NORMATIVE FRAMEWORK

TRUST FUND PROJECT FORMAT

"Improving Nutrition and Household Food Security"

(PART II: PROJECT DESIGN)

A. GENERAL BACKGROUND

1.1 Country X: A Brief Orientation
A brief description of the geographical location, recent political history, and of the general economic and poverty conditions in the country.

2. Host Country Strategies

2.1 National Policy Framework for Food Security and Nutrition
A concise description of the national policy framework that links poverty reduction, and reduction in food insecurity and malnutrition; national policy with respect to population, food security, STD's and HIV/AIDS, women, youth, employment and social action, and inter-sectoral approaches to poverty reduction; sector-specific policy objectives and goals in agriculture, health, commerce; national strategies for food security and nutrition.

2.2 FAO-Donor Partnership Programme
Describe how the aims, objectives, and project design and implementation strategies are in line with those set out in an FAO-Donor Partnership Agreement, if such an agreement is in place.

2.3 FAO's Special Programme for Food Security
Describe clearly the programme links and complementarities between the proposed project and the Special Programme for Food Security (SPFS), if implemented in the country, and the mechanisms of coordination and collaboration.

3. Prior and Ongoing FAO Assistance

Provide a brief description of each Trust Fund and TCP project that contributed to implementation of the proposed project, stressing links such as institutional capacity building in partner institutions and in community-level participatory planning, food and nutrition policy formulation, development/strengthening of food security and information systems, etc.

Data Needs:

• Main features of domestic agriculture.
  
• Details of FAO-supported projects and activities, including SPFS.
  
• Details of any FAO-Donor Partnership Agreement.
  
• Government policy goals, priorities, strategies and plans with respect to poverty reduction, food security, nutrition, health, education, rural and urban development, etc.
  
• Institutional weaknesses and strengths at national and sub-national levels.
  
• Demographic, economic, food security, nutrition, health, poverty conditions and trends.
  
• Recent historical developments in Country X, Region.
  
• Food and nutrition knowledge, attitudes, practices and perceptions of food insecure and nutritionally vulnerable groups.
  
• Local level and community-based institutional structures: opportunities, weaknesses.

Data Sources:

• Ministry of Agriculture and other Government ministries and institutions
  
• Planning documents of local governments
  
• Results of previously held planning workshops
  
• Government policy and planning documents
  
• Results of previously conducted needs assessments
  
• Technical documents on food security, nutrition, and health
  
• Discussions with high level policy decision makers and other key informants
  
• Field visits, and discussions with local administrators, technical staff, and village leaders
  
• National and sample surveys (agricultural production, economic, health and nutrition)
  
• Results of locally conducted PRA's, and of causal and constraints analysis
  
• Results of institutional analysis at national and sub-national levels
  
• NGO documentation
  
• FAO Representative Office and UN Agencies
  
• FAO technical documents
  
• FAO Technical Divisions
  
• Newspapers and other mass media

B. PROJECT RATIONALE AND JUSTIFICATION

1. Problems to be addressed; the present situation

Descriptions of the food security and nutrition problems, and their underlying causes, that affect a significant portion of the population. These problems are likely to include a high incidence of chronic poverty and food insecurity, precarious livelihoods, high incidence of infectious diseases (including HIV/AIDS) which limits the effective labour supply of household members, raising dependency ratios. Basic service coverage, such as health care facilities, schools, access to adequate and safe water and sanitation, is low and contributes to a disinvestment in human resources. More specific problems may include: inadequate rural infrastructure, including lack of access roads, constrained market access, and lack market information for small-scale farmers. Crop yields may be low because of low levels of farm inputs, as rural extension services do not reach most farmers.

Poor farming practices may contribute to environmental degradation, which together with recurrent drought, may oblige the population to migrate frequently, thus spreading the environmental damage. Most households may only be able to retain food stocks that cover their basic food needs for a part of the year. With few off-farm work opportunities available, most poor households may suffer periods of hunger that often coincide with an increased incidence of infectious diseases.

Local government capacity in delivering and coordinating adequate public services may be weak. There may be a lack of self-help capacity at community level, as manifested by the high dependency on government supplied and implemented solutions, reinforced by recurrent emergency conditions and the provision of food and non-food emergency aid. The transition to a market economy may be advancing, increasing the role of civil society organizations in the development process. The process of administrative decentralization in the public sector may be nevertheless firmly underway, opening up new opportunities for government-civil society partnerships at national, provincial and sub-provincial levels.

2. Rationale for the Selection of Project Sites

A brief description of the specific food security and nutrition problems at the selected project sites, and of the criteria for the selection of the project sites that were applied (which may include: chronic/seasonal food insecurity, high levels of child and maternal malnutrition, ongoing activities of project partner institutions, existence of community structures for participatory decision making, potential for increased food production and for the implementation of food-based approaches). Description of the local food economy, and local constraints to food production, and household availability and access to food; livelihood characteristics of food insecure and vulnerable households; food consumption patterns and health practices, and survival strategies; incidence of major diseases; seasonal patterns in food availability and nutritional status of children and women; delivery of, and access to, social services; presence of social and other infrastructure; structures and activities of local institutions and organizations; local administration and interfaces with provincial and national institutions.

3. Project Beneficiaries

A concise description for each project site, of the location, population, villages to be targeted by the project, and how the project will be phased in each project area. A clear identification of the target households (those most vulnerable to chronic and/or acute household food insecurity and malnutrition) and of the nutritionally most vulnerable groups, based on preliminary analysis of secondary data, to be confirmed and/or modified through initial PRA's. Also include may be professional and/or technical staff of Government institutions and of NGO's that receive project benefits through capacity building activities.

4. Project Strategies

The proposed project strategies should be fully in line with those foreseen under any existing FAO-Donor Partnership Programme. A rationale should be provided for the phasing of project implementation, which should be detailed. Strategic considerations with respect to project design and implementation should be specified in some detail. These may include some or all of the following:

Institutional capacity building
To improve the technical capacity of the project, NGO and government staff at district/municipal and community levels; a training needs assessment may help focus training activities, particularly, training to improve management capacity, as well as training in the specific technical disciplines covered by the project, such as: food, nutrition, health, water and sanitation, agriculture and horticulture in rural and urban areas, and advocacy and communication strategies.

Capacity-building at community level
This may include in-depth and participatory situation analysis and needs assessments for capacity building; fine-tuning and development of content and focus of the relevant and appropriate technical intervention strategies; identification and characterization of target groups; training of community trainers in adult literacy and in HIV/AIDS prevention; development and implementation of an integrated and community-based monitoring and evaluation system.

Target the most food-insecure and vulnerable households
Project sites may be selected through geographical targeting. PRAs may be designed to identify and characterize the most food-insecure and vulnerable households, in terms of livelihood activities and strategies; targeting criteria should be explicitly taken into account when allocating resources to project-supported activities.

Multi-sector participation in community-based service delivery
Support to community-based micro projects and other activities may provide opportunities for integrated approaches by which financial support is to be complemented by technical assistance from various sectors. Inter-sectoral coordination will be essential, and the project should insert itself in existing inter-sectoral coordination structures at national, provincial and sub-provincial levels. FAO's comparative advantage in food-related nutrition actions should be detailed and are to be complemented by actions through partnerships at national and local levels with other international organizations and NGOs (e.g. UNICEF, WHO)].

Support to community-based food security and nutrition activities
Technical and financial support may be channelled through newly established and existing, and strengthen these; assure effective and widespread participation in problem analysis, solution implementation, and monitoring and evaluation of community based actions, and strengthen community self help and reliance.

Project support provided through government agencies and NGO's
Technical departments and units of the Ministries of Agriculture, Health, Education, Commerce and Industry and Women and Social Action, represented at provincial, district and municipal levels, as well as NGOs, may provide technical inputs and assistance; their technical capacity and provision of technical services may be upgraded with project support; backstopping from national and international consultants may be provided for the purpose of technical capacity building.

Community action planning and micro-projects
The project may facilitate participatory processes at beneficiary level, and invest in community empowerment and institutional capacity building to ensure that community participation is effective, sustainable and widespread, involving all stakeholders. Planning of micro-project activities may start at the level of community interest groups, whose management and technical capacities needed to select, plan and implement development interventions, may be strengthened. Trained community group promoters and facilitators from partner institutions, i.e. various governmental and non-governmental institutions, will provide ongoing facilitation and technical support to beneficiary groups. Establishment of development committees at administrative post level, providing capillary outreach at the community level will be facilitated, and the integration of project activities into district and municipal planning processes will be supported.

Learning by doing
The necessary information inputs should be generated to monitor the achievement of project outputs, to evaluate the project's impacts in line with its objectives, and to contribute to a participatory learning process of how to develop, implement, manage, and monitor and evaluate community-based household food security, nutrition and poverty reduction programmes. Specific project activities may ensure that this new knowledge and understanding will be shared among project stakeholders, and others in the country and elsewhere.

Community-based and other actions that may address specific household food security and nutrition problems may include the following.

Food production and diversification
The problems of low production and lack of diversity in crop production, and seasonality and poor market access may be addressed through the introduction of cash crops that lend themselves to production by small-scale and women farmers, the introduction of labour-saving production methods, improved marketing systems and on or off-farm storage facilities, technological development through on-farm experimentation and demonstration, timely market price dissemination via rural radio, and improvement in rural infrastructure, particularly access roads.

Food, health and nutrition education
The problems of dependence on a few staple foods, lack of dietary diversity and of knowledge of healthy dietary practices and good nutrition may be addressed through a well designed food, nutrition and health education strategy and social communication plan, based on an understanding of the knowledge, attitudes, perceptions and practices of current food habits and child feeding practices, and through community growth monitoring and promotion, home-based nutrition counselling, a health care component by promoting water wells through community-led micro-projects, complemented by education campaigns, and the preparation of culturally appropriate training and communication materials.

5. Expected end of project situation and sustainability of project results

A concise statement as to what is to be achieved by the project in relation to its objectives. Depending on the project's stated objectives, some of the following may typically be the expected results.

The capacity to plan, implement, manage, coordinate, monitor and evaluate community-based food security and nutrition actions, of public agencies, NGO's and community-based organizations may have improved. Participatory approaches and processes in working directly with poor communities with significant food insecurity and malnutrition problems may have been institutionalized. Service delivery modes, and technical and financial support, may directly be in line with priorities and needs established by communities. Community action plans may routinely be developed and implemented through participatory processes. Community groups may have acquired substantial capacity in planning projects, in managing community and extra-community resources, and in monitoring and evaluating community-based actions, while community action plans may be integrated into district and municipal development plans.

Year-round access to a variety of nutritious foods among food insecure and vulnerable households may have improved, because of yield increases of basic food crops and on-farm production diversification. Household incomes may have increased, while household capacity to manage more efficiently and more equitably household resources may have improved. Overall poverty may have been reduced, and livelihoods sustainably improved.

Food insecure and vulnerable households may have acquired new knowledge with regard to food, health and nutrition, and may demonstrate positive attitudes and behavioural changes with respect to health care and dietary patterns. The nutritional status of children and women may have demonstrably improved. Knowledge and understanding of how to better design, plan, coordinate and manage integrated, community-based food security and nutrition actions and projects may have increased and been shared among project stakeholders, and with others in the country and elsewhere.

In order to strengthen the sustainability of project outcomes, the project may promote and implement certain actions. These should described in detail and may include: strong macro-micro linkages with respect to information sharing among project partners; institutionalization of project processes through institutional strengthening and through building up communities' capacity to organize, mobilize and participate in planning, implementation and monitoring of community-based actions, creating community ownership; identification of strategies involving political decision makers at national, provincial and sub-provincial levels.

6. Institutional Framework and Counterpart Supporting Capacity

The institutional project location at national and sub-national levels should be identified. The make-up of the project team, and the qualifications of its members should be described. The team normally includes the national project director as well as the chief technical advisor. The principal partner institutions should be listed (e.g. national and provincial directorates of the Ministries of Agriculture and Rural Development, Health, Planning and Finance, Industry and Commerce, Women and Social Action, Public Works and Housing, and the Ministry for Coordination and Environmental Affairs). Existing or to be established coordination mechanisms of project supported activities should be discussed, including how these may be strengthened through the project. These may include, for example, a national or provincial technical secretariat for food security and nutrition that may serve as the project's steering and technical advisory committee.

Project implementation through partnerships with district/municipal government agencies, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and private sector institutions should be described. For example, formalization of partnerships with NGO's may be take place through letters of agreement.

Details of the project's financial management should be provided, including conformity with established FAO rules and regulations, and who will be project's budget holder(s).

Describe how the project will be implemented at each of the project sites. Through which local level institution will the project work, and which institutional arrangement will ensure inter-sectoral coordination. What staff will be responsible for supporting project activities, ensure the timely delivery of project inputs at the district, community and interest group levels, assist with the planning, coordination and monitoring of project-supported activities.

Describe how at community level, the project will promote and support the formation of interest groups, farmer and/or women's groups or other community-based organizations or associations. How will the project support a process of participatory planning, the development of community action plans, and community involvement in decision-making, and action implementation. For example, the project may provide support to help community members form groups and develop the management and technical capacities needed to select, plan and implement their own development interventions. Such support may be channelled through a community-based network of mobilizers, while participation in PRA's, follow-up meetings and workshops implement the community empowerment process and ensure active and sustainable beneficiary participation. Training may be provided to community group promoters and facilitators from partner institutions, while government departments and NGOs provide facilitation and technical support to beneficiary groups.

7. Reasons for assistance from the FAO Government Cooperative Programme

Describe FAO's comparative advantage in being a partner in addressing problems of malnutrition through integrated and participatory household food-security and agriculture-based approaches, and explain how the project builds on previous experiences of FAO and the Donor in similarly integrated and participatory nutrition and household food security projects.

8. Special Considerations

Describe special conditions that may affect the project's implementation process and/or the project's impacts, and therefore should be fully taken account of in the project design. These conditions or aspects may also reflect government policy priorities, or may be of special interest to FAO or the project partner institutions. Issues that are often considered here are the following:

Gender
The project design should accommodate the need to gain an understanding of constraints faced by women in their productive and reproductive role, and to involve both women and men in actions that increase access to resources and result in health and nutrition benefits for all household members, including through increased adult literacy.

HIV/AIDS
The project may need to document the incidence of, and age-groups most affected by HIV/AIDS; targeting of vulnerable households with members suffering from HIV/AIDS, to select and develop technology options that take into account special constraints faced in household production particularly when targeting vulnerable households with members suffering from HIV/AIDS. This may also involve training of community-based trainers trained in HIV/AIDS prevention and care needs.

Environment and Conservation
Positive environmental effects may need to be promoted, particularly in areas subject to environmental degradation by means of soil erosion prevention through e.g. urban and peri-urban "organized" horticulture, and the adoption of integrated production and protection management techniques that reduce pesticides and chemicals application.

NGOs
Close collaboration and partnerships may be established with local and international NGOs in project planning and implementation, to identify and exploit synergisms between project supported activities and activities that are implemented by these organizations.

Data Needs:

• Structures of existing NGO networks, key NGO's working in food security.
  
• Characteristics, and livelihood strategies and activities of food-insecure households and nutritionally vulnerable population groups.
  
• Government goals and priorities in poverty reduction, reduction in food insecurity, malnutrition and poor health.
  
• Institutional structures and vertical and horizontal inter-institutional linkages and coordination.
  
• Human resource availability and capacities at national and sub-national levels.
  
• Project information needs for monitoring and evaluation.
  
• FAO administrative rules, regulations and procedures.

Data Sources:

• National and sample surveys
  
• Results of locally conducted PRA's, of causal and constraints analysis
  
• Food insecurity and vulnerability assessments
  
• Crop forecasts
  
• Results of institutional analysis at national and sub-national levels
  
• NGO documentation
  
• Discussions with key informants at national and sub-national levels
  
• Research and technical documents: gender relations, environment, and health, HIV/AIDS
  
• FAO Representative Office and UN Agencies
  
• FAO Technical Divisions
  
• FAO administrative documents

C. Development and Intermediate Objectives

Overall Development Objective
The overall development objective of the project normally reflects a broad Government policy priority with respect to food security and nutrition within the context of social development and poverty reduction. Typically for project that aim at reducing household food insecurity and vulnerability to malnutrition, the development objective is stated as follows:

- Improve household food security and nutrition, and contribute to absolute poverty reduction, in rural and urban areas of the country.

Intermediate Objective
The project's intermediate objective links the immediate objectives to the overall objective, but is more specific and the degree of its achievement should be measurable. Typically, the intermediate objective may read as follows:

- Improve in sustainable ways household food security, nutrition and livelihoods of food-insecure and vulnerable population groups, through integrated community-based actions, and institutional capacity development at community, district, provincial and national levels.

Data Needs:

• Government policy goals, priorities and plans.
  
• Institutional weaknesses and strengths at national and sub-national levels.
  
• Food security, nutrition, health, poverty conditions and trends.
  
• Local level and community-based institutional structures: opportunities, weaknesses.

Data Sources:

• Ministry of Agriculture and other Government ministries and institutions
  
• Planning documents of local governments
  
• Results of previously held planning workshops
  
• Government policy and planning documents
  
• Results of previously conducted needs assessments
  
• Technical documents on food security, nutrition and health
  
• Discussions with high level policy decision-makers
  
• FAO Representative Office and UN Agencies

D. IMMEDIATE OBJECTIVES, OUTPUTS AND ACTIVITIES

The immediate objectives and corresponding outputs should be measurable and verifiable. Some examples that are pertinent for a community-based household food and nutrition project are provided below.

Immediate Objective 1
Develop the capacities of service providers, NGOs and Community-based Organizations (CBOs) to plan, implement, monitor/evaluate and coordinate community-based household food security and nutrition interventions.

Output 1.1
Project partners, political and community leaders sensitized on the goals and strategies of the project.

Activities

Output 1.2
A multi-sectoral "project implementation team" functional at district/town level, who share a common vision, with good project planning and management skills.

Activities

Output 1.3
In-depth situation analyses carried out at the project sites as a basis for fine-tuning project design and facilitating the selection and planning of community-based micro-projects.

Activities

Output 1.4
Project operations plan, strategy and revised budget prepared and approved at the end of each project year.

Activities

Output 1.5
A community development fund (CDF) and respective management procedures established for the project sites to fund micro-projects that have been selected by community groups, as components of community action plans.

Activities

Output 1.6
Community groups formed and project communities mobilized for joint household food security and nutrition actions.

Activities

Output 1.7
Community action plans prepared, and micro-projects identified and formulated by organized community groups, in project communities, and presented for support to the project.

Activities

Output 1.8.
Actions plans of project communities consolidated and integrated into district and municipal development plans.

Activities

Immediate Objective 2
Improve year-round access at household level in rural, peri-urban and urban areas to a variety of nutritious foods, including those rich in micronutrients (i.e. vegetables, fruits) and oil/fat (i.e. legumes, oil crops), and improve household incomes, through:

- the identification, promotion, demonstration and extensive dissemination of adapted species and varieties for year round cultivation,
- increased crop productivity through the introduction and validation of simple low-cost technologies and sustainable cropping practices adapted to rural and urban environments,
- and/or the introduction of small livestock raising, where appropriate.

Output 2.1
Development strategies and action plans developed, adopted and operational to guide the implementation of rural, urban and peri-urban agriculture activities.

Activities

Output 2.2
Alternative crops and appropriate technology options/practices have been identified and tested and arrangements made for seed/planting material multiplication to achieve increased crop diversity and improved plant productivity.

Activities

Output 2.3
Adapted training materials are available, and easy access to technological information is ensured for promoting agricultural/horticultural production at the project sites.

Activities

Output 2.4
Home gardens diversified among poor households to increase and diversify vegetable and fruit production, primarily for home consumption but also for market sales at the project sites.

Activities

Output 2.5
Micro-garden production activities increased and diversified among (xxx) poor farm families for home-consumption and for market sales at neighbourhood markets in urban and peri-urban areas.

Activities

Output 2.6
Based on consultation and negotiation with the Municipality, and the results achieved under Output 1.2, small-scale growers settlements developed by food insecure and vulnerable households in the peri-urban areas for the purpose of increasing and diversifying horticultural production resulting in increased consumption and market sales.

Activities

Output 2.7
A sustainable operational and monitoring system for micro-projects, seed and input access is in place.

Activities

Output 2.8
Marketing of horticulture produce has been facilitated and improved.

Activities

Output 2.9
Basic infrastructure has been upgraded/rehabilitated to improve the sustainability of production activities and facilitate access to and use of high potential agricultural lands in rural, peri-urban and urban areas.

Activities

Output 2.10
Small-livestock (e.g. goats) production expanded and animal health improved among poor rural households for home consumption and sale.

Activities

Immediate Objective 3
To enhance communities' and households' knowledge base on food, nutrition and health and promote positive attitudes and behavioural changes, that result in improved diet quality, adequate nutritional intakes and better dietary utilization, with a specific focus on young child and maternal nutrition.

Output 3.1
Nutrition knowledge, attitudes, perceptions and practices (KAPP) appraisals carried out at the project sites during the first year.

Activities

Output 3.2
A culturally appropriate, and gender sensitive, food, nutrition and health education/ communication strategy and programme developed by the end of year 1 for both project sites, in close consultation with child caregivers and project partner institutions (Government and NGOs).

Activities

Output 3.3
Depending on the results of the PRA's and of the KAPP studies, an effective and well-functioning community-based growth monitoring and promotion programme established in the project communities by the end of year 2, linked to primary health care activities in the community.

Activities

Output 3.4
Enriched weaning food recipes - using locally available foods - developed and adopted for young children - with the participation of families (mothers' and fathers' groups) and caregivers.

Activities

Output 3.5
Culturally appropriate nutrition/health education and communication materials developed, pre-tested and disseminated to promote behaviour change in collaboration with partner NGOs.

Activities

Output 3.6
A network of trained community workers, group promoters and change agents (community/women's group leaders) developed and in place, to mobilize, support and monitor community-based food and nutrition actions and disseminate/promote messages and skills.

Activities

Output 3.7
Access to, and utilization of, safe drinking water and sanitary facilities improved in the project communities through appropriate infrastructure works undertaken through micro projects and supported jointly through the Community Development Funds and community contributions, and through environmental sanitation and hygiene education.

Activities

Output 3.8
Food insecure and vulnerable households have acquired skills related to the management of household resources, and know how to mobilize additional resources to improve household food security and nutrition.

Activities

Immediate Objective 4
A project information system put in place that generates, in participatory ways, the necessary information inputs to monitor the achievement of project outputs and the implementation of activities in order to introduce appropriate adjustments in project implementation, to evaluate the project's impacts in line with its objectives, and to contribute to a participatory learning process of how to develop, implement and monitor and evaluate community-based, participatory household food security, nutrition and poverty reduction programmes.

Output 4.1.
An effective project information system developed, tested and implemented with participation by all stakeholders.

Activities

Output 4.2.
The impacts of the project's participatory, integrated approach in reducing household food insecurity and malnutrition and strengthening of partner institutions and community capacity to develop, plan, implement and monitor and evaluate household food security and nutrition actions, evaluated and disseminated.

Activities

Output 4.3.
Vertical and horizontal linkages and regular communication channels established and effectively maintained between stakeholders at micro and macro levels, to use information outputs in project management, to share project impact results and lessons learnt, and to facilitate the integration of project strategies into more broad-based provincial and national food security, nutrition and poverty reduction programmes.

Activities

Output 4.4.
A comprehensive "lessons learnt" report, targeted at a broad audience, prepared using outputs generated by the project's information system, and by undertaking continuous project analysis with stakeholders at community, district, province and national levels.

Activities

Data Needs:

• Number and types of persons to be trained; training methods and subjects.
  
• Types of food security, nutrition, health, water and sanitation interventions.
  
• Needs for institutional strengthening and inter-institutional coordination at national and sub-national levels.
  
• Needs for strengthening of community organizations and groups, of community participation and mobilization.
  
• Needs for technology development and adaptation.
  
• Needs of strengthening finance institutions and mechanisms.
  
• Information needs for project monitoring and evaluation.

Data Sources:

• Ministry of Agriculture and other Government ministries and institutions
  
• Planning documents of local governments
  
• Results of previously held planning workshops
  
• Field visits
  
• Results of previously conducted PRA's, local surveys
  
• Discussions with decision makers at national and sub-national levels
  
• Government policy documents
  
• Results of previously conducted needs assessments
  
• Technical documents on food security, nutrition, and health
  
• Project documents
  
• Non-governmental organizations
  
• FAO Representative Office and UN Agencies
  
• FAO Technical Divisions

E. INPUTS

This section specifies the inputs that are to be provided to carry out planned activities, and that consist of goods, services, human resources, vehicles, equipment, supplies and materials, must be sufficient to produce the project outputs and to achieve the stated project objectives. The inputs are to be provided by the Government, the Donor and by FAO.

1. Government Inputs

Personnel
Time inputs of national project coordinator and government counterpart staff from national and sub-national institutions involved in project activities. Time inputs are converted into monetary amounts applying government salary rates.

Infrastructure/Building
Detail the office accommodations that are to be provided by Government, including the project office, which needs to be accessible to outside visitors, and with required installations for computers, telephones, etc.; provision of basic utilities, such as water, electricity and telephone services.

2. Donor Inputs
The following inputs are normally included:

- Professional Staff
- General Service
- International Technical Assistance
- National Consultants
- Contracts

Training
Training costs cover venue, organization, participant travel and living allowance for project training and capacity building activities, (training courses, workshops, seminars, exchange visits, etc).

Official Travel
External and in-country travel and daily subsistence allowance for national and international project staff, Headquarter staff, and international and national consultants.

Expendable Equipment

Non-Expendable Equipment

Technical Support Services
Total of person months of technical backstopping by FAO Headquarter staff, type of technical expertise and FAO technical divisions involved.

General Operating Expenses

3. FAO Inputs

Data Needs:

• Details on goods (type, quantities), services (nature and length of period), personnel (specialization, duration of services and source), vehicles (type, number), equipment (type, number), general operating expenses. See also Section I "Budget" and terms of reference for international and national consultants and technical backstopping.

Data Sources:

• FAO Technical Divisions
  
• Government ministries and institutions
  
• Non-governmental organizations
  
• Other project documents

F. RISKS

Risks generally refer to the negative effects of specific events that may occur during project implementation. Some assessment of these risks needs to be made, including the likelihood that these events may occur and their likely consequences and effects on project outcomes. It should be indicated how the project will attempt to mitigate such risks.

Data Needs:

• Food security vulnerability assessments.
  
• Crop forecasts.
  
• Health trends (including HIV/AIDS pandemic).
  
• Economic and poverty conditions and trends, national and by sub-national localities.
  
• Environmental and land use problems.
  
• Political conditions, national and by sub-national localities.
  
• National and local institutional structures and capacities.

Data Sources:

• VAM Unit/WFP
  
• FAO country-specific forecasts
  
• Local newspapers
  
• Government surveys, studies and documents
  
• NGO networks: surveys, local studies and assessments
  
• Universities and technical colleges
  
• Ministry of Planning, sector ministries, local governmental units

G. PRIOR OBLIGATIONS AND PREREQUISITES

Describe the actions to be taken by the Government to start the project (prior obligations) and to facilitate project implementation. Discuss actions that do not affect the start of the project but that can cause serious disruption during project implementation (pre-requisites). Enabling legislation, provision of office space for project staff, workshop facilities, secretarial services, and other services are examples of significant actions that the Government should commit itself to prior to the project being funded or signed by the Donor or implementing agency. If these obligations cannot reasonably be met by the Government prior to the commencement of the project, they can be included in the outputs, activities and inputs of the project.

Data Needs:

• Relevant laws and ministerial decrees.
  
• Availability of office and training space.
  
• Availability of support services.

Data Sources:

• Official correspondence/communications between Government implementing agency and FAO Representative Office
  
• Government documents and reports
  
• Verbal commitments from high level decision-makers

H. PROJECT REPORTING, REVIEWS AND EVALUATION

Project monitoring and evaluation requirements are subject of discussion with the concerned Donor, and may vary according to budget size and donor requirements. The arrangements should conform, to the extent possible, to the general Monitoring and Evaluation Systems appropriate for FAO Trust Fund projects, as outlined in the "Guidelines for Project Formulation for Trust Fund Projects".

Data Needs:

• Actual implementation of project activities as compared to work plan.
  
• Identification of specific problems and constraints.
  
• Project impact assessments.
  
• Targeting of food insecure households and nutritionally vulnerable population groups.
  
• Actual project expenditures and budget revisions.
  
• Recommendations for corrective measures.

Data Sources:

• Project records and staff
  
• Documentation and records of implementing agency and partner institutions
  
• Records from partner institutions at national and sub-national levels
  
• On-going participatory monitoring; results of constraints and causal analysis
  
• Internal and external assessments and evaluations
  
• Same sources as listed under section A

I. BUDGET (PLAN OF EXPENDITURE)

Line items and formats vary with the Trust Fund Donor. Typically, a distinction is made between:

(i) Government Contribution in Kind (estimated in local currency)

Personnel
Travel
Miscellaneous/General Operating Expenses
Equipment
Training, and

(ii) Donor Contribution (estimated in US$)

Personnel
Office Travel
Contractual Services
Supplies and Materials
Furniture and Equipment
Acquisition and Improvement of Premises
Training, Fellowships, Grants and Contributions.

Data Needs:

• Personnel (number of person-months and unit costs for international and national professional staff, international and national consultants, and national support staff).
  
• Headquarter and Regional Office technical and administrative backstopping missions (types of experts, number of missions).
  
• Travel (number, itineraries, traveller descriptions, trip costs).
  
• DSA at different locations.
  
• Contractual services (contracts, services contracted, contract unit costs.
  
• Equipment (type, quantity, unit costs).
  
• Supplies and materials (quantities, unit costs).
  
• Premises (location, current state, unit costs).
  
• Training (training events (courses, workshops), numbers, type of training, location, unit costs.
  
• FAO support costs (fixed rate, which varies by type of project).

Data Sources:

• Government implementing and partner institutions
  
• Office of the FAO Representative (FAO rules and regulations)
  
• Equipment suppliers
  
• FAO administrative documents
  
• Travel agents
  
• Non-governmental organizations
  
• UNDP; other UN agencies

J. ANNEXES

Annex 1: Work Plan for First Two Years of the Project

Data Needs:

• Detailed listing of project activities and sequencing.
  
• Phasing/time framework of project activities.
  
• Project support requirements for project activities.
  
• Institutional responsibility/partnership involved.

Data Sources:

• Main body of the project document
  
• Key informants of project implementing and partner institutions
  
• FAO Representative Office
  
• FAO Technical Divisions

Annex 2: Terms of Reference:

- International Project Staff
- National Project Staff
- Technical Backstopping

Data Needs:

• Project logical framework and work plan.
  
• Availability of national experts.

Data Sources:

• FAO Representative
  
• FAO Technical Divisions
  
• Government Ministries
  
• Results of institutional analysis and assessments