What is the Socio-Economic Background to Sivas? 
Sivas province is located in the middle of the Anatolian Plateau and has a unique landscape. The economy is based on arable agriculture and animal husbandry. Although water, telephone and electricity infrastructure exist, the supply of water, and to a lesser extent electricity, is irregular. The average literacy rate is 75% within the surveyed settlements. Low-income levels were cited as the top problem for local residents in Sivas, who have also been affected by rising agricultural input prices and limited irrigation infrastructure. People are keen to receive agricultural and animal husbandry credit / support from the State.

Source: EIA Household and Settlement Survey (2001)

What are the overall CIP Programme aims? 
The overall objective of the CIP is to promote sustainable social and economic development of the people living within the 4 km corridor along the BTC Pipeline, which go beyond the simple mitigation of negative impacts caused by pipeline construction. The CIP, which intends to cover settlements and sections of the population experiencing greatest poverty, will give rural communities, support associations, co-operatives, and NGOs the skills to help themselves. The projects aim at improving social and economic capacity, income-earning and economic opportunities, improving the agricultural sector and increasing rural people’s problem-solving skills through training, and organization. A series of infrastructure improvements is also planned for schools, health facilities and water and sanitation facilities.

Who will implement the project? 
SURKAL, as a NGO experienced in rural development, will implement the project and will be in coordination with the UNDP’s LEAP (Eastern Anatolia Participatory Rural Development Project). The Sivas provincial Government and Provincial Agriculture Directorate have already expressed their support, and SURKAL has a good relationship with them due to their ongoing projects in the region. SURKAL will also co-operate with the district-governate ,District Agriculture, Health, National Education, Public Education Directorates.

Which groups of people will the project target? 
Primary target group of the Project is the villagers lacking sustainable livelihoods and disadvantaged groups such as women and the elderly.

What geographical area will the project cover? 
54 settlements in Sivas

What activities will the project include? 

• Support selected households on beekeeping
• Provide nine 3-day training on basics of the start your business to total 45 trainees and extend organizational support to promising trainees
• Conduct animal husbandry activities
• Set up project field offices at 2 districts
• Support fruit cultivation by training and providing 7000 sour cherry and 6000 walnut saplings
• Plan activities and arrange required sites for demonstrative greenhouse farming in 6 settlements
• Undertake small-scale social infrastructure in 54 settlements
• Lay ground for sustainable grassroots organizations at the village level through training and setting up organizations
• Conduct capacity building programs

What improvements will the project help communities to achieve? 

• Creating alternative income resources 150 households
• 25 % expansion of land under fodder crop culture
• Improving animal husbandry through AI, combat against diseases, fodder crop cultivation, pasture improvement
• Attaining a significant increase in milk & meat productivity and household incomes
• Conducting demonstration greenhouse farming in 6 villages
• Carry out small-scale social infrastructure activities in 54 settlements
• Lay ground for sustaining grassroots organizations through training and establishing informal organizations in 20 villages
• Capacity building activities in 54 settlements aiming to reach 50 % of the population

How will sustainability be built into the project? 

• Development of human resources
• Strengthening grassroots organizations
• Improvements in production, productivity, product quality and household income

Amount of Grant to be Provided for the Project 
US Dollar 994.000.-

For further information: 
SÜRKAL: Dr Leyla Şen (Programme Coordinator) or Dr Ahmet Saltık (Executive Director)
E-Mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it --- Tel: +90 (312) 442 1724