month duration have been finalized by FAO and declared operational in mid 1999. Based on the evaluation of the first Phase results, following phase increasing possible funding of Spain to US$ 1 million for each country is expected.

Three Spanish APO are being appointed to follow project's activities in each country and a senior international expert, who will be based in Honduras, will coordinate SPFS activities in the three countries.

A workshop on SPFS philosophy and approach was held in Honduras in December 1999 with the participation of the three national teams and the collaboration of other FAO on-going projects. The workshop was specially focused on a better understanding of participatory approach and constraints analysis component.

• SPFS/activities through TCP projects would start soon in CUBA and DOMINICAN REPUBLIC. In PERU, a TCP project on diversification component (fishery) within the SPFS framework has been recently approved.

South-South Cooperation (SSC): Approach and Initial Results

15. The South-South Cooperation initiative was launched by the Director General in 1996 within the framework of the SFFS, with the objective of allowing recipient countries to benefit from the expertise accumulated by more advanced developing countries. It is intended to provide a new impetus for cooperation amongst developing countries, which in the past has only been partially successful due, inter alia, to the lack of foreign exchange needed to pay international transport and allowances, prepare feasibility studies, and finance operational and other implementation costs. The SSC fills these gaps through a combination of FAO, bilateral and multilateral support to countries participating in the SPFS. The SSC supplements the intrinsically shorter-term TCDC agreement.

16. The South-South Cooperation consists of a combination of a few senior staff and a substantial number of technicians with strong practical field experience in agriculture who are expected to work directly with farmers, during two to three years, in the rural communities involved in the Special Programme. The teams are not only expected to introduce improved ways of bringing about sustainable and replicable agricultural development, but also, through their commitment and example, serve as an important stimulus for change within the farming structures to which they are assigned. The number of experts and technicians required is determined on a case-by-case basis, but must achieve a critical mass, with site coverage representing all agroecological regions of the country. They are fielded in a phased manner and expected to play a key role in contributing to the implementation and extension of Phase I by the national teams.

17. Over 37 developing countries have already expressed interest in providing support and SSC activities are already on-going in 12 countries. Viet Nam has been collaborating with Senegal since late 1996 with, at present, 100 experts and technicians working at field level. Morocco has fielded in an initial stage 45 experts and technicians to collaborate in the extension of Burkina Faso's Programme to 18 sites by year 2000. Similarly, a first group of 20 Chinese and 10 Bangladesh are on their way to collaborate with the SPFS, respectively, in Mauritania and Gambia. In Benin, 19 Vietnamese are already in place. Turkey will provide technical assistance under South-South Cooperation initiative within the SPFS framework to Kyrgystan, Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan. Egypt will provide South-South Cooperation to Djibouti, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Malawi, Tanzania and Yemen.

For Latin American countries, the Government of Cuba has informed FAO of its interest in participating as cooperating country in South-South Cooperation within the framework of the SPFS with Belize, Dominican Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Cape Verde, Guyana, Haiti and Sao-Tome and Principe. Having Cape Verde, Equatorial Guinea and Sao-Tome and Principe expressed their agreement on receiving South-South Cooperation from Cuba, three joint FAO-Cuba SSC formulation missions were fielded in April-May 1999 in the three countries. The three mission reports and drafted tripartite agreements were sent to the cooperating and recipient countries for comments and approval. SSC would soon be provided by Cuba also to Haiti.

Organization and Resources of Phase I

Institutional framework and management

18. As a complex and decentralized programme, the SPFS requires well-established institutional structures, in the participating countries as well at FAO. The participating countries has been assisted to set-up mechanisms that facilitate the implementation of the SPFS and its full integration with the overall domestic rural institutional system and programmes, as well as with other food security specific programmes. The recommended framework consists mainly of: an Inter-ministerial Policy Committee (national Steering Committee) preferably chaired by the Prime Minister, to provide policy guidelines and feed-back; an Inter-ministerial Technical Committee, responsible for the technical leadership of the SPFS and of its coordination with other programmes and the private sector; an Inter-departmental Regional Committee, lead by the head of the Region or Province bringing together the representatives of local institutions, to ensure synergy with other programmes in the region; and Local Committees, at district or community level, to ensure a participative formulation and implementation by all local stakeholders (public, private, NGOs, etc.)

19. This institutional mechanism has been established in most countries where the SPFS has been under implementation at least since the second half of 1997. In some of them, however, the full institutional structure is not in place as yet.

