The 7-year long Swabi SCARP (Salinity Control And Rehabilitation Project) project concluded in September 2002. Launched by the Government of NWFP, the Project was intended to upgrade and strengthen the Upper Swat Canal System. The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Swiss Agency for Development & Cooperation (SDC) provided technical and financial assistance.The Project area covered the Districts of Mardan (31,781 hectares/40%), Charsaddah (26,923 hectares /34%), Swabi (15,871 hectares/20%) and Malakand Agency (4,777 hectares/6%). The Project focussed on those areas that draw water from the Upper Swat Canal system.

The Project’s engineering purpose was to establish a drainage system for waterlogged areas and to improve water availability to farmers by providing additional water and controlling water losses. Two major engineering initiatives were required: (1) the conversion (i.e. upgrading) of watercourses into Minors and (2) watercourse renovation. At the start of the ADC project it was intended that watercourses with a Cultivatable Command Area of 268 acres or more would be converted (i.e. upgraded) into Minors. Each existing watercourse was to be divided into two or more watercourses, with the area fed by each watercourse, and the route and length of the Minor, depending on four factors: the discharge of the resultant watercourse, geographical constraints, farmers’ preferences and the availability of funds. In all, a total of 95 watercourses were converted to Minors.

The aim of the ADC was to make the development of the area a participatory process and to improve the economic standing and the quality of life of local men and women.

ADC was mandated to renovate 1,188 watercourses according to their remodelled discharge. The ADC was executed by a number of Agencies. On-Farm Water Management (OFWM) was responsible for reducing watercourse operational losses by lining critical sections, improving earthen watercourses and installing water-control structures. As a civil-society organisation, NRSP was mandated to ensure that its social mobilisation methods were integrated into all of the community-focussed activities of the Project.

Water Users’ Associations (WUAs) were formed to be involved in watercourse remodelling and in renovation activities, including survey-design preparation and implementation of civil works with technical guidance from OFWM. The role of the Agriculture Extension Department was to improve farming and water use practices through demonstrations, communications and facilitating activities. New techniques and technologies were introduced to improve agricultural production in relation to the increased water supply.

Although community participation was a lengthy process, it had the advantage of long-term sustainability and community ‘ownership’ of the work. Out of 933 WUAs formed through this participatory approach, 903 WUAs signed Terms of Partnership agreements for watercourse remodelling and 903 watercourse renovation schemes were completed in the allotted seven years.

NRSP’s role was to implement and support the social mobilization and organization activities required under the ADC. Thus NRSP was responsible for: 
 

The philosophy behind the WUA and CO formation was the same but NRSP Mardan adopted an approach for WUA formation based on the WUA Act 1981, whereby only water users/irrigators (owner, tenants, share croppers) on one watercourse could form WUAs. Women formed Women’s Organisations (WOs).

The Project’s ‘women’s component’ was initiated in mid-1995 with the onset of the ADC. Three women Social Organizers were employed to organize women in the Project area into Women’s Organizations (WOs). Experienced women SOs from other NRSP programme areas helped to train freshly recruited staff in Mardan. 

Although it was very difficult to overcome the initial resistance to women forming WOs, eventually 5,095 women formed 254 WOs. The WOs were formed around the WUAs to include women’s concerns and to provide women with development opportunities. Women Social Organizers contacted 711 women at different watercourse renovation locations, noting women’s concerns about watercourses being renovated alongside their houses. Women identified the need for concrete ‘washing pads’ at 492 locations. Of these, 328 were constructed.

Five WO members were elected as Lady Councillors in the local body elections in 2001. All are well versed in Community Management skills. As Councillors they are well placed to highlight issues pertaining to women, in Government forums.

Training Inputs The need for a comprehensive approach to participatory community development within the ADC framework meant that staff training was essential to the success of all levels of the project. NRSP arranged a series of Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) awareness-raising and training sessions for all the ADC field level and management staff. Community participation, conflict resolution, effective presentation and efforts to adopt a gender balance were the major themes. A tiered approach to training enabled staff members to independently design and conduct trainings specific to the project and the communities in which they worked.

