Socioeconomic development of onchocerciasis-free areas

Onchocerciasis Control Programme in the Volta River Basin area Programme de Lutte contre I'Onchocercose dans la R6gion du Bassin de la Volta JOINT PROGRAMME COMMITTEE Office of the Chairman JPC.CCP COMITE CONJOINT DU PROGRAMME Bureau du Pr6sident JPC1 .4 Part 2 October 1980 { JOINT PROGRAMME COMMITTEE First session Yamous soukro 24-27 November 1980 Provisional agenda item 6 REPUBLIC OF GHANA SOCIOECONCN4IC DEVELOIT,IENT OF ONCHOCERCIASIS-FREE AREAS This report deals with the efforts that had been made to achieve the objectives of the Onchocerciasis Control Progranme - the socioeconomic development of the areas free from onchocerciasis. The economic development of onchocerciasis-free areas had been outlined and discussed since the start of the preparatory meetings of the Onchocerciasis Control Progranrne in f968. A definite planning methodology was agreed on at a joint meeting of specialists of LINDP, FAO and IBRD in Washington, D.C. in December 1974. The objectives to be achieved through various project components were outlined in an informal country paper for Ghana in 1975.I The objectives have changed very little since they were first presented in EhaE paper in terms of the estimated funding, staffing and terms of reference(listed in Annexes 1 through 6 of the above quoted paper). However, their incorporation in actual projects, funded and approved for implementation in Ghana, underwent several shifts. Eventually, they were divided among three projects which cover more or less the original terms of reference and planning methodology outlined in the country paper. PROJECT 1. THE IANDSAT PROJECT The tasks of this project concerned the identification of land, water and mineral resources as detectable on remote sensing imagery and, from the same data sources supplemented by ground data, Ehe compilation of an inventory of human settlements, population densities and the presence of primary physicat infrastructures. The data I^rere to be condensed into maps and map-overlays, and which were directly usable material for development planning. The maps would also serve to guide further research in depth on specific aspects such as soils of settlement sites and irrigation works, lay-out of road networks and other infrastructures, etc. The data would be presented on two leve1s of map scale: (a) l:25O OOO scale maps covering all the northern part of Ghana (upper and northern regions) and (b) on 1:50 OOO scale maps for selected sub-areas in Ehe greater detail which is required for project determination and long-range area planning. The data assembled in the data bank for mapping and analysis were Eo be made available as well for the computer data bank to be started by the regional planning group in Accra. I 1 "E"onoroic Development of Areas Freed from Onchocerci-asis in Ghana." Informal country paper based on,the report of the Joint FAO/IBRD fact-finding mission, FAO/IBRD, Rome, October 1975, WS/A3174. JPC1.4 Part 2 page 2 PROJECT 2. THE AGRICULTTJRAL SURVEY AND PI.ANNING PROJECf, The Government of the Republic of Ghana had agreed with CIDA to be provided with development planning assistance for integrated rural development in the northern region which, however, was anticipated not to start until 1980. Since it was considered necessary to do some project identification by the end of L979, preparatory work would be necessary based on all the existing data available for compilation and analysis. It was proposed therefore that the project, supported by the British ODM, bridge the time gap 1978 to 1980 in three phases with three short-term consultant teams - each covering a distinct package of tasks. The first phase team of short-term consultants (three to four months, March through June 1979) should have collected and assembled for the data bank all presently available or quickly collectable data on natural and agricultural, human and institutional resources in the upPer and northern regions; also utilizing the data and the materi-al produced by the Landsat pro j ect. PRorEcr 3. UNDPAAo xtf.ft+fooz This project would have been concerned with the integrated rural development planning of functional rural areas in the northern regions of Ghana which contain onchocerciasis-free zones. The integraEed rural development of such areas must i-nvolve all aspects and all the resources of each area, whether physical resources of the land, water and minerals, or tourist resources of game parks, as well as the human resources and infrasEructures already Present or still required for development. Comprehensive planning must involve all sectors of society and economy in functional areas and the planning group must therefore have an inter- disciplinary composition, The integrated planning of multiple aspects requlres that the planning group works as a team on the single objective of developing a complete and comprehen- sive development plan for each functional area. Integration of development plans and Projects can be achieved by identifying and incorporating the linkages, interdependencies and multipliers, between