CPWF Project Inception Report

CPWF Project Inception Report

Project Title: Coordination and Change Enabling Project 5: Increasing the Resilience of Agricultural and Aquaculture Systems in the Coastal Areas of the Ganges Delta

Project Number: Project Leader:

G5 (BA3797CWF) Dr. Nowsher Ali Sarder

For submission to the

Date: 10- 20- 2011

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CPWF Project Inception Report

Guidance
Throughout this template, there are links to relevant sections in the on-line CPWF M&E Guide, CPWF Handbook and CPWF Standard Clauses and Procedures that provide guidance, templates and examples. Submit the report to your Basin Leader (or MT lead in the case of the coordination project) by email. In addition to this report, your project must send (i) a six-monthly statement of project receipts and expenditures and (ii) an invoice for the payment of the next tranche directly to the CPWF Secretariat (m.abeyesekere@cgiar.org). See Standard Clause 8.06 for more information.

1.

Progress made during project inception

1.1 Achievements Please describe your major research and process achievements (and how they contribute to the project and BDC) (suggest to follow the points in the Gantt chart which also needs to be modified)
Preamble The goal of the Ganges Basin Development Challenge (BDC) is to reduce poverty, improve food security and strengthen livelihood resilience in coastal areas through improved water governance and management, and more productive and diversified farm systems. More specifically, the objective of the program is to improve resource productivity and increase resilience of agriculture and aquaculture systems in brackish-water coastal areas of the Ganges. Project G5 of the BDC will fill the role of coordination and change-enabling in this program to enhance impacts in Bangladesh and India through facilitation of stakeholder participation, policy dialogue and effective coordination among collaborating Government, NGO, CGIAR and donor-sponsored projects and programs. The two major inter-related activities will be done in coordination with our partners in Projects G1-G4 and enabling change. Project Management LOA with BRAC The BDC G5 project has signed a letter of agreement (LOA) with BRAC as per the project proposal. The LOA was finalized in mid October, 2011. Through this agreement, BRAC agrees to scale out/up the research outputs of the Ganges projects. Capacity building of development actors is expected to be carried out by BRAC. Details of the LOA are shown in Annex 3. Staff Recruitment The Basin Leader of the G5 project was recruited and subsequently began work during the first week of July, 2011. The former communication coordinator joined the project in June, 2011, but 2

CPWF Project Inception Report

left in August, 2011. The current communication coordinator joined in September, 2011. The Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) Specialist joined the project in September, 2011. All recruitment followed standard policy of the WorldFish Center. The recruitment of two research assistants is in progress and they are expected to join the project by November 2011. Arrangements have been made to recruit necessary and appropriate consultants as per project workbook. One short-term consultant has joined G5 to assist with management issues and another part-time contract has been awarded to a policy consultant who will shortly provide input. A gender consultant was also contracted during mid-October 2011 to write a gender strategy document. Launching workshop The G5 project organized a launch workshop from 01-02 June 2011. The workshop included deligates from CPWF, IRRI, IWMI, IWM, CSSRI, BFRI, BARI, BRRI, BWDB, LGED and other national organizations. The inaugural session of the workshop was chaired by the Executive Chairman of the BARC (Bangladesh Agricultural Research Council) and attended by the Secretary of the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock as Chief Guest. The technical session on the first day began with a presentation by Dr. Boru Douthwaite, who introduced CPWF to the audience with the programs history (Phase I) and how Phase II was conceptualized and implemented; and future direction (Phase III) direction of the program in coastal livelihood development, showing the linkages of the present CPWF programs with the CRPs of the CGIAR in relation to their global perspectives. The mission and vision of the Ganges BDC was presented by Mr. William Collis, who elaborated the methods of up-scaling research results by using partnerships and by developing linkage with CSISA, GAFSP, GoB Master Plan for the southern delta and other stakeholders. All Ganges projects (G1-G5) presented their objectives, methodologies and projected outcomes as per the plan formulated in the February 2011 workshops. The second day of the workshop started with a presentation on CSISAs activities in Bangladesh by the IRRI representative in Bangladesh, Dr. Z. Abedin. Dr. Z. Karim, the former Secretary of the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock presented a paper on the Master Plan for Agriculture Development in the Southern Delta. Highlights and insights of their project on the global agriculture and food security program of Bangladesh were presented by a representative of the World Bank. Workshop participants focused on the following issues: Improving water management in the southern coast to reduce salinity and water congestion Ensuring institutional strength and harmonization for improved food production and livelihood development in the coast and the country as a whole Partnering CPWF with CSISA, which has hubs in the southern part of the country Using information generated by CPWF to develop a strategic master plan for 2.8 million ha of saline-affected lands in the south Developing water management structures in the southern coast via greater investment by the World Bank

