BIC and partners identified a number of project areas warranting attention, including: a) threats to biodiversity and water contamination; b) an increase in methane emissions; c) failure to disclose critical project documents; d) a lack of engagement with stakeholders, including women and persons with disabilities, in project design and implementation.
Specifically, our partner’s field visits found:
Lack of engagement. The ADB failed to engage with civil society organizations (CSOs) and communities, including poor and marginalized groups, in project planning and implementation. The project commits to increasing the number of dairy farmers and positive gender outcomes; therefore, the input of communities is needed in project design and implementation to ensure the project’s long-term success.
Lack of inclusion. The cooperative has only recorded one farmer with a disability and there are a small number of female farmers. Another concerning barrier for persons with disabilities and women is the requirement for Cimory saleswomen to be married and able to ride a motorcycle.
Production of methane emissions. One of the project objectives is to increase the number of dairy farmers by 4,200. For farmers to profit, they need to have six cows. It is estimated that there will be 25,200 cows for the 4,200 farmers, which will dramatically increase methane emissions and greenhouse gas emissions. Yet, the Faster Approach to Small Non Sovereign Transactions (FAST) report indicates that the project will only have a small impact on climate change.
Biodiversity loss. Cimory’s expansion is increasing the number of farmers searching for feed for cows in the Gede Pangrango National Park; and this threatens its biodiversity, which includes over 300 species of birds and various species of monkeys, deer, and wild pigs.
Poor water quality. Water sampling in a river close to a Cimory factory found large quantities of Coliform and Fecal Coliform, which exceed the Standard Quality of River Water for Farming as stated in Government Regulation No. 22 of 2021 on Environmental Protection and Management. This river supplies water for farming and risks passing along pathogens to plants while increasing the chances for foodborne diseases. This same study also found there is a lack of dissolved oxygen, which is necessary for plant growth.
Failure to disclose project documents. The ADB’s Private Sector Information Disclosure Policy prevented the disclosure of documents that could have helped communities obtain all of the relevant project information.
