China - Agriculture Technology Transfer Project (Vol. 2 of 5) : Social Assessment Report - Anhui

35126 v 2 Social Assessment Report for World Bank Financed China Agricultural Technology Project Anhui Sub-report CONTENTS Chapter 1 Summary of Project Design and Execution in Anhui.................................................................... 1 Section 1 Background of Projects in Anhui ................................................................................................. 1 Section 2 Project Design and Execution in Anhui ....................................................................................... 2 Chapter 2 Project and Interest Groups ........................................................................................................... 2 I. Guangde Quality Nuisance-free Chicken Breeding Demonstration ProjectError! Bookmark not defined. II. Mengcheng Quality Yellow Cattle Resource Utilization Technological Demonstration Project ...Error! Bookmark not defined. III. Dangtu Quality Nuisance-free Lean Pork Pig Technological Demonstration ProjectError! Bookmark not defined. IV. Huaibei Meat Duck SM3 Fine Breed Popularization Project ................................................................. 9 V. Shou County Meat Goose Fine Breed Cultivation Popularization ProjectError! Bookmark not defined. VI. Yeji Test Area Goat Industry Technological Demonstration Project.....Error! Bookmark not defined. VII. Feixi Distinctive Nursery Stock Flower Technological Demonstration Base Construction Project ....................................................................................................................Error! Bookmark not defined. VIII. Bengbu Suburb Quality Paddy & Wheat New Variety Development and Popularization Project ....................................................................................................................Error! Bookmark not defined. IX. Chizhou Nuisance-free Sweet Potato & Beans Industrialization ProjectError! Bookmark not defined. X. Dangshan Pear Green Food Standard Production & Air-conditioning Preservation Technique Demonstration Project .......................................................Error! Bookmark not defined. XI. Feixi Nuisance-free Peanut Production Technique Demonstration & Popularization Project......Error! Bookmark not defined. XII. Farmer-centered Sustainable Agro-tech System Construction, Demonstration & Popularization Project .........................................................................................................Error! Bookmark not defined. XIII. Nanling Farmer-centered IPM Technique Demonstration & Popularization Project........................34 XIV. She County Organic Tea Production Technique Demonstration & Popularization Project...............36 Chapter 3 Opinions and Suggestions of the SATeam..................................................................................39 I. Guangde Quality Nuisance-free Chicken Breeding Demonstration ProjectError! Bookmark not defined. II. Mengcheng Quality Yellow Cattle Resource Utilization Technological Demonstration Project ...Error! Bookmark not defined. III. Dangtu Quality Nuisance-free Lean Pork Pig Technological Demonstration ProjectError! Bookmark  World Bank Financed China Agro-tech Project (Phase II), Anhui Social Assessment not defined. IV. Huaibei Meat Duck SM3 Fine Breed Popularization Project ...............................................................41 V. Shou County Meat Goose Fine Breed Cultivation Popularization ProjectError! Bookmark not defined. VI. Yeji Test Area Goat Industry Technological Demonstration Project.....Error! Bookmark not defined. VII. Feixi Distinctive Nursery Stock Flower Technological Demonstration Base Construction Project ....................................................................................................................Error! Bookmark not defined. VIII. Bengbu Suburb Quality Paddy & Wheat New Variety Development and Popularization Project ....................................................................................................................Error! Bookmark not defined. IX. Chizhou Nuisance-free Sweet Potato & Beans Industrialization ProjectError! Bookmark not defined. X. Dangshan Pear Green Food Standard Production & Air-conditioning Preservation Technique Demonstration Project.................................................................................Error! Bookmark not defined. XI. Feixi Nuisance-free Peanut Production Technique Demonstration & Popularization Project......Error! Bookmark not defined. XII. Maoji Farmer-centered Sustainable Agro-tech System Construction, Demonstration & Popularization Project .........................................................................................................Error! Bookmark not defined. XIII. Nanling Farmer-centered IPM Technique Demonstration & Popularization Project........................46 XIV. She County Organic Tea Production Technique Demonstration & Popularization Project...............47 Annexes.........................................................................................................Error! Bookmark not defined. Annex I: Attached Table ............................................................................................................................48 Annex II: Map Indication of Projects in Anhui..........................................................................................56 2  World Bank Financed China Agro-tech Project (Phase II), Anhui Social Assessment Chapter 1 Summary of Project Design and Execution in Anhui Section 1 Background of Projects in Anhui There are 14 established projects in Anhui under the World Bank Financed China Agro-tech Demonstration & Popularization Project, involving 13 districts/cities in Anhui, including 7 planting projects, 5 breeding projects, 2 projects undertaken by associations and 2 technical popularization projects undertaken by the government. Anhui now has a total area of 139,000km2, governs 17 cities (district level cities), 5 county level cities, 56 counties and 44 municipal districts. Anhui is a major agricultural province, where agriculture accounts for a great portion in its economy. As planned in the "Strategic Objectives, Steps of Anhui for Full Construction of Well-off Society and Key Constructions Tasks at the Initial Stage", the province will further adjust its agricultural structure, highlight stockbreeding and efficient cash crops, and construct 10 major production and supply bases of quality farm products, including special wheat, paddy rice, cotton, "double-low" rape, tealeaf, peanut, vegetable, animal meat, bee products and aquatic products. 