individual sector projects and by careful phasing in time and space of the individual projects in each lO-year area development p1an. The regional planning group would utilize the basic data and incorporate the project proposals provided by the Landsat project (Projectl) andagricultural planning teams (Project2) It would have set up and managed the basic data bank at a computer facility in Accra. It would have been responsible for assembling and processing of all data, both Ehose collected directly by the planning team or by subcontractors, especially data on settlement structure .hd 1i.r"" of cornrnunication, and data for the assessment of non-agricultural natural resources including tourism. It would incorporaEe all the relevant national policies and regulations and be in constant liaison wiEh the Government of Ghana through the National Onchocerciasis Committee and the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning. RESULTS AND RECCD{MENDATIONS As reported by the Ghana delegation to the National Onchocerciasis Conrnittee meeting in Ouagadougou in June 1980,1 the three-pronged approach to the socioeconomic development of onchocerciasis-free areas had met with varying degrees of success' ) The establishment of a regional planning group was started in February L979 with a number of junior- and mid-level professionals engaged in data collection and assembly at the data bank. The senior planners in agriculture and civil engineering were recruited and ready to be assigned on Letters of Agreement.2 a 1r ' ttOC+/S.5 Actlvities of the National Onchocerciasis Conrmittee of Ghana. '), 'nC, Or/naf/l+fOA Interim Progress Report, June Lg78 - June 1979, Field Document I, FAO, Rome,1979. {JPC1.4 Part 2 page 3 The establishment of a comprehenslve computerized data bank was started in April 1979. The system was set up on the premlses of Computer Services Limited, High Street, Accra. The first data sets, primarily literature reviews, rrere entered into the data bank. The literature review codes were defined in several workshops in April to May L979 in cooperaEion with professionals from Legon and Kumasi universities. They were engaged inMarch and early April L979 for three months to collect all available raw data and review all relevant literature for entering into the data bank. This activity should have been completed by the end of July 1979.1 The election of two pilot planning areas in northern Ghana had been accomplished by March L979 in cooperation with the Landsat (ROAP) Satellite Image Project - funded by USAID, executed by TAMS/EARTITSAT and managed by the African Development Bank. The areas selected were: (i) the Bawku district in north-east Ghana in the upper region; (ii) the flood plain around the confluence of the White Volta, Sissilli and Kulpawn rivers dovrn to Daboya. This area lies mostly in the northern region Lrith a portion in the upper region. The crucially important signifi-cant cooperative component of the Britlsh ODM consultant teams covering the agricultural sector in the data collection analysis and project identifica- tlon did not materiatize. A decision had to be made in March L979 by the Planning Coordinator and approved by the Director of the National Onchocerciasis Secretariat to cover the agricultural component which is the most essential in the development of northern Ghana. The collection of data by Ghanaian or other professionals in the country was found feasible. The other major change refers to the departure of the Planning Coordinator in early June 1979. This event significantly changed the work schedule and activities until a new planning Coordinator had reviewed the status of the UNDPAAO project and had come up with a paper titled rrFuture Project Operations" which had been submltted to Government. It is pertinent here to sunrmarize the results of the Landsat project and mention the materlals and products so far recelved. RESULTS: LANDSAT PROJECT (PROJECI 1) The Landsat project i.s extremely crucial to the envisaged orderly development of the onchocerciasis-free areas i-n Ghana. With Ehe concluding seminar on Regional onchocerciasis Area Planning held in Abidjan in January 1980, the Government of the Republlc of Ghana became satisfied that a major requirement pertaining to the inventory of the natural resources of the onchocerciasis-free areas of Ghana had been met. By the end of August 1980 the Ghana Government had taken delivery of 19 copies of Volume IRegional Scale'Report and the 1:250 OOO scale overlays and imagery associated with the Volume IReports for Ghana. Included in the letter were four clear copies and 16 blueline copies ofthe 11 overlay topics for each of the Ghana map sheet areas included in the project area. Three copies of the digitally processed Landsat images covering this area were also included. The 11 overlay topics rrere as follows (i) (ii) (iii) (iv) (v) Iand use/land cover minerals potential forestry potential agricultural potential r^rater resources and fisheries potentlal Ir ' AG: U /x}J./l +f o63 Consultant Report - Establishmenr Processing Facilities, FAO, Rome, 1979. of a Data Bank and Computer Data JPCl. 4 Part 2 page 4 (vi) (vii) (viii) ( ix) (x) (xi) The (i) (ii) (iii) ( iv) (v) (vi) (vii) (viii) hydrology and water resources human resources and infrastructure geology and mineral resources candidate areas rangeland and livestock potential climate. eight map sheets coverage for Ghana were: Wapuli Tamale Daboya Bole Chereponi Gambaga Navrongo Wa. ) In addition to the inrnense amount of planning data the Landsat project had provided which w111 assist in decision-making as Eo the developmental thrust to be followed in the socio- economic growth of the northern and upper regions of Ghana, there is also the significant identification of candidate areas for develoPment as follows: candidate area No. 21 - Navrongo, Gambaga, Daboya and Tamale quadrats candidate area No. 22 - Gambaga and Chereponi quadrats candidate area No, 23 - Gambaga, Tamale, Wapuli and Chereponi quadrats candidate area No. 24 - Gambaga quadrat candidate area No. 25 - Tamale and Da boya quadrats candidate area No. 26 - Daboya, Bole and Navrongo quadrats A description of one of these candidate areas (No. 21) gives a.n idea of. the potential for development. This area, which is essentially the White VoltafSissilIy'Kulpawn confluence flood plain, is largely unpopulated and as awhole containsnearly no roads and infrastructures. It ls very inaccessible from the main transportation artery, the road between Tanale and Bolgatanga, as there are no bridges across the White Volta River. Consistent vehicle access is feasible only from Navrongo in the north to a smatl area along the Sissilli river. The ongoing development in this smal1 part of the candidate area is a good indication of the possibilities for the rest of the much larger area. Large-scale rice farming with motorlzed modern machinery has been under way here for several years covering thousands of hectares. The soil is a very fine silt-loam and can be highly productive under irrigation if special cultivation measures are employed. The area could be irrigated from storage dams on the Sissilli and White Volta rivers. Preliminary surveys indicate that double and even triplecroppingcould be done on much of thls area with irrigation and fertilizers. The potential area to be irrigated in this candidate area is huge, maybe over 15O OOO ha. Only very little of it is presently under cultivation and only some of this by Ehe local population, primarily local chiefs who have obtalned some means of large-scale mechanization. (i) (ii) (iii) (iv) (v) (vi) ) I JPCl. 4 Part 2 page 5 Farming is mainly carried out by operators from outside the area who practise a form of mechanized shifting cultivation of upland rice. Since the area is almost completely f1at, large areas can be ploughed quickly by tractor and broadcast sown to upland rice. Without further inputs, except sometimes with synthetic fertilizers, the crop is then harvested by combines. The yields per hectare are exceedingly low, but the costs of cultivation per unit of land are so low that sti1l substantial production and profits can be made by large-scale operations. IE seems that the same land is rarely used for more than a few years, becoming heavily infested with permanent grasses which make the ploughing and reseeding very difficult and natural soil fertility is exhausted quickly. Cultivation is shifted regularly to new virgin land areas, which are vast and so far appear easily available. The land tenure siEuation is a very senslElve issue. Large-scale farm operations by outsiders are resented by the locaI population. In November-December 1978 this resulted in vast rice areas (reportedly up to 8O% of the rice ready for harvest) being burnt, causing subsE.antial losses to outside operators as well as some local ones. The developrnent of this area will require the construction of large-scale irrigation lnfrastructures and substantial road networks. The best farm structure is probably large- scale motor-mechanized farms for most of the candidate area. Some resettlemenE of population from other areas will have to take place to provlde the necessary manpower for cultivating this huge area. Since Ghana does not possess substantial surplus population for resettlement, the people to be settled in this area will have to be highly labour efficient through mechanization. This may be feasible primarily only on large-scale operations of either self-managi-ng cooperative farms which own and operate mechanized large-scale equipment on a cooperative basis or, as at present, by private operators with sufficient capital for Ehe high initial investment costs. It appears only limited areas may be tried with smal1-scale farming using animal (bullock) power because of the lack of populatlon. Centrally managed large-scale state farms may not be advisable in view of the overall negative performance of such farms in Ghana over the past decades. Decentralized, locally situated management with incentives and beneflts such as in local conrnunity or cooperative farms, or even individual clan or family farms, would appear to be the most promising farming sys tem. The development of chis area