Bhutan : Farm Roads to Support Poor Farmers' Livelihoods
The project aims to improve the living conditions and well-being of the rural poor in Bhutan thru construction of rural roads.
Project Details
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Project Officer
Amerasinghe, Nishanthi Manjula
South Asia Department
Request for information -
Country/Economy
Bhutan -
Modality
-
Sector
- Agriculture, natural resources and rural development
| Project Name | Farm Roads to Support Poor Farmers' Livelihoods | ||||
| Project Number | 43279-012 | ||||
| Country / Economy | Bhutan |
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| Project Status | Closed | ||||
| Project Type / Modality of Assistance | Grant |
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| Source of Funding / Amount |
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| Strategic Agendas | Inclusive economic growth |
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| Drivers of Change | Gender Equity and Mainstreaming Governance and capacity development Partnerships |
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| Sector / Subsector | Agriculture, natural resources and rural development / |
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| Gender | Gender equity theme | ||||
| Description | The project aims to improve the living conditions and well-being of the rural poor in Bhutan thru construction of rural roads. | ||||
| Project Rationale and Linkage to Country/Regional Strategy | ADB's Country Strategy and Program for Bhutan (2006-2010) recognizes that geographic isolation is a major cause of poverty and underdevelopment in Bhutan. Half the country's population lives more than a half day's walk from the nearest motorable road. Because of the mountainous terrain, the area of land suitable for agriculture is very limited and the population is distributed in remote, scattered settlements. A well-connected national highway and road system interlinked with rural feeder and farm roads would greatly help reduce rural and regional isolation, expand rural access to social services and urban/export markets and create conditions required to promote rural industrialization and non-farm enterprises. The Poverty Analysis Report (PAR) 2007 indicates that 98% of the poor live in rural Bhutan and that the incidence of rural poverty is about 31% as compared to only 1.7% percent in urban areas. The Tenth Five-Year Plan, 2008-2013 (Tenth Plan), therefore, gives importance to rural and agriculture sectors in its approach to poverty reduction. The Tenth Plan also aims to promote accessibility through the extensive development of farm roads and power tiller tracks in rural areas thus ensuring better access to and from markets and economic and social services, including facilitating the delivery of essential inputs to farmers. ADB's strategy includes support to the Government in improving rural access, to reduce the walking time to the nearest road and integrate remote areas and communities into the national transport network. The proposed JFPR project will support this strategy, by expanding the network of farm roads, linking rural communities to the road network being expanded under the ADB-assisted ongoing Road Network Project (RNP). The RNP includes construction of four feeder roads, mainly in Eastern Bhutan with its higher poverty incidence, but also to improve rural access in the western region. Proposed farm roads will link to these feeder roads. |
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| Impact | Increased incomes of rural population in project area. |
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| Project Outcome | |
|---|---|
| Description of Outcome | Improved and sustainable access to economic and social services in 3 geogs |
| Progress Toward Outcome | Activities are complete and outcomes achieved. EA's completion report was received on 16 December 2014 and project closing is maintained at 30 June 2014. |
| Implementation Progress | |
| Description of Project Outputs | 1. Selected farm roads developed. 2. Community management and maintenance of farm roads institutionalized. 3. Small marketing infastructure and equipment provided for the subsistence-level poor 4. Improved skills allow farmers in project area to access financial and technical services 5. Grant management, monitoring, and evaluation |
| Status of Implementation Progress (Outputs, Activities, and Issues) | Completed. Completed. Completed. Completed. Completed. Achieved in Oct 2013. Done in Oct 2013. Completed. Completed. Procurement completed Proposed groups have met this target. Completed. Achieved. Achieved Done Done Completed. Completed as scheduled. |
| Geographical Location | |
| Safeguard Categories | |
|---|---|
| Environment | B |
| Involuntary Resettlement | C |
| Indigenous Peoples | C |
| Summary of Environmental and Social Aspects | |
|---|---|
| Environmental Aspects | Environmental safeguards are built into the Government's procedures for farm road development and construction, including preparation of an environment management plan and applying guidelines for envirionmentally-friendly road construction. |
