Related External Links

• The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment
• The University of the West Indies
• The Sustainable Development Network
  
• The Environmental Management Authority
• Caribbean Community Secretariat
• The United Nations Environment Programme
• The Caribbean Natural Resources Institute
• 2006 Public Lecture on the Environment
• 2007 Public Lecture on the Environment
• 2010 Public Lecture on the Environment

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COMMUNITY TECHNICAL ASSISSTANCE PROGRAMME

Long before CTAP was developed as a formal part of the Foundation’s structure, the idea of emulating the manner in which co-founder, John Cropper, approached his work already influenced much of our thinking. When we undertook the Bon Air North project, through its process as much as its success, we recognized
it as the first clear articulation of what such a thing as a community assistance programme of this nature might be. John worked to promote the development of livelihood activities that also contributed to the re-greening of the Northern Range. The Foundation encourages initiatives that can increase or maintain the ability of this area to continue to provide its range of services to individuals, communities an society as a whole.

The Northern Range Assessment also provided lessons that helped to shape conceptual and practical elements of CTAP. These three strong guides, the model of John’s work, the undertaking of the Northern
Range Assessment, and the experience of Bon Air North, helped to generate much of the thinking that directs CTAP towards an approach to community development that is:

• facilitative - supporting ideas and initiatives that originate from the community;
• participatory - encouraging involvement of all stakeholders;
• integrative - incorporating the discussion and implementation of economic, environmental and social aspects and prospects of the community;
• sustainable - making decisions that consider how community activities can impact on the natural environment and how it can be used or conserved so that it can continue to provide benefits to the
  community;
• guided and informed - providing guidance related to strategy, process and documentation and facilitating access to information resources.

These are the capacity building inputs we have the resources to make. The Bon Air North project gave us the opportunity to apply the soundness and relevance of our ideas. More than that, it gave us hands-on experience. It helped create the bridge between our intentions or desired outcomes and the realities of what was needed and how. One such activity was an exercise to collect, analyse and document data to understand the community’s socio-economic situation. The scope of information gathered ranged from the number of houses, population and human resources (such as skills, training and education) to household income and use of natural resources of the area and how it affects or contributes to household income. The information was used in the discussion and formulation of their development plan and in the drafting of the document “Creating Community”.

Other capacity building activities were undertaken with residents within specific contexts and for clear outputs, including training in low input and backyard gardening; project management and institutional strengthening. In 2006, a Community Exchange was organized for the residents of Bon Air North to share their experiences with other communities, mainly others located in the Northern Range. This inter-community networking helped to raise public awareness of the issues relevant to the management of the Northern Range and to motivate other like-minded groups to participate in similar initiatives.

Towards the end of the project, the Bon Air North residents were assisted in the drafting of a proposal to implement aspects of its development plan. Like many of our other projects, a show of success does not
come from what the Foundation has done. Rather, it is in the evidence of what someone else is now able to do. Our two years of work with this community was funded by the United Nations Development Programme
Global Environment Facility’s Small Grants Programme (UNDP GEF/ SGP) through The Cropper Foundation. At the end of the two years, the Small Grants Programme decided to provide funding directly to Bon Air North for a follow-up initiative to be led and implemented by the community itself.

The Foundation has since embarked on another project of a much larger scale, “Implementation of Sustainable Farming Practices in Trinidad’s Northern Range Communities”. It focuses on agriculture as a driver of change while presenting an opportunity to address, in a participatory manner with stakeholders,
cross-cutting issues associated with integrated watershed management. This project is being developed and implemented with key collaborators, including the farming communities of Caura/Tacarigua and Maracas/St. Joseph watersheds, relevant government agencies and local and international technical institutions.

Through an ongoing process of working with communities, there lies potential to create leadership, ownership and stewardship. These are necessary qualities for enhancing community-led initiatives in general. They become even more significant when the intention is to maximize potential for livelihoods while ensuring sustainable use of environmental assets. As we continue to monitor this specific effort, we look towards the long-term goal of contributing to the re-orientation of the national development process with a keen focus on participatory community approaches.

• Framework document
• Main Projects - Implementation of Sustainable Farming Practices in Trinidad’s Northern Range Communities
• Main Projects - Bon Air North Sustainable Living Project

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