Evaluation Team
This evaluation was carried out by Messrs: Afework AKLILU (Principal Evaluation Officer, OPEV), Lawrence ETURU, (consultant) and Professor Chris ACKELLO-OGUTU (consultant).
Objective
A three-man mission from the Operations Evaluation Department (OPEV) evaluated the Bank Group’s assistance to Kenya’s Agriculture and Rural Development Sector (ARD) during May to July 2005. The overall objective was to assess the effectiveness of the Bank Group’s assistance strategy in supporting Kenya’s ARD policies and priorities so as to maximize the effectiveness of its efforts in generating economic growth and reducing poverty. The specific purpose was to draw relevant lessons that would contribute to curving out more effective and efficient strategies for future Bank Group assistance to Kenya, and to provide input for the overall country assistance evaluation that is planned for the near future.
Main Lessons
- Several lessons have emerged from this evaluation of Bank Group’s assistance, but the most important that relate to the overall outcome is that successful implementation of development assistance, and the achievement and sustainability of its long-term development objectives, is predicated upon: (i) initial satisfactory relevance and quality at entry enhanced by appropriate choices of strategy and technology; (ii) substantial institutional and human resource capacity development at all critical levels, including at beneficiary levels; and (iii) government commitments through institutional and financial support. The relevance and rapid acceptance of development assistance is enhanced where detailed analyses of the constraints, potentials and technological options available to farmers are made.
- Farmers’ active involvement is crucial during the early stages of project design and appraisal for long-term sustainability and poverty reduction because, even where projects fail for one reason or the other to attain their immediate objectives, the indirect impacts may still be significant. The lesson from the West Kenya Rice and the Pig Projects shows that farmers watch out for any development opportunities offered by the interventions in their areas, but because they were not sufficiently involved in the beginning they saw the failure of the projects as missed opportunities. At the close of projects the farmers were willing to pick up the pieces on the basis of their own experiences and perceptions. This time-lag between the end of project implementation and the adoption by farmers of its positive aspects is a natural process of rural development.
- The converse of the above is that farmers’ responses can be vastly improved: a) through an early and active involvement in the project identification and promotion, and b) by focusing on the problems, constraints and opportunities that relate to their basic needs (basic agriculture needs) as a priority, with diversification into other (or new) enterprises to increase or stabilize income sources as appropriate. Focusing on the real needs of farmers can substantially raise the level of farmers’ response and participation in projects, however it is important to provide targets of some indicative thresholds for meaningful participation rates.
- From an institutional view point, farmers’ involvement in development assistance can best be fostered through their organizations. Farmers’ cooperatives and women groups, for instance, can be key avenues for channelling credit funds and other services to farming communities, but it is critically vital that they are first trained on management of loans and that the conditions on the ground are conducive: the farmers must have a demonstrated need for loans or that external capital is a binding constraint to production and marketing.
Main Recommendations
Recommendation(s) to the Beneficiary:
- Projects that address poverty eradication should focus on modernization of traditional or basic agriculture of the people as a minimum, with diversification into other enterprises to stabilize and increase income opportunities as appropriate. This in turn requires that farmers (and/or the poor) must be involved in the initial identification, preparation and design of the strategies so that they can own and implement them and, together with the government, assume responsibility for the overall outcomes.
- Institutional and human resource capacity building should be a part of the project design and implementation in order to assure: (a) adequate project preparation and quality at entry; (b) adequate attention to establishment of effective management systems in advance of start-ups; (c) adequate articulation of the roles of the PCUs vis-à-vis line ministries; and (d) adequate articulation, in advance, of the roles and functions in collaborating institutions.
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