SASAKAWAGLOBAL2000-ETHIOPIASASAKAWAAFRICAASSOCIATION

SG2000WorkingPaper,No.06,2016

PromotingCropDiversificationandImprovedAgriculturalTechnologiesinTigrayRegion,Ethiopia

Monitoring,Evaluation,LearningandSharing(MELS)Theme,SasakawaGlobal2000-Ethiopia

May2016,AddisAbaba

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ThisPaper:‘PromotingCropDiversificationandUseofImprovedAgriculturalTechnologies(PCDAT)inTigrayRegion,Ethiopia’isbasedonfinalevaluationofJICA-fundedprojectofSasakawaGlobal2000

Itismulti-authoredreportby:

TheMonitoring,Evaluation,LearningandSharing(MELS)ThemeandPCDATprojectteam,SasakawaGlobal2000-Ethiopia

MELSTeam–SG2000Ethiopia

WondwossenTsegayeFikaduChalaKumsaDandenaSemereG/Tsadik

SG2000-Ethiopia(Management)

Dr.AberraDebeloDr.HabtuAsefa

PCDATProjectTeam

KazuyaInuiAberaGebreamlakMuezTeareHabtuMekonenAshenafiAmareSemereG/TsadikSayakoTokusue

MELSTheme,SAARegionalOffice

Dr.KebbaNgumboSima EthiopiaTadesse

SasakawaGlobal2000Ethiopia(SG2000)SasakawaAfricaAssociation(SAA)

Address:P.O.Box:12771Address:P.O.Box:24135code1000 AddisAbaba,Ethiopia AddisAbaba,Ethiopia Tel.+251-116-628810/11/15 Tel.+251-116-477-777*AllcorrespondencestoWondwossenTsegaye(wonde@saa-safe.orgorwendsentsgay@yahoo.com)

May2016,AddisAbaba,Ethiopia

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TableofContents

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS.......................................................................................................................VI

EXECUTIVESUMMARY.......................................................................................................................VII

1.INTRODUCTION................................................................................................................................1

1.1. Socio-economicbackgroundofTigrayRegion.........................................................................11.2. Issuesandneedsofthelocalpeople........................................................................................21.3. PromotingCropDiversificationandAdvancedTechnologiesinTigray(PCDAT)......................2

2.THEFINALEVALUATION...................................................................................................................7

2.1.OBJECTIVEOFTHEEVALUATION...............................................................................................................72.2METHODOLOGY.....................................................................................................................................72.3LIMITATIONSOFTHEFINALEVALUATION....................................................................................................8

3.EVALUATIONRESULTS:KEYFINDINGSANDDISCUSSIONS................................................................9

3.1BACKGROUNDCHARACTERISTICSOFSAMPLEHOUSEHOLDS............................................................................93.2.RELEVANCEOFTHEPROJECT.................................................................................................................10

3.2.1.Projectrelevancetoprioritiesandneedsoftargetgroups......................................................103.2.2.Projectconsistencywithdevelopmentpoliciesandpriorities..................................................11

3.3.EFFECTIVENESSOFTHEPROJECT.............................................................................................................113.3.1.CropProductivityEnhancement...............................................................................................113.3.2.PostharvestandAgro-Processing............................................................................................173.3.3.Public-PrivatePartnershipsandMarketAccess.......................................................................20

3.4.CHANGEININCOMEANDLIVELIHOOD.....................................................................................................233.4.EFFICIENCYOFTHEPROJECT..................................................................................................................263.5.PROJECTSUSTAINABILITY......................................................................................................................273.6.SUMMARYOFPROJECTACHIEVEMENTS/OUTPUTS....................................................................................283.7PROJECTMONITORINGANDEVALUATION.................................................................................................313.8.PROJECTMANAGEMENT.......................................................................................................................31

4.MAJORCHALLENGESANDLESSONSLEARNT...................................................................................33

5.CONCLUSIONANDRECOMMENDATIONS.......................................................................................36

ANNEXES...........................................................................................................................................37

ANNEX1:MAJORCROPSGROWNINTHESAMPLESITESANDUSEOFFERTILIZERANDIMPROVEDSEEDSBYCROPS........37ANNEX2:AVERAGEAMOUNTPRODUCED,SOLDANDINCOMEOBTAINED,COMPARINGBASELINEANDFINALEVALUATION