IFWF3 Forum

CPWF Project Inception Report

The Ganges BDC will participate in the IFWF3 Forum to be held in Tshwane, South Africa from 14-17 November 2011. G5 is coordinating participation in the forum of a group of 25 Government and non-Government officials . The Ganges BDC will present 9 abstracts at the Ganges session of the forum, present two stories and attend a share fair session. Organizing the inception workshop The coordination project will organize the inception workshop of the Ganges BDC from 31 Oct through 01 November, 2011 in Dhaka. Approximately 50 participants from the BDC projects and partners will attend the events. A senior member of the Planning Commission of the Bangladesh Government and the executive chairman of the BARC the apex coordinating body for NARS (National Agricultural Research Systems)will attend. The Directors General of BARI and BRRI are also expected to attend the startup session of the event. All projects are expected to present inception reports.

Organizing a training course on Theory of Change The project is organizing a two day training course on the theory of change to be conducted by Boru Douthwaite, the innovation and impact Director of CPWF, and his team. There will be 25 participants, mostly from CSISA and CPWF. The training will target capacity-building of project officials in respect to monitoring and evaluation of project deliverables and management of development projects. The training course is scheduled for 29-30 October, 2011, in the Lake Castle Hotel in Dhaka. Adaptive management System The adaptive management system is being formulated through the recruitment of senior project officials and the establishment of communication systems between BDC project leaders and Basin Leaders of the CPWF. Regular exchange of information has been established between the coordination project (G5) and the other BDC projects. The coordination project has begun collection of the six month plans of all BDC projects and their periodic progress reports. Key players in G5 have made regular field visits to observe the activities of G3 and G2. The Basin leader has visited the project sites twice. Plans have been made to collect the key findings, success stories and lessons learned from BDC projects. Materials (findings and stories) are regularly fed to the CPWF ELetter. Arrangements are being made to extract the most adopted and best-performing technologies and production systems with a view to link up with national development pathways such as DAE, DoF and other Government and non-Government organizations. Local opportunities and local indigenous knowledge are being screened out in order to make wider extrapolation to similar agro-ecological zones using the partners of BDC projects. Sharing of information and reports: In the meantime, regular meetings of representatives of G1-G4 BDC projects have been established to ensure sharing of knowledge and views. The G5 has coordinated the participation of G1-G4 representatives to the IFWF3 to be held in South Africa in November, 2011, and assisted with the submission of the Ganges abstracts to that forums organizers.

CPWF Project Inception Report

Monitoring and Evaluation: The Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist of G5 joined the project on 22 September. He has reviewed all project documents and is participating in the recruitment of two research assistants who will collect field data. The G5 M&E plan is under preparation. An M&E specialist is designing monitoring tools for the collection of information on expected outcomes such as knowledge, attitude, skills, production, adoption and income.

Bi-Monthly Meeting: G5 instituted bi-monthly meetings immediately after launching the workshop in July, 2011. The first meeting was well-represented by G1-G4. A second meeting, held in September, 2011, was attended by representatives from all G projects and chaired by the Director of the WorldFish Center. The major objectives were to share the progress of field activities and plan the rest of the years activities for all projects. A proposal was made to synchronize the research activities of the Ganges BDC and share in the resolution of bottlenecks to the implementation of field operations. The two bi-monthly meetings have focused mainly on completing agreements with project partners, organizing the inception event and attending the IFWF3 forum. These meetings also provide an opportunity to discuss common development issues in the Ganges BDC. Gender Strategy One consultant has been recruited to develop a gender strategy that will be shared with other Basins. Communication Establishment of Ganges wiki part of communications The Ganges BDC established its own wikispace: (http://ganges-bdc.wikispaces.com/) in June, 2011. All project leaders have the address of the site and have been requested to send project materials to be posted there. All projects (G1-G4) are able to upload their communication materials to the wikispace. All project proposals and presentations made during launching workshops of G1 to G5 are available on the Ganges wiki. Provision has been made for posting project data, reports, field visit reports and any other important communication materials. The minutes of bi-monthly coordination meetings are also available at the wiki site. Improvement and operating of wiki is an on-going activity of the coordination project of the Ganges BDC. Attend CPWF Phase 1 Repackaging Workshop The CGIAR Challenge Program for Water and Food (CPWF) Phase 1 ran from 2004 to 2009 and encompassed 68 projects working in 10 river basins: the Andes, the Limpopo, Niger, Nile and Volta, the Indo-Ganges, Karkheh, Mekong, and Yellow River. A workshop to repackage/ review a series of complementary materials from various sectors was attended by the Communication Coordinator of G-5. Preparation of Brochure on Ganges BDC A brochure on the Ganges BDC is under preparation. The communication coordinator has developed the contents and design of the leaflet. A draft is to be shared with other BDC projects 5

CPWF Project Inception Report

during the inception workshop and it is expected that the document will be ready for circulation to users by November 2011. Communication Strategy The communication strategy for the Ganges BDC is being prepared by the Communication Coordinator. A draft outline of the strategy has been prepared and will be presented in the inception workshop for feedback. Preparation and development of a communication strategy is an on-going activity of G5 and will be completed by June, 2012. Innovation Research The G5 project has prepared one research proposal on farmers innovation practice which will be submitted to the TWG for the next tranche of bidding in May 2012.

Policy product and processes (Output 4 and 5) The G5 project has hired senior consultants for crop science and aquaculture. Both consultants are presently meeting with leading crop and fish research and extension organizations in the country in order to have solid policy planning documents for Ganges BDC oversight of policy dialogue and any policy changes that might be needed in the near future. The Ganges BDC project research outputs will be linked to development outcomes in consultation with partners and development actors. An apex committee of representatives from all development agencies will be formed to coordinate and implement policy. Advisory Committee The Basin Leader and the Director of the WFC South Asia Office conducted meetings with the Chairman of BARC in August and September to restructure the existing CSISA committee as a common CGIAR committee in order to reduce the numbers of meetings for senior officials of GoB and private stakeholders. The chairman agreed to use a common committee for CGIAR programs in lieu of a committee for each project. Field visit To date, the basin leader has visited the project site twice. The first visit was made with a senior official from WFC headquarters to become acquainted with the G2 project site. A second visit was made to polder 30 (a medium salinity area) where there was interaction with officials involved in water governance and management. A number of water user associations were visited and discussions were held to get a better understanding of the problems and opportunities in the area.

1.2
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Bottlenecks
The BDC program has many partners (both government and non-government), but has yet to establish a partnership with BARI, the largest crop research organization in the country responsible 6

Please describe any process and research bottlenecks (and how they were / are being addressed)

CPWF Project Inception Report

for variety development of oilseeds, pulses, vegetables, wheat, maize, fruits and flowers. The G2 project should partner with organizations like BARI and BINA, which have research sub-stations at Satkhira (one of the districts in project area). The relationships between the BDC projects and national development agencies (particularly research and extension) and other development projects working in the Ganges basin areas must be strengthened to accommodate the exchange and sharing of experiences and lessons. There have been delays in the disbursement of funds for some of the Ganges BDC projects from the CGIAR

1.3
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Insights and learning

The participation of national lead organizations like DAE and DoF during the early stages of the research process would strengthen collaboration and help in up scaling of BDC research outputs. Interaction between Bangladesh and Indian sites in the Ganges basin would be enhanced through mutual visits, workshops, and meetings in both basins.

Please share your main insights and lessons learned during the inception period

1.4

Partnerships

Please describe partnerships entered into and their relevance to project and BDC goals
The BDC project proposal endorses the establishment of a partnership with BRAC to identify opportunities for scaling up/out of research findings from G1-G5 and assisting in the organization of policy dialogue and advocacy to the Government, private and non-Government organizations. BRAC has significant strengths that it brings to the Ganges BDC: wide experience in poverty alleviation and empowerment of the poor; existing cooperation with the CGIAR system; a strong participatory development focus and a wide network in the coastal regions of Bangladesh reaching large numbers of the poor. Its major relevance to the BDC goals will be its ability to identify opportunities for scaling out/up of research findings and its participation in innovation research projects to test processes and lessons.

