Mid-term performance evaluation : livelihoods in forestry (LiF) : Lebanon reforestation initiative (LRI) : final report

USAID/Lebanon provided nine evaluation questions that seek to examine LiF’s effectiveness to date, review USAID’s contributions to the forestry sector, measure the progress achieved in the reforestation and forest management sector in Lebanon, and provide recommendations for USAID and LiF to follow now and in the future. The evaluation team used a combination of methods to address these questions. The findings show that LiF’s restoration component (Sub-purpose 1) is the most significant in terms of community engagement, job creation, gender and youth inclusion, and securing social stability. Construction works are still ongoing at Anjar National Park (Sub-purpose 2), and a longer time will be needed to be able to measure the results. The agroforestry component (Sub-purpose 3) has shown a high probability of success and replicability and could potentially be adopted by other donors and/or farmers. It is the most promising component, as it contributes to food security and economic development. LRI was proactive in the face of Lebanon’s many crises and proved highly capable of operating under challenging circumstances. While the economic, financial, and health crises negatively affected LiF’s overall progress and activity implementation, they also contributed to increasing community, youth, and women engagement. The project’s cash-for-work activities were timely and impactful. USAID is one of the biggest contributors to the forestry sector in Lebanon and has helped raise public awareness and build the capacities of various stakeholders. Given the current situation in the country, environmental activities including forestry will need to be reoriented towards food security and livelihood activities. The evaluation provides several recommendations for USAID and LRI to consider in LiF’s remaining duration as well as in future USAID programming.