EFICAS Community Based Agri Development Planning
An emphasis was given over the past decade to participatory land use planning (PLUP), with strong policy support, development of methods and tools. Land use planning has gradually improved with increased farming communities participation and ownership of the planning process, and improved techniques for data collection and mapping. Initial participatory diagnostic usually includes an inventory and prioritization of village problems, a description of village history and demography, the identification of farming practices, of constraints to local development, as well as technical and organizational levers to improve systems performance.
Unfortunately, the PLUP process usually ends with a PLUP report and map set at the entrance of the village, whereas it should be the starting point towards the effective implementation of the plan. Land use planning is not only about supporting the initial diagnosis but also about supporting the implementation of a collectively-agreed territorial plan, which still remains a challenge.
Over the past 5 years, the Eco-Friendly Intensification and Climate-resilient Agricultural Systems (EFICAS) project has been working on how to translate these PLUP into action plans and notably into Community-based Agricultural Development Plans (CADPs).
A CADP is an action plan: 1) that engages the whole village over several years, 2) that is negotiated and implemented by the village community and district extension agents together, 3) that (hopefully) receives the support of multiple partners/projects for implementation, and 4) that provide clear indicators to monitoring implementation and impacts. This is an adaptive learning process in which the planning, implementation and monitoring activities are highly inter-related.
This manual aims to provide to field practitioners basic information and tips on how to plan, implement, and monitor a CADP.
