Interim evaluation 1
The objective of the project was to boost the agricultural production
and income levels of 26 small-scale irrigation schemes (petits périmètres
irrigués - PPIs) located in four zones: Port-de-Paix (6), Saint
Marc (11), Petit Goâve (5) and Coteaux (4). The initial project
area encompassed approximately 3,800 hectares.
Following two preparatory missions, the IFAD interim evaluation mission
took place during May and June 2002. The initial findings were discussed
at a meeting in June with water users and officials from the Ministry
of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Rural Development (MARNDR) and the
PPI project. A second workshop was held on 24 September to discuss the
first draft of the evaluation report.
Project achievements
The following achievements are attributed to the project:
- Physical structures were rehabilitated in an area of over 1,300
hectares covering 13 of the 15 schemes in the South, West and Northwest
departments. Work is currently underway in the two schemes at Roche à
Bateau and Les Anglais. Studies have been completed for a total of 4,800
hectares.
- With funding from IFAD, the National Treasury and the French Agency
for Development, limited small-scale interventions have been carried out
on irrigation infrastructures serving 2,500 hectares in the Saint Marc
zone.
- Promising innovations were implemented in water catchment areas
in terms of irrigation and management of engineering work.
- Water users associations (WUAs) were established in all 26 schemes
under the project. Overall, Water users associations have a strong potential
to assume self-management of the schemes.
- Significant quantities of inputs and equipment were distributed
and local, autonomous structures for the supply of inputs were established
in three of the four project zones.
- New cropping techniques likely to bring about a sustainable increase
in yields were broadly disseminated.
A significant contribution was made to defining sector policy
and updating intervention methods in hydro-agricultural development projects.
Project weaknesses
The main weaknesses are related to the structure of the WUAs, development
of the irrigation schemes and the priority assigned to gender issues.
Operational problems of the pump-fed schemes can be solved in the short
term.
With regard to the organization of users, the evaluation noted that:
- The training of beneficiaries displays weaknesses in terms of
institutional arrangements. The necessary links between the various entities
have not been made clear and the mechanisms for consultation, circulation
of information, decision-making and arbitration are weak. The relative
complexity of the structures calls for mechanisms that provide a greater
guarantee of participation.
- The legal documents of the associations (such as articles of incorporation,
by-laws and rules of procedure) have some deficiencies.
- The structures now in place and their role are not sufficiently
understood by most beneficiaries.
The main project-related weaknesses in the area of irrigation-scheme
development are:
- Water management actions at the plot level are localized and
inadequate.
- The technical proposals disseminated by project take insufficient
account of economic data and the diversity of circumstances.
- Local networks of artisanal seed producers have not received adequate
support.
- Interventions to provide sustainable access to credit for productive
activities have been limited.
In terms of gender equity, the evaluation found a lack of information
and training concerning the rationale for action to support women. Interventions
specifically intended to benefit women are limited and need to be broadened
if the project is to make a true contribution to increasing their incomes.
Observation by the minister of agriculture:
Since the project focused on rehabilitating existing hydro-agricultural
infrastructures that were already functioning with some degree of efficiency,
the lack of data on the before-project situation makes it impossible to
measure the incremental area serviced by the project or the real unit
costs of land made operational under the project.
Priority actions for the extension period
(1 Oct 2002 - 31 Dec 2003)
Infrastructure will be rehabilitated on a total of 550 hectares in the
Les Anglais and Roche à Bateau schemes. Pump-fed schemes in the
Port-de-Paix zone will be rendered operational in order to irrigate the
targeted areas, and pump performance will be monitored. Other small-scale,
rapid interventions may be carried out on project schemes in Saint Marc
and on schemes adjacent to PPI schemes in the Port-de-Paix zone.
In light of the principal findings regarding participation and training,
and in accordance with the recommendations of previous missions, it would
be advisable to maintain support for WUAs throughout the extension period,
giving priority to the following work programme:
- Clarification of the mandates and working procedures of the management
structures of WUAs explicitly relating management functions to job descriptions.
- Preparation of a work plan for WUA management committees.
- Finalization and/or adoption of the legal documents of WUAs (articles
of incorporation, by-laws and rules of procedure) and completion of the
steps to obtain their official recognition.
- Adjustment of fees to a level corresponding to need.
- Specific management support for committees, in the form of direct
assistance in carrying out their activities during working sessions.
- Regional-level support for committees in establishing or consolidating
relationships with other actors, especially decentralized bodies of the
Ministry of Agriculture.
- Definition of possible linkages with the project to support social
management of water under the Ministry’s Agricultural Entrepreneurs
Training Division.
- Drafting of a document recording the experience, indicating the
main lessons learned so that they can be of use to other actors.
The development support activities should focus in the short term on
plot irrigation techniques, with emphasis on practical training and mobilizing
trained farmers from other regions. Sound farm water management should
make fertilizers more effective and is an essential complement to the
broader efforts to organize water management at the PPI level.
With regard to the project’s gender approach, actions specifically
targeting women should be the subject of a serious study, utilizing appropriate
economic analysis tools, to identify truly promising opportunities for
women farmers in the area of processing of agricultural products. This
effort should lead to the formulation of projects, and the women concerned
should be put in touch with institutions that can provide them with financial
and technical (production, management) support.
Recommendations of the mission
and the workshops for a potential second phase of the project
The report of the evaluation mission suggests the following avenues of
action:
- intensify the process of innovation in hydro-agricultural development
- maintain a support mechanism for WUAs
- identify profitable investment opportunities for activities performed
by women and support them in developing such activities
- improve techniques to control diseases of the banana tree
- foster artisanal seed production
- facilitate access to financial services
- promote soil conservation and restoration actions in catchment
basins that supply project schemes.
The main recommendations of the working groups at the PPI evaluation
seminar complement and confirm those of the evaluation mission, namely:
- support WUAs in taking over management of their schemes and
in the preparation of their legal and regulatory frameworks
- increase emphasis on gender issues
- provide support for the marketing and processing of agricultural
products and input stores
- facilitate access to credit
- promote the protection of catchment basins
- provide access to MARNDR services and training for government
employees
- improve communications among project partners (MARNDR and decentralized
bodies, PPI, specialized partner operators, and users).
General courses of action
defined by MARNDR
Discussions at the meeting of the Core Learning Partnership focused on:
unit costs of physical work under the PPI, return on irrigated crops,
problems related to project cofinancing, management of input stores, credit,
and gender issues.
As priority actions for the extension period, emphasis should be placed
on completing work under way and using any residual funds for small-scale,
rapid interventions, further strengthening of WUAs and boosting the agricultural
value of irrigation schemes.
At the conclusion of the meeting, the Minister made the following remarks
concerning the recommendations of the interim evaluation mission and final
seminar of 24 September 2002 (see point 4):
- With regard to innovation in hydro-agricultural development,
it should be specified whether this is a new approach to rehabilitation,
one that favours small-scale interventions focusing on restoring existing
structures to their previous state, or an approach that keeps studies
to a minimum and thus reduces time frames and costs. This would make it
possible to obtain maximum results from available resources.
- Concerning soil conservation and restoration in catchment basins,
account must be taken of the strong agro-demographic pressure on the land
and the specific social conditions of Haiti. Priority should be assigned
to small-scale interventions that can create temporary employment and/or
be performed on a voluntary basis, aimed at preserving core elements without
setting unrealistic goals.
- Referring to the relationship between the Ministry and the PPI
and, more generally, projects with sizeable budgets in foreign exchange,
the Minister underscored the negative impact caused by the extreme differences
in working conditions and remuneration levels, which has led to legitimate
frustrations on the part of the Ministry’s employees and officials,
who have no access to these resources. This poses an obstacle to open,
efficient cooperation between these two types of entities within the Ministry
and jeopardizes the possibility of the Ministry’s permanent structure
taking over the project’s recurrent costs.
Lastly, the Minister expressed his interest in an ex post evaluation
of the PPI operation in order to verify the viability and sustainability
of the actions undertaken.
Read and approved by the members of the Core Learning Partnership:
Mr Sébastien Hilaire, Minister of Agriculture, Natural Resources
and Rural Development
Mrs Vanette Vincent, Advisor, Ministry of Economic Affairs and Finance
Mr Jean Robert Jean-Noel, PPI Project Director
Mr Maxau Pinchinat, President, Fauché Water Users´ Association
Mr Jean-Jacques Gariglio, IFAD Portfolio Officer
Mr Paolo Silveri, IFAD Evaluation Officer
Mr Aleksander Kawalec, Consultant, UNOPS
Alex Bellande, Consultant, Head, IFAD Evaluation Mission
1.The Agreement at Completion Point was
signed by: Mr Sébastien Hilaire, Minister of Agriculture, Natural
Resources and Rural Development, Ms Vanette Vincent, Advisor, Ministry
of Economic Affairs and Finance, Mr Jean Robert Jean-Noel, PPI Project
Director, Mr Maxau Pinchinat, President, Fauché Water Users’
Association, Mr Jean-Jacques Gariglio, IFAD Country Portfolio Manager,
Mr Paolo Silveri, IFAD Evaluation Officer, Mr Aleksander Kawalec, Consultant,
UNOPS and Mr Alex Bellande, Consultant, Mission Leader, IFAD Evaluation
Mission.
