Ministry of Finance (MoF)

The MoF, as IFAD’s counterpart agency and borrowing entity, will be the nodal agency for the BRECSA project. MoF will designate a Focal Officer from the Department of Macro-Fiscal and Development Finance (DMDF) who will liaise with the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (MoAL), IFAD and the Project Management Unit (PMU), for facilitating operations of the Designated Accounts, clearing Withdrawal Applications (WAs), ensuring smooth fund flow and disbursements, submitting consolidated financial progress reports and ensuring audit of the project. The Focal Officer will participate in project review meetings, meet with supervision missions and participate in mission wrap up and other meetings to discuss and resolve any pertinent issues.

Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (MoAL)

The MoAL through the Policy and Planning Division (PPD) will be the executing agency of the project and the formal counterpart to IFAD and WFP. MoAL will provide overall implementation support and oversight, policy guidance and direction, recruit project staff from the pool of civil servants or from the market on consolidated contract for implementation, and provide technical backstopping through line technical departments and agencies in the field. The Project Management Unit (PMU) will report to the Ministry through Chief of PPD.

The Focal Planning Officer of PPD will liaise with the Project Management Unit (PMU) and relevant departments within MoAL and other relevant Ministries to facilitate convergence and coherence with Ministry’s 13^th FYP priorities and other initiatives and coordinate with other donor programmes and projects to build synergies and avoid duplication. Likewise, the Coordination Officer will represent project for domestic and international communication, media relations and advocacy; monitoring, evaluation and reporting through M&E Officer at PMU; and facilitate in aligning project activities with government’s youth, gender, nutrition and inclusion mainstreaming priorities.

Project Steering Committee (PSC)

BRECSA will be governed by a Project Steering Committee (PSC) chaired by the Secretary, MoAL and comprised of the following members: Director, DMDF, MoF; Dzongdag, Sarpang Dzongkhag Administration; Dzongdag, Tsirang Dzongkhag Administration; Dzongdag, Trongsa Dzongkhag Administration; Dzongdag, Zhemgang Dzongkhag Administration; Director, Bhutan Food and Drug Authority (BFDA), MoH; Director, Department of Agriculture (DoA), MoAL; Director, Department of Agricultural Marketing and Cooperatives (DAMC), MoAL; Director, Department of Livestock (DoL), MoAL; Director, Department of Public Health (DoPH), MoH; Chief Planning Officer, Policy and Planning Division (PPD), MoAL; Project Director, BRECSA, Project Management Unit (PMU). The Chief Planning Officer PPD will function as the member Secretary to the PSC. IFAD and WFP representatives will participate as observers.

The PSC shall meet at least twice a year and convene additional meetings when necessary. The PSC will be responsible for broad oversight of project implementation; compliance of project activities with Government’s policies and the terms and conditions of the financing agreement; approval of Annual Work plan and Budget (AWPB) and Annual Procurement Plan (APP); and policy and for providing strategic guidance for efficient implementation of project activities.

Dzongkhag Project Coordination Committee (DPCC)

Each project landscape Dzongkhag will have a DPCC with Dasho Dzongdag as the chairperson, Gups of all Gewogs, relevant sector heads and other relevant agencies and stakeholders as members. The Dzongkhag Agriculture Officer (DAO) of the respective Dzongkhags will serve as the Dzongkhag Project Coordinator or Member Secretary to the DPCC.

The relevant sector officials in the Dzongkhag and regional or national agencies  namely, ARDC, RAMCO, Livestock Commodity Research and Development Centres and SoEs (FMCL) will support the Gewogs in planning for investments; input service delivery and management of inputs supply; supervision; technical backstopping and trainings; financial management, procurements, and audit; progress monitoring, including data collection and data validation to feed into the project Management Information System (MIS); and knowledge management through documentation of good practices and lessons learned.

Technical Working Group (TWG)

Considering the complex nature of the project, the project has instituted TWG, comprising of members from Department of Agriculture (DoA), MoAL; Department of Livestock (DoL), MoAL; Department of Agricultural Marketing and Cooperatives (DAMC), MoAL; Department of Forest and Park Services (DoFPS), MoENR; Bhutan Food and Drug Authority (BFDA), MoH; National Centre for Hydrology and Meteorology (NCHM); Farm Machinery Corporation Limited (FMCL); Food Corporation of Bhutan Limited (FCBL); Bhutan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI); M&E Specialist and Value Chain Specialist from IFAD; WFP TA and three Component Managers from PMU.

The TWG will be responsible for guiding the project to align with Ministry’s priorities and reviewing the project progress and outputs, amongst others.

International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD)

IFAD, as the overall supervising entity for the project, will be responsible to guide and facilitate PMU in planning, fund disbursement, monitoring and evaluation of project progress, approval of quarterly and annual financial reports, withdrawal application and fund disbursement, amongst others.

Further, IFAD will also field implementation support mission whenever required to support the project and coordinate annual supervision mission to evaluate the progress and supervise smooth implementation of project activities. IFAD will also hold meeting with WFP at least every year before the planning cycle to discuss about the AWPB and other capacity development required by the project staff.

