Choklei Organization for rural and agricultural development
In a nutshell, CORAD, Chokhlie Organization for Rural and Agricultural Development hold its national level registration having its right legally to operate in Myanmar, and was established in 2008, 1st January and it was historically emerged from Gret, France NGO that has been significantly and substantially contributing to the development of Chin Community since 1995 up to this contemporary scenario of 2017.
Tracing back into its historical emergence, sine 2008 CORAD has been contributing to "the improvement of food security and sustainable management of natural resources"by mean of the technical provision & organizational capacity building activities and financial supports to the local development projects related to land development. In its realistic scenario of substantial strength and capacity, CORAD has been able to enhance high participation of the beneficiaries in the design, implementation and the critical evaluation of the activities conducted by the total number of 105 farmers groups in four townships in the past and as of now up to 110 farmers groups in the scenario of current projects in 5 Township.
Under its registration process, CORAD has already demonstrated 'its operational autonomy and strengthen its technical& institutional expertise" and CORAD's managers and Governing Board( Coordination Units) have already been active in the leading and managing CORAD, organization as a whole ensuring the achievements of the outputs and activities, significantly reflecting the donors requirements. Beside that, Annual financial audits for the last 8 consecutive years has been proven and certified the transparency and effective financial management of CORAD and adding into that, the field team has built trustworthy and accountable relations with the beneficiaries in optimum level.
Reflecting what has been done and achieved in CORAD in terms of agriculture extension and activities as well as other development and livelihood program in the lives of Chin Community through the remarkable and significant support and supervision of Gret, CORAD was officially and legally registered as local/National NGO which has its right to operate in national level in the mandate of the government administration Policy and Regulation.
In realistic estimation of current scenario, LIFT has worked with CORAD as a sub-partner of Gret for its intervention in Chin State since in 2010. We have assisted 110 villages in northern Chin to improve their livelihoods and food security through a programme of agricultural training, mostly involving building agricultural terraces and irrigation. CORAD was also instrumental to LIFT recently in assisting flood and landslide afflicted villages to re-instate their agricultural land in time for a winter crop.
CORAD is actively operating in five Townships of Northern Chin as to Hakha, Falam, Tedim, Tonzang and Thantlang having its sub-offices in the above mentioned respective Township with the grand purpose of making the better life of anthropological existence of Chin Communities in the context of humanitarian service.
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Strategy |
Vision: Improve the livelihoods and food security of the Chin people by supporting the development of sustainable agricultural systems and natural resource management Mission: Empower communities by strengthening their capacities to manage their own development processes Goals:
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Approche |
CORAD has a global intervention strategy responding to its objectives which is implemented by an experienced team trained over the past 12 years with multiple funding.
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Key Intervention Area |
Headquarters in Hakha - Branches in Falam, Tedim, Thantlang and Tonzang townships (Northern Chin State) -Matupi Township (Southern Chin State)
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Human Resources |
From 30 to 45 employees depending on the scope of the activities geographically and operationally Team trained and experienced for 12 years on the subjects detailed in the following sections.
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Main themes and intervention activities
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Experimentation and popularization of agro-ecological practices, adapted to climate change and respectful of the environment v Support for the development of agricultural infrastructure improving agricultural production v Improve the sectors by strengthening the technical and organizational capacities of actors (producers, processors, market actors) in order to improve the availability, quality and health safety of products, supporting the structuring of the sector and inter-professional dialogue and by supporting access to the steps v Provide the nutrition and sensitive training and awareness to the rural communities in the context of the ‘Diet Diversity and Year Round Availability of Nutrition Food Program’.
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CORAD EXPERIENCE
CORAD already has 12 years of experience in improving production, product quality and the diversification of agricultural systems. CORAD has also supported and strengthened the technical and organizational capacities of producer groups to implement agricultural infrastructure and natural resource management projects collectively and to experiment and disseminate technical agricultural innovations.
