Document Type: Project Design and Implementation

The purpose of this document is to conduct a Pesticide Evaluation Report (PER) and Safe Use and Action Plan (SUAP) to bring USAID-funded projects into compliance with USAID’s environmental regulations (Title 22 of the Code of Federal Regulations part 216, or Regulation 216) on pesticide use. Beyond compliance, this document offers best practices and helps ensure that projects reduce the chances for errors and liability.

This 2011 PERSUAP was developed for and under the direction of CNFA. It applies to all of the current or forthcoming agriculture assistance projects for Georgia. This approach was used to economize resources such that each USAID project would not need to duplicate costs to produce their own PERSUAP report. Moreover, the objective is to have one document, which can guide and inform the work of the COTR and MEO where pesticides are or could be involved in any project in Georgia.

Before errors (such as human poisonings) occur, it is the responsibility of USAID project implementers to put these mitigation recommendations into action, as soon as possible. Implementers will then monitor changes in risks, impacts, and mitigation success using EMMPs (Environmental Mitigation and Monitoring Plans). Finally, the implementers will report positive or negative changes from mitigation success baselines in semi-annual reporting instruments.

The report begins with sections that evaluate background and risks across the inputs sectors in Georgia, including treatment of seed, field crops, greenhouse crops, and livestock as well as processing. And, it promotes the use of preventive and curative Integrated Pest Management (IPM) and Good Agriculture Practices (GAPs). It analyzes pesticide active ingredients registered for use in Georgia and recommends against use of pesticides containing active ingredients that are: not EPA registered, Restricted Use Pesticides (RUPs), Class I, Known Carcinogens, and Known Water Pollutants.

This report presents an overview of the assistance the EPI program has provided to strengthen the infrastructure of the HR department of the RS in the areas of developing job descriptions, knowledge requirements for each job, skill sets, and behavioral characteristics. It follows up on a Training Needs Assessment conducted by EPI at the Revenue Service of Georgia in June 2011. The TNA not only identified gaps in knowledge, skills, and attitudes of employees within the Revenue Service but also identified the need for the Human Resource department to develop a strong infrastructure based on international best practices. The current mission was designed to provide the next step of training capacity building by helping Revenue Service develop a Strategic Training Plan. However, during the course of the mission, the consultant discovered an opportunity to provide critical HR capacity guidance by helping the Revenue Service develop job descriptions for its personnel. The consultant designed a procurement of local resources to carry out a job descriptions development contract. By establishing job descriptions and skill sets, the HR department will be in a position to analyze training needs and be better equipped to go forward with human resource development and training. In addition, the report focuses on the substantial progress the HR department has made over the past two months and presents an overview of the steps the HR department needs to take in the area of training.

The Republic of Georgia benefits from strategic location, beautiful physical features and historical treasures, and talented, energetic people. In recent years, a democratically elected, forward-looking government has created an empowering, laissez-faire business environment, complementing these natural endowments with an atmosphere in which business can flourish. Recognizing that this combination of assets and opportunity is rare in the world, the U.S. government wishes to strengthen, deepen, and institutionalize these developments to ensure continued peace, stability, and democratic political and economic growth.

In April-May 2011, the Economic Prosperity Initiative (EPI) program undertook several activities in order to engender its value chain initiatives: capacity mapping of those pro women Georgian organizations that work on economic development, gathering secondary data on the current employment statistics of women across EPI‟s priority sectors, and conducting a small scale gender sensitive value chain analysis exercise across one of EPI’s priority sectors.

This Work Plan details activities programmed under the USAID/Rwanda Conflict Management & Mitigation Project, otherwise known as the “Land Dispute Management Project” (the “Project”). ARD, Inc. is the recipient of a USAID grant for this Project and will conduct these activities in partnership with the Office of the Registrar of Land Titles at the Rwandan Ministry of Lands, Environment, Forestry, Water, and Mines (“MINITERE”). To implement the project, ARD, Inc. has sub-contracted with the following entities: Rwandan Institute for Sustainable Development (“RISD”), Center for Justice and Peace Building (“CJP”), and the Rural Development Institute (“RDI”).

