Tanta community authorities inform about the project to the community assembly
Instituto de Montaña
Under the "Strengthening community organization" component, the project worked with the Tanta community to develop a livestock management strategy, with the support of a specialist, to improve livestock management in the community’s farm territory. The objective was to fortify the community’s collective decision-making process in regards to the management of its natural resources, thus contributing to the recovery of grazing areas, which in turn ensures having the necessary level of food for livestock and improving both productivity and ecosystem services for water regulation.
The livestock management strategy has been the product of a participatory process facilitated by Instituto de Montaña and led by the authorities and the community's livestock department (committee). As part of this process, visual materials (maps and infographics) have been developed to graphically represent the proposed management plan and rotation of livestock among the different sectors of the communal farm. These visual materials are exhibited in the community premises so that the community members can follow up on the plan and the agreements and commitments made by all.
Participatory approach to decision-making and planning.
Interest and commitment of the local population.
Relationship of trust between the community and the implementing institutions.
Availability and commitment of the authorities in charge, such as the boards of directors and specialized committees.
Traditional knowledge of the local population and technical knowledge of external experts.
Participation of the Nor Yauyos-Cochas Landscape Reserve (NYCLR) team.
Working on community strengthening and organization is a process that takes time but is essential to achieve long-term results.
The project needs to be flexible enough to modify plans in the face of unexpected situations. This also contributes to building trust.
In the face of the initial distrust towards external institutions, the permanent presence of Instituto de Montaña's field staff and their involvement in the community's day-to-day life was important.
Building capacity of local partners was an important part of the project to enable achievement of results.
Capacity was built through online training and informal discussions.
Without capable partners, no field activities would have been implemented during the COVID-19 travel restrictions.
* Capacity building of key local stakeholders included in project design
* Availability of smartphones, computers and network
* Expert trainers available and able to flexibly adapt to online training
* While most stakeholders prefer in-person capacity-building events, responses to the online training was extremely positivea and could be built into future projects to reduce costs and increase flexibility of delivery options
Partnerships with the provincial Taskforce, which oversaw the project's activities in general, and the provincial Agriculture Extension Center and Farmers’ Union helped achieve the expected results despite travel restrictions owing to COVID-19.
Partnerships with these local partners also led to the later integration of the project’s interventions into provincial partner’s programmes.
* Engagement with all levels of government in the province, specifically, at the project's sites, was critically important to establish the partnerships
* Endorsement of the project at national level was critical to ensure provincial and local buy-in
* Widespread availability of smartphones and access to network and desktop computers was vital to ensuring progress even during the pandemic's travel restrictions
* Building strong partnerships is a risk-reduction strategy, as shown during the pandemic wherein local partners were able to conduct many activities with guidance remotely by expert staff
