Building resilience of the agricultural sector against the effects of meteorological variations includes building the resilience of small businesses along the value chains which use the produce from agricultural production.  Through the Business Capacity Development measure, two women-only local agro-processing groups which process local produce for the local and national market, benefitted from theoretical lectures and hands-on exercises on crucial business aspects (costs, revenues, new product ideas, design, marketing and the management of their business) so they could apply the knowledge gained to improve the quality of their decision making.  The core topics addressed during the training were:  Entrepreneurship Essentials, Introduction to Marketing; Basic Book-Keeping Principles; Essential Costing Practices; Office Administration, financial education, business management and investment-driven market expansion and borrowing.

Educational and knowledge exchange programs were used to promote awareness of the importance of effectively managing ecosystems.  By focussing on the younger generation, the Programme sought to incorporate sustainability into its impacts as these youth would be the decisionmakers of the future. Further, there is the observation that children tend to share whatever they have learned with their parents. Thus, it is seen as an opportunity to reach the wider community with information.  Several approaches were executed.  In 2017, the Programme supported the Soufriere Scotts Head Marine Reserve (SSMR) Day in Dominica, a major collaborative effort between local authorities and the CATS programme.  500 primary school students and 81 teachers from 33 primary schools participated in activities that promote the understanding of the ridge to reef concept.  There was also adoption of the Soufriere Primary School as a Reef Guardian School.  This initiative served the dual purpose of educating and raising awareness of students and by extension, their parents, of the ridge to reef concept, and also making teachers more aware of these, so they could better instruct their students.  Also, in Soufriere Saint Lucia, three schools benefitted from support for the establishment of low chemical garden plots to produce food for the School Feeding Programmes embarked on these schools. The garden establishment also involved active participation of the children in the gardening process and revenue generation by the school through sale of excess produce.  This also realised development of management guidelines to be used by the schools for managing their existing plots as well as implementing similar. 

To assist in disaster vulnerability reduction, the CATS programme assisted in the construction of a berthing jetty in the remote community of Soufriere, Dominica.  Considered the most economically viable option, the jetty can provide for quick unimpeded access for goods for the community and an escape route for times of emergencies.  This infrastructure reduces the emergency response time between Soufriere/Scotts Head communities and Roseau by nearly half.  At the same time, the construction of such a facility is expected to create and expand new and hopefully sustained economic opportunities for the Local Area Management Authority (LAMA) and the local communities. 

The CATS Programme was based on the acknowledgement that good practices within the terrestrial zone augur well for the health of the coasts and marine spaces.  Thus, it worked with practitioners (farmers, foresters, agroprocessors) within this space by teaching and reinforcing good practices that could be incorporated within their operations.  A small group was also taught the specialised skills for mushroom cultivation as an alternative to traditional crop production.  This niche area was anticipated to increase food production diversity as it aligned with the practices of good resource management, recycling of byproducts and resilience.  For practitioners at the management level, the Programme supported the training of various persons in the practical application of Unmanned Aerial Systems for natural resource management and monitoring.  Since CATS Programme’s introduction of this, several other organisations both private and public sector have embarked on similar trainings for their officers. 

In addition to the direct actors at the operational level, institutional decision-makers, independent quality offices, certification bodies and research institutions key actors to implement quality assurance of fish products on a national scale. The complexity of the value chain, which interferes with the traceability of the product, and the significant geographical distances between fish producers and consumers present a substantial challenge in maintaining the quality of fish. Therefore, it is difficult to trace back the product's source when spoiled or inferior fish reaches the consumers.

Fish production and distribution are conducted both formally (e.g. through organized cooperatives) and informally by individuals. In most developing countries, the fish value chain predominantly follows an informal market system with limited quality management and traceability systems for fish. In the absence of traceability, there are concerns about trust and transparency in the marketing and consumption of fish in terms of the quality, food safety and price of products, which ultimately affects both consumers and fish sellers.

Direct partnerships with local food inspection authorities can be promoted to enable compliance with quality and hygiene standards to be checked throughout the value chain and to address the issue of traceability. On the other hand, non-compliance goes hand in hand with discarding spoiled fish from the market. The discard is an efficient incentive to adhere to the implementation of quality standards, because it is immediately accompanied by a loss of income for the fisherman or trader.

A hygiene and quality control plan – developed jointly with local inspection authorities- helps to guarantee regular sampling and analysis of fishery and aquaculture products. The control measures must target the complete value chain e.g. boats, production facilities, means of transportation, processing plants as well as distribution and sales points and be carried out systematically. This is only possible if all the necessary laboratory and health testing equipment is available and can be used by local staff. Training and exchange trips to comparable institutions in other countries improve the employees' ability to handle new equipment and technologies and consolidate their knowledge of different analytical methods and processes of hygiene inspections.

Implementation experiences should be regularly discussed with political decision-makers, associations and value chain actors. To secure efforts sustainably, it is important to integrate the costs of the sampling and analysing into the annual financial plans of the inspection authorities and to acquire financial contributions for the long-term. Clearing out financial obstacles is more likely to be successful if the hygiene and quality control plan is in line with local political strategies.