will first require substantial detailed pre-investment feasibility studies on all aspects of development, ranging from initial soil surveys and crop and cultivation trials, to surveys of settlement sites with optimally located service centres and the connecting road networks throughout the area with bridges across the major rivers, The actual construction projects for the development of production in thls area \ri11 not be possible for several years. Work should start in any case with a primary road network including the already planned and designed bridges across the White Volta river. Final location of roads and feeder roads however, must be carefully adjusted to the optimal settle- ment sites and service centre sites whose location in Eurn will depend on the alignment of flood control works, irrigation works and irrigated land areas, Much of this preplanning can be done on the detail 1:50 OOO resource maps which are in final production stage and will be delivered shortly. But many of the details on the specific types of agriculture feasible and practlcable in local areas could already be distinguished on the Landsat maps combined with the data on agriculture and socio- cultural factors being collected for the project data bank. This includes the data collected on range, livestock and forestry sectors which will become exceedingly important outside the irrigated areas, but integrated with the utilization of irrigated cropping systems. Many social support services would be available in the inrnediate vicinity of Navrongo, Sandema and Fumbisi in the northern portion of the area; few are located in the southern portion. Altogether, this candidate area contains one of the biggest development potentials in Ghana. It will also require one of the largest pre-investment efforts in data collection for planning and design of the large capital investments to be undertaken in the area. { { JPC1. 4 Part 2 page 6 COI]NTERPART TRAINING Another significant aspecE of the Landsat project is the counterpart training componenE of the project. This was emphasized in order to ensure understanding and provide for long- term continuity of technical inputs into resource development in onchocerciasis-freed areas, The Progranrme provided for a total of seven counterparts. The training programne comprised the following three elements: (i) On the job training in each country: during the three field survey periods the counterparts participated as team members in all field investiSations including, but not limited to, Iow attitude aerial reconnaisance flights, soil testing, identification of vegetation, Landsat image interpretation and biomass measurements. During non-field survey periods the counterparts participated in literature reviews and data analysis in their own countries, (ii) Short course: each counterpart attended a short course in the headquarters offices of the contractors in the United States of America for a period of two weeks. During this perlod counterparts had the opportunity to v/ork with resource scientists, planners and engineers and gained further understanding of resource inventory techniques using Landsat and air photos as well as techniques used to assess resource developn,ent potential Visits were made Eo various United States government agencies and other internati-onal organizations. (iii) Formal seminar: a four-and-a-half-day formal seminar was held in Abidjan, Ivory Coast at the conclusion of the project for technical and senior management leve1 persons from several of the participating countries in the Onchocerciasis Control Progranrne and representatives of donor agencies contributing to the Progranrme. Presentations were made by TAM-Earthsat senior scientist.s, planners and engineers, and by the counterParts on the methods and results of the study. The seminar addressed how Landsat and advanced remote sensing techniques provided dala for inrnediate use in resource development planning. FUTTIRE PROJECT OPERATIONS As reported to the National Onchocerciasis Conmittees meeting in Ouagadougou in June rhis year, the UNDPAAO project X/.Jfl+fOt started with a clear intention of making a major contribution to the future rural development of the onchocerciasis-free zones of Ghana but ran into serious difficulties.I Th. net effecE of the difficulties had been that the funds of the project have now almost been used up without any meaningful result having been achieved, nor are additional funds available from the IJNDP regional funds or the IINDP country Prograrrne so that the project could be properly activated. The project became operational in July 1978 with the conditlon imposed that the original project document be revised within four monEhs of the arrival of the Development Planning Coordinator. A draft revision was delivered to Rome in December 1978 and discussed and redrafted in January 1979. This new revision B was approved by all parties concerned but only the revised budget tables were signed and Ehe text was not included in revision B. It may, however, be assumed that the signature of the budget tables implied accePtance of the text from