20. On its side, FAO management structure consisting of the SPFS Joint Committee, chaired by the Director-General, a Policy Committee and an Implementation Committee, as well as a Coordination and Monitoring Unit (TCOS), are currently settled down and functioning. As the top priority programme of the Organization, the SPFS activities receive strong collaboration from practically all FAO technical and operational structures at Headquarters and decentralized offices. The Programme also benefits from the advice of an external Oversight Panel, which meets yearly, and from the reviews made by the Senior Field Inspector and by independent Regional Field Inspectors. A considerable number of backstopping reports, dealing with technical, operational and communication matters, contribute also to the SPFS implementation

21. During the last biennium, these reviews and reports have underlined, inter-alia, three management issues. First, the implementation of the Programme is now being facilitated by a consistent (thought still uncompleted) number of specialized FAO documents. These documents are systematically published in a Handbook Series composed of three separated volumes: Overview; Preparation and implementation of National Programmes; and Management and international cooperation issues. Second, special efforts are still needed to share the SPFS concept and approaches with the various national authorities and donors, as well as to ensure its inclusion in and coordination with the regular national structures, as well as its coordination with other food and agriculture programmes. Third, the FAO technical backstopping to the nationally owned programmes needs to be further enhanced, particularly with regard to the formulation of the National Programme Documents, the implementation of the constraints analysis work and the functioning of the monitoring and evaluation system.

Financing

22. The SPFS was initiated with a modest FAO and recipient countries resources. This has affected the Programme in two main ways: most national programmes started with a restricted structure, e.g. addressing few sites, areas and farmers, or leaving aside some of the four components of the Phase I; and its implementation had to be limited to a reduced number of countries. However, the gradual implementation of the Programme contributed to a better understanding of its concept and modalities by all the stakeholders and development partners, and led to their increased interest and financial support. In fact, together with the cooperation of other developing countries through the SSC arrangements, the partnership with donors and financial institutions has highly contributed to the on-going expansion of the SPFS to new countries as well as to its extension within countries.

23. Trust Fund Donors are funding activities in 15 countries and UNDP is contributing in approximately 12 countries. Specific Memoranda of Understanding have been signed with UNDP, World Bank, African Development Bank (AfDB), Islamic Development Bank (IDB), Banque Ouest africaine de développement, IFAD, WFP and other institutions. In this context, AfDB is supporting 8 countries and IDB has committed contributions to the Programme in Comoros and to SSC in 5 African countries. As of December 1999 firmly committed extra-budgetary resources to the entire Programme, provided directly to the countries or through FAO projects, amounted to over US$50 million. In addition, the recipient countries have made substantial contributions in cash and in kind.

In Latin American and Caribbean countries, the Government of Spain is funding the SPFS in Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua for an amount of more than US$ 1,500,000. The French cooperation is funding some SPFS activities in Haiti for a total amount of US$ 500,000 and a Canadian Foundation is financing SPFS activities in Ecuador for an amount of US$ 335,000.

Extension of Phase I

24. Good performance during the initial implementation of the Phase I was the base of the on-going considerable extension of the activities in many LIFDCs countries. This extension to additional farmers and sites, covering at least the most representative agroecologic regions and farming systems in order to ensure adequate field work before launching the second phase, was also recommended by the Oversight Panel in its Third Meeting of March 1998. The extension is also intended to duly perform the required constraints analysis work, an enhanced integration of access issues to the Programme, some wide sectoral/subsectoral expansion of water control or other components/activities for which satisfactory Phase I activities have been achieved, and the networking of the SPFS with other food security programmes being implemented by the country.

25. In Latin American and Caribbean Region Haiti is the only country where the SPFS has already been extended from the initial 2 to 3 sites. It is also foreseen a further extension at the beginning of the next year to 4-5 additional sites and, as resources become available, to many more sites.

Phase II: Expanding the Impact of the SPFS to the Sectoral and Macroeconomic Levels

26. Phase II is expected to constitute a country driven process, expanding at national level the results of the previous phase. The focus of the Programme, therefore, will shift from field work in specific sites to the formulation and implementation of appropriate policies, investment programmes and bankable projects allowing the country to materialize the agricultural development and food security potentialities identified during Phase I. In view of the considerable efforts involved and the internal and external resources required, the launching of Phase II should be carefully prepared, with the full participation of all national and international stakeholders, and based on satisfactory achievements of the previous phase.

27. The most essential of these achievements are as follows:

• availability of proven technologies for low cost irrigation, intensification and diversification, leading to competitive, sustainable and sizable food productions increases in the most important agroecological regions, particularly by small farmers and with high women participation.
  
  
• thorough constraints analysis work, demonstrating the technical, economic and financial feasibility to expanding those technologies.
  
  
• improved institutional set-up, with the capacity to formulate and implement wide national food security policies and investment programmes.
  
  
• high level political and national stakeholders commitment to food security objectives.
  
  
• external support and involvement of the main international technical and financial institutions and donors.

28. As seen before, many countries are extending Phase I activities and some of them will be in the possibility of reaching the above mentioned requisites to launch Phase II in the near future. FAO will continue to assist participating countries in these efforts, in particular for the preparation of a national plan of action conceptualizing the objectives, strategy and main policy instruments, investment programme and bankable projects required to implement Phase II. FAO is also prepared to play a catalytic role in collaborating with countries to secure the financial support of donor countries and international financial institutions.