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A Case Study of the Nhong-wa Village Agricultural Project
Field Study Abstract:
The study aimed to present and assess the interfacing of the private and government sectors in implementing a developing project, the Nhong-wa Village Agricultural Project (NVAP). Specifically, it aimed to: 1) analyze the conceptualization and implementation of NVAP; 2) determine the project's impact on farmer-cooperators and the benefits derived by the participating entities; 3) identify problems and gaps in the project's implementation; and 4) formulate alternative courses of action and come up with recommendations.
The data were gathered from primary and secondary sources. Complete annual enumeration of 50 respondents and entities were involved. A descriptive technique was used in the analysis of project implementation while the "before" and "after" method of analysis was used to evaluate the impact to respondents in terms of changes in the level of income and overall well-being. Other statistical tools were also used to facilitate analysis.
The NVAP, which was organized by the Bangkok Bank Ltd. (BBL) and the Bangkok Farm Co. Ltd. (BFL) in cooperation with the district government of Phanom-Sarakham, was an example of an "integrated farming system." In 1978, 34 families who joined the project comprised the first batch, 4 families constituted the second batch in 1979, and 12 families was admitted as the third batch in 1982.
To determine the income effect, the study compared the average annual income of the families from the first group (composed of the first and second batches) before and after joining the project. The first group had an average annual income of P17,111 before joining the project. After six years of being with the project, their average annual income became P44,420, which is equivalent to a 159 percent increase. The second group (composed the third batch) had an average annual income of P47,033 (about 74% increase) after joining the project. Thirty-six percent of the project's net income went to the farmer-cooperators, while 31 percent and 33 percent went to BFL and BBL, respectively.
The assessment of the famers' well-being indicated that they had an enhanced well-being and were satisfied with the project. However, the farmers still felt that they needed assistance from the BFC and BBL in terms of farm inputs and marketing, which indicated that they still lacked the managerial capability to effectively operate or handle the project. The project had some worth-noting strengths such as adequacy of resources, effective project design, vast and new knowledge incorporated in the trainings, and strong cooperation between the local people and the private sector. However, the project also had some weaknesses, such as: inadequacy of training in management; low level of participation in decision-making; limited development for integrated skills; failure to develop the enterpreneural ability of the farmer-cooperators; and absence of a study in the geographic characteristics of the project area. Activities that were suggested to strengthen, if not to correct the projects' weaknesses, included: 1) a study and analysis of the geophysical characteristics of the area; 2) enhancement of the project's institutionalization; 3) modification of the production and marketing schemes; 4) procurement of feed ingredients from nearby areas; and 5) intensification of the corn and soybean production.