China - Gansu and Xinjiang Pastoral Development Project : social assessment : Gansu : social assessment report

24599 Volume I Gansu Social Assessment Report for Integrated China Pastoral Development Project ILOI COfP   Chapter I. Overview of the Project and Social Assessment 1.1 Project Overview The Integrated Pastoral Development Project (the ISDP) aims to improve the living standard of herdsmen in Gansu Province and the Autonomous Region of Xinjiang by building up the competitiveness of the Chinese Pastoral on wool and mutton products and improving the Pastoral production and management system while maintaining the sustainable utilization of natural resources. The Project shall employ an integrated method, where the improvement in productive capacity of sheep for wool and mutton will be related to the sustainable management on grasslands, the establishment of a reliable supply system of forage grasses, the improvement of sheep production by hybridization and breeding, the establishment and enhancement of local associations of herdsmen, the improvement of livestock marketing network and the setup of effective legal and organizational systems. This proposed project will be so designed to address the problems prevalent in some areas of West China, including rural poverty, serious grassland deterioration, unsustainability in the mode of Pastoral production. Consequently, the proposed project will be a trilogy: i) grassland management and improvement; ii) Pastoral production, iii) marketing of animal products. In addition, the Project management, supervision and evaluation shall be a separate part thereunder. Overview of Social Assessment thereunder: Entrusted by the Foreign Economic Cooperation Center under the Ministry of Agriculture, The China Cross-cultural Center at Zhongshan University conducted a social assessment in Xinjiang and Gansu for the ISDP and retained Bao Xiaoxia (f.-associate research fellow at the Gansu Academy of Social Sciences-to take charge of the social assessment work in the Project Region of Gansu in conformity with World Bank's requirements on social assessment and with a consent from World Bank and the Foreign Economic Cooperation Center under the Ministry of Agriculture. 1.2 Significance and Objective of Social Assessment 1.2.1 Significance of SocialAssessment Social assessment is a form of feasibility study, an essential condition for Project design and implementation, also a supplement to the economic, financial, environmental and technical analysis that is non-replaceable. 1.2.2 Objective of SocialAssessment To ensure social benefits on the investment, including social and cultural influences and  potential problems in the region of investment, and to eliminate or at least reduce negative social influences; which is helpful to make clear the Project objectives, give consideration to the affected poor population and support the disadvantaged groups, especially to fully guarantee the benefits, interests of minorities and women; helpful to establish an institution, organizational framework and system that offer opportunities of participation, enhance the communication, understanding between the Project investors and interest groups, enhance the infornation sharing and participation; helpful to the establishment of a foundation for social supervision and evaluation. The general target of social assessment is to help borrowers plan and complete the intended Project under the support and involvement of the individuals and groups the most directly affected by the Project. Social assessment should be regarded as an integral method during the Project implementation, including participation and social analysis on the Project planning and preparation to ensure the anticipated Project target can be fulfilled smoothly with a proper method. The social assessment under the Project should help borrowers select suitable places to execute the Project, determine major beneficiaries thereunder and their demands. Another fundamental objective of social assessment is to ensure the Project planning can eliminate or minimize whatever negative effect and consumption on local societies arising therefrom. The social assessment shall also propose rationalized suggestions or an appropriate scheme to the Project replanning for the same purpose as aforesaid. At the same time, demands of ordinary peasants (herdsmen) shall be addressed, including how they manage to satisfy their demands, the priority of demands during the Project implementation. Concerns shall also be given to the difference in benefit arising from the division of labor among men and women. In addition, a certain understanding shall be obtained as to the advantages and problems in the social and economic development at the affected areas. 1.3 Methodology of Social Assessment As required on social assessment under a World Bank financed project, from July 14-16, 2001, a 4-member group led by Prof. Daming Zhou from the CCCC at ZSU conducted training on methodology of social assessment for a local expert panel of Gansu. Participative rural social assessment (PRA) and anthropologic fieldwork are employed this time. The PRA is a method in which residents at rural communities at the affected areas participate and the information concerning and serving them is collected, and also a community development method that relies completely on local knowledge, leadership, organizations and resources to promote the rural development. Members of the expert panel may suggest or request local residents to provide community maps, social maps, resource transition maps, seasonal charts, as well as data related to the local historical evolution or current social and economical situations, etc. The fieldwork method of observational participation is a fundamental research technique in anthropology, in which researchers visit the studied community, live along with natives for a period and directly participate in and observe the local life, production and ceremonies. etc.  with a view to apply research findings in solving various social problems and intercultural conflicts. It is a method combining emic/etic study organically that is of high practical value and advantage to making in-depth study and explanation into this community culture based on the perception of practical living conditions and real ideas. The method of questionnaire survey is also used in this social assessment based on the "Semi-structured Investigation Questionnaire for Social Assessment under the World Bank Financed China ISDP" and the "Outline of Tasks and System of Indices for Social Assessment under the ISDP" designed by Bao Xiaoxia in advance. The analysis on questionnaire, as a basic tool for this social assessment, will help complement the data collected from PRA and fieldwork. 