1.5

Other feedback

Please give any other feedback you would like to share, positive or otherwise
The project officials need frequent interactions/ meetings with the TWG of CPWF either face to face or through skype to develop better understanding for coordination management and implementation of the BDC projects.

CPWF Project Inception Report

2.

Compliance with contracting requirements

Please fill out the checklist below and append the Annexes indicated to the report. Please refer to Standard Clauses and Procedures 3.02 and 3.03 for further information Documents required to finalize contracting requirements and for next tranche payment
1. Updated proposal reflecting changes negotiated with partners during the inception period (if any) and cover note explaining what has changed 2. Updated Project Workbook reflecting changes negotiated during the inception period: Where to find it Annex 1 to this report Updated and / or annexed? No change/update

Annex 2 to this report Ditto Ditto Ditto Ditto Ditto Ditto Annexed No change Annexed Annexed Annexed No change

Completed contact sheet

Updated outcome logic model Milestone plan developed for the duration of the project with particular emphasis on the next year) Baseline plan, outcome targets and outcome indicators for projects main two outcomes Updated Gantt Chart Updated budget worksheets (CPWF will not increase your budget; all changes beyond moving 5k must explained and justified as comments in the respective budget worksheets and in the financial report below) 3. Signed MOUs corresponding to your proposal 4. Third Party Intellectual asset audit

Annex 3 to this report Annex 4 to this report

Annexed Annexed

3.

Needs from the CPWF

Is there anything that the CPWF can help you with at this point in the project? Please specify where you think the help should come (e.g., from Basin Leader, Coordination Project, CPWF KM team, CPWF Research team, TWGs)

CPWF Project Inception Report

4.

Financial management

Please note that the summary report below requires sign off by the Lead Institutions chief financial officer. Financial reporting requirements are described in detail in Standard Clause 8.06. This summary report is required in addition to a six-monthly statement of project receipts and expenditures (see Guidance note above). 4.1 Summary financial report: (Attached as separate Annex 5)
Time1 2011 2011 2012 2012 2013 2013 Completion Report and Final Audit for project closure

Please fill in the table below to report on project cash flow to date
Inception Report Progress Report 1 Annual Report 2 Annual Report US$ Progress Report Progress Report US$

(thousands of $US) Value of tranche payment received this report period Value of tranche payments received to date Value of expenditures for report period Accumulative value of expenditures to date Balance held against cumulative tranche payments Value of committed funds

US$ 154.166

US$

US$

US$

US$

154.166

45.265

45.265

108.90

900

Please note that the figures contained in the financial table are meant to illustrate how the table works. Please delete before inserting your actual figures. Instructions to fill the table by row: 1. 2. 3. Insert the value of funds CPWF provided against your charge code/ project code during the period of your report. Insert the value of funds received to date by summing all amounts in line 1. Insert the value of all funds that have been transferred out of your charge code/project code during the report period. Your financial management system, or accountant, should be able to provide you with this figure. (See separate note on commitments)

Adjust the dates to fit with our contract period

4. 5. 6.

CPWF Project Inception Report Insert the value of funds spent to date by adding this reporting period to the previous accumulative total. Insert the value of unspent funds that you are holding in your charge code/project code Of the balance you are holding in your charge code/project code, state what how much has been committed and provide an explanation below. This is also important, because we may hold back funds from your next tranche payment if it looks as though you are holding substantial unallocated funds.

I certify that the summary financial report is correct Chief financial officer: Date:

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CPWF Project Inception Report 4.2 Project leaders commentary on the summary financial report
Amount USD Expected date of expenditure

Please explain any significant commitments currently being held

Commitment is held against payment to which partners or providers?

If you are over-spent / under-spent please explain why or any aspect of the financial progress of your project that has or will affect progress:
The project began two months later than the scheduled date (June instead of April, 2011) Partner selection has been completed and consultants are working but fund s are yet to be disbursed.

If you had moved budgets across line items please explain why:

Any other comments about financial aspects of your project, and any advice you would like to receive:

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CPWF Project Inception Report

5. Annexes
Send annexes as separate attachments to the main report

Annex 1: Updated Project Proposal Annex 2: Updated Workbook and Worksheets Annex 3: MOUs signed with project partners Annex 4: Third Party Intellectual Audit

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