...............................................................................................................................................................38ANNEX3.AVERAGEFERTILIZERANDOTHERINPUTUSEANDCOSTPERHOUSEHOLD:BASELINEANDFINALEVALUATION 39ANNEX4:LOGFRAME:DIVERSIFYINGCROPPINGSYSTEMSWITHRICEINTIGRAYREGION........................................39ANNEX5:QUESTIONNAIRESANDCHECKLISTSUSEDDURINGTHEEVALUATION......................................................42

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ListofTablesandFigures

Table1.HouseholdsizesbyKebele(in%).................................................................................................9Table2.Educationlevelsofhouseholdsbysex(in%)...............................................................................9Table3.TypesoffarmersbyKebeleandsex...........................................................................................10Table4.Farmersperceptionontraining,newskillsandchangeinproductivity...................................12Table5.SpecificSupportsprovidedtofarmersonCropProduction(in%)............................................12Table6.NewskillsandknowledgelearnedfromEAs/SG2000(%).........................................................12Table7.Improvedcropproductiontechnologiesandpracticesusedbyfarmers(%)............................14Table8.Cropvarietiesusedduringbaselineandfinalevaluationperiod(%)........................................14Table9.Proportionoffarmplotsusedfertilizerbasedonrecommendations.......................................15Table10.Totalareacultivated(inhectares)beforeandafterPCDATinterventions(2014/15)............15Table11.Totalcropproduction(inquintal)beforeandafterPCDATinterventions..............................16Table12.Cropproductivityofmajorcrops(inton/ha),comparingbaselineandfinalevaluation.......16Table13.Mainreasonsforthechangesincropproductivityin(in%)...................................................17Table14.TrainingofTrainersandnumberoffarmerstrainedonPHAP................................................18Table15.NumberoffarmersusedPHAPmachinesandamountofricepolished.................................19Table16.Percentoffarmersreportedimprovementinmarketingandincome....................................22Table17.Annualestimatedincomelevel................................................................................................23Table18.SummaryofAchievementsoftheProject................................................................................28Table19.Projectcomponent,expectedoutputs,indicatorsandachievements....................................29

Figure1.PCDATprojectsites,TigrayRegion..............................................................................................4Figure2.SupportReceivedfromSG2000onmarketingandmarketaccess...........................................20

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ACRONYMS

ARD AgricultureandRuralDevelopmentAPC AssistantProjectCoordinatorARCs AgriculturalResearchCentersBoARD BureauofAgricultureandRuralDevelopmentBoPED BureauofPlanningandEconomicDevelopmentDAs DevelopmentAgentsEAs ExtensionAgentsFLPs FarmerLearningPlatformsFHHs FemaleHeadedHouseholdsFTCs Farmers’TrainingCentersGDP GrossDomesticProductGTP GrowthandTransformationPlanHHs HouseholdsJICA JapanInternationalCooperationAgencyJPP JICAPartnershipProgramMELS Monitoring,Evaluation,LearningandSharingMoA MinistryofAgricultureNARES NationalAgriculturalResearchandExtensionServicesPO ProgramOfficerPCDAT PromotingCropDiversificationandAdvancedTechnologyPM ProgramManagerPNA ParticipatoryNeedsAssessmentPPP Public–PrivatePartnershipsPTPs ProductionTestPlotsSAA SasakawaAfricaAssociationSAEDE StrengtheningAgriculturalExtensionDeliveryinEthiopiaSG2000 SasakawaGlobal2000SPSS StatisticalPackageforSocialSciencesTARI TigrayAgriculturalResearchInstituteTDC TalentDevelopmentConsultantsToR TermsofReferenceTOPs TechnologyOptionPlotsWADs WomanAssistedDemonstrations

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AcknowledgementsInundertakingthisevaluationandproducingthereport,theauthorswanttoacknowledgeallparties: individual respondents mainly farmers, and different groups of people who weredirectlyinvolvedintheevaluationandcontributedforitstimelyaccomplishment.Sasakawa Global 2000, PCDAT Project and theMonitoring, Evaluation, Learning and Sharingteam members have actively contributed in designing the evaluation, and involved TalentDevelopmentConsultancytoundertakethedatacollectionandproducingthedraftreport.Theteammembersalsofacilitatedtheevaluationthroughprovidingorientationsandconstructivecommentstotheconsultant,directlyparticipating inthedatacollection,analysisandrefiningandfinalizingtheevaluationreport.The Authors would like to extend their gratitude to theWoreda, Kebele and farmers’ levelparticipantsofthisevaluationwhowerealsoinvolvedinthedifferentdevelopmentactivitiesoftheproject.Allparticipantsofthisevaluationatdifferentleveldeservespecialthanksfortheircontributionstomakethisworkasuccess.