which they were derived. The revised project document, version B, took as a guideline the methodology approved by FAO/IBRD consisting of: I XOCf+f5.5 Activities of the National Onchocerciasis Conrnittee of Ghana, Ouagadougou, I ) t June I98O +JPCl. 4 ParL 2 page 7 (a) a completion of the data bank; (b) preparation of a broad Ten-Year Developnrent Plan for identified priority zones of the onchocerciasis areal (c) preparation of investment projects for early submission to the external financing agencies and execution in the first four years of the development plan; and (d) institution building through (i) maximum utilization of domestlc Personnel and institutions in the above, and (ii) improvement of planning process. According to the methodology, the operation would take three years. The emphasis would be on the effective and controlled settlemeny'repopulation and economi-c development of the fertile valleys and other zones within the savanna belt of the Volta River Basin area which lay idle or had been abandoned as a result of heavy infestation with onchocerciasis. This would lessen population pressure on the infertile soils of the plateaux where human population have been forced to reside. The final output of the planning process would be a number of specific investment projects, although these would not necessarily be of a highly complex, regulated and capital intensive type. The basic planning methodology was accepted by the Government of Ghana. An amount of $ 5OO OOO was earmarked for this purpose from IINDP/RBA regional funds and was estimated to cover part of the data collection operation (land suitability, social and economic studies and archive facilities) and the preparation of most of the regional development plan. Extra funding was to be provided for a land-use survey, climatology, surface and groundwater studies ($ 151 OOO; this service had been provided by the Landsat study) for the regional development plan ($ 89 3OO) and for the preparation of investment projects ($ 507 5OO) , all at 1975 prices. Some major modifications were, however, introduced in the methodology. According to version B, the project's duration had to be shortened: rrDue to the limited funds available it was necessary to shorten the project from former J6 months to 18 months and use the funds saved from reducing the assignment period of the Development Planning Coordinator to 18 months Eo bring in the needed interdisciplinary consultant team.rr I A somewhat different opinion was expressed by th,e lormer Development Planning Coordinator(DPC) who in his 'rBrief Project Chronology, RIJ./74/063 (July lg78 - May 1979)'r refers to redes igning: "the project from a three year-one expert plus equipment project into a productive interdisciplinary planning group for integrated rural developmenCr. Given the delays in getting the project started, this effectively reduced its duration Eo only one year. According to the fAO/fnnO methodology, it was expected that completion of a data bank and preparation of a 1O-year development plan could be accomplished in one year. Preparation of investment projects I'ras estimated to take about two years. Obviously the reduction of the project's duration from three to one year effective, for all practical purposes dropped the preparation of invesEment projects. Even restricting the project's activities to establishing a data bank and the preparation of a regional development plan, both time and funding fel1 short of requirements when the British ODM input did not materialize and collecting data on the agricultural sector had to be taken over by the project. I JPCl. 4 Part 2 page 8 It must be emphasized that adequate funds would be required to carry out the proposed ,future $rork progra[trnerr1 as follows: il Recruit and assign new Planning Coordinator. Recruit senior planners for planning group. VBDI data to be put on tape and sent to Rome. Install MAXCALE computer prograrme in Rome and process VBDI field data. Prepare long-range plans for two pllot planning areas. Identify bankable project opportunities. Recruit consultant team of investment analysts. Assist theGovernmenE topresent toand negotiateproject proposals with funding agencies Present and negotiate project proposals with funding agencies. InitiaEe detail feasibility studies on major projects under consideration. Extend project coverage to new planning sub-areas in the onchocerciasis zones. Coordinate and monitor development and project implementation according to integrated rural development plan made.tt It can be surmised that in Ghana the basic planning methodology had been overtaken by events. Since the Government attaches great importance to the ultimate objective of the Onchocerciasis Control Prograune, it will lend its full support to the new alternatives Proposed to enable the work so far done to be brought to its logical conclusion. An amount of US$ 1.I million would be needed to accomplish this and to this end the Government of the Republic of Ghana welcomes genuine assistance from friends and inEernational agencies abroad. I "rord. Interim Progress Reporttr , page L4. + t