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Any project that reduces poverty rates from 90 per cent to 1 per cent sounds too good to be true. Yet that is exactly what happened through an IFAD-funded project in Sichuan, China. Even more encouraging is that it happened under extremely challenging conditions. The outstanding success is the result of good project management and strong governmental support for poverty reduction.

The project’s success is all the more remarkable in light of the conditions in the project area: townships in the Nanbu, Langzhong, Yilong and Jialing counties of China’s Nanchong municipality. Most of the land was steep, with soil erosion, poor irrigation and low fertility. Most villages had no direct access to roads or electricity. Illiteracy rates were high and health conditions were poor.
 
To tackle these problems, IFAD and the World Food Programme co-sponsored the Sichuan Integrated Development Project, the first collaborative project between the two United Nations agencies in China. The aim of the project, which ran between 1996 and 2002, was to help poor households to improve their incomes and food security.

During the project period, Chinese government initiatives made a significant dent in poverty throughout the region, contributing to average income growth of about 17 per cent a year. However, the IFAD-supported project gave an extra boost to more than 151,000 of the poorest households, where incomes grew about 24 per cent annually in the same period. Farmers in the project area saw a fundamental shift from a situation of regular food shortages to sufficient food and adequate clothing.

“This is an important example of how effective projects can be when they are well implemented and when they dovetail with government policy,” says Thomas Rath, IFAD’s country programme manager for China.

One of the most dramatic indications of the project’s success can be measured; average household incomes rose by 363 per cent over the six years of project implementation.

A marked improvement in living conditions

By the end of the project, many of the adverse conditions the community faced had improved dramatically. The agricultural structure of the region became more diversified. Farmers grew more vegetables, fruit trees and other cash crops and raised more livestock. Less land was dedicated to grain production, but yields were higher. Per capita grain production soared to 470 kg, up 95.4 per cent. Consumption of meat, eggs and milk increased to 60 kg from 44 kg. Fifty-six per cent of farmers had access to safe drinking water, compared with 46 per cent at the start of the project. Forest cover increased and soil erosion was controlled.

Families developed a greater awareness of the importance of sanitation. Infant malnutrition and mortality rates fell, as did illiteracy among women, which dropped from 13.8 per cent to 4.5 per cent. The drop-out rate for school girls was reduced from 5.1 per cent to 0.5 per cent. And new roads gave villagers access to the outside world and made it easier for farmers to take their produce and livestock to market.

More birds sing

There were also some less measurable, but equally important changes. As a result of the project, the social environment is more stable, allowing farmers to concentrate on their development. Family life is more peaceful. The project completion report noted that wives argue less with their mothers-in-law. People believe the mountains are becoming greener, the river cleaner and the air fresher and cooler in summer. Women report hearing more birds singing.

The relationship between villages has also improved. Before the project, there were conflicts over natural resources. New irrigation systems and other improvements have eliminated this source of friction.

“The way these projects are implemented is the key to their success,” says Rath. In this case, the project was designed to reflect the needs, desires and capacity of the people involved. Project managers showed great flexibility in adjusting the project plan where necessary. They also budgeted well, so that almost every dollar was used effectively.

It also illustrates the power of collaborative work in getting results.

“In this case, the World Food Programme, IFAD and the United Nations Office for Project Services worked closely together, and with government agencies, to steer the project successfully towards its strategic objective: rural poverty reduction,”  says Rath.

Source: IFAD