ThePCDATprojectwasimplementedbytheSasakawaAfricaAssociation/SasakawaGlobal2000– Ethiopia with a financial support from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).Thus,theauthorsareverygratefulfortheopportunityofferedbytheSAA,SG2000-EthiopiamanagementandJICAtowritethisreport.Itistheearnesthopeoftheauthorsthatallreadersfind the report factual, informative and a good example as a reference for other similarprojects.

Caveat:Allviewsexpressedinthisreport,commissionsandomissionaretheresponsibilityoftheauthorsandareneitherthatofSAAnorSG2000–Ethiopia.

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Executivesummary

Thisevaluationassessedandpresentedachievements,outcomes, impactsandchallengesofaprojectentitled“PromotingCropDiversificationandAdvancedTechnologiesinTigray(PCDAT)”which was implemented in some parts of Tigray Region, Ethiopia. PCDAT was a four-yearproject, July 2011 - July 2015, implemented by the PCDAT project team of SasakawaGlobal2000-Ethiopia based in Mekele in close collaboration with the Tigray Region al Bureau ofAgricultureandRuralDevelopment(BoARD)withafinancialsupportfromJapanInternationalCooperationAgency(JICA)underJICAPartnershipProgram.

ThefinalevaluationwasundertakeninMarch2015toexaminethesuccessesandchallengesofthe PCDAT project during its four years project life. The project covered 24 Kebeles in sixWoredas in Tigray Region, Ethiopia. The six Woredas were from three of the total sixadministrativezonesoftheregion-TsegedeandWelkaitWoredasintheWesternZone,TahtayKoraroandTselemti, intheNorthwesternZone,andAlamataandRayaAzeboWoredasintheSouthernZoneofTigrayRegion.TheprojectaimedtoimprovecropproductivityandincomeofsmallholderfarmersintheseWoredas.

The evaluation attempted to measure achievements and outcomes of the PCDAT; assessedprocesses, strengths and challenges of project implementation; and identified lessons learntthatcanbescaled-upinotherWoredas.Theevaluationwasundertakenatthreelevels;attheWoreda,kebeleandfarmers’levels.Theevaluationstartedwithreviewofrelevantdocuments,developing three sets of questionnaires, and continued to interviewing partners andstakeholders and conducting selected case studies. Three Woredas were selected for theevaluation,takingonekebelefromeachtorandomlyselectfarmersforthefarmerleveldata.

Results of the evaluation indicated that good partnership was established betweenimplementingorganizations–mainlySG2000,BoARDandTigrayAgriculturalResearchInstitute(TARI)-thatledtoeffectiveimplementationofprojectactivities.SG2000-Ethiopiausedavalue-chain oriented extensionmodel,which properly followed the chain from crop production tomarketing,andbenefitedfromthecollaborationwithmajorpartners.Theprojectmanagementand coordination enabled PCDAT to effectively implement activities according to plan andcontributedforachievingthedesiredoutcomesoftheproject.

RelevanceLowagriculturalproductivity,andthus,foodinsecuritywasoneofthemajorproblemsoftargetprojectWoredas. The PCDAT project was designed and implemented considering the abovemajordevelopmentalproblems.Needsassessmentswereconductedto identifyandprioritizeproject activities and suitability of the agro-climatic conditions to grow rice andother crops.Project sites were selected with good accessibility and having sufficient EAs to implementproject activities. Considering thedevelopment challenges in theproject areas and followingfarmers’ needs, the project introduced new crops such as rice, green gram, soya bean andsunflower, and promoted diversifications, along with improved agronomic practice on otherlocal crops such as sorghum, teff, sesame, figure millet and wheat. Furthermore, improved

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postharvesttechnologiesforriceandtheotherfoodcropswaspromotedandmarketlinkagescreatedtosolvemarketingproblems.

Inanutshell, theprojectwasdesignedbasedonfeltneedsofbeneficiary farmersand in linewithdevelopmentalprioritiesoftheprojectareas.AccordingtothediscussionsheldwiththeWoredalevelpartnersinparticular,ithasbeenclearlyindicatedthattheprojectwasdemanddrivenfromtheoutset.Additionally,therewasjointplanningwithmajorpartnersoftheproject,particularlyworedaandkebelelevelagriculturaloffices.Generally,therelevanceoftheprojecthadsufficientlybeenmaintainedintheprocessofitsimplementation.