The duration of the Project is 14 months.

BACKGROUND

Thirteen years after the civil war and genocide, the Government of Rwanda (“GoR”) has made significant progress in reconciliation, governance, and land tenure reform. With donor support, the GoR established MINITERE in 1999, drafted a National Land Policy in 2000, passed the Land Policy in 2004, and passed the Organic Land Law in 2005. Throughout this process, the GoR has actively facilitated the reintegration of pre- and post-genocide exiles into Rwandan society, introduced imidugudu (grouped settlement) as a means to address land use and human settlement problems, developed the gacaca program to offer the potential of justice and reconciliation after the genocide, and put in place village-level mediators (abunzi) to hear disputes, especially land disputes.

The GoR is keenly aware of the danger of devising solutions that could destabilize the country. The government continues to peacefully absorb and reintegrate demobilized soldiers, former prisoners, and returnees (including women and children) into communities, in a situation of increasing land scarcity due to high population growth. In addition, experiences in other countries in the region suggest that effective decentralization and capacity are often the weak links in land policy  implementation. Given that 90 percent of the Rwandan population depends on land as their main source of livelihood, peaceful resolution of competing land claims is critical to continued peace.

Current MINITERE land-related initiatives are focused on implementation of the Organic Land Law, including piloting a land rights formalization process, drafting the necessary implementing laws and decrees, and developing land administration capacity. (These are all part of the DFID-funded National Land Tenure Reform Program (“LTRP”)). In addition, USAID is providing legal and gender-specific implementation assistance to MINITERE under the RAISE IQC Task Order: Lessons Learned: Property Rights and Natural Resources Management, Rwanda Land-Related Program Activities (Phase III) (“Rwanda Phase III”). This Project will contribute to those efforts. It: (1) supports and strengthens local capacity to resolve land disputes that may arise in the pilot areas where land rights are being formalized; and (2) educates specific pilot communities in two GoR priority areas about the land law and avenues for seeking relief, with the goal of reducing and preventing the recurrence of land-related disputes. The Project will implement activities with particular attention to women and disadvantaged groups to help ensure they have equal access to the land dispute resolution process.

The establishment of tenure security, through appropriate legislation and socially-inclusive land rights formalization, backed by effective mechanisms for land adjudication and dispute resolution, will provide for reconciliation and further prevention of conflict.

OBJECTIVES

The objectives of the Project are twofold:

1. Support and strengthen capacity in two GoR priority pilot areas to resolve land disputes in a fair and efficient manner; and
2. Increase public awareness about the law governing land rights and avenues for seeking peaceful
   resolution of land-related disputes and conflicts.

The Project will contribute directly toward the following objectives of USAID/Rwanda:

• Strategic objectives (SO) of Improved Governance through Increased Citizen Participation (SO5) contributing to Program Component (PC) 1: mitigate conflict and support peace; and
• Operational Plan relating to “Governing Justly & Democratically” (Program Area 3 “Political Competition and Consensus-Building”).

The Project will also contribute indirectly to the Expanded Economic Opportunities SO by facilitating land tenure security, which will lay the foundation for improved agricultural and business practices.

The Tanzania SERA Project assists both the Government of the Republic of Tanzania (GoT) and the private sector to enable a broad‐based, sustainable transformation of the agricultural sector through policy reform. The vision for this project is twofold: to improve the policy and regulatory environment for agriculture growth and to build a group of public sector institutions, advocacy organizations, and individuals capable of performing rigorous policy analysis in support of evidence‐based advocacy for policy reform. The SERA Project is part of USAID’s Tanzania Feed the Future (FtF) Initiative and works closely with other implementing partners and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

