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Complementarity in Project Designs
In some projects and programmes in eastern Africa narrowly focused investments have been used as pilots to develop the basic infrastructure as a precursor to wider interventions. Whilst this approach might be the only one possible at the time of the design, and is a valid strategy to achieve narrow aims, it can result in missing opportunities for generating wider benefits. In these instances, considerations of complementarity of investments have been set aside, even when quite small additional investments could have resulted in significant benefits for IFAD target groups. Somewhat similar effects can also result when some aspects of a project perform as designed, whilst other aspects or components lag behind, producing an unbalanced development.
In Ethiopia (131-ET) the need for animal traction was identified as a pre-requisite to further developments and the investment was predominantly concerned with making oxen available by providing credit (87% of the project cost). This was extremely successful, and ten times the number of animal units suggested at appraisal were introduced, resulting in large increases in production and enhanced food security. Whilst this emphasis on a narrowly focused but widespread intervention proved an effective means to reach and assist IFAD’s target group, full potential benefits from the project were not realised because the deeper cultivation made possible with oxen required additional improvements to the growing practices in order to optimise yields, (for example improved seeds, fertilisers, tools etc.), which were not promoted.
In Uganda, the Agricultural Construction Programme (080-UG) was concerned with emergency input supplies, and its follow-up, The Agricultural Development Programme (159-UG) continued the supply of inputs and added institutional development and applied research. Although benefits from these projects were difficult to quantify, they were both considered successful in meeting short term needs. However, in 080-UG procurement was entrusted to a specialised agency which had no mechanisms for ensuring that the agricultural inputs were specifically appropriate to local requirements (some weren't, hence either uptake was reduced or the supplies were criticised for being inappropriate), neither were support services available to farmers. In the follow-up project input supplies were again emphasised (74% of project costs), with little long term impacts from the other development aspects.
In the example from Ethiopia, the MTE concluded that as a first phase the strategy was appropriate, but the project failed to be sufficiently proactive in addressing agricultural potential: even small production increases would have been very significant for the farmer participants. In Uganda, the follow-up project continued with the successful activities established by the pilot programme, but failed to expand on or develop the base which had been established.
- The rationale for narrowly focused interventions should still be based on a holistic analysis of constraints to identify complementary areas of investments which may need to be addressed in the medium term in order to optimise benefits from the project. Even where an intervention is to be narrowly focused, care should be taken to ensure that small additional investments are included where these can lead to useful increases in benefits for the target groups.
- Whilst specific activities can produce useful results the success or otherwise of projects and programmes must be judged from how well they meet their overall goals and objectives. For interventions limited in scope this means that some provision must be made identify those factors which should be addressed at a later stage, and preferably allowances should be included to plan for follow-up activities.
eferences:
1. Ethiopia - Agricultural Credit Project, 131-ET, Mid-term Evaluation, 1988.
2. Uganda - Agriculture Reconstruction Programme, 080-UG, Mid-term Evaluation, 1984.
3. Uganda - Agricultural Development Project, 159-UG%R159UGCE, Completion Evaluation, 1995.