EffectivenessThe PCDAT project improved crop productivity, processing andmarket access, and all thesecontributed to increased income of farmers (increased by 24% compared to baseline).Particularly,SG2000effortincollaborationwithTigrayRegionBoARDhavebroughtsignificantchangesoncoverage,productivity,utilizationandmarketingofrice.Theprojectintroducedandpromotednewcropssuchasriceandgreengramalongwithtechnologiessuchasricemillers,multi-crop threshers, seed cleaner and par-boil kit.Farmers were trained on agronomicpracticesandfoodpreparationandmarketing.Effectivenessoftheprojectisfurtherdescribedbelowpermajorprojectcomponents.

Crop Productivity Enhancement: One of the major successes of the PCDAT project wasintroducing new crops to the project sites. In line with its major objective, the projectintroducedandpromotedfournewcropssuchasrice,greengram,soyabeenandsunflowerto24projectKebelesasalternativetotraditionallyproducedexistingcrops.Thishascontributedto a change in cropping pattern and crop diversification in the projects sites, particularlythroughthepromotionofriceandimprovedagronomicpractices.

Theevaluationshowedimprovedskillsandknowledgeofextensionagentsandfarmersincropproduction. A total 13,631 farmers were trained during the past four years of the project.Almost all (98%) interviewed farmers indicated that the training sessions and continuousadvices fromtheprojectandEAshavehelpedthemto improvetheir farmingknowledgeandskillsoncropproduction.

Cropproductionandproductivityintheprojectsiteshasshowedsignificantchangecomparedtothebaselinesituation(2010/11).Productivityofmajorcropsincreased,onaverage,byabout32%andreached2.0ton/hain2014/15(endofproject)ascomparedthebaselinewhenitwasonaverageonly1.5ton/ha.Themainreasonsforthechangeinproductivityofthesecropsinorderofimportanceweretheuseofimprovedtechnologies,adequateamountofrainfall,andattractivemarketpriceswhichmotivatedfarmerstoproducemore.Use of improved technologies, including application of fertilizer with appropriate agronomicpractices, has improved. SG2000 promoted use fertilizers along with improved agronomicpractices using a well-managed demonstration plots. Hence, over 90% of sampled farmersreportedtheuseDAPandUreaatleastononeplot.

Postharvest and agro-processing: Awareness and skills of farmers on improved postharvesthandlingtechniquesshowedasignificantchangecomparedtothesituationbeforethePCDAT

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project.Theprojectintroducedandpromotedricemills,multi-cropthreshers,seedcleanerandpar-boil kit. Sampled farmers reported that they received different trainings on postharvesthandling, storage managements, utilization of rice mills and multi-crop thresher. A total of4,549farmersweretrainedontheuseofimprovedpostharvesthandling,achievingover100%oftheprojecttarget.

The promotion of PHAP technologies created huge demand from farmers, privateentrepreneursandgovernmentpartners.TigrayBureauofAgriculturepurchasedsixadditionalricemillstoprovideservicetofarmersintheRegion.OneprivateinvestorandoneMonasteryalsopurchasedricemillsafterobservingserviceprovisionoftheSG2000promotedmachines.Intotal6,628farmersobtainedtheservicesofthePHAPtechnologies.

Despitethesuccesses,thePHAPmachinesdidnotprocess(threshorpolish)enoughquantityofcropsas compared to their capacityandpotential.Particularlyuseof the thresherswasverylowduetomainlypoorrepairandmaintenanceservice.Thericemillswerealsoprocessinglowamountofricecomparedtotheirpotential.Themainreasonwaslackofpropermanagementofthemachines.

Marketing and market access: The project contributed to improved marketing and marketaccessintheprojectsitesthroughprovidingtrainingto462extensionagentsand3,638farmers,andestablishingandstrengthening18groupsengaged inproductionandmarketing.Majorityof interviewed households indicated thatmajor positive changes have been observed in theareasofmarketaccess,priceofoutput,qualityofproductsandincomelevels.Theprojectalsoattemptedtolinkfarmerstopotentialmarkets,butstillsomeadditionalsupportisrequiredinthis aspect. Market linkages were created for major crops (clearly observed for rice) in theproject areas, particularly in Tsegede Woreda, and huge quantity of rice was sold to areasaroundWoreta town.Nevertheless,efforts in facilitatingmarketingparticularly for rice facedsomechallengesduetolowdemandofthecropduringthetimeofthisevaluation.

