3. Conclusions and recommendations
The underlying objective of this project is to improve the living condition of the beneficiaries, with an environment friendly, socially accepted and economically sound approach. Therefore it is obvious that the project wants to give priority to the need, aspirations and capacities of the people who have to be the main designer of the programme. As is mentioned above, there seems to be a very big gap between the stated objective and the practice of the project implementation. The process of implementation is being influenced by the necessity of fulfilling the physically set targets on group formation, land allocation, loan distribution, nursery development, holding of training/workshop, leasing land to the groups and all such project activities. If on one hand the fulfillment of the set targets are very important, on the other hand, maximum participation of the actual users of the fodder and other forest products is extremely important for the project success. Development of the capacity of the actual users to retain the process have to be achieved to its full extent. There is no doubt that in the implementation stage, the project staff have been putting their efforts to the maximum extent to make the project a model one.
However, the implementation plan has to incorporate a number of important strategic points under gender consideration.
Again, gender planning is not the only answer for project success. It is one among other various factors responsible for project success. The integration of women (and of course, the deprived poor) in the mainstream of the project requires the integration of gender sensitive strategies in every step of the project cycle. Most important of all is that since the project is implemented by four line agencies collectively, it becomes very important for all these four institutions to realise the importance of incorporating gender issues in project planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation strategies. Gender considerations can help the project to achieve equity and sustainability and therefore, success.
Since the project possesses an immensely diversified group of experts, in its coordinating agencies, the research unit, the NGOs, the technical support unit, the village people, there are lots of scope for developing practical and innovative alternatives for an extraordinary implementation of successful long term agro-forest based income generating projects, contributing towards long term sustainability.
The problem lies only in the absence of a clear mechanism for exploring the existing ideas and knowledge among the project people and utilising the group dynamic within an independent environment. An independent atmosphere for exploring innovative ideas will be necessary. Presently everybody's thoughts are being controlled by the Project Appraisal more than by the long term interest of project sustainability. The project team (along with the beneficiaries) must have a very clear vision of the successful indicators determining the project sustainability.
The project will sustain only when the people will be able to maintain the system initiated by the project. Thus the system has to be a practical one based on the development of the capacity of the target people. The full participation of both females and the males is the precondition but more than that they must receive appropriate benefits from the efforts made by them.
The concern here lies with providing equitable benefits for women and men, not only meeting the target of number of participant. The distribution of the resources have been designed by the project in a general way for men and women. However, the women need very specific considerations regarding the distribution of material resources due to the absence of controlling role by them in comparison to that of men.
In this regard, a three days workshop for exploring "Practical alternatives for sustainability" should be organised with the help of an outside expert (may be hired from the group of Small Business Promotion Project). A gender expert can be included in the group to analyze the findings of the groups from gender perspective.