World Food Programme (WFP)

WFP is the supervising entity for Technical Assistance (TA) and Implementation Support. WFP TA team based at PMU will be responsible for providing overall technical assistance to the project encompassing all three components of the project. They will work closely with the PMU, report technically to the Project Director and administratively to WFP Country Office. 

Project Management Unit

The implementation of BRECSA project will be coordinated by PMU. The PMU will work closely with the WFP TA, central and regional agencies under the line Departments of MoAL as well as other agencies who have similar mandates. Under the guidance of PSC, the PMU will facilitate and lead planning, fund disbursement, implementation, progress monitoring & reporting and knowledge management, amongst others. The PMU will also work closely with DPCC of each project landscape Dzongkhag. 

Dzongkhag and Gewog Administration 

The Dzongkhag Agriculture, Livestock and Economic Development and Marketing Sectors are the main implementing agencies of BRECSA project. The implementing agencies are also referred to as Project Implementing Units (PIUs) or Cost Centres. The PIUs will implement project activities under the guidance and direction of Dzongkhag Project Coordination Committee (DPCC). The key implementing sectors will be further supported by Dzongkhag Planning Officer, Procurement Officer, Engineer and Accountant.

At Gewog level, Gewog Agriculture and Livestock Extension Officers will lead the implementation in close consultation and collaboration with Gups, Gewog Administrative Officer (GAO), Sanam Jabchorpas (SJs) and Tshokpas. WFP TA based at PMU and central/ regional agencies of the line technical Departments under Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (MoAL) will provide required technical support to the PIUs.

Regional Agricultural Marketing Office (RAMCO)

RAMCO, Gelephu will lead the implementation of component II and III, in close collaboration and consultation with 4 project landscape Dzongkhags, BFDA and WFP TA team based at PMU. The office will collaborate with the Economic Development and Marketing Officers (EDMO) based in 4 landscape Dzongkhags. RAMCO will strive to enhancing the efficiency of value chain operations, and strengthening the business linkages and multi-stakeholder platform in 4 landscape Dzongkhags.

Bhutan Food and Drug Authority (BFDA)

BFDA will specifically lead the implementation of Sub-component II of Component III in collaboration with PPD and DAMC, where they will support the promotion of Brand Bhutan’s organic and high-value agri-food products in regional and international export markets. In this connection, BFDA will pursue and promote internationally recognized regulation, certification and standardization processes through promotion of Geographic Indication (GI). Establishing a Geographical Indication (GI) for project commodities will enable the promotion of Brand Bhutan linked to target Dzongkhags. The GI could be developed for a whole Dzongkhag, or for specific high-value commodities within the Dzongkhag. In doing so, they will pursue and promote the conditions for the establishment of GI as follows:

• the specific quality linked to origin that is well defined in the specifications (in order to demonstrate intellectual property right and ensure strong market differentiation);
• the collective action and territorial governance;
• the effective marketing efforts (the GI is effectively used to market the products); and
• the legal framework and role of PPD and BFDA pertaining to the effective protection of GI.

Agriculture Research and Development Centre (ARDC) 

The ARDC will guide Dzongkhags and Gewogs in planning, selection of suitable crop varieties and climate resilient farming technologies and implementation of project activities in the 4 landscape Dzongkhags. The ARDC will also develop cost effective climate resilient technologies to enhance production and build community resilience.

Livestock Research and Development Centers (LRDC)

In line with the project focus and priorities, the National Piggery Development Centre (NPiDC), National Poultry Development Centre (NPDC), National Dairy Development Centre (NDDC), National Development Centre for Animal Nutrition (NDCAN), National Development Centre for Aquaculture (NDCA) will guide the Dzongkhag Livestock Sectors of 4 project landscape Dzongkhags in planning and implementation of project activities in collaboration with WFP TA. These centres will also assist the project in identifying cost effective and climate resilient livestock production technologies.

Farm Machinery Corporation Limited (FMCL)

The FMCL is also one of the implementing agencies of BRECSA project. The FMCL will collaborate and support project in establishing commercial farms, including the establishment of the gender and youth inclusive hubs and aggregation of agricultural products across four project landscape Dzongkhags.

Tarayana Foundation (TF)

WFP has outsourced the recruitment of Sanam Jabchorpas (SJs) and implementation of nutrition sub-component of the project to Tarayana Foundation. TF will be responsible for recruiting and managing SJs, and implementation of nutrition-sensitive agriculture interventions, including advocacy and social behavioural change strategies in the 4 project landscape Dzongkhags.

Other Implementing Agencies

The project will also collaborate and work with other associated agencies, especially the State-Owned Enterprises such as Food Corporation of Bhutan Limited (FCBL) and Bhutan Livestock Development Corporation Limited (BLDCL), Bhutan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI) and Civil Society Organizations (CSOs). Additionally, the project will also strive to forge partnership and collaboration with financial institutions to stimulate enhance access to financial services and catalyze credit services by farmers in four project landscape Dzongkhags. The project over the duration of seven years will build partnership and collaboration with other relevant agencies, including other UN agencies, which have similar mandates to avoid duplication, resource spread, create synergy and convergence and greater impact.