BASSETERRE St. Kitts, November 22nd 2011 (SKNIS) - Food processors, saws and farming tools were among implements distributed to small business owners by the OECS Protected Areas and Associated Livelihoods (OPAAL) Project through its Central Forest Reserve (CFR) Sustainable Livelihood Project Seed Fund.
 
The process was coordinated by the Department of Physical Planning and Environment in the Ministry of Sustainable Development which has distributed livelihood material over the past three months, valuing up to EC$10,500.00 per enterprise.  The majority of the successful recipients would have applied to the Seed Fund after having participated in training workshops organized by the department as part of the overall OPAAL project.  The workshops included the fields of Art and Craft, Customer Service, Agro Processing and Business Management with specific areas such as the making of coconut sourvenirs, product labeling and marketing.
 
The OPAAL Project was designed to foster the creation and expansion of livelihoods within specific protected areas.  In St. Kitts and Nevis, the small entrepreneurs who received these grants will either be starting up or strengthening businesses already established in the CFR.

This area comprises all lands above the 1,000 feet contour mark, including the three volcanic ranges and the range of hills extending from Mount Liamigua in the North West through Verchilds Mountain in the middle range to Olivees Mountain in the South East.  It covers a land space of approximately 50 km² or 12,500 acres, almost a quarter of the entire landmass of St. Kitts.
 
The OPAAL project, which officially concluded in July 2011 was funded by the World Bank as an acting agency for the Global Environment Facility (GEF), the Fonds Francais pour l’Environnement Mondial (FFEM) of the French Government and the Organisation of American States (OAS).

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