Short description of the best practice

The community area development plans were developed for six communities for the period of 2008-2028, taking into consideration the main problems, opportunities, necessities and wishes of the local population. The special attention is paid to environment impact assessment of all actions in order to harmonize the economic and social development of community with environmental protection.
All communities included in their plans among other actions afforestation of severely eroded land,  re-establishing of degraded forest belts and planting new forest lines, creating of protection shields for the aquatic areas, elaborating and implementing a ecological education community program.
The first action implemented in all communities was Agricultural Land Re-parcelling, based on FAO guidelines. The training programs was conducted for the project staff and beneficiaries. Following a thorough process of land planning, discussions and individual negotiations with each land owner, the project promoted the application of the following land parcels operations: sale, exchange and long term lease. The costs incurred during land transactions was fully covered by the project. The Land Use Scheme implies changes in some categories of use and especially expanding the surface of vineyards and orchards on the territory of arable lands, as well as using agricultural terrains for community development according to the necessities and wishes of the local population. Land re-parcelling offer farmers the possibility to rearrange agricultural land according to ecologic principles and use of ecologic agriculture potential.
Currently each community has at least two on-going projects related to economic and social development and environment protection.

Location

The six communes which form the pilot area, namely Basauca village Rezina district, Sadova village Calarasi district, Calmatui village Hincesti district, Bolduresti community of Cantemir district, Baimaclia community Cantemir district, Opaci village Causeni district, Republic of Moldova|

If the location has well defined boundaries, specify its extension in hectares:

23946.0

Estimated population living in the location:

16885.0

Brief description of the natural environment within the specified location.

Most of Moldova's territory is a moderate hilly plateau cut deeply by many streams and rivers. Geologically, Moldova lies primarily on deep sedimentary rock that gives way to harder crystalline outcroppings only in the north. Moldova's hills are part of the Moldavian Plateau, which geologically originate from the Carpathian Mountains. |
About 75% of Moldova is covered by black earth or chernozem. In the northern hills, more clay textured soils are found; in the south, red-earth soil is predominant. The soil becomes less fertile toward the south but can still support grape and sunflower production. The hills have forest soils, while a small portion in southern Moldova is in the steppe zone, although most steppe areas today are cultivated. The lower reaches of the Prut and Dniester rivers and the southern river valleys are saline|
Moldova's climate is moderately continental: the summers are warm and long, with temperatures averaging 20 °C, and the winters are relatively mild and dry, with January temperatures averaging −4 °C. Annual rainfall, which ranges from around 600 millimeters in the north to 400 millimeters in the south, can vary greatly. The heaviest rainfall occurs in summer; heavy showers and thunderstorms are common. Because of the irregular terrain, heavy summer rains often cause erosion and river silting.|

Prevailing socio-economic conditions of those living in the location and/or nearby

After independence (1991), land was privatized. The average family was entitled to plots of between 1.5 and 2.5 ha. Four categories of farms emerged: (i) small individual farmers; (ii) individual commercial farmers; (iii) farmers in associations with close relatives; and (iv) farmers in groups (from less than 10 farmers to large, joint-stock companies). The small size of many farms precludes the use of agricultural machinery and advanced technology. |
The principal activity of local farmers is crop farming; main arable crops are maize and wheat. The cultivation of grapes and fruits is another traditional element of agriculture in this area. Vineyards and orchards take a significant share in crops’ structure. Income is derived from sale of agricultural produce, including milk and eggs, from forest products, but also from seasonal work at the small workshops in the their own and surrounding communities.|
Income depends much on weather conditions and agricultural policies.  Estimated average income per person is 50 US dollars per month for the last three years (no including this year).     

On the basis of which criteria and/or indicator(s) (not related to The Strategy) the proposed practice and corresponding technology has been considered as 'best'?

- Efficient use of human, natural, material and financial resources,
- Forest vegetation planted on degraded lands, and on the bank water basins diminishes the impact of run off. The community effectively contribute to planting of trees.
- Local environmental agency in close cooperation with mayoralties, schools, NGOs are involved in dissemination of environmentally friendly information on project interventions what contribute to public education and involvement in planting and maintaining in good conditions of new plantations as well as existing forest in the commune/village.
- Local Center for Preventive Medicine contributes to the monitoring of the water quality. |

Main problems addressed by the best practice

- Land fragmentation;
- Environmentally unsustainable land management practices;
- Illegal cutting of forests, leading to the destruction of forest belts and buffer strips;
- Point and non-point sources of pollution,
- Over-grazing.|

Outline specific land degradation problems addressed by the best practice

(i) Unsustainable use of natural resources and land management.
(ii) Soil degradation.
(iii) Fertility depletion.
(iv) Decline in land biodiversity.
(v) Reduction in productivity.
(vi) Reduction of nutrient discharge into water bodies.

Specify the objectives of the best practice

- Development and implementation of community development area plans in order to harmonize the economic and social development with environmental protection.
|- Implementing the land re-parcelling program as an instrument for using advanced agricultural technologies and sustainable community development;
|- Regeneration of degraded commune forests and  forest belts.  
|- Improving the quality of agricultural land.

