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

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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.