Improving agricultural policies will be accomplished by working with the GoT and other stakeholders to identify important policy constraints to growth in the agricultural sector and by helping to design improved policies. The SERA Project will conduct or commission evidence‐based research to inform the GoT and other stakeholders of the impacts of existing policies and the potential of improved policies. In addition, the SERA Project will develop the capacity of individuals and organizations to engage in policy analysis and advocate for policy change. At the conclusion of the project, we expect USAID will leave behind an improved policy environment and a legacy of enabling the GoT to initiate, develop, and utilize evidence‐based research in policy decisions and implementation. The project will also empower local research and private sector advocacy groups to more effectively use analysis and strategic communications to lobby for change, to build national partnerships that create consensus around agriculture policy, and to monitor the impacts of policy. The SERA Project will focus its activities around priorities identified in collaboration with the Southern Agriculture Growth Corridor of Tanzania (SAGCOT) initiative.

USAID has contracted Development Alternatives International (DAI) to implement a Land Tenure Assistance (LTA) programme as part of the Feed the Future (FTF) initiative in the Southern Agricultural Growth Corridor of Tanzania (SAGCOT) in the Districts of Kilombero, Iringa and Mbeya. The project will be implemented over four years and provide assistance to local level authorities in the delivery of land tenure services under the village land laws and acts of Tanzania. The LTA has three objectives:

1. Assist villages in completing the land use planning process and delivering Certificate Customary Rights of Occupancy (CCROs) through the use of open source mobile technology (Mobile Application for Secure Tenure MAST);
2. Build capacities of village and district land governance institutions, and individual villagers, to complete the land use planning, complete the process of issuance of CCRO to village land owners effectively manage land resources, respect women’s land rights and build agriculture-related business skills through education and awareness raising activities; and
3. Raise awareness of the MAST technology (and related procedures) within the GOT, civil society, academia and private sector, with the goal of increasing uptake of the MAST technology (and related procedures) on a national level.

The work will be undertaken through four activities. Activity 1 relates provision of assistance in the delivery of village land use plans (VLUP), and Activity 2 to capacity building and public awareness and education.

MAST will be extended to provide a sustainable solution that can both capture and subsequently manage and maintain land rights records and support transactions at District and Village levels in the post CCRO issuance period. DAI have developed the Technical Register Under Social
Tenure (TRUST) that will provide this. It will be seamlessly linked with the existing MAST functionality.

The LTA programme provides a time bound plan for assisting District and Village Authorities in the implementation of the Village Land Act No.5, 1999 and the Land Use Planning Act No.6, 2007 in the delivering of CCROs at village level in at least 41 selected villages. The Assistance will include support to the preparation of the village land use plans (VLUP) (for those target villages where these plans do not exist or have not already been completed) and land regularization, first issuance and registration of CCROs. This will be supported by a programme of capacity development and building. Subject to progress under the project, village work and capacity building activities will be extended to Mbeya District Council through the District Land Office.

MAST has been tested to Proof of Concept (Feb2015- March 2016) in two villages in Iringa District in Ilalasimba and Itagutwa. A third village, Idodi was not completed and has been substituted for Kitayawa village.

Scope of Work

The scope of work under LTA will involve:

• Design and development of district and village land administration systems, procedures that are inclusive and fully participatory – with delivery of VLCs, VLUPs and CCROs.
• Development of village capacities to implement regularization of tenure and registration of land using the mobile applications – MAST.
• Assist and participate in the selection of target villages.
• Institutional capacity building at District and Village levels.
• The use of technology to assist in the processing and management of data collected through the use MAST and TRUST.
• Public information and consultation, development of media messages and delivery strategies.
• Ongoing government and donor consultation on LTA and development of protocols.
• Monitoring and evaluation.

The LTA programme will be strongly action/implementation oriented and will focus on activities that can build a strong field involvement with District Land Staff and Village Leaders. It will draw on lessons learned from the MAST Pilot Programme, but will also bring additional experience learned from other African countries low cost registration systems that have been or are in the process of being applied. The LTA will be implemented through four interrelated activities. The methodologies and work programmes are the subject of this inception report.

Inception Period

The Contract period commenced December 6, 2015 for a term of four years. The Start-up Team arrived in Tanzania on January 4, 2016. The Acting Chief of Party arrived on January 11 while the Chief of Party arrived on 23rd January 23, 2016.

The Tanzania SERA Policy Project (SERA) of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Feed the Future (FtF) Initiative began in April 2011 and completed the fourth full year of operation on September 30, 2015. The Project is scheduled to close on April 6, 2016 but a no‐cost extension has been proposed to USAID that would allow the Project to operate until August 31, 2016. This Workplan is based on the assumption that the no‐cost extension will be approved.

Feed the Future seeks to improve food security in Tanzania by increasing agricultural production and improving access to food. The SERA Project is primarily focused on improving the policy environment for agriculture, and on developing individual and institutional capacity to undertake policy analysis, advocate effectively for policy reforms, and implement policy reforms. The SERA Project works in partnership with the Government of the United Republic of Tanzania (GOT) and the Revolutionary Government of Zanzibar (RGOZ). SERA provides evidenced‐based research to support policy reforms that alleviate constraints to growth in the agriculture sector and provide a more enabling economic environment. In support of this objective, SERA conducts and commissions evidence‐based policy research and develops the capacity of individuals and organizations to engage in policy analysis and advocate for policy reform. At the conclusion of the Project, we expect USAID will leave behind an improved policy environment and a legacy of enabling the GOT, RGOZ, and other stakeholders to better initiate, develop, and utilize evidence‐based research in policy decisions and implementation.

The SERA Project works closely with the Southern Agriculture Growth Corridor of Tanzania Centre (SAGCOT) to identify policy issues critical to the commercialization of the agriculturalsector. SERA Project collaborates with other FtF Implementing Partners, the United States Government (USG), and the larger development community to leverage resources and increase effectiveness. The collaboration with other FtF implementing partners includes: the FtF NAFAKA Staples Value Chain Project on food security research and policy reform; the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Economic Research Service (ERS) on the development, piloting, and implementation of the Food Basket Methodology (FBM); and the FtF iAGRI Project on the Policy Seminar Series at Sokoine University (SUA). Collaboration with other development partners and stakeholders includes The World Bank (WB) on the collateral registry system and a study of gender in maize production and marketing, Michigan State University (MSU) and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) on food security policies, and the Ministry of Agriculture, Food Security and Cooperative (MAFC) Department of Food Security (DFS) and the Department of Policy and Planning (DPP). The SERA Project also works closely with the Zanzibar Department of Food Security and Nutrition of the Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources (MANR). Finally, the SERA Project supports member based organizations such as the Tanzania Seed Traders Association (TASTA), the Agricultural Council of Tanzania (ACT), and the Rice Council of Tanzania (RCT) to improve policies and supports capacity building for these organizations.

The SERA Project is working with USAID to initiate the process of formally extending the SERA activity a no‐cost extension through August 31, 2016. As such, this workplan assumes a project closing date of August 31, 2016. The extension will allow for the continued implementation of SERA Project activities presented in this Year 5 Work Plan.

Year 5 of the SERA Policy Project will focus on supporting the transition to the new government of Tanzania, completing priority research and capacity building activities, and transitioning research and activities in progress to collaborators.

The Tanzania SERA Policy Project (SERA) of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Feed the Future Initiative (FtF) began in April 2011 and completed the third full year of operation on September 30, 2014. Feed the Future seeks to improve food security in Tanzania by increasing agricultural production and improving access to food. SERA Project is primarily focused on improving the policy environment for agriculture and on developing individual and institutional capacity to undertake policy analysis, advocate effectively for policy reforms, and implement policy reforms. The SERA Project works in partnership with the Government of the United Republic of Tanzania (GoT) and the Revolutionary Government of Zanzibar (RGoZ) to provide evidenced‐based research to support policy reforms that alleviate constraints to growth in the agriculture sector and provide a more enabling economic environment. In support of this objective, SERA Project conducts and commissions evidence‐based policy research and develops the capacity of individuals and organizations to engage in policy analysis and advocate for policy reform. At the conclusion of the Project, we expect USAID will leave behind an improved policy environment and a legacy of enabling the GoT, RGoZ, and other stakeholders to initiate, develop, and utilize evidence‐based research in policy decisions and implementation.

