ANNEX. Action Fiche for the Annual Action Programme 2012 of Accompanying Measures for Sugar Protocol Countries in the Republic of Fiji

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1 ANNEX Action Fiche for the Annual Action Programme 2012 of Accompanying Measures for Sugar Protocol Countries in the Republic of Fiji Title/Number Alternative Livelihood Programme (ALP) /23856 Total cost EUR 10,446,000 Aid method / Method of implementation EU/DCI contribution EUR 9,371,000 Others (farmers, SRIF) EUR 1,075,000 Project approach centralised management with the Sugar Research Institute of Fiji (SRIF) and joint management with the International Trade Centre (ITC) & the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC) DAC-code Sector Agricultural Development 1. RATIONALE 1.1. Sector context Council Decision 2007/641/EC was adopted to take appropriate measures following the 5 th December military Coup in Fiji and the violation of essential elements referred in Article 9 of the ACP-EC Partnership Agreement and of the values referred to in Article 3 of the Development Cooperation Instrument. The Decision was further extended and amended, most recently by the Council Decision 2012/523/EU of 24 September 2012 which mentions that the indicative allocations under the Multi indicative Programme for former Sugar Protocol Countries will be released for social mitigation interventions in the absence of an agreement in the consultation process. The Alternative Livelihood Programme is aligned with the Council Decision and is designed to improve the livelihoods of the sugar cane farming communities and their dependents. In the circumstances of Article 96 consultations, EU assistance to Fiji is not implemented in partnership with the Government line agencies. The EU aid now focuses on activities that would deliver useful impacts for reducing poverty of the most affected populations, and is channelled through a centralised management from the EU Delegation, through non-state actors or international organisations. In 2011, the IMF Article IV report for Fiji stated: Growth should slow in 2012, as the natural bounce-back from fades, and while trend growth could improve modestly thereafter, reflecting the reforms that the authorities have already put in place, moving to a significantly higher level of potential growth would require an improved business and political climate and a more aggressive structural-reform effort. Fiji has recently seen an increase in the unemployment rate. The garment industry and timber exports have been in decline and the future of the sugar industry, which recorded a net loss of F$175 million in 2010 and F$36 million in 2011, is in the balance. The return of higher inflation rates, 8%, will put further pressure on the poor households to meet basic food, schooling and health needs. While an estimated 49 % of the Fijian population lives in rural areas, the latest report (2011) on poverty and household incomes in Fiji shows a dramatic drop in available income in rural areas (-14 % between 2002 and 2008). 44 % of rural Fijians live in poverty, of which half are living in the sugar belt areas. 1

2 The Government of Fiji has undertaken several social measures in order to limit the spread of poverty through the Family Assistance Programme supported by AusAID and the World Bank. However, this relief programme is limited to the most destitute of the poor population. The Government is also trying to contain increases in the price of commodities (fuel, food) by maintaining tight price control. However, the political situation is a deterrent factor for the investment climate. The uncertainties of the legal national framework (sudden decrees) and price regulation with weekly adjustments limit the margins of the private sector and therefore are a severe impediment to its development. Sugarcane is still the mainstay of the rural population of the western part of Viti Levu and Vanua Levu islands. Sugar remains an important foreign exchange earner for Fiji representing 23% of the total exports. However, the sector has been in decline since before 2000 due to uncertainty of the land tenure system, mediocre mill performance and poor cane husbandry practices. Fiji's sugar production has fallen from a peak of 341,000 tonnes (t) in 2000 to 136,000 tonnes in The high prices of the EU sugar regime in the past allowed Government, mills and growers to fund the accumulation of inefficiency and deteriorating cane husbandry. This source of income is now phasing out following the loss of preferential access to the EU market, compounded by the failure of the mills upgrading programme which caused a worsening in the mill efficiency and a further price reduction paid to the growers. The price paid to the farmers has dropped from F$61/tonnes equivalent (te) of cane in 2009 to F$46/te in 2010 harvest season. It then rose to F$60/te in 2011 due to a renegotiated price driven by the international price increase. However, this level is not predicted to be maintained in future. In order to maintain the long term farm income, the average yields must increase to 65 te/ha and the costs of production for farmers should be reduced by 30 %. With these yields, it is estimated that 50,000 ha would satisfy projected mills demand. In parallel, the costs of processing should be reduced by 25 % according to the industry plans. While the Government and the industry have undertaken some positive reforms, notably on the renewal of land leases which is starting to have some impact on the ground, and put more effort in trying to solve the milling defaults which produced minimal enhanced performance in 2011, it is estimated that restoring the profitability of the sugar industry within a short period and before a possible further convergence of the EU price with the international price by 2015, is a serious challenge. The latest projections