The World Bank/WBI’s CBNRM Initiative

Case Received: January 23, 1998

Author: Mamerto Valerio B.

Tel: +809 566 8321 / 549 4636

Fax: +809 541 3259

Email: endarcaribe@codetel.net.do

Country : Dominican Republic.

The work has been developed in five regions along the sub-tropical moist regions. These mean, low land (under 2,000 ft. above the sea level). This regions are in the north, center and East of the Dominican Republic. Acids soils, around 2000 mm yearly rainfall and 25.5°C mean temperature.

Natural Resources:

Soil (land uses), Social forestry and agroforestry. The present study case has been focused to the degraded land use with small farmers. It involve soil restoration, soil conservation and preservation and soil improving throughout agroforestry, agriculture, orchard and animal production on small scale.

Social and economic. Organization of the community based groups, training leader from the grassroots level groups, and involving family members in food and timber production. Self managing and looking for integration and organization for marketing part of the production are the real context for the present case.

An professional in Agriculture Technical and Forestry Engineer, has been involved in the Agroforestry Program of Enda-Caribe in Dominican Republic from November, 1989. The program has been started in 1984. The author has designed, monitored and leaded the work throughout the last eighth years non-interrupted. Publications, evaluations and monitoring has been made in the process.

Deforestation and soil degradation was a common factor on rural communities. The original situation in Zambrana, Villa Altagracia, Bayaguana and El Valle, Dominican subtropical moist zones where the work has been developed, are as high degraded soil, deforested (over 95% of the areas) due to slash, burning and itinerant agriculture. Organic mater in the soil was under 0.5%, level of production to traditional agriculture were down at lowest level. Income for the family was the lowest in the country. Food, fuel and timber for local use were a big problems. Emigration to the cities was a common tendency for the population. Those problem is a process for centuries. Low educational levels of the people, unequal land distribution, slash and burn technical for agriculture and the soil destruction in general had been responsible for the original situation.

The process can be illustrated as follow.

• As first step the community approach to the institution to focus assistance. Some leader representative or other linked institution request from enda-caribe for development project on the region.

• Then, Enda-caribe make survey, Surveys studies (natural resources surveys, and social economic), into its interest and economic possibilities.
• Planning activities and project formulation together financing arrangement are carried out. The participation of the community representative has been a key, from the first step, until the present stage. The people. each family, leader representative, enda-caribe staff and financing agencies has been high responsible for the change occurred in the local communities involved in the present work. The initiative has been took for both, community people and enda-caribe.

Few institutional changes were necessary to make success. Enda-caribe`s philosophy is exactly applied. This institution works at grassroots level inside the community; Planning, doing and monitoring together the people involved in the process. So, few new arrangements were necessary for the institution. The relationship with government pattern was lightly modified. A new group of marketing and legal activities had took place into the community based groups with Enda-caribe as advisor and orientation institution.

Now, the big changes has been made inside the community: soils improved and in process to become more productive, traditional agriculture re valorized, timber production activities, food production, biodiversity, environment improving, water conservation, fruit trees cultivation, fuelwood production, marketing, farmers trained staff, farmers leadership. Those activities and its product are really changes for the region. From a poor soil land, deforested areas, low production levels in food, grass, fruit and with absence in wood for fuel and for construction, now you can see in the same site (same people, same community) opposite panorama. Recovered soil improving production capacity, 25% forested areas (from less than a 5%), high production of timber (poles, forest tree seeds, saw timber in cooperative sawmill), timber marketing, food production for sustainability, low emigration rates, and part in timber for fuel and construction. In other hand, you can appreciate recovered stream, water fount, recovered indigenous forest throughout natural regeneration and a new environment with wildlife becoming onto the ecosystem. Birds, small vertebrates and others. These changes are present at oldest zones as Zambrana-Chacuey (225 km2), and the same changes pattern are going in Bayaguana, Villa Altagracia, six years old in agroforestry and community development. The most recent areas, El Valle, follow the same process. We hope , and we are catching the changes, in the same way and following the same step involving the people to get itself the changes.

The principal lesson learned by the author, in the wide process is that "the people can, if you know how". That mean, is necessary to avoid many traditional thing, administrative, bureaucracy, power, legislation, roles. Really, these success gained had been possible only with simplification.

The institution Enda-caribe is an especial Non Governmental Organization throughout the world. Many kind of community work are going to carried out in many countries. Each one is particular as its beneficiaries people. In the present case, people and technical staff, without internal laws, free in the land, in the community, free from the financing agencies, take decision, plan ideas, make things looking to the only common point of view: improve the poor living, degraded soil, low production level and deforested areas.

In conclusion, the reason for the success has been the people plan and do its own idea regarding to the own problem. These reason has been greatly supported by a institution permit the people make things for themselves. The author think that these case can be replaceable in any other situation. The key is to involve the people to recognize the problem, limitation (from themselves, environment, government, region, localization, transportation, etc.). It may be replaceable if the institutions (governmental and private ones) are able to permit the people thing, plan and make. It mean to share many thing as the power decision, found application, spend time with the actors training, thinking, writing, sharing success and sharing lost. learning together and making evaluation together.

In the author opinion something was universal: Make things for solve identified problem promote and motive the people to work and make things. Participation of the involved people from the first step must be universal to get success.

One thing may be particular in our case. Note that say particular, no unique. We are talking about a forest tree for humid tropics. Acacia mangium is a fast growing acacia, for timber production, grow in poorest and degraded soils, produce 25 m3 of timber per hectare per year and at 5 years old timber is possible to harvest, sell timber, to saw timber and make furniture high quality. It really has led to motive and promote activities looking for recover soils, improve income for agroforestry and biodiversity.