Country programme evaluation

The IFAD Near East and North Africa Division (PN) is planning to prepare a new country strategic opportunities paper (COSOP) for Syria in 2001 to launch a new programming cycle. The division requested the Office of Evaluation and Studies (OE) to undertake a Country Programme Evaluation (CPE) as a prelude to the strategy formulation process. The purpose of the CPE is to assess the Syria/IFAD cooperation experience and derive strategic and operational directions for the future and present portfolio of projects. Fielded in the second semester of 2000, the CPE mission travelled extensively in all five project areas and used participatory methodology to assess the achievements of the portfolio and identify issues and lessons learnt. Upon finalization of report writing and preliminary discussion with the Core Learning Partnership (CLP)¹ in IFAD and Syria a National Roundtable Workshop for the CPE was held in Damascus, Syria on 9 and 10 April 2001. The objective of the workshop, which was jointly sponsored by IFAD and the Government of Syria (GOS), was to discuss the results and recommendations of the CPE and prepare the main contents of the Agreement at Completion Point (ACP) of the CPE, in line with IFAD's New Approach to Evaluation. Eight specific lessons in key strategic areas were identified by the Workshop and agreed upon as basic components of the ACP. These are to be addressed in the course of the policy dialogue leading to the preparation of the COSOP. Such lessons would also have operational implications, which are briefly mentioned in the text of this agreement.

Sharper poverty focus

There have been progressively stronger and more successful attempts in the present portfolio to direct project interventions towards the poor. This can be deduced from the increasing emphasis placed on activities complementary to the core de-rocking components that lend themselves to better targeting. In the earlier projects targeting was heavily influenced by technical criteria for the selection of land for de-rocking. In more recent projects targeting has progressed so that there is now a better understanding of realistic methods of poverty targeting. Also helping to direct project interventions towards the poor is the tacit acknowledgement by the Government of the extent of rural poverty. Nevertheless, scope still remains for improving the poverty focus of IFAD and the Government's future strategic approach.

The problem of targeting the poor in the present portfolio is to a great extent related to the continued lack of knowledge of the poverty situation. If rural poverty alleviation is to be enhanced in the next portfolio, the highest possible priority should be given to the question of defining the causes of rural poverty and the identification of the poorer sub-sectors and segments of the rural population.

The CPE concluded that land reclamation, the main focus of IFAD supported projects, has been a formidable method of meeting the Government's aims in agricultural development and in poverty reduction. Its success has partly relied on the uniform subsidization of the use of the expensive heavy equipment required. The CPE concluded that a more progressive subsidization policy in favour of the poor (i.e. the better off farmers pay a higher percentage of land reclamation cost) can contribute to ensuring that the poorest groups benefit most from land reclamation.

Recommendations: 1. There is an urgent need to undertake a study to better define the concept of rural poverty in the Syrian context and analyze its causes at the aggregate level and for the more disadvantaged groups. This study should also contain an analysis of the regional poverty profile reflecting differentiation in agro ecological, socio-economic and environmental conditions of various regions and the respective constraints "and potential" for reducing rural poverty. IFAD is encouraged to contribute to the undertaking of this study. 2. The poverty study mentioned above should be used to formulate location specific targeting criteria. Practical experience gained in previous and ongoing IFAD and other donors supported rural development projects can contribute to the determination of these criteria. 3. The agreed upon targeting criteria should be an input into the design of project level participatory monitoring and evaluation systems to enable these systems to effectively monitor the achievement of objectives and assess the extent of improvement of living conditions of the target groups. 4. There is also an urgent need for the GOS/MAAR to prepare a National Strategy for Rural Poverty Alleviation in Syria using the results of the poverty study mentioned above. Such a strategy should be linked to the General Strategy for Agricultural and Rural Development recently prepared by the MAAR. IFAD and other donors are encouraged to contribute to the formulation of such a strategy. 5. While the workshop deliberations were not conclusive on the issue of subsidization for land reclamation, the door remains open for future dialogue between IFAD and the MAAR on this issue.

