PROJECT GOAL, OBJECTIVES AND INTENDED RESULTS.

OVERALL GOAL.
The overall goal of the project is to protect the Harpagophytum species (sub-species H. zeyheri) and to enable resource poor rural households in the Western Zimbabwe to sustainably improve their livelihoods through its sustainable harvest and trade. The project goal reflects the priorities expressed in the GEF Biodiversity Focal Area under the OP1 (Arid and semi-arid ecosystems) programme.

SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES.
1. To enable participates to organise the harvesting and centralised supply of consistently high quality devil's claw in quantities sufficient to satisfy buyers using sustainable harvesting methods that protect the devil's claw species.
2. To enable participates to effectively manage their income from devil's claw and other sources, ensuring that women are empowered to take part in decision making.
3. To train participants on market requirements and price negotiation, including methods of adding and keeping value locally anmd regionally, and to link participants with ethical buyers.
4. To share lessions learned from the project and to raise awareness of how market-led projects can work in the interest of people and conservation.

Outputs relating to objective 1.
1. An estimated 300 households will be trained in sustainable devil's claw harvesting techniques in year one of implementation period.
2. Seven collection and grading centers buillt or restored during the first year of intervention period. These centers will be central stores for devil's claw and any other veldt products which may be sold through the project.
3. An estimated 300 households will be trained in post-harvest processing, storage and quality control in year one of the intervention period.
4. An estimated 150 households will be registered to sell devil's claw through the project during the first nine months of the the project.
5. At least 300kgs of sustainably harvested, sliced and dried devil's claw (from 2,700kgs undried weight) will be sold through the bproject by the end of year one.
6. Cultivation of devil's claw from seed to seedling will have taken place at ACHM and Monde community and seedlings distributed and replanted in participating communities.

OUTCOMES RELATING TO OBJECTIVE 1.
1. By the end of the intervention period an estimated 490 households will be trained and registered to sell devil's claw through the project during the intervention period and will have access to sustainable market.
2. An estimated 5 tonnes of sliced and dried devil's claw will be sold during the two year perid, enabling the average participating household to increase their annual income by at least 25%.
3. Plantations of devil's claw will have been established in participating communities.

IMPACTS RELATING TO OBJECTIVE 1.
1.Participating households and others will be able to meet the requirement of the market for sustainably harvested, high quality devil's claw.
2. Pressure on the devil's claw population will be reduced, allowing it to stabilise and increase over time.

OUTPUTS RELATING TO OBJECTIVE 2.
1. An estimated 300 hoseholds will be trained in organisational skills and basic business managemeny during the thev first year of intervention period.
2. An estimated 300 househollds will have recieved mainstreamed gender awareness mtraining within the first year of the project.
2 At least a third of registered harvesting households will be female headed.

OUTCOMES RELATING TO OBJECTIVE 2.
1. An estimated 980 households will be trained in organisational skills and basic business management by the end of the intervention period.
2. Within the intervention period communities will be able to manage systems to handle sales income, pay harvestors for their devil's claw, support the acquisition of equipment and keep auditable records sufficient to meet ethnical trade certification starndards.
3. An estimated 980 households will have recieved gender awareness training by the end of the intervention period with the result that women's voices are fully and accurately represented in harvesting groups.

IMPACTS RELATING TO OBJECTIVE 2.
1. Communities will be able to manage systems related to outcome 2, and adapt the systems to cater for other popssible resources.
2.Household well-being as a result of project participation is incrased, especially for women and children.

OUTPUTS RELATING TO OBJECTIVE 3.
1. Within the first 6 months of the project an estimated 300 households will be informed about the trade in the devil's claw and its value at different point along mthe market chain.
2. Participating communities will have direct contact with the exporting buyer within 6 months period of the project starting and during purchases after 10 months.
3. The project management will throughout implementation be cognisant of trends in the local and international market developments and of economics, technical requirements and approprietness of local value addition.
4. From the start of the project the buyer will be informed of trends in the fair and organic trade sectors.

OUTCOMES RELATING TO OBJECTIVE 3.
1. By the end of the intervention period an estimated 980 households will be informedabout the trade in devil's claw and participating communities will have established direct independent communication systems with the commercial buyers.
2. By the second harvest season, in the project's second year, the project will have identified and be in a position to take up processing, certification or other value adding tools as appropriate.
2. By the end of the first year, the buyers will be in a position to target the fair and organic trade sectors with devil's claw bought through the project and by the end of the second year to obtain organic and/or fair trade certification.

IMPACTS RELATING TO OBJECTIVE 3.
1. Participating communities will have reasonable knowledge of the devil's claw market chain, including the value of their of their product and of services they provide, and be able to negotiate accordingly.
2. Harvesters and buyers are able to obtain premium prices and or to protect their market share at a time of increasing regulatory rigours.

OUTPUTS RELATING TO OBJECTIVE 4.
1. Information shared at one Devil's Claw Range States Working Group Workshop during the first year of implimentation.
2. Reports distributed to local and international stakeholders and interested parties.

OUTCOMES RELATING TO OBJECIVE 4.
1. Information shared at second Devil's Claw Range States Working GROUP workshop during the second year of the project.
2. Posters, leaflets, project reports and impact assessment distibuted to local and international stakeholders and interested parties.

IMPACTS RELATING TO OBJECTIVE 4.
1. The project learns and contributes to the growing knowledge of best practices with respect to the sustainable commercialisation of wild products. Policy makers and practitioners in the region are better informed and able to realise and operate in an appropriate manner.