In order to improve the traceability and control of fishery and aquaculture products, so-called first sale certificates can be introduced by local inspection bodies. They should be issued at the most important landing or production points and contain information on the species, the origin of the product, the seller and the destination. Digital certificates are suitable for registering the above-mentioned information directly at the first sales at the production and landing points and should be monitored centrally. This facilitates the authorities’ work and saves resources. 

To further enhance compliance of the value-chain actors with hygiene and quality standards, action plans can be developed in direct cooperation with fish markets, fish auction halls and other important points of sale. The action plan must set out the measures being planned, a timetable, the financial and material resources required and a monitoring and evaluation system for ensuring the envisioned hygiene and quality standards.

Organizational and procedural measures may include: a commitment by the management of these trading centers to take responsibility for the hygiene and quality of fishery products, an adapted organizational chart for better control of the hygiene and quality of products, a charter for an extended committee to support the implementation of the action plan and/or a code of good hygiene practices for the employees of the respective entity.

In addition, mobile applications can help to connect information from both sides. For example, the direct actors in the value chain can receive information on hygiene and quality requirements of the fish market or the procedure of getting a first sale certificate. At the same time the fish market can register stands and actors and provide an overview for hygiene inspectors where and when to perform quality inspections. At the same time, an app can simplify the exchange of best practice guidelines, training materials, as well as other communication products interesting for the sector (advertisements, recipe videos, etc.).

The project team facilitated the development of the supporting documents  required to enhance the capacity of the network and finalize the formal registration as an NGO in Zanzibar. The documents developed included the operational manual and the strategic plan. In addition, the website was developed. A consultancy was paid to aid the network to take the necessary steps needed for the registration. 

National Mangrove Ecosystem Management Plan 2017-2027 provides for establishment of National and County Mangrove Management Committees to serve as advisory organ to inform Kenya Forest Service on the technical issues regarding mangrove management. The committees at national and in the five counties of Kwale, Mombasa, Kilifi, Tana River and Lamu, have been established and operationalized. Their membership comprise of technical experts for mangrove ecosystem relevant disciplines, including; Forestry, Fisheries, Wildlife, Water, Land, and Climate, and representatives of communities and Civil Society/Non-governmental organizations.

The IOC requires that all Olympic Forest Network projects “be developed and implemented in collaboration with the relevant experts and authorities.” All six projects that are currently part of the Network not only take this requirement into account but establish it as a corner stone of their implementation.

For example, the Papua New Guinea project involves a partnership between the NOC, local communities, the National Fisheries Authority, and the Conservation and Environment Protection Authority. The Slovenian project is partnered with the Slovenian State Forestry Company; the Spanish with the Ministry of the Environment and the Federation of Spanish Municipalities; while the Portuguese project has the technical support of the governmental Institute for Nature and Forest Conservation (ICNF) and the Abramud e Sentido Verde association. 

Requiring partnerships between NOCs and environment experts ensures that projects running under the Olympic Forest Network are as relevant and effective as can be with regards to nature conservation. Partnering with local experts and organisations also ensures that the Network can have meaningful impact not only on the environment, but also on the local communities where projects are run. Moreover, it facilitates local interest in, and ownership of, environmental work. 

While following the direction and guidance of the IOC, NOCs are best placed to design and implement projects complying with the IOC’s global standards at local level. This means that the IOC can support and promote environmental projects, while benefiting from expertise that the NOCs can provide in the local context through. This implementation method not only promotes local solutions to global problems, but also increases local ownership, empowers local communities, and promotes cooperation between sports, local environmental groups and indigenous peoples.  

In Brazil, for example, the “Brazil Olympic Committee Olympic Forest” project aims to restore a damaged part of the Tefé National Forest in the Amazon and is executed together with the Mamirauá Institute of Sustainable Development. Besides restoration, the project’s objective is to reinforce the sustainable use of the forest by the local community through planting key species such as Brazilian chestnut and açaí or providing training to the local community. 

Training and upskilling of local communities (on mangrove planting/rehabilitation) is one of the main objectives also of the Papua New Guinea Olympic Committee’s “Love Your Coast Project” where they aim to train “Love Your Coast Champions”, who are to lead small conservation projects in their communities

The IOC’s Executive Board approved several principles that NOCs would have to meet to join the Olympic Forest Network.

To have their project included in the Network, an NOC is required to submit details for the IOC’s review and approval, based on these specific criteria/principles. The review process is coordinated together with environmental experts who provide their feedback to the NOC and have the possibility to carry out field visit whenever relevant.

Projects are required to:

• Contribute to enhancing climate and nature protection and resilience;
• Support and be delivered in partnership with local communities;
• Be developed and implemented in collaboration with the relevant experts and authorities; and
• Have a long-term maintenance plan in place.

These principles help guide NOCs in the creation of their projects and ensure that all projects that are part of the Network are contribution to climate action and nature protection. The principles also ensure that projects possess certain characteristics and collaborative structures that are to ensure local impact and projects’ long-term viability.