Change in income and livelihood: Annual income of households in the project sites hasincreased by about 24% compared to the baseline level. The increment is even above theprojecttarget(20%).Theincreaseinproductionofmajorcropssuchassorghum,riceandmillet,andhighproductpricecontributed for this change.Thisevaluation,basedonselectedcases,foundthataftertheproject,somehouseholdshavemanagedtosavesomemoneyanddiversifytheir livelihood.Project farmers,benefiting fromtheirgoodharvestand itssale,haveboughtgoatsforthepurposeoffatteningandbuiltassetsandcreatedwealth.Somereportedchangeinthequalityoftheirhousesandhouseholdutensilsasaresultofincomegeneratedfromtheirproductionandmarketing.

EfficiencyTheprojectwasefficientinplanningandontimelyimplementationoftheplannedactivities.Itwas important that theprojectofficewashostedat theTigrayBoARD inMekeleandall staffexceptfortheprojectmanagerwerefromtheregionwhoarewellacquaintedwiththeagro-ecology, culture and language of the target areas. Although itwas the first time for SG2000Ethiopia to establish such satellite type office, it greatly contributed to smooth information

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sharing and collaboration among the teamand theBureau. Particularly, planned activities intheareasof trainingwereundertakenatdifferent levels inclosecollaborationwithRegional,Woreda and kebele level project participants. There was also a periodic monitoring andevaluationoftheprojectwhichfacilitatedachievementoftheintendedoutputsandoutcomes.Key informants indicated that the process of implementation of the project was up to theexpectedlevel.Theprojectstartedimmediately,fulfillingallthenecessarypreconditions,suchas allocating required budget and office space, and recruiting required personnel. Flow ofproject inputs such as finance, equipment, agricultural inputs and others, was efficient,according to discussions heldwithpartners and implementing staff. Planned activities of theproject were accomplished with in the allocated budget and time frame. Furthermore,implementations of activities utilized efficient collaboration with the primary implementingpartners.

SustainabilityThe project has been on sustainable path as evident in the major indicators including thedemandcreatedamongfarmersforthenewcropsandtechnologies,improvedlocalcapacityinserviceprovisionandscalingupeffortsofthegovernment.

Theprojecthasintroducednewcropsandpromotedimprovedvarietiesofexistingcrops.Goodlevelofdemandwascreatedamongfarmersbothintermsofacceptanceofthenewcropsforconsumptionaswellasinusingtheimprovedtechnologies.Improvedagriculturaltechnologies(including postharvest machines) were also promoted to the project Kebeles. Projectbeneficiarieswereprovidedwithquiterelevanttrainings.Fromboththetrainingsandpracticalexperiences,farmersreportedthatthebenefitsgainedandthelearnings,skillsandresultsfromtheprojectneedtosustainovertime.

The capacities built at Woreda and kebele levels also play a very important role for thesustainability of the project. The institutional arrangements, i.e., the partnership and thepractical involvement of three Agricultural Research Centers (ARCs): Alamata, Humera andMaytsebricanbementionedas theotherareas that facilitatedsustainabilityof implementeddevelopmentactivities.

Majorpartnersoftheprojectwerewellinformedaboutthephaseoutoftheproject,andtheywere prepared to take up some of the best practices of the project. Almost all partnersconfirmed that the introduced crops and technologies would continue in the future evenbeyondtheprojectlife.ImportantstepshavebeenundertakenbyTigrayBureauofAgriculturebyincorporatingplanofscalingupofthenewcropsparticularlygreengram,soyabeanandN13rice.

Despite the successful sustainability path, high turnover of extension staffs is a seriouschallengewhichrequiresattention for thepurposeofsustaining therecordedsuccessstoriesandresultsoftheproject.

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1.IntroductionSasakawaAfricaAssociation(SAA),throughitscountryprogramoftheSasakawaglobal2000–Ethiopia (SG2000)worked for several years in theNational Regional State of Tigray. SG2000supports thecountryagriculturalextensionsystemthroughcapacitybuilding,promotingnewandimprovedagriculturaltechnologiesandoperationalizingFarmer’TrainingCenters(FTCs)atkebele levels. SG2000 works in partnership with differ partners, mainly MoA and researchcentersandtheBoARDT.ThecapacitybuildingmainlyinvolvestrainingofExtensionAgentsonimprovedagriculturaltechnologiesandpractices.