| Involuntary Resettlement | No social issues under the Project. |
| Indigenous Peoples | No social issues under the Project |
| Stakeholder Communication, Participation, and Consultation | |
| During Project Design | Stakeholders have participated in identifing and prioritizing the farm roads, which are included in the Tenth Five-Year Plan. During appraisal, stakeholder consultations were held at each of the identified project sites. |
| During Project Implementation | Farm roads will be developed in accordance with the Department of Agriculture's Guidelines for Farm Road Development which provide for community consultations in defining the preferred road alignment and obtaining agreement in principle for voluntary land contribution. |
| Business Opportunities | |
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| Consulting Services | The following consultants were recruited during implementation of the project: (i) Rural Roads Expert (by ADB) - individual consultant; (ii) Social Development/Gender Specialist and social mobilizers (by the EA); (iii) Survey and Design team (by the EA); and (iv) Baseline Survey (by the EA) |
| Procurement | About 30 kilometers of selected farm roads will be developed in 2 poorest geogs (Bongo and Trimshing) in Bhutan (through local contractors for civil works) in accordance with the procedures in the Department of Agriculture's Guidelines for Farm Road Development and following the environment friendly road construction techniques. |
| Responsible ADB Officer | Amerasinghe, Nishanthi Manjula |
| Responsible ADB Department | South Asia Department |
| Responsible ADB Division | Environment, Natural Resources & Agriculture Division, SARD |
| Executing Agencies |
Department of Roads Ministry of Finance |
| Timetable | |
|---|---|
| Concept Clearance | 06 Oct 2009 |
| Fact Finding | 16 Mar 2010 to 21 Mar 2010 |
| MRM | - |
| Approval | 14 Jul 2010 |
| Last Review Mission | - |
| PDS Creation Date | 30 Oct 2009 |
| Last PDS Update | 27 Jul 2015 |
Grant 9146-BHU
| Milestones | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Approval | Signing Date | Effectivity Date | Closing | ||
| Original | Revised | Actual | |||
| 14 Jul 2010 | 02 Aug 2010 | 02 Aug 2010 | 13 Jan 2014 | 30 Jun 2014 | 31 Aug 2015 |
| Financing Plan | Grant Utilization | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total (Amount in US$ million) | Date | ADB | Others | Net Percentage | |
| Project Cost | 3.00 | Cumulative Contract Awards | |||
| ADB | 0.00 | 17 Jun 2022 | 0.00 | 2.91 | 97% |
| Counterpart | 0.00 | Cumulative Disbursements | |||
| Cofinancing | 3.00 | 17 Jun 2022 | 0.00 | 2.91 | 97% |
| Status of Covenants | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Category | Sector | Safeguards | Social | Financial | Economic | Others |
| Rating | - | Satisfactory | - | - | - | Satisfactory |
Project Data Sheets (PDS) contain summary information on the project or program. Because the PDS is a work in progress, some information may not be included in its initial version but will be added as it becomes available. Information about proposed projects is tentative and indicative.
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| Title | Document Type | Document Date |
|---|---|---|
| Farm Roads to Support Poor Farmers' Livelihoods | Design and Monitoring Frameworks | Jan 2010 |
| Farm Roads to Support Poor Farmers' Livelihoods | Grant Assistance Reports | Jun 2010 |
| Farm Roads to Support Poor Farmers' Livelihoods | Grant Implementation Manuals | Mar 2012 |
| Farm Roads to Support Poor Farmers’ Livelihoods | Procurement Plans | May 2013 |
| Farm Roads to Support Poor Farmers' Livelihoods: Implementation Completion Memorandum | Implementation Completion Memorandum | Oct 2015 |
Safeguard Documents See also: Safeguards
Safeguard documents provided at the time of project/facility approval may also be found in the list of linked documents provided with the Report and Recommendation of the President.
| Title | Document Type | Document Date |
|---|---|---|
| Farm Roads to Support Poor Farmers' Livelihoods Project | Environmental Assessment and Review Framework | Mar 2010 |
| Farm Roads to Support Poor Farmers' Livelihoods: Jungley-Bongo-Phatshuma Farm Road | Initial Environmental Examination | Aug 2011 |
| Farm Roads to Support Poor Farmers' Livelihoods: Phegpari-Thungkhar Farm Road | Initial Environmental Examination | Aug 2011 |
Evaluation Documents See also: Independent Evaluation
None currently available.
Related Publications
None currently available.
The Access to Information Policy (AIP) establishes the disclosure requirements for documents and information ADB produces or requires to be produced in its operations to facilitate stakeholder participation in ADB's decision-making. For more information, refer to the Safeguard Policy Statement, Operations Manual F1, and Operations Manual L3.
Requests for information may also be directed to the InfoUnit.
Tenders
Contracts Awarded
Procurement Plan
| Title | Document Type | Document Date |
|---|---|---|
| Farm Roads to Support Poor Farmers’ Livelihoods | Procurement Plans | May 2013 |