PROJECT EVALUATION SERIES Terminal Evaluation of the Project “Decision Support for Mainstreaming and Scaling Up of Sustainable Land Management” GEF ID: GCP/GLO/337/GFF FOOD AND AGRICULTURE ORGANIZATION OF THE UNITED NATIONS September, 2019 Terminal Evaluation of the project “Decision Support for Mainstreaming and Scaling Up of Sustainable Land Management” Contents Acknowledgements .......................................................................................................... iv Acronyms and abbreviations ............................................................................................ v Executive Summary ............................................................................................................. 1 2 Introduction .............................................................................................................. 11 2.1 Purposes of the evaluation ..................................................................................................... 11 2.2 Intended users of the evaluation report ............................................................................ 11 2.3 Scope and objective of the evaluation ............................................................................... 11 2.4 Methodology................................................................................................................................ 13 2.5 Limitations ..................................................................................................................................... 15 3 Background and context of the project ................................................................. 15 3.1 Context of the project ............................................................................................................... 15 3.2 Theory of change ........................................................................................................................ 19 4 Evaluation criteria: Key Findings ............................................................................ 21 4.1 Main findings and Ratings ...................................................................................................... 21 4.2 Relevance ....................................................................................................................................... 23 4.3 Effectiveness / Achievement of project results ............................................................... 26 4.4 Efficiency of the project implementation and execution ............................................ 44 4.5 Monitoring and evaluation ..................................................................................................... 56 4.6 Stakeholder engagement ........................................................................................................ 57 4.7 Progress to impact ..................................................................................................................... 60 4.8 Gender ............................................................................................................................................ 64 4.9 Sustainability ................................................................................................................................ 66 5 Conclusions and recommendations ....................................................................... 73 5.1 Conclusions ................................................................................................................................... 73 5.2 Recommendations ..................................................................................................................... 74 5.3 Lessons learnt .............................................................................................................................. 84 Appendices ....................................................................................................................... 87 Appendix 1: Evaluation Matrix .......................................................................................................... 88 Appendix 2: List of Documents Consulted .................................................................................. 97 Appendix 3: List of People Consulted ......................................................................................... 106 Appendix 4: FAO - GEF Evaluation Criteria Rating Table and Rating Scheme ............ 113 Appendix 5: Project Expected Results and Planned Activities ........................................... 116 Appendix 6: FAO-GEF Co-financing Table ................................................................................ 120 Appendix 7: List of Performance Indicators ............................................................................. 122 ii Terminal Evaluation of the project “Decision Support for Mainstreaming and Scaling Up of Sustainable Land Management” Figures and Tables Figures Figure 1 Theory of Change of the project................................................................. 20 Figure 2 Project’s modular Decision Support Framework ................................. 26 Tables Table 1 GEF ranking table (Mid Term Evaluation) ................................................ 18 Table 2 GEF ranking table (Terminal Evaluation) .................................................. 22 Table 3 Progress of implementation by country by project modules .......... 32 Table 4 Financial Status as of 31 May 2019 ............................................................ 47 Table 5 Assessment of the implementation of MTE recommendations ...... 53 Table 6 Conclusions and Recommendations Matrix ........................................... 77 Text boxes Text box 1 Innovative and effective implementation in Argentina.................. 30 Text box 2 Quantification of SLM benefits in Colombia ...................................... 31 Text box 3 Technical Specifications- Afforestation of bare land in karst areas, Bosnia and Herzegovina ....................................................................................................... 44 Text box 4 Technical Specifications - Highly Diversified Cropping in Live Trellis System, Philippines .................................................................................................... 44 Text box 5 Success story from Uzbekistan ............................................................... 62 iii Terminal Evaluation of the project “Decision Support for Mainstreaming and Scaling Up of Sustainable Land Management” Acknowledgements The Evaluation Team would like to thank all those who contributed to this report. The evaluation was led by Mr Jyrki Salmi, and M. Doris Cordero focused particularly on the evaluation in four Latin American partner countries of the project. The Evaluation Manager, Ms Maria Alice Moz Christofoletti, provided guidance, input and support throughout the evaluation process. We would like to thank the FAO Representatives, FAO staff, consultants and implementing partners from the 14 participating countries who met with the evaluation team during the Project Global Conference held in Ankara, Turkey from 24 to 27 April 2019. Also we would like to thank the Project and FAO staff particularly in Colombia, Ecuador, Morocco, Panamá and Turkey for facilitating and hosting our visits to their countries, as well as the Project and FAO staff in the other Project countries which we could not visit: Argentina, Bangladesh, Bosnia and Herzegovina (both in the entity Federation of BiH and entity Republic of Srpska), China, Lesotho, Philippines, Thailand, Tunisia and Uzbekistan for allowing us to interview them over Skype, or who responded to our questions in writing. iv Terminal Evaluation of the project “Decision Support for Mainstreaming and Scaling Up of Sustainable Land Management” Acronyms and abbreviations AWP Annual Work Plan BiH Bosnia and Herzegovina CACILM Central Asia Countries Initiative for Land Management CBL Land and Water Division (FAO) CDE Center for Development and Environment DLDD Desertification, Land Degradation and Drought DSF Decision Support Framework DS-SLM Decision Support for Sustainable Land Management FAO Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations FBiH entity Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina FPMIS Field Project Management Information System GCP Government Cooperative Programme GEF Global Environment Facility HQ Headquarters LAC Latin American Countries LADA Land Degradation Assessment in Drylands LD Land degradation LDN Land Degradation Neutrality LOA Letter of Agreement LTO Lead technical officer LTU Lead Technical Unit LUS Land Use System M&E Monitoring and Evaluation MTE Mid-Term Evaluation NAP National Action Plans NGO Non-Governmental Organization NPCU National Project Coordination Unit NSC National Steering Committee OED Office of Evaluation (FAO) OPIM Operational Partners Implementation Modality PCU Project Coordination Unit PIR Project Implementation Review PM Project Manager PSC Project Steering Committee RS entity Republic Srpska (of Bosnia and Herzegovina) SCCF Special Climate Change Fund SLM Sustainable Land Management STAP Scientific and Technical Advisory Panel STAR System for Transparent Allocation of Resources TCID Investment Centre Division (FAO) TE Terminal Evaluation TOC Theory of Change TOR Terms of Reference ToT Training of trainers UNCCD United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification WOCAT World Overview of Conservation Approaches and Technologies v Terminal Evaluation of the project “Decision Support