Brief description of main activities, by objective

- Implementing activities of protection, maintenance and improving of degraded soil fertility;
- Agro-forestry consisted in planting of tree rows on cultivated lands, primarily of windbreaks and anti-erosion protective belts.
- Improving the quality of pastures and implementing controlled pasturing|
- Regeneration of degraded commune forest as well as existing forest protective belts.
- Planting of tree rows on cultivated lands, primarily of windbreaks and anti-erosion protective belts. |
Facilitate the development of farms by reducing the fragmentation and expanding the area of agricultural lands. The project provides assistance to land owners and farmers to undertake voluntarily land transactions based on market economy principles, elaborating  the land ownership maps (GIS MapInfo|
The elaboration of the Community Area Development Plans was effectuated together with the local public administration, professors, legal persons, non-governmental organizations, and the population of communities with active involvement of Zonal Ecologic Agencies, Preventive Medicine Centers, |Agriculture and Economy Departments of district Executive Committees.

Was the technology developed in partnership?

Yes

List the partners:

FAO, Rural Investment and Services Project (RISP II), MAFI|

Specify the framework within which the technology was promoted

• Programme/project-based initiative

Was the participation of local stakeholders, including CSOs, fostered in the development of the technology?

Yes

List local stakeholders involved:

Communities and districts Local authorities, local population|

For the stakeholders listed above, specify their role in the design, introduction, use and maintenance of the technology, if any.

- Ministry of Agriculture and Food Industry is the project beneficiary, developed criteria for selecting the project suitable rural communities, participated in monitoring and evaluation of project activities.
- FAO - the activities undertaken within the land re-parceling project are based on the methodology developed by FAO, which aims at ensuring voluntary participation of beneficiaries, full transparency in all activities, application of market prices to agricultural lands, application of participative method “bottom to top”, etc.
- Niras AB (Sweden), Terra Institute ltd. (USA), Orbicon A/S (Denmark) and National Agency for Rural Development (Moldova) implemented all activities together with local partners.|

Was the population living in the location and/or nearby involved in the development of the technology?

Yes

By means of what?

• Participatory approaches

Describe on-site impacts (the major two impacts by category)

Expected changes include change utilization of local resources, change in existing land use management, change in landscape, changes in erosion rates, etc. These in their turn are expected to lead to social and economic impacts on people.|
• The main environmental indicators are largely the same. • The expected environmental impact of re-parcelling and initiated actions are significant, especially in the long run. |
People learn to live with the new approach, new land structure, alternative solutions of solving their own problems, etc.  |
Implementation of the land re-parcelling project contribute to improving the structure of the agricultural land, efficient use of technology, increase the possibility of arranging the community territory with a consolidated network of roads; |
The economic levels stayed practically unchanged, while social cohesion and culture has somewhat improved from exposure to new things, common work. The expected social impact of re-parcelling and initiated actions  are significant, especially in the long run.|
Expected changes include change in increased jobs for people, there would be favorable conditions for the young population to stay in the rural area and those who left abroad could return back and start various businesses in their village.|
improving the community infrastructure by water and natural gas supply, etc. It offers farmers a possibility to start processing enterprises so that they could sell the final product at a higher price than the row materials. |

Describe the major two off-site (i.e. not occurring in the location but in the surrounding areas) impacts

No such impact was registered.

Impact on biodiversity and climate change

Explain the reasons:

The scope practices is harmonizing the economic and social development with environmental protection. Thus Environment-Friendly Community Practices will have a positive impact on
climate change adaptation
- Land re-parcelling will offer farmers the possibility to rearrange agricultural land according to ecologic principles and use of ecologic agriculture potential.
- Re-establishing degraded forest belts and planting new forest lines would protect the agricultural lands from severe winds, erosion processes, would improve microclimate and would create ecologic networks and there would be some niches for fauna.
- Afforestation of the severely eroded soils; creation of protection zones for water resources would improve microclimate and would contribute to preserving biodiversity.|
The Environment-Friendly Community Practices are energy and resource saving in all sectors of community development, while are in harmony with nature. In other words, the practices will reduce the greenhouse gases emissions and will maintain and develop sectors which are GHG sink.

Has a cost-benefit analysis been carried out?

Has a cost-benefit analysis been carried out?

No

Was the technology disseminated/introduced to other locations?

Was the technology disseminated/introduced to other locations?

Yes

Where?

Currently the land re-parceling project is being implemented by ACSA in 40 villages, financed by World Bank and SIDA. The project target group includes 50 thousands small and medium scale farms located in 40 rural communities selected to participate in the project. The total land area engaged in the project is more than 80 thousands hectares, lands that are fragmented into about 170 thousands parcels..|

Were incentives to facilitate the take up of the technology provided?

Were incentives to facilitate the take up of the technology provided?

Yes

Can you identify the three main conditions that led to the success of the presented best practice/technology?

3.  Business opportunities related to community development, etc. |
2.  Highly motivated local governments
1.  Highly motivated farmers

Replicability

In your opinion, the best practice/technology you have proposed can be replicated, although with some level of adaptation, elsewhere?

Yes