Midterm Evaluation of the FY 13 Food for Progress Timor-Leste Agribusiness Development Project
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Midterm Evaluation of the FY 13 Food for Progress Timor-Leste Agribusiness Development Project Agreement Number: FCC-462-2013-028-00 Funding Year: Fiscal Year 2013 Implemented by: NCBA CLUSA Final Draft December 14, 2017 Prepared by PT Makna Consulting Denpasar, Bali, Indonesia For NCBA CLUSA Washington, DC DISCLAIMER: This publication was produced at the request of the United States Department of Agriculture. It was prepared by an independent third-party evaluation firm. The author’s views expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect the views of the United States Department of Agriculture or the United States Government. Accessibility Note: An accessible version of this document can be made available by contacting [email protected] TLADP Midterm Evaluation, May-June 2017 Contents Executive Summary & Recommendations ................................................................................................... iii Introduction .................................................................................................................................................. 1 TLADP Objectives ...................................................................................................................................... 1 Evaluation Objectives ............................................................................................................................... 1 Evaluation Scope ...................................................................................................................................... 1 Background: .................................................................................................................................................. 2 Enabling Environment .............................................................................................................................. 2 Government ......................................................................................................................................... 2 Population ............................................................................................................................................ 2 Poverty ................................................................................................................................................. 2 Food Security ........................................................................................................................................ 3 Languages ............................................................................................................................................. 4 Literacy ................................................................................................................................................. 4 Land Tenure .......................................................................................................................................... 4 Physical and Geographic Environment ..................................................................................................... 5 Agricultural Environment ......................................................................................................................... 6 Land utilization, land capability classification and land suitability ...................................................... 6 Agro-ecological zones ........................................................................................................................... 6 Soils ...................................................................................................................................................... 6 Rainfall and Temperature..................................................................................................................... 7 Irrigation ............................................................................................................................................... 7 Climate variability ................................................................................................................................. 7 Methodology Approach and Tools ................................................................................................................ 8 Project Background and Stakeholder Interviews ..................................................................................... 8 Survey Strategies ...................................................................................................................................... 8 Survey Development and Sample Selection ........................................................................................... 10 Survey Training and Implementation ..................................................................................................... 11 M&E and Indicator Tracking ................................................................................................................... 14 External Factors Affecting Survey Activities ........................................................................................... 15 Project Evaluation ....................................................................................................................................... 16 Cooperativa Café Timor .......................................................................................................................... 16 TLADP and CCT ........................................................................................................................................ 16 A. Adaptive research ................................................................................................................... 19 i TLADP Midterm Evaluation, May-June 2017 B. Environmental Adaptability and Resilience ................................................................................ 21 C. Organic vs. conventional production .......................................................................................... 22 MTE Field Survey Results ........................................................................................................................ 26 Main Evaluation Questions, Analysis & Ratings .......................................................................................... 35 Conclusions & Recommendations .............................................................................................................. 56 Short Term .............................................................................................................................................. 56 Medium & Long Term ............................................................................................................................. 57 Annex 1. Scope of Work ............................................................................................................................. 59 Annex 2. Composition of the Team ............................................................................................................ 61 Annex 3. List of Sites Visited ...................................................................................................................... 63 Annex 4. List of Informants ........................................................................................................................ 76 Annex 5. References .................................................................................................................................. 79 Annex 6. Indicator Performance Tracking Tables (IPTT) ............................................................................ 80 Annex 7. Field Survey ................................................................................................................................. 87 Annex 8. List of Acronyms & Common Translations ................................................................................ 109 ii TLADP Midterm Evaluation, May-June 2017 Executive Summary & Recommendations 1. In October 2013, the United State Department of Agriculture (USDA) approved the Timor Leste Agribusiness Development Project (TLADP) implemented by the National Cooperative Business Association CLUSA International (NCBA). The implementing partners in Timor-Leste are the Cooperativa Café Timor (CCT) and the Timor Leste Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries (MAF). The project focuses on value chain interventions in three eastern districts of Timor-Leste (Baucau, Lautem and Viqueque), plus the later addition of three sub-districts in Aileu. 2. The general objectives of TLADP are to a) increase agricultural productivity of selected crops by working with farmers to increase their knowledge and improve inputs; and b) expand trade by investing in processing infrastructure, processing the farmers’ output and adding value before exporting. Activities focus on seedling production and distribution, farm production in 11 sub-districts, supply chain development, and capacity building and training at all levels. Of the six crops included in TLADP, only cassava is cultivated as an annual crop, and the five other crops (cloves, cocoa, Robusta coffee, pepper and vanilla) are tree crops that require approximately four-to-five years growth to begin yielding commercial quantities (expected in 2019-2020). 3. NCBA contracted PT Makna Consulting to undertake a midterm evaluation (MTE) of the project during May-July 2017. The main purposes of the midterm evaluation are to 1) assess the project’s progress against expected outputs, and 2) evaluate the