Increasing crop diversity by introducing new crops improves risk management and reducesyield variability in the long-term. A more stable farm production certainly improves foodsecurityandallowforbetterplanningoffuturedevelopmentactivities.Thesefactorseventuallycontribute towards better livelihood conditions of farming households and stimulatedevelopment.Inlinewiththis,SAAintroducedaproject,calledPromotingCropDiversificationand Advanced Technology (PCDAT), which was officially launched in July 2011 to fill theobserved development gaps and complement the country plan for crop diversification andagriculturalproduction.

ThePCDATprojectwas a four-yearproject, from July 2011-July 2015, implemented in TigrayRegionbythePCDATprojectteamofSasakawaGlobal2000–EthiopiabasedinMekeleinclosecollaboration with BoARD of the Regional Government of the National State of Tigray. TheprojectwasfundedbyJICAunderJICAPartnershipProgram.

1.1. Socio-economicbackgroundofTigrayRegion

Tigray, the target Region of the PCDATproject is located in the northern part of Ethiopia. Itconsists of six Zones: Western, Northwestern, Central, Eastern, Southeastern and Southern.MekellecityisalsotakenasspecialZone.

Tigray is one of the Regions that face unreliable climatic conditions. It is a semi-arid Regioncharacterizedby longdry season,with themain rainy season that goes from June to endofAugust.Somepartsof thesouthernandeasternzoneshavebimodal typesof rainfallpatternwithshortrainsthatcomebetweenFebruaryandApril.Rainfalldistributionischaracterizedbyhightemporalandspatialvariabilitywithannualprecipitationrangingfrom450to980mm.TheRegionhasdiversesoiltypes.Oneofthemostwidespreadsoiltypesisthevertisol,whichhashighclaycontentandbecomesrapidlywater-loggedparticularlyintherainyseasonrenderingitunsuitableformostcropsgrownintheRegion.Therefore,theintroductionofcropscultivableon these soils couldhave an important impacton the agricultural productivity of theRegion(Hagosetal.,1999).

ThemajorconstraintsthathaveaffectedtheeconomicdevelopmentoftheRegionare:

• Limitedaccesstoarableland;• Limitedaccesstomarkets,inputsandtechnologies;• Highpopulationgrowthandhighincidenceofabsoluteandrelativepoverty;• Frequentdroughtandhighdependencyonrainfedagricultureinareaswithhighrainfall;

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• Very low literacy level among rural population (15 percent having some formaleducationbutonly7percentwithsomebasicliteracyskills(PenderandGebremedhin,2004).

Lowagriculturalproductivity intheRegionisattributabletothelowproductivityof laborandlowapplicationoffertilizersandlowlevelsofadoptionofproductivity-enhancingtechnologies(Woldehanna,2000;PenderandGebremedhin,2004).This isdirectly related to thedrought-pronenatureoftheareaandtheuncertaintyaboutrainfall,whichincreasestheriskassociatedwiththeuseofexternalinputs.TheaveragehouseholdlevelproductionintheRegion(whichis660kg)coversabout38percentoftheannualfooddemandofanaveragehouseholdandonlyabout 17 percent of the households are food self-sufficient (Hagos et al., 1999). Such lowproductivity isalsoreflected inthehigh incidenceofpoverty,which intheRegion isevenfarabovethenationalaverage.About45percentoftheruralpopulationand37percentofurbanpopulationlivebelowthenationallydefinedpovertyline.

Raisingproductivitywith simple low-cost technologiesand improving skills andknowledgeofsmall-scale farmerswill increase the adoption of novel development interventions and havebeneficial effects on the development of the Region. Encouraging farmers to use improvedtechnologies and cultivate crops will improve agricultural productivity. Hence, agriculturalextensionandcapacitybuildingoffarmerswouldresultinsignificantadvancesinfoodsecurity,economiccropproductionandincomegeneration.

1.2. IssuesandneedsofthelocalpeopleAgriculturaldevelopmentwhichisresilienttoclimaticchangeandsocialunrestisverycrucialinTigrayRegion.Drought isoneof themajorchallengesof theRegion.Further, theRegionhadbeenaffectedby social unrestduring theborder conflictwithEritrea.Although the situationhas considerably improved in the last few years, the Region is still missing investmentopportunitiesandinfrastructuraldevelopmentinalleconomicandsocialsectorsandmajorinthe agricultural sector. Such factors have affected economic growth and particularly,agriculturaldevelopmentintheRegion.Hence,oneofthemostimportantdevelopmentneedsof the people in the Region is to increase agricultural productivity and implement croppingsystemsthatisresilienttoperiodicbioticstresseventssuchasdroughtsornutrientdeficiencies.Thisenablesthelocalfarmerstoproducetheirsubsistencerequirements intermsofquantityandquality.

