IFAD released new project performance assessments in 2012 (1)

Overview

IFAD Independent Office of Evaluation released new project performance assessments in Burundi and Cambodia in 2012.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF PROJECT PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT FINDINGS

Republic of Burundi: Rural Recovery and Development Programme

Burundi's major challenge, at the time of start-up of the Rural Recovery and Development Programme, was to reactivate the economy in the wake of the crisis by restoring the production base and addressing the structural problems affecting production. The programme response was to improve food security and living standards, increase rural incomes and improve land conservation in four of the country?s poorest provinces.

The programme successfully achieved its objectives vis-à-vis the main target populations, in particular the most vulnerable households which had lost their means of productions. It had strong influence on government policies and institutions, with its greatest success lying in its innovations and their scaling up throughout the country. Its interventions also show good signs of sustainability, specifically the high degree of ownership by local populations and good financial returns on several activities.
The assessment notes some weaknesses in the conservation of agricultural land and environmental resources and remaining challenges to ensure long-term sustainability, particularly in consolidating infrastructure management committees.

Full document and summary: English | French

Kingdom of Cambodia: Community-Based Rural Development Project in Kampong Thom and Kampot

The objectives of the Community-Based Rural Development Project in Kampong Thom and Kampot in Cambodia were to increase food production and farm income and increase capacity of the poor to use the services available from the Government and other sources for their social and economic development. According to the present assessment, the project?s support to farmers contributed to increased agricultural and livestock production and better livelihoods through improved infrastructure and related access to services and markets. The project also made use of famer-to-farmer extension methods which have spread beyond the immediate demonstration areas. It was a front-runner in terms of putting Cambodia?s decentralization policy into practice.

There were some weaknesses in the hydrological and engineering design and the site selection, which impacted on the functionality of irrigation systems. Operation and maintenance of irrigation but also of roads remain a challenge, although the sustainability of the extension services is likely to benefit from the emerging commercialization, market linkages and resultant contract farming. The assessment recommends that future IFAD-supported projects pay more attention to the role of markets and facilitate farmer promoters to become agricultural input suppliers, in order to strengthen the rural development process.

Full document in English | Executive Summary (English)

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