IOE has prepared an impact evaluation of the Community-based Integrated Natural Resources Management Project in Ethiopia (CBINReMP).

The project aimed to reduce poverty for rural households in the Lake Tana Watershed, particularly by enhancing access to land and water for poor rural people and improving agricultural production technologies, mainly through the adoption of sustainable land management practices.

The impact evaluation used a quasi-experimental approach and combined econometric and qualitative techniques to determine the impact on programme beneficiaries. Geo-spatial analysis was also used to assess changes related to selected biophysical indicators.

The evaluation found that CBINReMP contributed to the improvement of natural resource management (NRM) by implementing 650 micro-watershed plans, and achieved important results in supporting climate change adaptation practices and technologies. It also found an increase in the incomes and dietary diversity of the households that participated in a higher number of project activities. However, for the other households, the results were similar to those of non-beneficiaries. This limited impact is also related to the nature of NRM projects, which have longer gestation periods, and the project’s low investment per beneficiary household.

Moving forward, the evaluation recommends elaborating a Master Plan for integrated participatory watershed management in order to maximize the coordination, complementarities and synergies of the implementation efforts of different parties. The evaluation also calls for greater inclusion of women, youth and vulnerable groups in NRM interventions, where benefits can disproportionately accrue to those who own land or have more access to natural resources.