Economic growth project, task order 5 : mid-term evaluation

The purpose of PCE TO5 is to increase food security and reduce poverty through a set of interrelated activities, and thus contribute to the overarching goal of Feed the Future strategy (FTF): (1) to sustainably reduce poverty and hunger; (2) to improve equitable growth in the agricultural sector; and (3) to improve nutritional status of the Senegalese people. Specifically, the project is the key instrument for achieving two (out of four) first level objectives of the USAID/Senegal Feed the Future strategy: inclusive agricultural sector growth, and increased trade. The evaluation focused exclusively on the four areas of the project aligned with USAID/Senegal's Feed the Future strategy: (1) increased agricultural productivity and market linkages; (2) enhanced policy environment; (3) increased post-harvest and access to finance; and (4) Increased institutional capacity and human resources. As a result of the evaluation, conducted March 15-April 2012 in Senegal, the evaluators found that overall PCE TO5 (or simply PCE) has made good progress in its three years (April 2009-March 2012) of implementation toward its objectives and done so despite a significant budget cut that impacted its FY 2011 activities going forward. However, the achievements have at times proven uneven across components over these three years of implementation in large part due to the cuts and other difficulties. The evaluators have also included in the report several emendations for each FTF component as well as for cross-cutting areas. (Excerpt, modified)