Major project activities:

1.Baseline survey of participating villages and communities 
2.Project start-up workshop and training on participatory approaches 
3.Visit of Misereor staff to the project site 
4.Participatory village workshops 
5.Visit to a successful community project on organic farming in Anhui Province 

On March 1, 2005, ICRAF launched the Facilitating Community-Driven Sustainable Development (FCDSD) project in five villages in Yangliu township in Northwest Yunnan (Longyan district, Baoshan prefecture). This project is supported by Misereor, the German catholic relief organization. It aims to improve the lives of poor upland communities and promote the conservation of mountain ecosystems in Southwest China , while introducing innovative models for agriculture and forestry extension and strengthening the responsiveness of provincial and national policy to local conditions. Activities include trainings, cross-visits and participatory action research on improved sustainable farming practices, improving market access, strengthening community institutions and environmental education, and facilitating the dialogue and exchange between the poorer section of the rural community and decision makers. The project builds on previous research and development work jointly conducted by ICRAF and the Forestry Department in Yangliu watershed, an important sub-watershed of the Salween river watershed.