Gender aspects

Gender issues have received increasing attention over the 18 years of IFAD involvement in Syria. A large number of women have benefited from skills and literacy training courses provided by the projects, although not a high proportion have used this training to undertake income generating activities supported by credit. Without the linkage to credit the improvement in family incomes, which has been a specific objective of women's programmes in the projects, cannot be achieved. There are indications that the training programmes may have bypassed married women, and was largely used for social skill enhancement for younger women. It also appears that many IGAs had been identified from traditional women's occupations (e.g. sewing and knitting), but without due consideration as to whether there were real market opportunities for the products and whether women are actively able to undertake marketing activities. Despite these conclusions, where women chose to undertake IGAs based on livestock, there have been clear positive impacts on incomes and family nutrition.

Overall, the CPE concluded that projects have usually addressed women's needs through relatively small and separate women's components, rather than through an integrated focus on gender issues. This is illustrated by the maintenance of separate WID units in the PMUs. There is considerable scope and potential benefits from a more comprehensive approach to defining the role of women and supporting activities, which would, for example, increase women's access to resources. MAAR, assisted by FAO, has established an independent Unit for Rural Women Development (RWDU) to mainstream and develop gender aspects, which may partly solve this problem. This Unit needs to be fully equipped and its staff adequately trained for such as task. The following recommendations are for future IFAD/MAAR strategy for cooperation regarding gender aspects in rural areas.

Recommendations: 1. Empowerment of poor rural women through income generating activities should be based on a thorough understanding of the characteristics of the targeted areas and the prevailing socio-economic and cultural conditions. 2. There is a need to link the promotion of women income generating activities with the development of appropriate marketing channels for the associated production. It is crucial to avoid over production at local level and maintain good remuneration for household income generating projects. 3. Household level projects based on traditional women activities and home economics can still be desirable and profitable in some locations, but as a rule they should be rationalized and promoted only where clear association can be established with income generation and marketing potential. 4. Within the framework of the agricultural development projects, a governorate level "Operations Unit" should be established which combines project staff, Women Union and the Rural Women Unit in MAAR. With support from IFAD, whenever appropriate, this unit should be in charge of analyzing constraints faced in marketing IGAs; identifying remunerative IGAs and designing adequate training programmes for various locations, activities and socio-economic contexts. 5. Given difficulties encountered in marketing products of IGAs, particularly those undertaken by rural women, it is essential to search for innovative approaches in this field. Support should be sought from high level experts and people actively engaged in local trade and marketing to ensure the effective linkages and integration of production, processing and marketing. 6. Future dialogue between IFAD and GOS should investigate the support needed for the newly established Rural Women Unit in MAAR. The ultimate purpose is to help mainstream gender aspects in the general thrust of rural development. Potential IFAD support is to be linked with mainstreaming gender issues at governorate and project level as well to ensure that benefits accrue to targeted poor rural women.

Participatory approaches

Introducing participatory approaches into the present portfolio has been difficult, but the CPE concluded that there are some promising initiatives and that the extent of participation had increased with time. Whilst beneficiaries have been keen to participate as individuals in de-rocking and IGA activities, this type of involvement is not sufficient to create the structured platform from which the rural poor can drive forward their own development. The experience still needs strengthening particularly with respect to the development of grassroots organizations and increasing their role in decision making. This is a key factor in allowing the rural poor to express their own needs and actively participate in and sustain the development process. This aspect can be enhanced through the use of NGOs and other intermediaries in building local capacities.