suggest that if the above targets are achieved, it is likely that 20 % of the land presently used for cane production, in particular on steep slopes with poor and shallow soils, will be released for other uses. This is equivalent to around 5000 farms on the top of another 5000 farmers that have left the industry since 2000 due to land lease non-renewal. Out of the 16,206 registered growers as at December 2011 (down from 17,762 in 2010), the active growers are around 14,000. The number of cane cutters has fallen to 9,649, half what it was in The fall in numbers is fastest in the most remote areas with high transport costs. While some farmers will continue to have to abandon their farms, others will make gradual changes such as reducing dependence on cane farming and shifting to intercropping or diversifying the farm enterprise. Their ability to do so will rely on improved access to markets for non-sugar products and access to improved farming technologies. The development of alternatives to sugar agriculture products has a significant potential to contribute to rural employment, food security, import substitution and foreign exchange earnings for Fiji. Its contribution to the economy goes far beyond the production of food crops and livestock and the multiplier effect can be many times more than simply the quantity increase of primary products. Valuable export markets and import substitution opportunities have been identified in recent studies. For instance, in 2008 Fiji imported more than F$ 250 million of food products in value, which was equivalent to the export earnings of sugar for the same year. 2

3 The EU is already providing assistance to increase the performance of the food crops sector through its 2011 Accompanying Measures (EUR 8 million). The livestock sector could offer additional opportunities for farmers to diversify their revenues from the sugar cane monoculture. However, significant constraints are hampering the development of the livestock sector; e.g. the lack of capacity in animal health services, lack of the availability of animal feed supplies and the lack of adequate breeds for the beef and dairy sector or sheep farming. The programme will support the development of small-scale dairy, beef, pork, sheep and goat production following the framework strategies developed for each sub-sector. The proposed approach will be to use as much as possible already established business that are commercially oriented and able to offer training services and input supply and potential markets to smaller satellite farmers. Market opportunities for livestock products have been identified for supply to the local tourism industry and for the domestic market. However there are key bottlenecks for the development of these sub-sectors, in particular the lack of consistent quality and reliability of supply, lack of wholesale intermediates as well as poor logistics. In the past, the Ministry for Primary Industries has suffered from institutional weaknesses in the implementation of an agriculture sector strategy and in developing an appropriate framework for structural reforms. The extension services for livestock are devolved to the Ministry for Primary Industries, but the Ministry lacks capacity to structure and manage the operation and to deliver effective, professional and timely advisory support to the farmers. Sugar cane is the most suited crop for Fiji thanks to its resilience to tropical extreme weather events, its rusticity and simplicity to crop; it is still the backbone of the rural economy and the main income source for 25 % of the active workforce. The Fijian sugar industry has lost its production capacity by 50% over the recent years and this can indirectly lead to major socioeconomic problems for the nation. Whilst there are several reasons for this, one is the limited funding made available to undertake research and to rapidly reduce costs of production by introducing new high yield varieties and supply of appropriate seed cane to minimise diseases spreading. Therefore, the programme will build on the former EU supports for research and will continue to strengthen its capacities and its potential for self funding. The 2012 floods that have affected the sugar cane areas have shown the high level of exposure to natural disaster and economic vulnerability of the Fijian rural populations. As a complementary action, the programme will help to mitigate hardship of the poor and vulnerable communities in the area by promoting income generating activities through micro-projects interventions. The EU strategy embracing the whole farm unit diversified enterprises as well as sugar cane reinstates the view that the sugar sector is still a fundamental sector in Fiji s economy and while reduced, it may continue to act as a core of social stability throughout the sugarcane region if it is successfully restructured. The strategy is a balanced option considering the continuation of sugar cane farming through the improvement of efficiency with a research assistance programme, together with opening up alternative agriculture enterprises to provide diverse income earning opportunities and the provision of off farm alternatives through micro-projects Lessons learnt Lessons have been learned from the EU Multi-annual Indicative Programme (MIP) 1 mid-term review of 2009 and other studies which indicated that under the most optimistic scenario, the sugar industry will consolidate around a sugar production of 200,000 t. The sugar industry should now concentrate on the best flat lands and consolidate itself by closing the less productive mills. The Fijian sugar cane small grower model is no longer a viable model for Fiji and below 6 ha, this traditional farming system should gradually be replaced by larger commercial farming. Such a consolidating scenario will induce a relocation of some sugar cane growers while others will have to find alternative livelihood opportunities. In response to these recommendations, the National Adaptation Strategy (NAS) steering Committee initiated a strategic review in order to align the NAS with the changing scenario and ensure relevance of the proposed action plan. The positive response from the sugar cane farmers to the EU 3

