1.2 Contact details of resource persons and institutions involved in the assessment and documentation of the Approach

Name of the institution(s) which facilitated the documentation/ evaluation of the Approach (if relevant)

Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH (GIZ) - Germany

Name of the institution(s) which facilitated the documentation/ evaluation of the Approach (if relevant)

HELVETAS (Swiss Intercooperation)

1.3 Conditions regarding the use of data documented through WOCAT

When were the data compiled (in the field)?

01/07/2012

The compiler and key resource person(s) accept the conditions regarding the use of data documented through WOCAT:

Ja

2.1 Short description of the Approach

The practice seeks to organise and engage actors in one or several value chains (for example, a rice hulling value chain where sector actors are organised around rice hulling units).

2.2 Detailed description of the Approach

Detailed description of the Approach:

The support aims to set up a functioning organisation to manage the equipment and promote the value chain in question. The goal of this approach is to increase the quantity and quality of produce using a multi-stakeholder strategy with the potential, through the value added, to bring in substantial revenues.
Hulling, the main rice processing activity in the area, can be performed both manually and mechanically. Producers use pestles and mortars for manual hulling. This activity, commonly carried out by women, is mainly used to hull the portion of harvested paddy designated for home consumption. To improve production and processing, the project supports the installation of rice hullers on farms in order to provide consumers with better quality rice, which also has a higher market value. With this support, mechanical hulling (often following drying) has become embedded in farming practice and has overtaken manual hulling. Producers’ incomes have risen accordingly, given the reductions in broken grain and their more marketable produce. The interim objectives sought, with the project’s support, are: a) in production: to increase the land area developed for rice production per site; to increase the agricultural yields of sites; to enable producers to master rice conservation techniques and methods. b) in processing: to facilitate access to rice hullers for producers in supported communes; to market new non-paddy products. c) in marketing: to increase consumer knowledge about the products; to improve the organisation of produce logistics by employing a
more effective sales mechanism.
To understand the difficulties encountered by producers, a diagnostic exercise is carried out. For example, where no rice huller is available, women are obliged to pound the paddy. The results are mediocre (difficult work and rice quality). Other difficulties include the long distances involved in accessing a huller and the possibility that, even though a huller is available, the quality of the end product may be lacking. A management committee is set up to ensure the income generating activities that contribute to the organisation’s financial self-sufficiency are well handled. Millers are trained to run and maintain the machine and are provided with simple management tools for compiling information on the quantity of rice hulled each day, the costs associated with operating the machine (purchase of diesel, oil), etc. Operation: A rice hulling machine (huller) is installed for use. The fee for using the huller is set at a general meeting of the organisation, with a preferential rate granted to members. In addition, priority is given to local rice growers who wish to hull their rice. It should be pointed out that the machine is operated using animal traction and that millers often tour local villages offering their services. At the end of each working day, the accounts are drawn up by the management committee treasurer who, on a weekly basis and in the company of the secretary general, deposits the funds in the organisation’s bank account, held in a microfinance institution.
Beneficiaries formulate their needs and pay their share relating to these needs. The commune facilitates business operations. Consultants and technical services structure the organisations, provide advisory support and train actors. The programme provides co-funding, advisory support and training.
A rice huller of this kind with a 10-year lifespan costs between 1,500,000 and 1,700,000 CFA francs when procured from the manufacturer in Niono in the Office du Niger area. To this, one must add the costs of a one-week training course for beneficiaries on running and maintaining the machine (to ensure better uptake). This training costs 200,000 CFA francs and is delivered by the supplier (two millers trained). The machine hulls 800 kilograms of rice per hour, with a hulling rate of 60% to 67% using half a litre of diesel per hour.

2.3 Photos of the Approach

2.5 Country/ region/ locations where the Approach has been applied

2.6 Dates of initiation and termination of the Approach

2.7 Type of Approach

• project/ programme based

2.8 Main aims/ objectives of the Approach

The aim is to increase the land area developed for rice production per site; to increase the agricultural yields of sites; to enable producers to master rice conservation techniques and methods; to facilitate access to rice hullers for producers in supported communes; to market new non-paddy products; to increase consumer knowledge about the products; to improve the organisation of produce logistics by employing a more effective sales mechanism.
The SLM Approach addressed the following problems: difficult work and low rice quality where there is no rice huller available, long distances involved in accessing a huller, low food security, low incomes

2.9 Conditions enabling or hindering implementation of the Technology/ Technologies applied under the Approach

3.1 Stakeholders involved in the Approach and their roles

3.2 Involvement of local land users/ local communities in the different phases of the Approach

	Involvement of local land users/ local communities	Specify who was involved and describe activities
initiation/ motivation	passive
planning	interactive
implementation	interactive
monitoring/ evaluation	interactive
Research	passive

3.4 Decision-making on the selection of SLM Technology/ Technologies

Specify who decided on the selection of the Technology/ Technologies to be implemented:

• mainly SLM specialists, following consultation with land users

Explain:

Decisions on the method of implementing the SLM Technology were made by mainly by SLM specialists with consultation of land users

4.1 Capacity building/ training

Was training provided to land users/ other stakeholders?