Recent experience of IFAD and other United Nations agencies (FAO, UNDP, UNICEF, WFP) in supporting pilot community-based participation (sometimes initiated by existing local organizations) indicates that there is great potential for replication, upscaling and further support to participatory approaches. In addition, with a more participatory approach, the decentralization and devolving of authority at all levels become more necessary as a means of giving community-based institutions more say in the development process and of moving decision-making closer to the people. In practical terms the need is for the identification of the institutional strengthening, re-orientation and other training which will be necessary for MAAR staff, and methods of ensuring that beneficiary participation can play a significant part in the implementation of the new projects.

Recommendations: 1. A main thrust of GOS and IFAD future strategy of cooperation should be the support for long-term approaches of self-reliant and participatory development, in partnership with other donors, existing organizations at local level and NGOs. 2. Such an approach should be based on the cooperation of all institutions that can effectively contribute. For example, existing popular organizations in Syria, through their wide networks at local level, could play a role in supporting grassroots participation in rural development projects. In this context it is important to benefit from and build on the effective cooperation experience between IFAD and the General Union of Women in its ongoing projects particularly in the field of village level women training programmes for IGAs. A nucleus of this cooperation should be created at village level, with the support of all agencies involved, for possible replication and upscaling. 3. Local level beneficiaries participation should be developed and strengthened beyond mere implementing/receiving project activities to the level of effective participation in the decision making process concerning their development activities. 4. Appropriate training should go hand in hand with this approach. It is essential to increase the effectiveness of training programmes in participatory approaches at community level for project beneficiaries as well as for project staff and staff of implementing agencies. Lessons learnt from participatory training of the IFAD's supported Badia projects should be used for possible replication and upscaling of this training approach. 5. In the framework referred to above, the contribution of NGOs in strengthening community level participatory development has been accepted without any reservation and should be promoted. 6. Partnership between various international development agencies in replicating and upscaling community development approaches, building on each other experience, should be encouraged and formalized in IFAD policy dialogue with the GOS. 7. The role of media in supporting participatory approaches for rural development at communities level should be enhanced.

Increase the pro-poor orientation of rural financial services

The CPE was impressed at the flexibility shown by CAB and its willingness to adjust its loan conditions to accommodate poverty alleviation criteria. Over the period of the present portfolio this approach was warranted and had certainly contributed to the flow of credit to women, and to the objective of poverty alleviation. However, many disadvantaged rural women and other poor still have no or very little access to credit due to their inability to provide co-operative guarantees or personal guarantors acceptable to CAB. Increased such access remains a key to a poverty alleviation strategy in the rural areas. Mobilization of rural savings has not been so far an important aspect of the ongoing portfolio. Group collateral as a substitute for personal guarantees has not been tried out in IFAD supported projects. The lesson is that a more pro-poor rural financial services policy is needed to ensure that hurdles are removed and that these services reach the poorest.

A conducive environment to tackle this issue is fast emerging. Government authorities are now more prepared to concede that the rural population include very poor for whom financial resources and services must be provided. This will facilitate growth with equity through opportunities for income generation for the poorest. The principle of collateral free lending has now been accepted by CAB. A firm foundation to design and implement structured initiatives for provision of micro credit and savings services linked with group activities and traditional community-based activities is also being built up through ongoing and planned pilot initiatives supported by other donors. This is for example the case in the UNICEF and WHO Healthy Village programme, or the UNDP assisted Rural Community Development at Jebel Al-Hoss.

IFAD and the MAAR should take full advantage of this situation in developing their future cooperation strategy.

Recommendations: 1. IFAD/GOS should seek to build on the current momentum and adopt a future strategy that will lead to a broadening of rural financial services outreach through the use of alternative mechanisms for credit delivery and savings mobilization for the poorest in partnership with other donors. 2. Because of the flexibility already shown by CAB and positive achievements so far, IFAD and the Bank should give priority to continue to work in close partnership. Within this framework the guarantee requirement, conditions and other lending of the bank might need to be further adjusted, to ensure that the poorest get access to rural financial services while minimizing credit risks for CAB. 3. Community level self help groups should be promoted and supported to increase the poor's access to rural financial services. This could be done, inter alia, through the establishment of revolving funds to service these groups within an appropriate legal framework reflecting the socio-economic reality of local communities including the type of guarantees, the credit system applied (interest rate, Islamic profit sharing, collective collateral, etc.) and means to mobilize rural savings. This should be done in full coordination with the ACB. 4. Because of the complexity and multi-dimensional nature of rural financial services issues, discussion of such issues should continue in the framework of future policy dialogue between IFAD and GOS.

