For Municipal-Level Alternative Development (ADAM)
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Post-implementation evaluation report: Evaluation of the More Investment in Sustainable Alternative Development and Areas for Municipal Alternative Development programs March 2014 This publication was produced at the request of the United States Agency for International Development. It was prepared independently by the Evaluation and Analysis for Learning (EVAL) project, and its team members Management Systems International (MSI) and Centro Nacional de Consultoría (CNC). The report was written by Oscar Huertas Diaz, Director of the Evaluation, and Keri Culver, Lead Evaluation Specialist for EVAL. FINAL REPORT: POST-IMPLEMENTATION EVALUATION Post-implementation evaluation of the programs More Investment in Sustainable Alternative Development (MIDAS) and Areas for Municipal-Level Alternative Development (ADAM) Management Systems International Corporate Offices 600 Water Street, SW Washington, DC 20024, USA Tel: + 1 202 484 7170 / Fax: +1 202 488 0754 Contracted under AID-514-C-13-00003 Evaluation and Analysis for Learning (EVAL) DISCLAIMER The author’s views expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect the views of the United States Agency for International Development or the United States Government. FINAL REPORT: POST-IMPLEMENTATION EVALUATION OF THE PROGRAMS MORE INVESTMENT IN SUSTAINABLE ALTERNATIVE DEVELOPMENT (MIDAS) AND AREAS FOR MUNICIPAL-LEVEL ALTERNATIVE DEVELOPMENT (ADAM) CONTENTS Acronyms ....................................................................................................................................... v Executive Summary ..................................................................................................................... vi Introduction ................................................................................................................................... 1 Evaluation Purpose ...................................................................................................................... 1 Evaluation Questions................................................................................................................... 1 Project Background ...................................................................................................................... 5 Evaluation Design ......................................................................................................................... 7 Evaluation Methods..................................................................................................................... 7 Sampling...................................................................................................................................... 7 Limitations and Gaps .................................................................................................................. 8 Findings, Conclusions & Recommendations .............................................................................. 9 1. Key Theme: Associativity .................................................................................................... 9 2. Key Theme: Targeting and planning for agricultural projects ........................................... 12 3. Key Theme: Marketing, competitiveness and food security with vulnerable groups ........ 15 4. Key Theme: From vulnerability to resilience: the tipping point out of subsistence ........... 19 5. Key Theme: Coordination with municipalities and the state .............................................. 22 6. Key Theme: Capacity building ........................................................................................... 24 7. Key Theme: Engaging the whole community .................................................................... 26 8. Key Theme: Differentiated approaches for vulnerable groups ........................................... 27 9. Key Theme: Access to financial services and formalization .............................................. 29 10. Key Theme: Building a culture of legality ........................................................................ 32 11. Key Theme: Sustainability and replication ....................................................................... 34 12. Key Theme: Managing implementation with indicators ................................................... 36 13. Key Theme: Targeting beneficiaries with different needs ................................................ 39 USERS’ Guide: Linking ADAM/MIDAS Lessons to Post-Conflict Programming .............. 47 Beginning to connect the dots to the CDCS and the peace process .......................................... 47 Examples to guide further analysis ........................................................................................... 48 Working with Producer Associations: a two-for-one proposition ......................................... 48 Transitioning from a life based on coca to a culture of legality ............................................ 50 Kick-starting Integrated Rural Reform through Peace Pollinators ........................................ 50 Scaling up alliances as part of RRI ........................................................................................ 51 Linking productive projects to local government .................................................................. 51 Further applications of ADAM/MIDAS learning ..................................................................... 52 Table of Figures Figure 1. Evaluation case studies .................................................................................................... 2 Figure 2. Summary of the site visit evaluation sample ................................................................... 7 Figure 3. Summary of the quantitative survey sample ................................................................... 8 Figure 4: New crops required advance soil and climate study. .................................................... 13 Figure 5: Associations’ ability to market critical in finding alternatives to coca. ........................ 14 Figure 6: Using test laboratories to train vulnerable women increased employability. ................ 19 Figure 7. Recommendations by key theme ................................................................................... 42 Figure 8: Evaluation themes relevant to specific points in the Colombian peace negotiations .... 47 Figure 9. Implementation of peace likely to follow negotiation points in Havana....................... 48 Figure 10. Successful Association work accompanies them to market. ....................................... 49 Figure 11. Cacao production has helped foster a culture of legality in Tumaco. ......................... 51 ACRONYMS ADAM Areas for Municipal-level Alternative Development (ADAM for its Spanish initials) CDCS Country Development Cooperation Strategy CONPES Consejo Nacional de Política Económica y Social CS Case study – report method used to illustrate models, best practices, and lessons learned DIAN Dirección Nacional de Impuestos y Aduanas DPS Departamento para la Prosperidad Social (successor to Acción Social) ECA Escuelas de Capacitación para Agricultores (farmer training schools) EVAL Evaluation and Analysis for Learning GE Gente Estratégica GOC Government of Colombia HA Hectares KT Key Themes – ordering structure of the report’s findings, conclusions and recommendations MIDAS More Investment in Sustainable Alternative Development (MIDAS for its Spanish initials) PyMEs Pequeñas y Medianas Empresas (Small and Medium Enterprises) SENA Servicio Nacional de Aprendizaje SME Small and Medium Enterprises SOW Statement of Work TA Technical assistance TEP Productive Ethnic Territories (TEP for its initials in Spanish) UMATA Unidad Municipal de Asistencia Técnica Agropecuaria USAID U.S. Agency for International Development USG U.S. Government Note on the use of conventions: This report uses the standard convention of italicizing words in Spanish, (e.g., veredas or campesinos), with the exception of proper nouns (e.g., Banca de Oportunidades.) A second convention involves the capitalization of acronyms that have become words, such as the names of organizations, are spelled with only the initial letter capitalized (e.g., Asocati, Apropesca, etc.) and these are not included in the Acronyms list. v EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Evaluation Purpose and Evaluation Questions The purpose of the evaluation, coming as it does over three years post-implementation, is not to judge the success or difficulties of the programs under study. Rather, this review of lessons learned and detailed case examples are designed to inform post-conflict Mission programming. The evaluation questions examine best practices and lessons learned and extract useful methods, processes, capacities, alliances and activities undertaken in four key program components. The evaluation is designed to demonstrate degrees of success and sustainability, to support Country Development Cooperation Strategy (CDCS) implementation and to provide the ‘why’ and ‘how’ to program designers and activity managers. Project Background The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) created two major programs in Colombia to improve conditions for rural citizens through productive projects, community participation, public policy development and strengthening municipal governments. Many Colombian organizations worked in partnership to extend the influence of programming, ensure relevance, and work toward sustainability. ADAM and MIDAS offered alternative development options in complex,