1.3. PromotingCropDiversificationandAdvancedTechnologiesinTigray(PCDAT)

PromotingCropDiversificationandAdvancedTechnologiesinTigray(PCDAT)projectaimedtoempower and enable farmers in targeted kebeles to improve their food security and overalllivelihood situations. The project has promoted improved agricultural technologies. Itmainlyintended to increase crop diversity through introducing ‘new’ crop varieties and strive toimproveproductionandproductivityof crops inTigray. Theproject alsopromoted improvedtechnologiesonexistingcrops. Identificationand introductionofcropswithbetteryieldsandhighnutritionalvaluesthatcouldimprovethediet,feedingqualityandincomeofthefarmers

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weresomeofthemajorinterventionsoftheproject.Whileimplementingtheproject,SG2000hasworkedverycloselywithresearchcentersandextensionworkersoftheMoA.

ObjectiveofthePCDAT

The overall objective of PCDAT was to improve crop yield and income of the smallholderfarmers through enhanced crop-diversity, use of improved technologies and marketingstrategies. It followed the value chain approach of SG2000 - Ethiopia, which includedinterventions that range from crop productivity improvement up to agro-processing, storageandmarketingoftheproductsofthetargetcrops.Torealizethispurpose,theprojecthadsetseveralobjectivelyverifiableindicatorsthatarelistedbelow.

• Introduceatleast3newcropsandsupporttobecultivatedbymorethan3000farmersinthetargetareas;

• Introducecropproductionenhancingtechnologiesforthetraditionalcropsandsupporttobeusedbyabout3000farmersinthetargetareas;

• Increasecropyieldsoftargetedfarmersbymorethan30%comparedtothebeginningoftheproject;

• Increase household incomes of the target farmers by at least 20% compared to thebeginningoftheproject;

• Train at least 2000 farmers on the use of improved agro-processing or storagetechnologiesforriceandalternativecrops;

• Supportat least500farmers touse improvedagro-processingorstoragetechnologiesforriceandalternativecrops;

• Trainat least500 farmers inmarketingandother related topicson theproductionofriceandalternativecrops;and

• Establishand/orstrengthenatleast20producergroupsonriceandalternativecrops.

Implementationandmanagement

SasakawaAfricaAssociation (SAA)/SG2000Ethiopiahasreceivedgrant fromJICAPartnershipProgramto implement theproject.Project implementationwasdone inpartnershipwith theMinistry of Agriculture (MoA) in general and the regional BoARD, in particular. For theimplementation of the project, sixWoredas were selected. The project commenced in June2011andrunforaperiodoffourconsecutiveyearsuptoJuly2015.Theprojecthasfourmajorareaof interventions (Themes):namely;CropandLivestockProductionEnhancement(Theme1),PostharvestandAgroProcessing (Theme2),PublicPrivatePartnershipandMarketAccess(Theme3)&Monitoring,Evaluation,LearningandSharingThemes(Theme5).

SAA/SG 2000 management provided leadership support. PCDAT project staff include oneProgramOfficer(PO)assignedforeachTheme(fourThemes(area)ofinterventions),AssistantProjectCoordinator(APC)andProjectManager(PM)whowereplacedinMekelle.

For the realization of project objectives, different new crops such as rice, green gram, soyabeanand sunflowerhadbeen introduced to theoperationalareas.Other local crops suchassesame, teff and sorghum, etc. were also promoted. Together with these, improved

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technologieslikefertilizers,rowplanting,weedcontrol,threshers,seedcleaners,parboilingofrice and storage had been introduced. Different training sessions were organized andconducted atWoreda, kebele and the farmers’ levels on improved agricultural technologies,marketingandmarketaccessandotherareas.

Projectsites

The PCDAT projectwas implemented in three Zones and sixWoreda s of Tigray Region: theWesternZoneinTsegedeandWelkaitWoredas;theNorthwesternZoneinTahtayKoraroandTselemtiWoredas;andtheSouthernZoneinAlamataandRayaAzeboWoredas.