1.4 How Was Social Assessment Operated? According to World Bank's requirements, practical situations of the affected areas, the CCCC at ZSU has designed the "Inception Report for Social Assessment under the ISDP" and the "Flowchart of Investigation for Social Assessment" based on a full mastery of literatures with relation to the locations of investigation selected before practice. The principles of siting is: (I) cover counties at different levels of economic development; (2) cover all types of subprojects launched; (3) a geographic distribution as even as possible; and (4) considering the distribution of minorities and poor areas. According to the above principle, we've selected, in the Project Region of Gansu, the 4 counties of Sunan, Yongchang, Tianzhu and Kangle as the locations of investigation for this social assessment. The details of these 4 counties investigated are as follows: Kangfeng Village and summer range at Saiding Village under Hongshiwo Township, Sunan County; Beidi and Xigou Villages under Shuiyuan Town, Yongchang County, Chaxi Beachhead at Tanyaogou Village under Zhuaxilongxiu Township, Tianzhu County, Waxia Village under Huguan Township, Humagou Village under Mingfanglu Township, Kangle County, where altogether 147 peasants were interviewed. During Sep. 20th-26h. G. Guldin, Daming Zhou and Bao Xiaoxia conducted another PRA at Oiabu Commune under Oiabu Village. Zangbawa Township. Zhuoni County. In this round of social assessment. 9 villaaes (communes) under 6 townships were investigated. *The investigation was conducted by the Social Assessment Group in strict conformity with the sequence of discussion with township/town cadres-village spot-survey and discussion with village cadres-map drawing (community map, social map, seasonal activity chart, daily living and production chart in busy and slack seasons and resource distribution map, etc.)- focus groups-sequencing-filling in Qr.-in-depth interview-discussion with delegates of the competent county department and authorities concerned, collection of literatures. In investigation, all levels of county, township and village government and residents at the investigated locations offered great support and assistance that contributed to the successful completion of this social investigation on schedule. In total, 147 peasants were interviewed. 147 valid questionnaires, 8 community maps (social stratification and classification of peasant  family), 8 seasonal activity charts, 32 daily activity charts, 8 resource distributions maps and 30 cases of in-depth interview collected, with 28 small discussion meetings of all types held. 1.5 Key Findings and Suggestions 1) The breed improvement and selection should be tailored to the local natural resources, stock market and demands of peasants and herdsmen. As suggested by locals, improved alpine fine-wool-sheep breeds shall be selected at Sunan County with breed replacement of breeding sheep at a frequency of once every 3-5 years. At Tianzhu County, except for fine-wool-sheep, white yak and fluffy goat favored by locals shall also be supported. At Yongchang and Kangle Counties, the animal production shall focus on the fattening of beef cattle and mutton sheep. At the same time, peasants at the affected areas dealing with other animal operations shall also be supported, such as forage processing, planting of forge grasses, processing and transport of animal products, so as to develop a benign Pastoral system in the affected areas. 2) Provide 2-3 heads of breeding sheep to be managed by specially assigned persons under a contract, who shall provide compensated services for the whole village. Loans oriented to peasants and herdsmen shall be granted in cash for them to invest at will. 3) Under the 3 subprojects, the technical training for peasants and herdsmen shall serve as a precondition, which shall cover the local Project planning and be conducted before each subproject is implemented. 4) The association of herdsmen (AH) shall, on the basis of the villagers' committee, set up technical teams for grassland management, marketing and animal production respectively to integrate the three aspects under the Project. For easy communication and coordination with government departments concerned, also for effective organization of peasants and herdsmen engaged in decentralized operations and increased capability of administrative communication of the AH, a quasi-administrative configuration shall be introduced in the AH, i.e., to enhance its capability of technical administration by additionally adding 1-2 specialized technicians from herdsmen and peasants on the basis of the existing villagers' committee. 5) An legal counsel center for peasants and herdsmen shall be established at every affected county to address legal affairs of the AH and provide legal advice to peasants, herdsmen with relation to Pastoral. 6) Before the Project is implemented, an expert panel (including Project officers at county-level) shall be organized to conduct a feasibility assessment on Project planning at every county with the aim of ensuring its embodiment of the masses' demands and fulfillment of the general target of the Project, also of increasing the managerial skill of county-level Project officers on the Project. 7) An effective supervision mechanism for Project operation shall be devised to ensure the consistency in implementation of the Project planning in the case of constantly replacing  local officials. During the earlier stage of the Project, frequent monitoring and evaluation will be helpful to the necessary modification thereof to make it better serve the intended target. 8) Problems in the "Proposal for the World Bank Financed Development Project of Quality Fine-wool-sheep in Gansu Province" and the "Outline of Tasks in Feasibility Study under the ISDP (Gansu Region)" are as follows: A. The provincial and county Project planning has not fully considered the demands of beneficiaries; B. The provincial and county Project planning has not clearly defined borrowers, nor has it included any credit program oriented to peasants and herdsmen, who thereby become indirect beneficiaries thereunder. Such a design can hardly fulfill the Project target proposed in the "Outline of Tasks".   Chapter II. Overview of the Affected Areas 2.1 Introduction to the Affected Areas So far, there are 14 counties (cities) in Gansu Province preliminarily determined for the ISDP, which are Jiuguan City in Jiuquan District; Zhangye City, Sunan Yugur Autonomous County, Yongchang County under Jinchang City in Zhangye District; Weiwu City, Tianzhu Tibetan Autonomous Countv, Linaix and Kangle Counties under Linxia Hui Autonomous Prefecture, Lintan and Zhuoni Counties under Ganlan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Jingvuan Countv under Baiyin City in Weiwu District; Lintao and Dingxi Counties, Yuzhong County under Lanzhou City in Dingxi District, the Huangcheng sheep farm of Gansu, the fine poultry and livestock breed farm of Gansu and the Haoweier Dairy Products Group Company, etc. Gansu Province, upstream of the Yellow River, is situated between east longitude 92013' to 108046', north latitude 32031 ' to 42