4 Accompanying Measures 2006 subsidized replanting programme is an indication of their willingness to continue to invest in sugar even under the current conditions. However, the increase in sugar cane yields performance has not reached the required level due to the poor quality of utilized seed canes. The 2012 EU assistance will pursue the aim of the Accompanying Measures 2011 in assisting Sugar Research Institute of Fiji (SRIF) to produce good quality seed cane to be used for the future replanting schemes and to further consolidate its capacities. The results of the Result Oriented Monitoring of the 2006 Accompanying Measures and the evaluation of Facilitating Agricultural Commodity Trade regional programme (FACT) have been integrated in order to structure the policy recommendations based on continued capacity building of research, and provide market access through value chain analysis and partnerships with the private sector. The proposed livestock activities of the Alternative Livelihood Programme 2012 originate from a study jointly funded by EU & AusAID as well as a livestock review undertaken in 2009 which has helped to design a national strategy for livestock. It builds on the lessons that coordinated strategies with farmers' associations are essential and that private sector involvement is critical to ensure sustainability. Some lessons can be drawn from the ongoing 2010 Social Mitigation Programme like: limited absorption capacity of local Non-governmental organisations (NGOs), or important demand remains for micro-projects able to provide alternative income activities and improved livelihoods Complementary actions The alternative Livelihood Programme (ALP) will coordinate with other projects implemented in Fiji. The Increasing Agricultural Commodity Trade (IACT) 10 th European Development Fund (EDF) regional programme ( ) of EUR 8 million is a continuation of the FACT (Facilitating Agriculture Commodity Trade) project implemented under the 9 th EDF (EUR 4 million) and is a successful example of a Public Private Partnership project that can be replicated to transform selected commercial ventures into market oriented, demanddriven enterprises that consistently supply domestic and overseas markets with competitive and good quality products. The project provides Technical Assistance support to identify market bottlenecks, to offer direct marketing assistance, or to achieve certification and target niche markets. AusAID is also providing assistance in agribusiness ventures through its Agricultural Market Development Facility (A$14 million.) with which the livestock component of the Alternative Livelihood Programme should develop synergies Donor coordination A good coordination has been initiated with AusAID in the implementation framework of the EU Accompanying Measures 2010 Social Mitigation Project in view of sharing expertise, logistics and monitoring systems with the Fiji Community Development Programme (FCDP- A$15 million). The Alternative Livelihood Programme will pursue this coordination in order to create synergies and good division of labour. 2. DESCRIPTION 2.1. Objectives Overall objective: The programme is designed to improve the livelihoods of the sugar cane farming communities and their dependents, in compliance with Decision 2011/637/EU. Specific objective: The programme will expand income earning opportunities & provide relief assistance generating employment for the sugar cane dependent populations. 4

5 2.2. Expected results and main activities Result 1: Key services of agriculture improved and scope of agricultural supply capacity enhanced: Activity 1a) Development and implementation of framework strategies identified for the various sectors of the livestock industry The proposed programme will target the various components of the livestock industry; pork, beef, dairy, goats and sheep. It will help to incubate the development of businesses that will provide inputs and advice to other farmers in localised areas. It will facilitate the production of cereal growing to support the continued expansion of the poultry sector and reduce the need for imports. By-products from the sugar cane sector and poultry litter will be used to provide components that can be utilised to formulate a low cost feed for ruminants. The programme will aim to increase formal pork production by 30%, sheep (for the high end food service sector) and smallholder goat production by 40%, in ten marginal cane growing areas. It will assist with facilitating smallholder egg and poultry production and the development of honey production utilising redundant hives to supply high end markets. Small milk production systems will be developed in the West and the North to supply local communities. The Fiji Crops and Livestock Council will establish a market reporting system for livestock prices and livestock sector inputs. Activity 1b) Sugar research capacity building and provision of adequate supplies of good quality seed cane The Alternative Livelihood Programme (ALP) will build on and continue the work initiated through the Accompanying Measures for Sugar The 2012 ALP aims is to develop the seed cane multiplication system to meet the target of producing sufficient quantities of improved and certified varieties to enable the replanting of 4000 ha/year by The programme will introduce germplasm exchange to improve genetic diversity of future varieties, undertake research in developing new varieties and develop an integrated plant breeding data base system. A seedcane nursery