Yaajeende agricultural development project mid-term performance evaluation

The project"s goal is to accelerate the participation of the very poor in rural economic growth and to improve the population"s nutritional status. The purpose of this mid-term evaluation, conducted after approximately 35 months of project implementation (November 2010 to September 2013), is to assess progress to date and identify improvements that will facilitate the attainment of planned project results. To this end, the evaluation assesses the relevance of the two project components to Senegal"s FtF strategy: (1) soundness of project approaches; overall quality of project management; (2) relevance, timeliness, and cost-effectiveness of service delivery; (3) beneficiary coverage and response; and (4) overall sustainability of project results beyond September 2015. Yaajeende has introduced new products, technologies, and innovations to strengthen food security in its intervention zones. Achieving higher production efficiency has been at the core of this initiative. The project has used diverse approaches to promote adoption and dissemination of new technologies, practices, and behaviors - and these approaches have been highly effective. Yaajeende has made a considerable effort to ensure the sustainability of its vehicles and approaches to promote adoption and dissemination of these more efficient innovations. Such efforts are reflected in key informant interviews and focus-group discussions with stakeholders. However, more rigorous empirical evidence would have better demonstrated the likelihood of project sustainability. (Excerpt, modified)