Indonesia - Community empowerment in rural areas toward greener lives

Indonesia: Community Empowerment in Rural Areas Toward Greener Lives 96367 September 22, 2011 Empowering Local Communities toward Greener Lives Overview Green PNPM is the environmental pilot project of the Government of Indonesia’s flagship community driven development (CDD) poverty-reduction program the National Program for Community Empowerment in Rural Areas ( Program Nasional Pemberdayaan Masyarakat Mandiri Perdesaan – PNPM-Rural).  Green PNPM operates on the recognition that it is remote, rural communities which are most adversely affected by environmental degradation and climate change.  More than other segments of the population, these communities are directly dependent on the concerted management of natural resources to secure their livelihoods.  Green PNPM is working to further integrate environmental issues into the CDD planning, implementation and monitoring processes.  Through the pilot, the Government disburses block grants within target locations to finance community investments in ‘green sub- projects’ – local development activities focused on natural resource management (NRM), environmental conservation, and renewable energy (RE).  Green PNPM places a particular emphasis on the financing of decentralized micro-hydro power (MHP) facilities – which are not only in demand by many rural communities, but are also dependent on a continued and protected water flow which is best ensured through communities’ effective management of surrounding water catchment areas.Green PNPM also funds technical assistance packages delivered by Government-contracted consultants/facilitators and environmental Civil Society Organization (CSOs) to assist communities in making informed decisions on how effectively invest block grant funds. Green PNPM is implemented by the General Directorate of Community and Village Empowerment ( Pemberdayaan Masyarakat Desa- PMD) within the Republic of Indonesia’s Ministry of Home Affairs ( Kementerian Dalam Negeri ).  PMD maintains the following website for Green PNPM, which provides current information regarding the pilot’s progress - www.green- pnpm.com. Green PNPM is currently financing the following activities throughout 78 target sub-districts ( kecamatan) in eight target provinces on Sulawesi and Sumatra Island: North Sulawesi, South Sulawesi, Southeast Sulawesi, West Sulawesi, Aceh, Bengkulu, North Sumatra, and West Sumatra. Objective And Anticipated Outcomes Green PNPM’s Program Development Objective (PDO) is More Results that rural communities in target locations benefit from improved natural resource management (NRM) and use of 1,600 renewable energy (RE) technology. The outcomes supporting this objective include:  green An increase in community investments in, and improved management of, ‘green sub-projects; Increased awareness among community beneficiaries projects and local government officials of the livelihood benefits associated with improved NRM practices; Increased capacity of local government and community representatives to further incorporate supported environmental issues into local development planning, implementation, and monitoring processes. Activities MORE INFORMATION Green PNPM consists of four broad technical components, PNPM Rural supporting the following activities: World Bank and PNPM Community Block Grants: Disbursed on an annual basis to target locations to finance community- selected ‘green sub-projects’.  Community groups develop proposals, and then collectively decide - through a gender-inclusive, participatory approach – what individual activities will get funded each year.   Government-contracted Technical Assistance. Consultant services contracted to facilitate the ‘green sub-project’ selection and implementation processes, training, procurement of project-related equipment, and facilitation of coordination workshops. Environmental Awareness Raising and Training. Grant Agreements issued to environmentally-focused CSOs to provide NRM training and associated technical assistance to community beneficiaries, local government officials, and Government- contracted consultants. Monitoring, Evaluation and Studies. Activities designed to coordinate and monitor the progress of Green PNPM’s technical components, evaluate the environmental/socio/economic outcomes of activities, and to assess the integration of environmental issues and sustainable NRM practices into the core operations of PNPM- Rural. Results Since 2008, a total of US$15.5 million in Green PNPM block grants have been disbursed, supporting the implementation of over 1,600 ‘green sub-projects. 775 sub-projects related to environmental conservation, disaster preparedness, and erosion control 475 sub-projects related to the planning and management of forest and water resources and environmental services 280 sub-projects related to capacity building training for stakeholders in NRM, environmentally-sound income generating activities, and in reducing household energy costs. 115 sub-projects related to utilization of energy from renewable sources Of the ‘green sub-projects’ related to renewable energy, 83 are decentralized micro-hydro power (MHP) schemes. Once operational, these schemes are projected to collectively generate 1,250 kW of electricity, and provide energy services to 8,000 rural households.  By the pilot’s scheduled completion in 2012, it is expected to have financed 250 renewable energy projects.     Bank Contribution Through contributions to World Bank-administered Trust Funds, Green PNPM receives financial support from the following governments:  Australia Canada Denmark The European Commission The Netherlands The United Kingdom The United States   Development Partners Green PNPM has partnered with a number of Indonesian and international organizations who provide technical assistance through environmental awareness raising and training activities, and assist communities in developing proposals for viable, and sustainable ‘green sub-projects’ CARE International Micro-Hydro Power (MHP) Technical Support Unit (TSU) Operation Wallecea Trust Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS)