Mid-term performance evaluation of the regional agriculture development program in Afghanistan [public version]

USAID funds the umbrella RADP, which has a budget of just over $241.7 million. The program is run as four separate regional projects—RADP-North, RADP-West, RADP-South, and RADP-East—across 21 provinces and 116 districts in Afghanistan. RADP aims to improve the food and economic security of rural Afghans. This evaluation was undertaken during implementation of RADP-North and RADP-East, and at the end of RADP-West and RADP-South. Using a cross-sectional design, the Evaluation Team (ET) used qualitative methods to answer all but one evaluation question, where geographic information system (GIS) and remote sensing methods were used by the ET. The results demonstrate mixed performance among the RADPs for key indicators. In addition, the projects did not always reach the intended scale. However, the ET found that project beneficiaries often experienced benefits from engaging with the projects. Many businesses reported improved operations with RADP support, and many farmers reported improved yields and incomes because of program participation. However, beneficiaries still faced significant challenges that were not addressed by the projects, including limited access to finance, a weak enabling environment, and particularly for farmers, water shortages and limited access to markets. The ET recommends that RADP strengthen linkages between farmers and the private sector, focus support on low input technologies, and increase collaboration with the government.