SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURAL AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT
(SARD)

CONTENTS 1 Introduction 2 Current Status Of G77 SARD Project 3 Spanish Speaking Network Members 4 Agencies Supporting SARD 5 Web Site Coordinator 6 Innovative SARD Projects 7 Invitation To Participate In SARD Network

1. INTRODUCTION

This second issue of our monthly Newsletter, devoted to Sustainable Agriculture and Rural Development (SARD), is part of a south-south project, financed by the Perez-Guerrero Trust Fund and the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA). The Government of Guyana, through its Ministry of Agriculture, has responsibility for the project which is being implemented by the Guyana Office of IICA.

Please be reminded that sustainable development of agriculture and rural areas is a multi-dimensional and cross-generational process. It is designed to maintain or raise agricultural production on a competitive basis, by promoting the conservation and sound use of natural resources while striving to achieve greater social equity.

SARD, therefore, includes aspects which influence capacity building in institutions, efficient production and provision of credit for development (especially to women, youth and indigenous people), management and development of natural resources, technology development and transfer, improved access to markets and agro-processing as crucial elements of economic and social development.

2. CURRENT STATUS OF G77 SARD PROJECT

By the end of January 1999, completed Format A questionnaires had been received from an additional four countries (Costa Rica, Dominica, Dominican Republic and Mexico). Format A profiles are now available for 53 projects in nine Caribbean countries and seven in Latin American (Table 1).

Table 1 Summary of projects in Caribbean and Latin American countries (to Jan. 1998), that can contribute to the understanding of SARD.

Country #Projects Dominica Dominican Republic Guyana Haiti Jamaica St. Lucia St. Vincent & The Grenadines Suriname Trinidad & Tobago 1 14 3 2 1 1 1 2 4 Argentina Colombia Costa Rica Ecuador Mexico Paraguay Uruguay 1 1 9 9 1 2 1

Additional field testing of the Format B questionnaire is in progress, via three projects in Guyana and eight in Costa Rica. This will further refine the questionnaire, before it is distributed to the contact persons of projects that have been selected for inclusion in the final project document, as detailed case studies.

3. SPANISH-SPEAKING NETWORK MEMBERS

At present, the SARD Newsletter is prepared only in English for distribution to all members of the network. The majority of network members are from English or Spanish-speaking countries. If native Spanish-speaking members of our SARD Network prefer to receive a Spanish version of the newsletter, please contact us and tell us your opinion. If several native Spanish speaking members prefer to receive a Spanish version of the SARD newsletter, subsequent issues will have both English and Spanish versions.

Request For Information

The SARD Web Site will contain information on sources of financial and technical assistance that support activities and projects addressing sustainable agricultural and/or rural development in Latin America and the Caribbean. Information on agencies which support activities of community-based organisations (CBOs) will be especially welcomed. Consequently, we are inviting you to provide information (Box 1) on such agencies which operate in your country.

Box 1 contains a simple, self-explanatory form. If you have additional relevant information on the various agencies, please include in the General Comment Sections of the Form. Such information can be sent either by e-mail, fax or regular mail (snail mail).

Please send your ideas on the type of information you would like to see posted on the proposed Web Site.
PLEASE NOTE OUR NEW E-MAIL ADDRESS: sard@networksgy.com.

5. WEB SITE COORDINATOR

A Web Site Coordinator has been identified and will assume duties, with the SARD Project, very soon. In the next issue of the SARD Newsletter, we will inform you of the status of arrangements for registration of our web site address.

6. INNOVATIVE SARD PROJECTS

A summary of selected profiles, taken from projects which have been submitted as examples of innovative experiences of sustainable agricultural and rural development, is presented in Table 2. A future analysis of these projects should provide useful insights on SARD.

More than 40% of the completed Format A profiles received, to the end of January 1999, have been from two countries, Dominican Republic (14) and Costa Rica (9). This has been as a result of the assistance provided by Dr Hector Munoz (Costa Rica) and Messrs. Raul Pineda and Antonio Nunez (Dominican Republic)

A review of the profiles of these submissions reveals that several involve the production of organically grown fruits and vegetables, and others the conservation of natural resources (in terrestrial and aquatic habitats). Both topics are high priority areas in SARD. Furthermore, such projects do not only address the in situ conservation (in the natural habitat) of natural resources, but give attention to community involvement in natural resources management and adding value to harvested resources.

Box 1 Request for information on organisations supporting Sustainable Agricultural and Rural Development

(SARD) projects through providing technical and/or financial assistance.

Table 2 Examples of innovative experiences/projects of sustainable agricultural and rural development. 

Name of Project	Type of Project	Direct Beneficiaries	Indirect Beneficiaries	Areas of Impact **
				Econ.	Soc.	Instit.	Tech.	Env.
Guyana: Balata craft production at Nappi Village, Rupununi.	Human development, natural resources, eco-tourism	14 men & 3 women
Jamaica: National Yam Export Development Project.	Crops, marketing, human dev., small-scale enterprise, tech. dev. &/or transfer.	1,000 small hillside farmers
Costa Rica: Organic vegetable production, Estate Guadalupe.	Crops, environment, marketing.	4 farming families	Vegetable consumers
Costa Rica: Banana production using organic technology.	Crops, environment, marketing. Human development	14 farmers	Banana consumers
Dominican Republic: Investment Fund for Natural Resources.	Natural resources, human development.	15,000 women, 15,000 men, 5000 children
Dominican Republic: Production and Export of Certified Organic Coffee.	Crops, marketing, natural resources.	600 women, 80 men, 120 children

**Econ. = Economic; Soc. = Social; Instit. = Institutional;
Tech. = Technological; Env. = Environmental

7. INVITATION TO PARTICIPATE IN SARD NETWORK

Become an active participant in our SARD Network! Your participation can be by way of identifying examples of innovative SARD experiences and/or agencies which support SARD activities. The SARD Project at IICA’s Guyana Office can be contacted via: