INTEGRATED SAFEGUARDS DATA SHEET APPRAISAL STAGE Report No.: ISDSA1979 Public Disclosure Copy Date ISDS Prepared/Updated: 06-Feb-2013 Date ISDS Approved/Disclosed: 06-Feb-2013 I. BASIC INFORMATION 1. Basic Project Data Country: Tajikistan Project ID: P122694 Project Name: Environmental Land Management and Rural Livelihoods Project (P122694) Task Team Angela G. Armstrong Leader: Estimated 28-Jan-2013 Estimated 28-Mar-2013 Appraisal Date: Board Date: Managing Unit: ECSEN Lending Specific Investment Loan Instrument: Focal Area: Land degradation Sector: General agriculture, fishing and forestry sector (65%), General water, sanitation and flood protection sector (15%), Public administ ration- Agriculture, fishing and forestry (12%), Public administration- Water, sanitation and flood protection (8%) Theme: Other rural development (30%), Other environment and natural resources management (30%), Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise support (15%), Public Disclosure Copy Environmental policies and institutions (15%), Participation and civic engagement (10%) Financing (In USD Million) Financing Source Amount BORROWER/RECIPIENT 0.00 Global Environment Facility (GEF) 5.40 Local Communities 2.03 Strategic Climate Fund Grant 9.45 Total 16.88 Environmental B - Partial Assessment Category: Is this a No Repeater project? 2. Global Environmental Objective(s) The overall Project Development Objective (PDO) and Global Environmental Objective (GEO) is to Page 1 of 9 enable rural people to increase their productive assets in ways that improve natural resource management and resilience to climate change in selected climate vulnerable sites 3. Project Description Public Disclosure Copy Scope. The proposed project would comprise three components implemented over five years: (1) Rural Production and Land Resource Management Investments; (2) Knowledge Management and Institutional Support; and (3) Project Management and Coordination. The design incorporates lessons from previous and on-going projects in the sector, notably the Bank- and GEF-financed Agriculture and Watershed Management Project (CAWMP, 2005-2012), but also successful approaches supported by other donors in the field. Component 1. Rural Production and Land Resource Management Investments. The purpose of this component is to provide funding at the community level that would allow rural people to adopt innovative and appropriate practices that reduce land degradation and increase resilience to climate change. Sub-Component 1.1. Village-based sustainable rural production and land resource management in selected climate vulnerable sites. At the village-level, the project would finance rural productivity investments in three categories: (i) farm production (activities that improve field and horticultural crop productivity and diversity, livestock production efficiency, agro-processing and market access); (ii) land resource management (activities that improve water conservation; soil fertility; pasture management, sustainable sloping lands cultivation, including orchards, woodlots, shelter-belts); and (iii) small-scale rural production infrastructure (activities that improve irrigation/drainage systems, minor transport infrastructure, renewable energy, energy efficiency measures). These activities would be selected based on their potential to reduce land degradation, improve livelihoods and increase resilience to the impacts of climate change. Sub-component 1.2. Larger-scale Initiatives in Sustainable Community Land Management. Certain natural resource issues are better addressed at scales beyond the village. Of particular concern, to Public Disclosure Copy both sustainable land management and productive rural livelihoods in the context of climate change, are pasture management and on-farm water management. Sub-Component 1.2.1. Sustainable Community Pasture Management. This sub-component would finance the development of sustainable participatory pasture and livestock management plans in selected jamoats. The participatory plan would define: (i) measures to improve pasture productivity, such as rotational grazing, protecting areas for regeneration, pasture rehabilitation, improving access to remote pastures, and needs for supplementary fodder production; (ii) grazing utilization levels; (iii) animal health requirements such as vaccinations; (iv) investment needs; and (v) implementation targets and indicators. Investments could include: (i) infrastructure to access and use remote pastures, such as spot road improvements, stock watering points, shelters, and milk cooling equipment; (ii) machinery to produce and harvest fodder; (iii) rehabilitation measures for degraded areas such as fencing, weed and shrub control, and re-seeding; (iv) inputs for supplementary fodder production such as seeds; (v) animal health measures; and (vi) breed improvement t hrough artificial insemination. Sub-Component 1.2.2. On-Farm Water Management. This sub-component aims to introduce sustainable on-farm water management practices in irrigated cropland, particularly in lowland districts. The sub-component would support farmersto introduce, test and demonstrate practices that could contribute to improving on-farm water management and efficiency, maintain soil quality and Page 2 of 9 reduce land degradation, and increase resilience to climate change. Investments could include: (i) provision of equipment for drip irrigation and land-leveling; (ii) cleaning drainage systems to alleviate waterlogging and for salinity control; (iii) provision of seedlings for planting shelter belts, Public Disclosure Copy protecting canals and as an intercrop; (iv) materials for conservation agriculture; and (v) seeds of improved varieties tolerant to drought, pests, diseases, and soil salinity.. Component 2: Knowledge Management and Institutional Support. This component will provide facilitation services and technical support for rural populations to plan, implement and manage rural investments. The component would comprise the following activities: Sub-Component 2.1. Facilitation support and technical advice for mobilization, participatory planning, and implementation of development plans at the village and/or jamoat level. Sub-Component 2.2. Training, analysis, dissemination and networking. A program will be instituted to improve skills and knowledge in key topics such as environmental assessment and monitoring; integrated land, water and grazing management; integrated pest management (IPM); pollution control; and climate change adaptation. The project will support analytical work on topics that include soil quality and extent of land degradation, market development and access, grazing management and livestock production, potential incentive policies for sustainable land management practices, and changes in productivity and environmental conditions resulting from technological changeDissemination will be supported through a focus on exchange and learning between project sites and with similar initiatives, including farmer-to-farmer exchanges and best farmer practice competitions, plus sharing results and lessons learned with national and regional stakeholders. Support will also be included for project evaluation, including assessments at project mid-term and completion. Component 3: Project Management and Coordination. This component will finance the operating costs of an Implementation Group (IG) within the Committee for Environmental Protection (CEP) to carry out project management functions for both Components 1 and 2. Support will be provided for Public Disclosure Copy procurement, financial management, coordination, reporting, and monitoring and evaluation. 4. Project location and salient physical characteristics relevant to the safeguard analysis (if known) Project sites comprise districts in three different agro-ecological zones - uplands, hill lands and lowlands – as recommended by the PPCR Component A5 Phase 1 Agriculture and Sustainable Land Management Report. Project districts include Farkhor, Kulob, Khovaling, Baljuvan, Tavildara, and Jirgatol. These districts were selected on the basis of: (i) degree of climate and other environmental vulnerability; (ii) degree of farmland restructuring (secure land tenure is an important aspect of sustainability); (iii) representation of upland, middle hills and lowland areas and contiguous sites where possible to facilitate resource management approaches (watershed, river basin); (iv) donor complementarity (to help ensure support not provided by ELMARL, e.g., in market development, and thus make use of parallel co-financing from agencies such as DFID/GIZ), as well as avoidance of overlap; and (v) relative potential for the project to sustainably increase food security and agricultural growth, and successful environmental management (i.e., ensuring that project targets can be met – number of households benefiting and area under effective land and agricultural practices). Care has also been taken to coordinate with and not to duplicate efforts of other projects and donors, including the Bank's Second Public Employment Project (PAMP 2), International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and Asian Development Bank (ADB). Page 3 of 9 5. Environmental and Social Safeguards Specialists Nandita Jain (ECSEN) Public Disclosure Copy German Stanislavovich Kust (ECSEN) 6. Safeguard Policies Triggered? Explanation (Optional) Environmental Assessment OP/ Yes No major adverse environmental impacts are BP 4.01 anticipated under the proposed project, and subprojects financed through the provision of grants to farmers will be screened to ensure that they do not result in adverse impacts on the environment. Subproject proposals will identify potential environmental impacts of activities, and include mitigation measures for any likely negative impacts. Subproject agreements will specify conditions, including environmental compliance, for release of tranche payments to farmers. For this project, an update of the CAWMP Environmental Management Framework, which was also Category B, has been prepared covering Component 1 activities. This update takes into account the expanded scope of the project, as well as other findings and lessons learned from CAWMP. The updated EMF continues to provide details on subproject preparation and approvals, and sets out responsibilities for Public Disclosure Copy environmental monitoring by project partners that include beneficiaries, facilitating organizations, IG and relevant line ministries. Natural Habitats OP/BP 4.04 Yes Project impacts on natural habitats are expected to be generally positive. Investments to reduce grazing pressures around settlements through increased access to remote summer pastures may affect the biodiversity values of these areas. OP 4.04 will be triggered to take into account that risks associated with access to summer pastures may involve adverse impacts on biodiversity. The EMF includes procedures for screening the risks of proposed subprojects and identifying measures to mitigate, as well as enhance biodiversity values. Rapid ecological baselines and assessments of potentially affected areas will be conducted as needed on a case-by-case basis. Adverse impacts did not occur in CAWMP and therefore are unlikely, if at all, to arise in this Page 4 of 9 project. The project will include capacity- building activities to assist local institutions, NGOs and beneficiaries to engage in adaptive Public Disclosure Copy management of natural habitats. Forests OP/BP 4.36 No The project would not involve significant conversion or degradation of critical natural forest areas or related critical natural habitats, nor finance commercial harvesting operations. Project investments will include planting of small woodlots and orchards by local families and community groups on degraded lands. Pest Management OP 4.09 Yes The project will support more systematic adoption of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) as elements of rural production investments. However, investments financed by the project could lead to agricultural intensification and increased production of high-value crops, which can trigger an increased use of agrochemicals, including pesticides. Experience with other projects (e.g., CAWMP, LRCSP) showed that a complicated and comprehensive separate Pest Management Plan (PMP) was too ambitious to implement as a result of low skills and knowledge among local farmers. As result, for this project a more effective approach to reducing the application of harmful pesticides will focus increasing knowledge with Public Disclosure Copy field trainings on demonstration plots selected from the practices of innovative and effective farmers. The EMF includes a special section on pest management-related environmental risks. The main elements of this section are: (i) promotion of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) and safe and rational pesticide use as elements of rural production investments to be supported by advisory and capacity-building elements of the project; and (ii) preparation of a limited, positive list of pesticides and biological methods of pest control, which would be eligible for financing for rural investments. Physical Cultural Resources OP/ No BP 4.11 Indigenous Peoples OP/BP 4.10 No Page 5 of 9 Involuntary Resettlement OP/BP No The project will not fund any activities that may 4.12 result in land acquisition, involuntary resettlement and livelihood displacement. Under Public Disclosure Copy component 1, subprojects financed through grants to farmers will be screened to ensure they will not result in the involuntary resettlement of any third parties. This will be done using a checklist in the Project Operational Manual. Community rangeland management plans may restrict access for regeneration, but as temporary measures that will increase grazing resources in the long-term. The OP is not considered to be triggered since such restrictions would be community-driven. The Project Operational Manual will provide guidelines for parties to negotiate mutually agreeable arrangements in cases where conflicts may arise from pastoral activities. Safety of Dams OP/BP 4.37 No The project does not include any investments for infrastructure that would depend upon the continued safety of upstream dams. Projects on International No Waterways OP/BP 7.50 Projects in Disputed Areas OP/BP No 7.60 II. Key Safeguard Policy Issues and Their Management A. Summary of Key Safeguard Issues Public Disclosure Copy 1. Describe any safeguard issues and impacts associated with the Restructured project. Identify and describe any potential large scale, significant and/or irreversible impacts: The environmental impact of the project is expected to be largely positive and no major adverse environmental impacts are anticipated. The project supports investments in rural production and land resource management, which will be selected and designed by local communities with the technical assistance from NGOs and specialists. The project is expected to increase the adoption of effective agricultural, land water management practices in the project sites and thus contribute to soil and water conservation, and building climate resilience. 2. Describe any potential indirect and/or long term impacts due to anticipated future activities in the project area: Project impacts on natural habitats are expected to be generally positive. As mentioned, investments to reduce grazing pressures around settlements through increased access to remote summer pastures may affect the biodiversity values of these areas. OP 4.04 is triggered to take into account risks associated with access to summer pastures that may involve adverse impacts on biodiversity. The Environmental Management Framework (EMF) will include procedures for screening the risks of proposed subprojects and identifying measures to mitigate, as well as enhance biodiversity values. The project will also support a more systematic adoption of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) as Page 6 of 9 elements of rural production investments. However, investments financed by the project could lead to agricultural intensification and increased production of high-value crops, which can trigger an increased use of agrochemicals, including pesticides. The project will support knowledge and Public Disclosure Copy skills building with field trainings on demonstration plots selected from practices of innovative and effective farmers, in order to reduce the application of harmful pesticides The EMF will also include a special section on pest management-related environmental risks. 3. Describe any project alternatives (if relevant) considered to help avoid or minimize adverse impacts. 4. Describe measures taken by the borrower to address safeguard policy issues. Provide an assessment of borrower capacity to plan and implement the measures described. The Implementation Group (IG) within the Committee for Environmental Protection (CEP) will undertake primary responsibility for addressing the environmental and social aspects of the project. The IG will ensure that related safeguard measures (such as Environment Management Plans) are effectively implemented. The CEP is responsible for natural resource management and climate change policy, as well awareness raising and environmental monitoring. Safeguards implementation activities, such as environmental reviews and environmental management activities, will draw upon the capacity of the Committee which has experience with environmental assessments, environmental management and legal and regulatory requirements. Additional capacity will be needed to support environmental management and social development aspects including training, data analysis, and if needed for environmental assessment to prepare documentation such as EMPs and/or EMP check lists. The Project Operational Manual and the EMF will provide detailed guidance on measures to help ensure compliance with safeguards. In addition, the EMF takes into account lessons learned from relevant projects (e.g., CAWMP, LRCSP) to help ensure that the measures included are within the country's implementation capacity. These lessons and resulting actions for ELMARL include: • A workable four-part environmental monitoring system for small-scale rural investments; Public Disclosure Copy • Shifting from a less effective approach of “preventing negative environmental impact” to a more successful and clear message to local people of “promotion of environmental benefits”, which implicitly covered the environmental risks assessment issues by using matrices of environmentally eligible and ineligible types of activities, participatory environmental analysis and management trainings (including conceptual modeling of threats, impacts and relationships, ranking of threats, mapping of agro-ecosystem functions, local environmental assessment); • Limited success in collaboration with the government agencies and field officers responsible for environmental monitoring and control primarily due to inadequate project management capacity. With the CEP responsible for project management, its field staff will be more engaged in the environmental management aspects of field activities; and • Potential facilitating organizations operating in Tajikistan, e.g., the Aga Khan Foundation, UNDP, and others, have acquired better environmental management and monitoring skills and capacities over the past five years, which have been tested in Tajik conditions. This more experienced and larger pool of skills is potentially available to ELMARL. 5. Identify the key stakeholders and describe the mechanisms for consultation and disclosure on safeguard policies, with an emphasis on potentially affected people. Primary project beneficiaries are expected to be at least 21,000 rural households in six districts representing a population of approximately 126,000 persons (average six persons per household). Three pre-consultations on the project's environmental aspects will be conducted in December Page 7 of 9 2012 at the district level (in upland, middle hills, and lowland areas). Following these local consultations, a central consultation will be held in December 2012 at the national level, with the participation of key ministries, district representatives, and civil society. In addition, the EMF Public Disclosure Copy will be disclosed in the Infoshop and made available in Tajikistan prior to appraisal. B. Disclosure Requirements Environmental Assessment/Audit/Management Plan/Other Date of receipt by the Bank 28-Dec-2012 Date of submission to InfoShop 05-Feb-2013 For category A projects, date of distributing the Executive Summary of the EA to the Executive Directors "In country" Disclosure Tajikistan 06-Feb-2013 Comments: Pest Management Plan Was the document disclosed prior to appraisal? Yes Date of receipt by the Bank 28-Dec-2012 Date of submission to InfoShop 05-Feb-2013 "In country" Disclosure Tajikistan 06-Feb-2013 Comments: If the project triggers the Pest Management and/or Physical Cultural Resources policies, the respective issues are to be addressed and disclosed as part of the Environmental Assessment/ Audit/or EMP. If in-country disclosure of any of the above documents is not expected, please explain why: Public Disclosure Copy C. Compliance Monitoring Indicators at the Corporate Level OP/BP/GP 4.01 - Environment Assessment Are the cost and the accountabilities for the EMP incorporated Yes [ ] No [ ] NA [ ] in the credit/loan? OP/BP 4.04 - Natural Habitats If the project would result in significant conversion or Yes [ ] No [ ] NA [ ] degradation of other (non-critical) natural habitats, does the project include mitigation measures acceptable to the Bank? OP 4.09 - Pest Management If yes, has the PMP been reviewed and approved by a Yes [ ] No [ ] NA [ ] safeguards specialist or SM? Are PMP requirements included in project design?If yes, does the project team include a Pest Management Specialist? The World Bank Policy on Disclosure of Information Have relevant safeguard policies documents been sent to the Yes [ ] No [ ] NA [ ] World Bank's Infoshop? Page 8 of 9 Have relevant documents been disclosed in-country in a public Yes [ ] No [ ] NA [ ] place in a form and language that are understandable and Public Disclosure Copy accessible to project-affected groups and local NGOs? All Safeguard Policies Have satisfactory calendar, budget and clear institutional Yes [ ] No [ ] NA [ ] responsibilities been prepared for the implementation of measures related to safeguard policies? Have costs related to safeguard policy measures been included Yes [ ] No [ ] NA [ ] in the project cost? Does the Monitoring and Evaluation system of the project Yes [ ] No [ ] NA [ ] include the monitoring of safeguard impacts and measures related to safeguard policies? Have satisfactory implementation arrangements been agreed Yes [ ] No [ ] NA [ ] with the borrower and the same been adequately reflected in the project legal documents? III. APPROVALS Task Team Leader: Angela G. Armstrong Approved By Sector Manager: Name: Kulsum Ahmed (SM) Date: 06-Feb-2013 Public Disclosure Copy Page 9 of 9