Environmental considerations

In terms of GOS objectives of increasing agricultural production from rainfed areas, and halting migration to the towns, de-rocking has been an unqualified success. It is difficult to conceive of an investment in agriculture that could have had such a dramatic effect - possibly on the par with providing irrigation to dry areas. This intervention has directly brought many benefits to small farmers, and has undoubtedly helped to reduce the poverty of many. Nevertheless, the evaluation noted that there is some evidence to suggest that insufficient attention is being paid to assessing and mitigating possible undesirable environmental impacts.

The CPE found that some farmers were reporting that rocks were re-appearing in their fields. The reasons for this are not clear. Possible explanations are draughts and the loss of topsoil, implying erosion, particularly on sloping land. De-rocking may also encourage changes to the hydrogeology, caused by alterations in the run-off patterns. In the present portfolio, except for the Badia Project, environmental monitoring measures were not part of project design, hence the actual situation in each location at present is not clear. The investigation and analysis of these environmental aspects and others, and, taking required actions if needed, will ensure that the significant benefits obtained from de-rocking will be sustainable.

Recommendations: 1. For future IFAD strategy and operations in Syria, support for land reclamation through de-rocking should be preceded by a full-scale location specific environmental assessment in the new areas. Environmental monitoring during implementation should be an integral part of future IFAD supported interventions in Syria. 2. There is a need to assess environmental impacts of de-rocking in the areas covered by projects supported by IFAD in the current portfolio, identify problems, if any, and address it on an urgent basis if required. 3. MAAR is to undertake the above-mentioned assessment through a relevant multi disciplinary team formed specifically for this purpose. 4. IFAD should consider assisting this team in undertaking its assigned tasks and providing training and support as required.

Output diversification and marketing

The CPE concluded that there has been and will continue to be major increases in agricultural production as a result of project activities, with resultant increases in farm incomes. De-rocking significantly increases the area available for planting, permits easier ploughing and seedbed preparation and increases water infiltration and retention. Ensuring the sustainability of these enhanced farming systems will require, in addition to the environmental assessments mentioned under V above, the diversification of farm production, increased attention to market opportunities and reorienting farming systems to integrate crops and livestock. These factors combined will greatly reduce the various risks faced by small farms, particularly in rainfed areas.

Sustainable farm incomes rely on finding suitable markets for diversified farm output. This is likely to become more difficult as saturation of traditional local markets occurs, and will primarily affect small farmers, who have a relatively lower capacity to diversify and to find and supply the more advantageous outlets. Sustainable increase in farm income requires to continue develop trade domestically and internationally, to address crop diversification and processing and to strengthen marketing policies and improve market outlets. This approach would need to include the requirements for storage, processing, grading and packaging in order to ensure access to export markets where this is appropriate

An important aspect to be emphasized is the provision of market linkages so that relevant information is available on which production decisions can be made. Extension services and messages would also need to be reoriented accordingly.

Recommendations: 1. While agricultural production diversification is fully recognized and appreciated as an important approach to achieve the sustainability of the farming system in Syria, the future IFAD/GOS cooperation strategy should strengthen and enhance the widespread adoption of this approach and its implementation. 2. IFAD/GOS future cooperation strategy needs to support the process of technology transfer and adaptation at farm level in relation to crop diversification processing, and marketing. This is particularly essential to encourage animal feed production (see section VII). 3. To this effect, it is important to support the establishment of a sequential integrated system which links adequately agricultural production to processing and marketing. This should include appropriate emphasis on and strengthening of marketing policies, as well as facilitating farmers access to marketing information. 4. Because of the importance of milk processing as a source of income for poor households, marketing of milk products must receive special attention. An important area in this regard that should be investigated and developed is milk collection and processing at village level.