CORAD already has 5 years of experience in improving agricultural sectors in terms of intensification and diversification of production and promotion of product quality, the animation of platforms encouraging inter-professional dialogue and negotiations between actors in the sectors. supported and sensitization of communities on nutrition sensitive agriculture and good nutritional practices
CORAD and GRET share the same visions, objectives and approaches and have been collaborating since 2008
CORAD has 12 years of experience in the four proposed departments: Hakha, Falam, Thantlang and Tedim with a network of producer groups that they have strengthened during the various projects carried out.
The various projects carried out by CORAD and their results are detailed in the table below.
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Name of Project |
Period, Donors and Budgets |
Activities and Result |
Training and exchange visits - Skills developed |
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Capacity building of local networks to drive local processes improving food security and natural resource management in northern Chin State
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2008-2010
Norwegian People’s Aid, OXFAM, British Embassy and DANIDA About 550,000 USD
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Support for a network of 56 producer groups to a) Strengthen community participation in the implementation of local development projects on food security and natural resource management and b) Promote training and networking activities to disseminate technical know-how and experiences on sustainable agriculture and environmental preservation Results: Introduction of new agricultural practices v About 112 village animators trained in new agricultural practices with low investment and agro-ecological (System of Rice Intensification, compost, integrated pest management) v A total of 134 producer-led experiments, over 720 demonstration plots and 41 Farmer Field Days allowing more than 1,500 producers to learn about new agricultural practices v More than 2,600 producers trained by village animators and CORAD teams on new practices tested v Strengthening of producer groups to lead their own development process / projects v Training of producer groups on the management of local development processes and the development and implementation of collective projects with more than 2,600 producers trained in 56 villages v More than 110 collective projects submitted to the CORAD team and having received technical and financial support v Training of more than 620 committee members of producer groups in basic fund management v Construction of 490 acres of terraces (rice, vegetable gardens, irrigation networks watering more than 526 acres of fields and more than 15 km of trenches to protect animals, for a total of 2,480 families (30% of women) v Training on gender awareness and gender approaches with 2,374 producers v Conducted Village Experience Sharing Meeting addressed to at least 2,000 persons in 56 villages to share the experience of the farmer groups Exchanges to strengthen capacities and skills v CORAD management team visits national NGOs and producer organizations in Cambodia v Exchanges between producer groups with the participation of more than 100 representatives of producer groups visiting other producer groups
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Training of CORAD leaders on organizational development (governance, establishment of financial and operational management systems, monitoring and evaluation system, HR management, etc.), fundraising (creation of donor networks, drafting of proposals and reports) - Training of technical teams on new agro-ecological practices with the support of Metta Development Foundation in Kachin State - Training of CORAD teams on “gender awareness” and “advanced gender approach” by OXFAM-GB - Training of CORAD technical teams in agroforestry
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WFP and CORAD Partnership - Sustainable Agriculture and Natural Resource Management in the North of Chin
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WFP: three contracts from 1/1/08 to 31/12/10 About USD 30,000-40,000 in total + over 200 metric tons of rice |
Food for Work with more than 200 metric tons of rice distributes and Cash for Work Example: for the contract 1: 58 MT of rice distributed in Food for Work for 978 people who have developed 58 acres of terraces in 7 villages in 3 departments. These terraces will be cultivated by 214 producers For other contracts, the information is not accessible and in the hands of CORAD
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Sustainable Livelihoods and Natural Resource Management in 5 Townships of Northern Chin State
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4/11/10 to 3/7/15 LIFT $ 1,693,390 (Gret Leader, CORAD partner)
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Objective 1: Increase access to knowledge and skills relating to agro-ecological techniques to improve food security and natural resource management v In 105 producer groups, 221 village animators (81 women) trained and 88% of them having adopted new practices v Technical training of 3,885 producers (1,241 women) in 105 villages v Dissemination of agricultural techniques to 1,697 families in 80 villages outside the project v 126 rice producers improving their knowledge of the rice intensification system within 4 Farm Schools v Training of 3,676 producers in 110 groups on soil conservation practices, water management and agroforestry v Four Technical Manuals on techniques (agroecology, soil conservation, water management, agroforestry) produced in Burmese and distributed to 105 producer groups v 58 producers trained in seed production v 1,311 FG (95% women) trained in product processing techniques
Objective 2: Improve access to productive resources and diversify income through development processes managed by producer groups v 105 producer groups (3,892 families including 1,290 women) trained on participatory approaches and local development project processes v Manual in Burmese on Participatory Action Research, the development and implementation of collective agricultural projects, the management of development processes, the gender approach and local leadership v 36.5%% of women participated in development processes within producer groups v Collective agricultural projects have made it possible to: - the development of 1,877 acres of agricultural terraces and irrigated land for 3,734 producers (1,301 women) - 118 producers (35 females) increased their income by developing orchards and fish ponds - 1,312 producers (473 women) participated in breeding projects (863 cows and 349 goats) - 209 producers (75 women) were involved in the development of 5 agroforestry plots v 6,270 people learned from the experience of producer groups through discussion sessions v 20 pilot sites for improving irrigation networks and water management have been developed by 913 producers
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Training of 27 CORAD employees on: - PAR-type participatory approaches, local development processes - agro-ecological practices, seed production - water management (including the practical construction of irrigation networks) - the construction of terraces, - soil conservation techniques - agroforestry - processing of agricultural products
Training / capacity building of CORAD leaders on: - Human resources management including team management - Monitoring evaluation - Development of strategy, method and tools - Financial management of projects - Fundraising (project design, proposal writing, preparation of donor reports) - Organizational assessment - Governance of an NGO (board of directors, executive committee)
CORAD has embarked on an official legalization process enabled by the promulgation of the Law on Associations and CORAD obtained legal recognition in 2014-2015
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Support the rehabilitation of the means of production of families affected by Cyclone Komen in northern Chin State
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1/9/2015 to 31/12/2015 LIFT – 95,999 USD
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The objective of the project was to strengthen the resilience of families affected by Cyclone Komen by allowing them to rehabilitate their means of production (rice terraces and market gardens, irrigation networks), to ensure the next rainfed crop season (2016). essential for family consumption in the coming seasons and to develop individual and collective mechanisms for building up food and seed stocks in order to prepare for other potential disasters. The project implemented the following activities: v 50 villages surveyed to understand the quantitative and qualitative impacts of Cyclone Komen v Coordination with organizations, public authorities and private sector engaged in rehabilitation programs (4 meetings with more than 45 participants in 4 departments) v “Cash for Work” for the rehabilitation of irrigation canals in 34 villages in the departments of Hakha, Falam, Thantlang & Tedim for an area of 785.74 acres irrigated (irrigation of 724.74 acres of rice terraces and 61 acres of market gardens) and a total of 689 families v “Cash for Work” for the rehabilitation of terraces in 20 villages in the departments of Hakha and Tedim for a total area of 89.35 acres cultivated by 322 families v Supply of materials for irrigation networks in 24 villages in 3 departments to irrigate 300.15 acres cultivated by 389 families v Provision of vegetable seeds (potatoes, peas, beans, cabbage, cauliflower, garlic, onion, etc.) to 797 producers for a cultivated area of 92 acres
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Support the rehabilitation of the means of production of families affected by Cyclone Komen in northern Chin State
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1/4/16 to 31/1/17 Interministerial Food Aid Committee (CIAA) 150,000 Euros
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Activities covered 71 villages in four northern departments of Chin State (Hakha, Falam, Tedim & Thantlang) and the total number of beneficiaries was 2.456 families cultivating a cumulative total of 2,606 acres of crops. The project implemented the following activities: v The action plans were developed in a total of 71 villages in the 4 departments covered by the project v Cash for Work activities rehabilitated a total of 52 acres of terraces cultivated by 206 families and the rehabilitation of irrigation canals for a total of 511 acres cultivated by 329 families v Purchase of materials to rehabilitate irrigation networks for a total of new 476.5 acres cultivated by 489 families. v Provision of seeds (rice, corn and sunflower) to 1432 families to ensure the 2016 rainfed growing season on 1566.3 acres in 52 villages (Rice: 1030 acres for 894 families, Corn: 328 acres for 375 families and Sunflower: 208 acres for 163 families)
