mishqui-yacu, sweet water - IFAD

The strategy called for a gradual but significant scaling back of the
project’s executing unit, while transferring responsibility for services
to local organizations such as producer or water user associations and
subcontracting to NGOs at least through 2001. These NGOs (consortia
made up of CICDA-CEDIR and PROTOS-SENDAS) are overseeing the
transfer, technical assistance and training activities that will promote
the diversification of production and build post-harvest and marketing
capacity among farmer organizations – as well as among farmers
and their families – in the high-priority areas of El Tambo-Juncal and
Suscal-Chontamarca.
In other words, the last stage of the project aims to intensify the agricultural
output of local production units by ensuring access to, control over
and use of resources, services and infrastructure for production, irrigation
and drinking water, as well as the strengthening of their organizations.
The objectives are many: enhance the availability, control and fair
distribution of water for irrigation and human consumption; have
water user and irrigation boards assume responsibility for sustainable
management of their systems (administration, operation and maintenance)
and conflict resolution; diversify and intensify the agricultural
output of production units; help producer groups to market products
with greater added value, on a timely basis, through traditional or new
marketing chains so as to enhance local production prices and foster
new investment; achieve better gender balance by raising the profile
and strengthening the leadership of women in producer associations
and boards and ensure gender equity in access to project benefits; and
systematize and disseminate the project’s experience by training professionals,
technical specialists, rural residents and students in the
value of water in productive systems.
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