The SERA Project works closely with the Southern Agriculture Growth Corridor of Tanzania Centre (SAGCOT) to identify policy issues critical to the commercialization of the agricultural sector. SERA Project also collaborates with other FtF Implementing Partners and the larger development community to leverage resources and increase effectiveness. This collaboration with other FtF implementing partners includes: the FtF NAFAKA Staples Value Chain Project on food security research and policy reform; the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Economic Research Service (ERS) on the development, piloting, and implementation of the Food Basket Methodology (FBM); and iAGRI on the sponsoring of the Policy Seminar Series atSokoine University (SUA). Collaboration with other development partners includes The World Bank on the collateral registry system, Michigan State University (MSU) and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) on food security policies, and the Ministry of Agriculture, Food Security and Cooperative (MAFC) Policy Resource Center. The SERA Project also supports member based organizations such as the Tanzania Seed Traders Association (TASTA) and the Agricultural Council of Tanzania (ACT).

Year 4 of the SERA Policy Project will see the conclusion of a number of important policy studies that are expected to influence GoT and RGoZ policy decisions. The SERA Project will also continue the capacity building activities to strengthen the institutions that implement policy reforms. Individual capacity building support will continue for the activities already initiated and the team will provide new support to selected individuals as opportunities arise.

The Tanzania SERA Policy Project (SERA) of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Feed the Future (FtF) Initiative began in May 2011 and completed the second full year of operation on September 30, 2013. Feed the Future seeks to improve food security in Tanzania by increasing agricultural production and nutrition. SERA Project is primarily focused on improving the policy environment for agriculture and on developing individual and institutional capacity to undertake policy analysis and advocate effectively for policy reforms. Improving agricultural policies is accomplished by working with the Government of Tanzania (GoT) and other stakeholders to identify important policy constraints to growth in the agricultural sector and helping to alleviate these constraints through policy reform. The SERA Project conducts and commissions evidence‐based policy research and develops the capacity of individuals and organizations to engage in policy analysis and advocate for policy change. At the conclusion of the project, we expect USAID will leave behind an improved policy environment and a legacy of enabling the GoT and other stakeholders to initiate, develop, and utilize evidence‐based research in policy decisions and implementation.

Year 3 of the SERA Policy Project will see the conclusion of a number of important policy studies that are expected to influence GoT and the Revolutionary Government of Zanzibar (RGoZ) policy decisions. In Year 3, SERA Project will also continue the capacity building activities to strengthen the institutions that implement policy reforms. For individual capacity building, we will continue the activities already initiated and will provide new support to selected activities that address important policy issues. Greater focus will also be directed to measure the impact of policy reforms and capacity building activities.

The Tanzania SERA Project will assist both the Government of the Republic of Tanzania (GoT) and the private sector in enabling a broad-based, sustainable transformation of the agricultural sector through policy reform. The project will focus on the current policy and regulatory environment for agriculture—from the transactional “hot” topics to the needed strategic foundational changes— leaving a legacy of empowered local institutions, capable of leading informed dialogue on policy and regulatory issues in the agriculture sector and advocating for the necessary changes.

The vision for this project is twofold: to improve the policy and regulatory environment for agriculture growth and to build a group of public sector institutions, advocacy organizations, and individuals capable of performing rigorous policy analysis in support of evidence-based advocacy and policy reform. At the conclusion of the project, we expect USAID will leave behind a legacy of enabling the GoT to initiate, develop and utilize evidence-based research in policy decisions and implementation, empowering local research and private sector advocacy groups to more effectively use analysis and strategic communications to lobby for change, and building national partnerships that create consensus around agriculture policy and monitor the impacts of policy.

The SERA project will focus all activities around priorities identified in collaboration with the Southern Agriculture Growth Corridor of Tanzania (SAGCOT) initiative.