Projects

Expertise and research work,

Final Evaluation of the Implementation & Coordination of Agricultural Research & Training (ICART) project in the SADC region

Botswana

European Commission

Southern African region

The project Implementation and Coordination of Agricultural Research and Training in the SADC region (ICART) was designed to strengthen the SADC FANR capacity to undertake this mandate, considering that support to agricultural research has great potential for poverty alleviation and enhancing food security in the region. The overall objective of cooperation in agricultural research within the SADC region is to contribute to regional economic growth and poverty alleviation through innovative research and training activities. These target overcoming the constraints to achieving sustainable use of natural resources, through devising improved technologies and policies that enable resource-poor smallholders to achieve better livelihoods. The purpose of the project was to implement a regional research programme of actions, which enable the National Agricultural Research Systems (NARS) in SADC countries to enhance their integrated national efforts towards improving incomes of small-scale farmers, processors, traders and other beneficiaries while maintaining the natural resource base. The geographical areas covered by the project are the 15 member states of the Southern African Development Community (SADC). The project comprises four distinct components across which activities are planned: Component 1: Institutional Support to the SADC Secretariat. Component 2: Strengthening Research Networks. Component 3: Implementation of regional research projects through a mechanism of Competitive Grant Funds Component 4: Communication, Information and Training (ICT) The final evaluation (FE), which has been foreseen in the Technical and Administrative Provisions of the project’s Financing Agreement, will provide the decision-makers in the SADC Secretariat and Member States, the relevant external co-operation services of the European Union and the wider public with sufficient information to: a) Make an overall independent assessment about the past performance of the ICART project, paying particularly attention to the impact of the project actions against its objectives; and, b) Identify key lessons and to propose practical recommendations for follow-up actions.

Start date: 2010-10-01

End date: 2011-01-31