Livestock feed

Livestock activities are an essential part of the Syrian farming system and an important source of household income. The bottleneck nationally in the development of the livestock sector is shortage of feed. Present production levels of feed cannot sustain the present livestock populations, which also makes animals very susceptible to natural disasters, such as drought. As long as livestock numbers continue to increase this gap will continue to widen in the future. Sustainability of livestock activities depends on the integration of fodder crops into the settled farming systems to ensure higher level of feed production.

There is an urgent need for policy and measures to increase productivity of rangeland and feed production in reclaimed areas. Encouraging feed production will require a conducive incentive/price framework, appropriate input delivery mechanisms, as well as the development of appropriate marketing channels (see section VI). The subsidies on livestock feed could encourage unsustainable increases in livestock numbers. The gradual liberalization of animal feed imports, production and marketing may induce an increase of feed prices at the beginning, but it would also reduce subsidy payments, rationalize demand for animal feed, and stimulate forage production in the medium to long run.

Recommendations: 1. IFAD policy dialogue with the GOS should continue on the issue of the balance between livestock sector development and feed availability and the best options available to achieve this balance. 2. IFAD/MAAR future cooperation strategy should be based on encouraging farmers to produce fodder crops through increasing their access to required inputs and marketing opportunities and through supporting the integration of fodder production into the farming system. 3. IFAD and MAAR should combine efforts to support and encourage the establishment of small units to process farm residues at local level, hence increasing the production of livestock feed. 4. The introduction of measures to increase productivity and production of fodder crops in irrigated areas to contribute to the stable availability of fodder in local markets.

Water resources

In the present IFAD-supported portfolio, project designs have considered the development of water resources only in a limited way. To sustain any type of agricultural development, optimization of the scarce water resources is of major strategic importance. Efficiency in water use is an essential measure of sustainability, but at present application inefficiencies at the farm result in water losses. Increasing the efficiency of water application in ASZs 1, 2, 3, and 4 is essential if production is to continue increasing.

The CPE concluded that a main strategic thrust in the next phase of cooperation between IFAD and GOS should be a consistent and stronger emphasis on the optimization of the use of water resources in rainfed areas, including considerations of water conservation, harvesting etc. Because depletion of ground water resources is a real risk, modern irrigation techniques should be encouraged in irrigated areas, wherever relevant in IFAD's interventions, to save water and increase the efficiency of its use.

Recommendations: 1. IFAD's future strategy in Syria should give due emphasis to improve and rationalize the utilization of water resources through, among others, water harvesting, improving the quality of drinking water, increasing the effectiveness of existing irrigation systems, as well as improving community level management of water resources. 2. The efficiency of water utilization should be increased through farming system measures, e.g. (i) continue to encourage winter crops and limit to the extent possible summer crops; (ii) investigate and introduce, if feasible, alternative crops in the farming system to help reduce water utilization and conserve soil fertility. 3. The potential of biotechnology should be investigated to develop more draught resistant crop varieties adapted to the Syrian conditions.

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1 The CLP is composed of Mr Erfan Aloush, Deputy Minister for Agriculture, Damascus (and through him all Project Directors of the ongoing IFAD supported projects in Syria); Mr Mohamed Wardeh, Director of Livestock Department, ACSAD, Damascus; Mr Fahd El Natour, Senior Project Implementation Officer, and Mr Habeeb Behbehani, Project Officer, AFESD (CI), Kuwait; Mr Abdelhamid Abdouli, Country Portfolio Manager/PN, and Ms Mona Bishay, Senior Evaluation Officer/OE, IFAD.