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Promotion of agricultural diversification and economic integration in northern Chin State (“Promoting Agricultural Diversification and Economic Integration in Northern Chin State”
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June 2016 to June 2020 LIFT 2,400,000 USD CORAD Leader, Gret partner
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Outcome 1. Producers increase their production of rice and vegetables v 34 associate producers have experimented with the "slash and mulch" technique and 1124 producers have adopted it in 79 villages with an average 33% increase in yield v 24 associate producers experimented with the rice intensification system (SRI) and 31 experimented with the production of quality seeds (MySeed). 593 producers (38 villages) have adopted these techniques with an average 58% increase in yield for SRI and 30% for MySeed v 25 associate producers have experimented with soil fertilization techniques with yield increases of 50 to 100% and 214 producers have adopted it in 50 villages following the organization of 18 farmer-to-farmer days which welcomed more than 300 producers v 18 women were engaged in the demonstration of gardens cultivated with nutritional varieties Outcome 2. Producer groups increase their income by collectively selling their production in the selected sectors v 18 producer groups comprising 734 members in 18 villages (3 departments) have improved the sectors of grape, onion, konjac and parkia speciosa (petai bean) crops by adopting new agro-ecological techniques which increased production, reduce costs and improve product quality v 17 groups (714 producers) received technical and financial assistance to expand their areas and improve post-harvest techniques and equipment, storage and transport to markets, thus leading to an increase in production and a reduction in post-harvest losses. harvest and better added value linked to the quality of the products. v 18 producer groups comprising 734 members have engaged in inter-professional discussions with other players in their sectors (around 50 inter-professional meetings organized for 4 sectors in 3 years) thus enabling them to improve sales conditions: increase in the network of '' buyers, reduction of transport costs to markets thanks to a collective sale of products, increase in prices and volumes sold v Actors from 4 sectors have jointly identified the challenges and opportunities of their sector, improve mutual understanding of the specific interests of each category of actors, and developed and implemented joint action plans based on mutual interests Outcome 3. Producers increase the availability of nutritious vegetables and improve dietary diversity by introducing intensive production of nutritious vegetables and improving nutritional practices v 110 women received seed kits and training to cultivate demonstration market gardens with the aim of sharing their future seeds with other female market gardeners v A total of 4,496 producers received a seed kit and training on the production of vegetable seeds in order to increase the biodiversity of vegetable crops v CORAD conducted 660 awareness sessions on good nutritional practices in 110 villages including cooking sessions and Communication for Social and Nutritional Change with a cumulative total of 10,244 families. v A total of 4,563 producers in 106 villages benefited from technical and financial support to develop individual or collective market gardens (support financing irrigation networks, fences and water reservoirs) Outcome 4. Producers have improved their access to natural resources within watersheds v On the basis of a participatory diagnosis, 1,066 families in 14 villages developed and implemented collective projects improving access to water (irrigation network, drinking water collection network, water reservoir), water quality (protection of water sources) and local water management v CORAD conducted training for these families on water quality and management v CORAD has trained 110 producer groups on the new land laws and is distributing a total of 1,300 brochures and 440 posters to these groups to sensitize them. |
Training of CORAD technical teams on: - Agro-ecological practices by GRET technical expert - Production of communication / dissemination material on tested practices (brochure, poster) - Land laws in Myanmar and analysis of customary land laws in Hakha department by the GRET land team in Myanmar - Training on water quality and management by an external consultant specializing in hydrology - Training on Nutrition Sensitive Agriculture, Good Nutritional Practices and Communication for Social and Behavioral Change by Catholic Relief Services Training of CORAD sector teams on: - Support approaches for sectors through visits to GRET projects in Cambodia and Laos - Improvement of vine growing practices and wine processing by an expert Oenologist - Training visit on the cultivation of konjac and its transformation by an expert producer in the South of Chin - "small business management" by the ILO team in Myanmar
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