11 companies and 2 professional associations in Anhui have participated in the construction of the project. To increase the technological level and ensure the successful execution of the project, each subproject is in cooperation with a province-level or above scientific research institute or university. As technical support units of the project, over 10 research institutes of the 3 province-level scientific research institutes--Anhui Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Anhui Agricultural University and Anhui Institute of Forest Sciences--have experts across nearly 40 disciplines (seed cultivation, cultivation, plant protection, gardening, clay fertilizer, biotechnology, stockbreeding, veterinary, agricultural economy) involved in the project, of which above 75% have a senior title and most are middle-aged or young. The projects are mainly distributed in poor areas in Anhui, involving 13 districts/cities out of 17 ones province-wide. Nearly 100,000 farmers participate in the project. Industries of the subprojects are mainly planting, stockbreeding or farm product processing, such as planting flower/sapling, peanut, tealeaf, chicken raising, cattle raising, sheep raising, etc. These are activities suitable for women. Accordingly, all the subprojects can absorb a great number of women for employment, which will help improve the income and social status of women. See Attached Tables 1 & 2 for a summary of the subprojects. 1  World Bank Financed China Agro-tech Project (Phase II), Anhui Social Assessment Section 2 Project Design and Execution in Anhui See Attached Table 3 for the project execution plan of each executive unit, total investment, company benefit, risks, expectation of influence, conclusions and suggestions; see Attached Table 4 for each project's execution. Chapter 2 Project and Interest Groups I. Guangde Quality Nuisance-free Chicken Breeding Demonstration Project 1. Affected Farmers and Project The affected area of Liudong Town in Guangde County is situated north of the county town and is a major planting and stockbreeding town in Gangfan District; Baidian Town is located south of the county town and is a poorer town in Guangde. The total area of the project demonstration zone is 290km2, governing 60 administrative villages. The project demonstration zone investigated--Zhaocun Village in Qiucun Town, Guangde County--has a total population of 2715 people, 703 families, 1.1mu per capita paddy field, 17500mu tilled land (including barren hill), mainly planting rape, sweet potato, paddy rice, villagers' per capita annual income is about 1700yuan, this is a poorer village in the town. Farmers are far away from each other, which is convenient for chicken raising (prevention of dissemination of fowl pest), but the traffic is inconvenient. Many farmers have the intent of chicken raising but can hardly get a loan. Now 15 families at the village are raising chicken on a large scale, all having entered into Hewei Company--the project's executive unit. 90% people of this village are poor due to many barren hills and poor natural conditions. Farmers think the main risk of project participation is the stockbreeding risk. The method of avoidance is to improve their stockbreeding skills through technical training and offering of timely, effectively disease treatment and prevention services by the company. Attached: Case of Investigation Zhang Yunmei, female, above 40 years, graduate from senior high school. My family has 4 members, including my husband, daughter (19 years, attending the college entrance examination this year) and son (15 years, senior high school), has above 5mu land, growing paddy rice, rapeseed previously. Now my husband and I raise chicken specially and rent the land to others. We've raised chicken for 3 years. At the beginning, we only raised several hundred chickens; in 2002, we began to contract with Hewei Company and raised over 2000 chickens afterwards. Our family has one henhouse only, raising 4-5 bathes a year. 2  World Bank Financed China Agro-tech Project (Phase II), Anhui Social Assessment After contracting with the company, we can get feed and chickling on credit, the company also provides us with free technical services by training us 4-5 times a year. Most of our time is spent on chicken raising and we can earn above 10,000yuan a year ideally. At present, our cooperation with the company is fairly good, better than working outside. I think the pattern of company plus farmer is good, we don't have to borrow money and can get chickling from the company on credit. The contract can also protect our interests. Earlier this year, the meat chicken price fell greatly due to SARS, but the company purchased at the protective price and greatly reduced our losses. Our greatest difficulty is to build henhouse, the government and the company are expected to offer support. There is an oral association among 15 major chicken raisers at our village, which has a representative to notify of training and contact with the company. Our participation in the project was agreed by the couple. My husband would usually attend the training and I have attended the training once, feeling the contents are very practical. Raising chicken now, my status as perceived by others has been greatly improved. If more women can participate in the project, their social status will be improved. The labor intensity of chicken raising is lower than farming, our couple can raise at most 10,000 chickens at a time. If the scale is enlarged, I can also retain local women to work for us. It can be seen from the case that: 1) the labor intensity of chicken raising is moderate and the income is considerable, which will help increase the status of local rural women; 2) the key problems for local farmers is inconvenient traffic, shortage of fund and technique, and slow economic development; 3) the project company was able to act on the contract in its prior cooperation with farmers, guaranteeing chicken raisers' interests; 4) the "company + farmer" pattern is deeply supported by the public; and 5) by reason of traditional concept, women are unable to fully attend the technical training, the government should strengthen the publicity and the enterprise should enhance its training for women. 2. Problems in Project Design/Execution and Suggestions A.Problems and suggestions proposed by World Bank Mission Proposal is potentially suitable to be included under the project. However, the Review of the proposal elicited the following mission comments and recommendations: