Promoting People’s Livelihood and Participation through Cash-for-Work Project
Wednesday, November 18, 2009 15:27
Agricultural production in a village in Pursat has increased, thanks to a cash-for-work project implemented by Ponleur Kumar (PK). Damnak Thnong village in Bakan district’s Khnar Totoeung commune, has 175 families; 41% of which are categorized as the poorest. The project enables farmers, more than 90% of villagers, to plant rice at least 2-3 times each year.
Around five years ago, the village had experienced a lack of source of water for the agriculture farming, which allows them to plant rice only once a year. As a result, some families who have small pieces of land for farming had to borrow money from private lenders to cope with their daily needs. In 2007, with support from Concern Worldwide, PK conducted a feasibility assessment to implement a cash-for work project in the village with participation from the commune council, village association (VA) and community groups. The assessment found that the villagers needed a source of safe drinking water for humans and animals, and water for agricultural production.
PK provided the village a grant amount US$2,455 to rehabilitate a 2, 322-meter stretch of an irrigation reservoir which is connected to master canal, according to Mr. An Sam An, PK’s Initiative for Rural Development (IRD) Project Officer. The village was selected because it has been working in partnership with PK since 2005 in promoting livelihoods of vulnerable families and strengthening the capacity of community groups and commune council to perform their work in a transparent and accountable manner.
PK organized a meeting with villagers, the village association, and the commune council to identify local resources and negotiate the price of labor. Participants in the reservoir rehabilitation project received 4,000 riel per cubic meter of renovated reservoir, using the dug soil to build a road nearby. Most workers were the poorest residents of the community, and they completed it in two weeks time.
Mr. An Sam An explained that with cash-for-work program, people could use the cash payment to solve other problems they face. More importantly, the program could stop villagers from migrating to seek job employments at Cambodian-Thai border. In addition to this, with the source of water for agriculture production, the villagers are now able to plant dry season rice 2-3 times per year, so they can secure enough food for the whole year and respond to disaster risk deduction.
PK also provided grants for new housing for victims affected by rainstorms, tree planting, dry-season-rice demonstration plots and pumping machines for dry season rice production.
To sustain the project, PK has supported and built the capacity of VA in order to maintain what has been achieved in Damnak Thnong village through strengthening water user group for sustainable water use for expanding the dry rice season production and techniques.
Notably, VA includes: the poorest group, water user group, rural road maintenance group, self-help group and social fund committees. The VA has clear structure and is officially recognized by CC in May 2008. The VA plays an important role as a representative of community groups in communication with national and international NGOs, CC and relevant Government institutions to mobilize outside resources in response to the need of community, especially the poorest families.
A 60-year-old VA member, Mr.Ros Phorn, said a few years ago his family lacked food for four remaining months because his farming didn’t produce good yield and he had to borrow
rice from a neighbor. His life has improved because his family is now able to plant rice (dry season rice) three times per year and has secured food for the whole year. “My family can pay more than half of the debt we borrowed during the lack of food. I bought some planks of wood for new housing and raise some piglets,” he said.
Ms. Srey Vicheka, 42, is a member of dry season rice group. A neighbor lent her 0.5 hectare of farming land to plant rice after she got rice seeds from the CC. At the harvest, she collected 1.5 tone of rice. “Aside from this, I can earn income from raising chickens, pigs and ducks. And my family bought an old motorbike for trading fish,” she said.
The chairperson of the VA, 59-year-old Mr. Khiev Eam, said, “We formed a water user group to enhance the equality of water distribution to avoid conflict of interest and to promote natural resources through educating our members on forestry law and participating in tree planting campaign and developing tree nursery”. “I also proposed to forestry administration for trees to be planted in the village and in the nursery. Trees can protect us from rainstorms,” he added.
K hnar Totoeung commune chief Mr. Prum Moeun, 54, highly appreciated the achievements PK has made in the commune so far because they all responded to the real needs of villagers. At the same time, the commune council will strengthen the maintenance of the irrigation reservoir and water distribution to villagers to increase farming space for dry season rice, which never ever happened here before, he said.
The achievements resulted from the implementation of cash-for-work project in the village has been disseminated to Government institutions, national and international NGOs and were also presented at DRR forum at national level. Some interested NGOs also conducted study visits to learn about the project.
At the same time, PK also organized cross-study visits among 11 Vas from different areas to share the experiences of good practice of grant management, community mobilizing, DRR response and techniques of dry season rice planting.
(Source: D&D Bulletin, the publication of the Commune Council Support Project, Volum 8 No.7, July-September 2009)