will be established in the Labasa Mill area and improvements made to the ones in Lautoka and Rarawai. One aspect in particular that will be researched and implemented as a priority is weed control. New herbicides will be introduced and their efficiency assessed. Locally sold herbicides will be screened for their effectiveness. Farmers will be assisted through dissemination activities to plant early maturing and late maturing varieties more resistant to climate change (drought and water saturation conditions) to retain consistency in quality of cane across the season. Result 2: Local and community based development strengthened and alternative income generating activities in affected sugar cane areas created Activity 2 Expansion of Micro-projects interventions The micro-projects intervention will provide more access to income generating options for the sugar cane belt populations and more access to basic infrastructure services. This component will result in the implementation of at least 50 micro-projects throughout the sugar belt, in the area of water supply and sanitation, education facilities, rural transport access, rural electrification, housing upgrade and also cottage industry that would encourage more income generating initiatives as there is a good potential for employment generation associated with the construction and use of new infrastructures and services. The micro-projects component will aim to restore the livelihoods of communities in the sugar cane area that have been severely affected by the recent floods. The programme will use participatory approaches to develop strategies for generating income to rural communities and will further develop the capacity of local community-based organisations to design, manage, and monitor pro-poor development activities. Communities will be required to 5

6 provide some of the investment cost in the form of labour or cash participation (25% of the costs). This component will be implemented through the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC) which has jointly formulated its design with EU, in liaison with the civil society and in particular the sugar cane famers associations involved in these fields. The overall assistance will contribute to build the capacities of the communities and to further sustain the micro-projects. It will encourage the participation of women in the design, implementation, and monitoring of the micro-projects Risks and assumptions Significant downturn in tourism. This risk may have a strong impact on the demand side, however the growth in the tourism sector is robust and should not decrease significantly over the years. Demand for all, and particularly quality, livestock products shall increase. Fiji is able to competitively produce grains for quality livestock products. This bottleneck is addressed by the ALP project and therefore should be mitigated. Dumping of cheap products (Australia, China, US, Canada or Europe).The ALP programme will increase the competitiveness of the Fijian products and therefore should limit these risks. No increase in theft of animals and animal disease outbreak. The development of strategies and supports for the sub-sectors should limit these risks. The Government does not interfere in the institutional set up of the newly established Fiji Crop and Livestock Council (FCLC) as an apex body of the other farmers associations. This is a high risk factor with moderate probability. The institutional weakness of the farmers associations is seen as a high risk factor, but the aim of the project is to address this issue by building capacity and strengthening the institutions. The private sector actors shall remain committed to form partnerships The returns to the sugar sector should not improve significantly as sugar cane would become more profitable than food crops and may represent a risk for the development of the livestock sector. The prospect for an important increase in international sugar price is not likely in the medium term. The structural reform of the sugar industry, as well as the agriculture sector at large, must be implemented according to a timetable and the recommendations should be developed in a coordinated strategic action plan agreed by the stakeholders. SRIF must retain its Non State Actor status. This is a precondition for the institution to qualify for continued support through EU grant funding. The Government must continue to provide assistance through a revolving fund for cane replanting so growers plant new varieties of seedcane. Research and extension must collaborate to ensure that the new technology is transferred to growers. The new institutional set up of the extension services as organised through fairtrade farmers associations is more conducive to a good cooperation between research and extension and should therefore limit the risks. National level planners must collaborate, and good partnership must be set between NGOs in liaison with communities. The rural communities will be assisted by the programme to initiate micro-projects and minimise potential conflicts. 6

7 2.4. Cross-cutting Issues The proposed programme will have positive environmental impacts and benefits from improved sugar cane farming methods. The Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) undertaken in 2010 indicated a few areas where potential mitigation should be addressed. These recommendations are being addressed through the accompanying measures 2011 and will continue to be adopted in the Alternative Livelihood Programme The proposed livestock diversification component will partly replace the sugar cane monoculture and will avoid its negative impacts such as burning and waste water pollution. Animal husbandry integration within individual small farm holdings will have a positive effect on soil fertility and the environment, particularly as the benefits of the technical and managerial livestock training take effect. Gender equality will be systematically analysed during the capacity building activities. The diversification into livestock and the expected increase in cane yields will bring an increase in the overall farm income. This in turn should benefit the women and children of both the Indo-Fijian and Fijian communities, which will promote stability and deter conflicts in rural areas. Democracy and good governance will be reinforced through the capacity building of the farmers associations and rural communities which will be more associated to the decision making process in the agriculture sector. The communities' resilience to climate change will be reinforced through the building of small rural infrastructures (micro-projects) preventing floods damages at a local level and through the research into new sugar cane varieties resistant to drought or floods Stakeholders The target beneficiaries will be the 200,000 people living in the sugarcane belt s five provinces (an estimated 90,000 indo-fijians and 104,000 native Fijians) relying in whole or in part on sugarcane farming. The project addresses the needs of the farm households rather than farmers as such. The increasing poverty in the sugar cane belt area is an important factor impacting the family structure and having a potential impact on violence against women. Special attention will be given to the needs of women family members, in particular under the livestock component since women are generally taking care of small animal husbandry at the farm level, as well as under the micro-projects component whereby women committees will be able to intervene in the decision making process for selecting micro-projects for the communities. The various segments of the beneficiary population which have been consulted at grass root level through studies on livestock, research, or social mitigation will be the following: sugar cane farmers and their families who wish to continue sugarcane farming on renewed leases or are landowners but where the cane income is not sufficient to support their livelihoods and for whom introducing supplementary livestock enterprises is an option; farmers who are forced to fully diversify into alternative livelihoods; private sector stakeholders and Community Based Organisations associated with the programme to become service providers or recipients of micro-projects; overall sugar cane dependent populations and vulnerable communities experiencing hardship because of the demise of the industry; There are some recently formed commodity councils representing livestock industries; e.g. pig association, beef industry association, goat industry association, dairy industry association. These associations are members of the recently formed (2010) Fiji Crops and Livestock Council 7

8 acting as a representative organisation for the individual commodity associations. It was started by some local successful entrepreneurs to represent the voice of the farmers. The farmer associations movement in the non-sugar sector is still weak and the proposed interventions need to be introduced in a sequence that creates a firm infrastructural base whilst building the basic capacities of the staff and management of the various embryonic organisations. Whilst the cooperative movement is not yet widely instituted there are opportunities to build on the existing base of the farmers associations. The research on sugar and associated intercropping was reinstated with the creation of an independent Sugar Research Institute at the end of 2006 and funding from Accompanying Measures for Sugar 2011 continued a programme to develop the staffs capacity, to develop new cane varieties and extend them throughout the cane sector through a planned multiplication programme. The technical capacity of the new established institute is still relatively weak (new, young and inexperienced staff) but capacity is building up as an outcome from the training component of the 2006 and 2011 EU assistance. 3. IMPLEMENTATION ISSUES 3.1. Method of implementation The method of implementation takes into account the fact that Fiji is currently subject to appropriate measures under Decision 2011/637/EU and EU aid is hence delivered outside government structures. The ALP programme will be implemented through direct centralised management with SRIF (grant) and joint management under Contribution Agreements with ITC and SPC in accordance with Article 53d of the Financial Regulation. Sugar Research Institute of Fiji (SRIF): The Commission will sign a grant contract with SRIF which has a de facto monopoly (FR Art. 168 point c) for Research in Sugar cane. International Trade Centre (ITC): The Commission will sign a Contribution Agreement under a FAFA agreement (joint Management) with ITC for the implementation of the Livestock component. ITC is already undertaking the food crop component of the 2011 Key services to agriculture programme and has already developed contacts with livestock sub-sectors for designing their strategies. ITC's involvement will enable a holistic strategic approach for the improvement of key services to agriculture. Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC): The Commission will sign a Contribution Agreement with the Secretariat of the Pacific Community for micro-projects interventions. SPC has successfully passed the EU institutional assessment. It is a regionally based organisation with extensive expertise in community based development and participatory approaches for micro-projects interventions in the Pacific. The Commission and SPC have prepared the microprojects component in common through a joint formulation process (FR. Art 53d-point b). A steering committee shall be set up to oversee and validate the overall direction and policy of the project. The project steering committee shall meet twice a year at a minimum. The project steering committee will fit into the Accompanying Measures 2010 Steering Committee and matters directly concerning this programme shall be considered there Procurement and grant award procedures 1) Contracts 8

9 All contracts implementing the action must be awarded and implemented in accordance with the procedures and standard documents laid down and published by the Commission for the implementation of external operations, in force at the time of the launch of the procedure in question. Participation in the award of contracts for the present action shall be open to all natural and legal persons covered by the Regulation applicable to the EU Budget using the DCI instrument. Further extensions of this participation to other natural or legal persons by the concerned authorising officer shall be subject to the conditions provided for in. articles 31(7) and (8) DCI. All contracts implementing the action are awarded and implemented in accordance with the procedures and standard documents laid down and published by EU, ITC and SPC. The rules and procedures applied by ITC and SPC have been assessed and are compliant with the requirements of Art of the Financial Regulations for the General Budget. 2) Specific rules for grants The essential selection and award criteria for the award of grants are laid down in the Practical Guide to contract procedures for EU external actions. They are established in accordance with the principles set out in Title VI 'Grants' of the Financial Regulation applicable to the general budget. When derogations to these principles are applied, they shall be justified, in particular in the following cases: - Financing in full (derogation to the principle of co-financing): the maximum possible rate of co-financing for grants is 80 %. Full financing may only be applied in the cases provided for in Article 253 of the Commission Regulation (EC, Euratom) No 2342/2002 of 23 December 2002 laying down detailed rules for the implementation of the Financial Regulation applicable to the general budget of the European Communities. - Derogation to the principle of non-retroactivity: a grant may be awarded for an action which has already begun only if the applicant can demonstrate the need to start the action before the grant is awarded, in accordance with Article 112 of the Financial Regulation applicable to the general budget Budget and calendar Expected results and areas of activity Result 1: Key services of agriculture improved and scope of agricultural supply capacity enhanced Activity 1a) Framework strategies previously identified for the various sectors of the livestock industry are developed and implemented. Activity 1b) Sugar research capacity building and provision of adequate supplies of good quality seed cane Result 2: Local and community based development strengthened and alternative income generating activities in affected sugar cane areas created Activity 2a) Expansion of Micro-projects EU contrib ution 4.0 Other contribu tions Total Million EUR In Million EUR Contracting paying Authority European Commission (contribution agreement with ITC) European Commission (grant with SRIF) European Commission (Contribution agreement with SPC) 9

10 interventions Evaluation & Audit Visibility Contingency European Commission Total The operational implementation period of the programme is 48 months, starting from the date of the signature of the first implementing contract. The period to proceed with the final evaluation and audit and close all contracts is 24 months after the completion of the implementation period Performance monitoring A Coordination Unit initiated under the Accompanying Measures 2010 Social Mitigation Programme will be in charge of the overall monitoring the programmes under the Accompanying Measures for Sugar, as per its Terms of Reference. The implementing agencies of the Alternative Livelihood Programme will monitor their own activities and report back to the Coordination Unit. An overall monitoring framework is currently being designed by the Coordination Unit to assess the good achievement of the Accompanying Measures output and outcomes. A steering committee shall be set up to oversee and validate the overall direction and policy of the ALP programme. The project steering committee shall meet twice a year at a minimum. Audit and Evaluation. The financial transactions and financial statements shall be subject to the internal and external auditing procedures laid down in the Financial Regulations, rules and directives of the implementing organisations. A copy of the audited financial statements shall be submitted to the European Commission by the organisations. In conformity with its financial regulations, the European Union, including its Court of Auditors, may undertake, including on the spot, checks related to the actions. Representatives of the European Commission shall be invited to participate in the evaluation missions relating to the performance of the actions. The results of such missions shall be reported to the European Commission. Mid-term and final evaluation mission which the European Commission may wish to perform should be planned and completed in a collaborative manner between the Organisations' staff and the European Commission s representatives Communication and visibility The communication and visibility of the 2012 Alternative Livelihood programme will be implemented in accordance with the EU's guidelines for external actions and will be ensured through publications to farmers and involved beneficiaries. Quarterly and annual progress reports will be sent to the EU Delegation from SRIF, ITC, SPC and from the Coordination Unit. A special attention will be given to the EU visibility under the components managed by ITC and SPC. A budget heading for visibility actions is set aside, in case the EU wishes to undertake specific actions. 10