A CIRCULAR ECONOMY APPROACH TO AGRO-BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION IN THE SOUSS-MASSA REGION OF MOROCCO MID-TERM EVALUATION - REFERENCE RFP 03/2017 - DELIVERABLE 3 | EVALUATION REPORT - final version - Alternative Green Energy and Environmental Solutions – ALGEES Business License |25108207 – CR | 104 495 – Tax ID | 3370437 – CNSS | 4099158 Address |17, rue ML Ahmed Loukili - appt. 3 - Hassan, Rabat | P.O Rabat Souissi, B.P5143 Tel. | +212.(0)661.30.55.92 – E | [email protected] – [email protected] FOREWORD Project Title A Circular Economy Approach to Agro-Biodiversity Conservation in the Souss- Massa Region of Morocco Project ID 00089921 Field Environment and biodiversity Country Morocco Regions Souss-Massa Duration of the project 5 years Start Date 01/07/2014 End Date 30/06/2019 Partners − Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, Rural Development, Water and Forests (MAF) − National Agency for the Development of Oasis Areas and Argan Trees (ANDZOA) Agency in charge of the execution − Agricultural Development Agency (ADA) Development Agency United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Overall Budget The total budget for the project is of USD 10,147,272 broken down as follows according to the contributions: − MAF|USD 7,300,000 − Global Environmental Facility (GEF) | USD 2,647,272 − UNDP | USD 200,000 Timetable for the Mid-Term October – December 2017 Evaluation Team members in charge of the − Majdoulaine Semlali Wazner mid-term evaluation − Abdellatif Touzani Acknowledgements The evaluators extend their appreciation to all the stakeholders of the CEP-SM project that have contributed directly or indirectly to the completion of this mid-term evaluation, particularly: the Agricultural Development Agency, the United Nations Development Programme (Morocco), the National Agency for the Development of Oasis Areas and Argan Trees, the Wilaya of the Souss Massa region, the SM Regional Directorate for Agriculture, the Moroccan Inter-professional Argan Federation, the SM Regional Association of Beekeepers and the Network for the Development of Rural Tourism. We also extend our appreciation to the National Project Coordinator and his team for their availability and involvement in this process. Mid-term Evaluation CEP-SM Final Report prepared by ALGEES p. ii December 2017 TABLE OF CONTENTS FOREWORD __________________________________________________________________ II TABLE OF CONTENTS _________________________________________________________ III LIST OF FIGURES AND TABLES ___________________________________________________ VI LIST OF ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS __________________________________________ VII SUMMARY ____________________________________________________________________ 1 1. Qualitative assessment of the project’s performance __________________________________ 1 2. Findings ______________________________________________________________________ 2 3. Recommendations _____________________________________________________________ 3 I. INTRODUCTION ___________________________________________________________ 5 1. Purpose and objectives of the mid-term evaluation ___________________________________ 5 2. Scope and methodology _________________________________________________________ 5 2.1. Scoping Meeting _____________________________________________________________ 5 2.2. Document Review ____________________________________________________________ 5 2.3. Field Mission ________________________________________________________________ 5 2.3.1. Interviews with the stakeholders ______________________________________________ 6 2.3.2. Interviews with the stakeholders ______________________________________________ 6 3. Structure of the mid-term evaluation report _________________________________________ 6 II. PROJECT DESCRIPTION & BACKGROUND _______________________________________ 7 1. Project Development Background & Challenges _____________________________________ 7 2. Project Strategy ________________________________________________________________ 7 III. PROJECT RESULTS ______________________________________________________ 8 1. Project Strategy ________________________________________________________________ 8 1.1. Coherence of project design ____________________________________________________ 8 1.2. Project Relevance ___________________________________________________________ 10 1.3. Strategic Results Framework __________________________________________________ 11 1.3.1. Indicators and targets ______________________________________________________ 11 1.3.2. Progress towards the project’s expected effects and objective _____________________ 11 1.3.3. Gender dimension of the project _____________________________________________ 13 2. Progress towards the achievement of results _______________________________________ 14 3. Project implementation and adaptive management__________________________________ 18 3.1. Management-related provisions _______________________________________________ 18 Mid-term Evaluation CEP-SM Final Report prepared by ALGEES p. iii December 2017 3.1.1. Project steering and supervision _____________________________________________ 18 3.1.2. Project Management _______________________________________________________ 20 3.1.4. Implementation and coordination ____________________________________________ 22 3.2. Activity Planning ____________________________________________________________ 23 3.3. Project monitoring and evaluation systems ______________________________________ 24 3.3.1. General M&E overview ____________________________________________________ 24 3.4. Adaptive management and lessons learned ______________________________________ 25 3.4.1. Adaptive management _____________________________________________________ 25 3.4.2. Lessons learned from the project _____________________________________________ 25 3.5. Efficiency __________________________________________________________________ 26 3.5.1. Financing and co-financing _________________________________________________ 26 3.5.2. Human resources _________________________________________________________ 29 3.5.3. Material resources _________________________________________________________ 29 3.6. Stakeholder Participation _____________________________________________________ 30 3.7. Communication_____________________________________________________________ 31 4. Sustainability _________________________________________________________________ 32 4.1. General risks associated with the roll-out of the project ____________________________ 32 4.2. Specific risks for the project’s sustainability ______________________________________ 33 4.2.1. Financial Risks ___________________________________________________________ 33 4.2.2. Socio-economic and political risks ___________________________________________ 33 4.2.3. Institutional framework and governance risks __________________________________ 34 4.2.4. Environmental risks _______________________________________________________ 34 IV. CONCLUSIONS & RECOMMENDATIONS ________________________________________ 36 1. Conclusions __________________________________________________________________ 36 2. Recommendations ____________________________________________________________ 37 2.1. Project design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation ________________________ 38 2.2. Monitoring and strengthening of the project’s initial benefits _______________________ 38 3. Future orientations proposed by the stakeholders ___________________________________ 39 V. APPENDICES _____________________________________________________________ 40 1. Appendix 1 | Table of submitted documents _______________________________________ 40 2. Appendix 2 | List with stakeholders with whom meetings were held ___________________ 41 3. Appendix 3 | Meeting schedule__________________________________________________ 42 4. Appendix 4 | Evaluation matrix _________________________________________________ 43 5. Appendix 5 | One-on-one reports ________________________________________________ 44 Mid-term Evaluation CEP-SM Final Report prepared by ALGEES p. iv December 2017 6. Appendix 6 | Summary of the focus groups ________________________________________ 54 7. Appendix 7 | Key milestones and stakeholders of the CEP-SM ________________________ 58 8. Appendix 8 | ProDoc Obstacles and Assumptions __________________________________ 60 9. Appendix 9 | Analysis of FSR Indicators __________________________________________ 61 10. Appendix 10 | Specific, gender-driven actions ____________________________________ 64 11. Appendix 11 | Assessment of CEP-SM achievements ______________________________ 65 12. Appendix 12 | Analysis of M&E activities _______________________________________ 69 13. Appendix 13 | Lessons learned from the CEP-SM internal reviews ___________________ 74 14. Appendix 14 | Risks identified by the CEP-SM ___________________________________ 75 15. Appendix 15 | CEP-SM risk mitigation measures _________________________________ 76 16. Appendix 16 | CEP-SM risk mitigation measures _________________________________ 77 17. Appendix 17 | Financial contributions for CEP-SM sustainability ___________________ 78 Mid-term Evaluation CEP-SM Final Report prepared by ALGEES p. v December 2017 LIST OF FIGURES AND TABLES FIGURES Figure 1 | Cumulative Successes and Achievements of CEP- SM 2017 __________________________________ 12 Figure 1 | Succès et réalisations cumulatives du PEC-SM en 2017 _____________________________________ 12 Figure 1 | Succès et réalisations cumulatives du PEC-SM en 2017 _____________________________________ 12 TABLES Table