Final evaluation of the Mpanga Super Farmers project to support family farming Uganda

Context of the service

Located in west-central Uganda, the Mpanga watershed is a predominantly rural area, where agriculture is the main means of livelihood. Co-financed by the Belgian Directorate General for Development Cooperation and Humanitarian Aid (DGDC), the "Mpanga Super Farmers Program" (MSFP) was implemented by the NGO Iles de Paix and several local partners in the Districts of Kabarole and Kamwenge from 2017 to 2021.

It aims to strengthen the economic, social and environmental performance of family farms in the Mpanga watershed. The MSFP includes five components: (i) increase of agricultural productivity, (ii) improvement of post-harvest management and sales, (iii) improvement of access to finance, (iv) development of a favourable environment for family farming, (v) capacity building for project-partners.

With the project coming to an end in 2021, a final external evaluation was planned to report on the achieved results and to draw lessons learnt for future interventions.

Services provided

The services were as follows:

- Start-up phase: document review, briefing meeting and development of the evaluation methodology (OECD Development Assistance Committee criteria - relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, impact and sustainability - but also specific evaluation questions);

- Field mission to Uganda: data collection in project areas (on-farm surveys, discussions with target groups, direct observation of project achievements, etc.); semi-structured interviews with the project team, implementing partners and other key stakeholders in the region; On-the-spot restitution of the first evaluation results;

- Analysis and reporting: in-depth analysis and triangulation of collected information; remote presentation of the assessment results; evaluation report with a key-messages note, including recommendations for the second phase of the project.

Summary of the service

Final evaluation of the Mpanga Super Farmers project to support family farming, implemented by Iles de Paix and its Ugandan partners in the Mpanga River watershed: Field mission in 2021; Assessment of OECD-DAC criteria (relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, impact and sustainability); Evaluation of specific issues related to innovative approaches (integrated farm plan, farmer action research, etc.); Evaluation report including operational recommendations.