Ja

Specify who was trained:

• land users

Form of training:

• on-the-job
• farmer-to-farmer
• courses

Subjects covered:

Millers are trained to run and maintain the machine and are provided with simple management tools for compiling information on the quantity of rice hulled each day, the costs associated with operating the machine (purchase of diesel, oil), etc. Training in strategies for making the huller profitable.

4.2 Advisory service

Do land users have access to an advisory service?

Ja

Specify whether advisory service is provided:

• on land users' fields

Describe/ comments:

Name of method used for advisory service: the project supports the installation of rice hullers on farms
Advisory service is quite adequate to ensure the continuation of land conservation activities

4.3 Institution strengthening (organizational development)

Have institutions been established or strengthened through the Approach?

• yes, greatly

Specify the level(s) at which institutions have been strengthened or established:

• local

Specify type of support:

• financial
• capacity building/ training
• equipment

4.4 Monitoring and evaluation

Is monitoring and evaluation part of the Approach?

Ja

Comments:

technical aspects were ad hoc monitored by project staff, land users through observations
socio-cultural aspects were ad hoc monitored by project staff, land users through observations
economic / production aspects were regular monitored by project staff, land users through measurements
management of Approach aspects were regular monitored by project staff, land users through observations
There were no changes in the Approach as a result of monitoring and evaluation
There were no changes in the Technology as a result of monitoring and evaluation

4.5 Research

Was research part of the Approach?

Ja

Specify topics:

• sociology
• economics / marketing
• ecology
• technology

5.1 Annual budget for the SLM component of the Approach

If precise annual budget is not known, indicate range:

• 2,000-10,000

Comments (e.g. main sources of funding/ major donors):

Approach costs were met by the following donors: international non-government: 100.0%

5.2 Financial/ material support provided to land users

Did land users receive financial/ material support for implementing the Technology/ Technologies?

Ja

If yes, specify type(s) of support, conditions, and provider(s):

The project supports the installation of rice hullers on farms

5.3 Subsidies for specific inputs (including labour)

• equipment

If labour by land users was a substantial input, was it:

• rewarded with other material support

Comments:

A management committee is set up to ensure the income generating activities that contribute to the organisation’s financial self-sufficiency are well handled.

5.4 Credit

Was credit provided under the Approach for SLM activities?

Ja

Specify conditions (interest rate, payback, etc.):

repayment conditions: The fee for using the huller is set at a general meeting of the organisation, with a preferential rate granted to members. At the end of each working day, the accounts are drawn up by the management committee treasurer who, on a weekly basis and in the company of the secretary general, deposits the funds in the organisation’s bank account, held in a microfinance institution. .

6.1 Impacts of the Approach

6.2 Main motivation of land users to implement SLM

6.3 Sustainability of Approach activities

Can the land users sustain what has been implemented through the Approach (without external support)?

• yes

If yes, describe how:

The sustainability of the practice relies on producers’ sound operation of the rice huller, which involves the following factors: training millers in how to run and maintain the machine; training in strategies for making the huller profitable; ensuring the availability of spare parts; drawing on pre-existing technical capacities in a given commune for the maintenance and repair of machines; ongoing training along with management and accountancy over sight; setting up a system of simple template documents for accounting purposes.

6.4 Strengths/ advantages of the Approach

Strengths/ advantages/ opportunities in the compiler’s or other key resource person’s view
The rice hullers are easily accessible for rice growers in supported communes
The cooperatives benefiting from this equipment have been able to offer more competitive produce on the market as their processing costs are lower than those of other rice growers. (How to sustain/ enhance this strength: The main success factors for the practice are: the presence of a potentially large amount of paddy rice in the area; and the sound adoption of the practice by actors, but also very good management and regular monitoring of associated activities (good entrepreneurial spirit).)
Women’s domestic duties are reduced, cooperative member incomes have increased and there is greater food security.
The land given over to rice growing on supported sites has increased, ensuring food security.

6.5 Weaknesses/ disadvantages of the Approach and ways of overcoming them

Weaknesses/ disadvantages/ risks in the compiler’s or other key resource person’s view	How can they be overcome?
The constraints mainly involve technical issues such as the availability of skilled labour to repair the machine and its spare parts.

7.1 Methods/ sources of information

7.2 References to available publications

Title, author, year, ISBN:

Manual of Good Practices in Small Scale Irrigation in the Sahel. Experiences from Mali. Published by GIZ in 2014.

Available from where? Costs?

http://star-www.giz.de/starweb/giz/pub/servlet.starweb

Title, author, year, ISBN:

HELVETAS Swiss Intercooperation (2012): Note on rural associative enterprises