In the early years of the Project, Activist workshops and farmers’ days dominated the community training. In the last five years the community training programme was diversified, focussing in particular on watercourse renovation and managerial skills for WUAs and WOs. During the final year the focus was on sustainability and on subject-specific training. Community Activist Action Plan (CAAP) and Advanced CMST sessions were held for Activists, to enable them to manage the WUAs after the Project closed. The women’s programme arranged regular CMST sessions: these were successful in improving the WOs’ performance. Over the lifetime of the Project 936 training sessions were held: these included managerial training, NRM training, activist workshops, social sector events, study visits and vocational training programmes.

Over the Project’s lifetime, more men than women were trained, but it is a sign of progress in this ‘traditional’ area that the Project was able to encourage 7,565 (34.7%) women and 14215 (65.3%) men to take part in a training programme.

NRSP held a series of vocational skills training courses for unemployed and under-employed community members. Men learned to be plumbers, building electricians, and welders, in the course of lengthy training programmes. Women learned tailoring, dupatta dyeing and detergent powder making. Once they had acquired these skills and established themselves as employees or independent entrepreneurs, many men were able to increase their incomes.

For the most part, women attended one-day events held within the village because of the mobility constraints they faced. Some women who attained tailoring courses have now started their own businesses. ,

Natural Resource Management Inputs Until the last year of the Project, many farmers were involved in costly and complicated disputes over water. The lack of sufficient water meant that farmers were unable to grow maize after tobacco or wheat, and sowed maize only when they could expect rainfall. Some farmers did not cultivate their lands during the Kharif season but are now able to grow maize every year without waiting for rain.

At the outset the Project focused mainly on demonstrating how to grow wheat, maize, sugarcane, sunflower and canola. After conducting situation analyses and consulting participants, ADC developed annual plans. Interventions then became more diversified and different production and replication possibilities were tested. During the last four years, fertilizer and varietal trials were conducted on maize, wheat and sugarcane. Because the availability of good quality seed has always been a priority need of area farmers, seed multiplication plots were established with WUAs, a practice conducted under the Farmer’s Support Unit (FSU).

NRM arranged poultry vaccination and livestock management courses especially for WO members. Some of the women have established small-scale poultry enterprises in their homes, producing high quality breeds of layers and selling the eggs in nearby markets. Many women learned how to increase their income by curtailing post-production losses. Many others learned improved grain storage techniques and some utilised loans from the ADC project to purchase grain storage bins.

Private sector tobacco companies and the Tobacco Board were intent on teaching farmers how to produce, cure, store and market high quality tobacco. Farmers throughout the Project area were extremely interested to learn these techniques, given its high potential for profit. In some areas tobacco has replaced sugarcane as the predominant cash crop.

FSU Formation All WUA members were eligible to become members of the FSU, on payment of a fee of Rs 100. All FSUs were registered under the Cooperative Act (1925). Members could also buy up to 10 shares for investment in this enterprise, with the value of each share fixed at Rs 500. The Department of AgriExtension formulated the bylaws of the FSUs, in consultation with the farmers.

Ten FSUs were formed to meet the seed requirements. FSUs distributed the seed from the research institutions for multiplication. For the first time seed was given as a grant by ADC to the seed growers registered with the FSUs. Seed growers signed agreements to sell the produce back to FSU, thereby earning more than the prevailing market price. The seed was later cleaned and graded to be sold to FSU members and other farmers. Member farmers had the advantage of getting the seed on priority and at comparatively low rates. The same strategy was also followed when FSUs began to market seed, fertilizers and pesticides. A portion of the profit collected through these activities was pooled back into the capital, while the remainder was distributed according to the shares held by each farmer. Farmers’ committees monitored the affairs of the FSU, having been trained in the requisite skills such as accounting, seed production and cleaning. The FSUs sold wheat, maize, sunflower and potato seed, as well as fertilizer bags and pesticides.

Watercourse Maintenance NRSP motivated the WUAS to prepare maintenance plans for the renovated watercourses. 903 of these maintenance plans were completed and WUA members have completed “Watercourse Maintenance Training” courses. NRSP also undertook the social mobilization campaign of the stakeholders on more than 120 Minors. 

The lessons learnt are summarised here for future guidance, especially for projects of similar nature.