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Figure1.PCDATprojectsites,TigrayRegion

MajorfactorsconsideredforselectingthesixWoredaswere:

• Accessibility(roadandpublictransport);• Areaswithlowagriculturalproductivityandwithproblemsoffoodinsecurity;• AvailabilityofsufficientExtensionAgents(EAs),at least2EAsperFTCs,toconduct

projectactivities;• Suitable agro-climatic conditions for the cultivation of alternative crops (rice

production);and• Willingness of Woreda s and FTCs to collaborate with SAA to implement project

activities.

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Such conditions had, therefore, entailed Sasakawa Global 2000 for rural developmentinterventions through designing the PCDAT project to improve food security of householdsfoundin24projectKebelesofthesixWoredasoftheRegion.

ProjectComponents

PCDAT project consisted of four major components that included: Crop ProductivityEnhancement (CPE); Post-Harvest Handling and Agro-processing (PHAP); Public–PrivatePartnerships andMarket Access (PPP-MA) andMonitoring, Evaluation, Learning and Sharing(MELS). The four major components of the project had their respective detailed activitiesimplementedduringitslifetime.Oneofthemajorandcommonactivitiesofthesecomponentsof theprojectwascapacitybuilding throughdifferent trainingswhichhasbeenconductedatWoreda, Kebele and farmer levels. They were implemented to build sustainable humanresourcesinthedifferentareasofprojectimplementation.

Projectoutputs/outcomes

Theprojecthadthreeexpectedoutputs/outcomes,whichwerealignedwiththeabovemajorcomponentsoftheproject.Thefirstoutputaimedatimprovingcropandfarmproductivity,thesecondatagro-processingandvalue-additionandthethirddealtwithmarketing,marketaccessandincomegenerations.Theprojectoutputsarethefollowing:

Output 1: The number of farmers cultivating new crops (rice and alternative crops) andtraditionalcropswith improvedtechnologies is increased.Theobjectivelyverifiable indicatorsofoutput1areasfollow:

1.1 Bytheendof theprojectat least3newcropshavebeen introducedtothetargetareaandarecultivatedbymorethan3000farmers.

1.2 By the end of the project at least 3000 farmers cultivate traditional crops withimprovedtechnologiesinthetargetarea

Output 2: The number of farmers using agro-processing and storage technologies foralternativeandtraditionalcropsincreased.Theobjectivelyverifiableindicatorsofoutput2arethefollowing:

2.1Bytheendoftheprojectatleast2000farmerstrainedintheuseofimprovedagro-processingorstoragetechnologiesforriceandalternativecrops.2.2 By the end of the project at least 500 farmers use improved agro-processing orstoragetechnologiesforriceandalternativecrops.

Output 3: Organized producer groups gain market access for their farm products. Theobjectively verifiable indicators of output 3 on the other hand include the following threefundamentalareas:

3.1Bytheendoftheprojectatleast20producergroupsestablished.3.2Bytheendoftheprojectatleast500farmerstrainedinmarketingaspects.3.3Bytheendoftheprojectat least3buyers identifiedforpurchasingfarmproductsfromthegroups.

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Projectbeneficiaries

Different people were identified to benefit from the project. The direct beneficiaries weresmall-scale farmers of the targeted Woredas. It was planned that farmers would receivetrainings and participate in field demonstrations of new technologies. Furthermore, it wasexpectedthattheywouldbefrequentlyvisitedbyextensionstaffsfortraining,adviceandotherextension supports. Special attention was also intended to be given to woman farmersorganized in groups and receive trainings at the respectiveWomenAssistedDemonstrations(WADs). So, the project has planned to work with about 3,000 farmers who would useimprovedproductiontechnologiesintheirplotsoflands,andtrain6,000more.Itwasexpectedthat further scalingupand scaleoutwouldbepossible andeventuallymostWoredasof theRegionwouldbenefit fromtheproject. Inadditiontothat, itwasplannedtotrainabout350extensionagentsdirectly,andtheywouldinturncontinuetrainingotherextensionagents.

Processofimplementation

Implementationoftheprojectstartedwithdetailedneedsassessmentandbaselinesurvey.Thesurvey was conducted in project Woredas to have firsthand information about the existingagriculturalpractices; to identify farm level constraints; tounderstandhow the interventionsare fit into the farming system of the project sites; and to set benchmarks tomeasure theprogressesoftheprojectforimpactassessments;

TherewasjointplanningofprojectactivitieswithWoredaagriculturaloffices.Aworkshopwasconducted inTselemtiandTsegedeWoredas.Jointplanningofactivitieswasoneofthegoodpracticesoftheprojecttoeffectivelyimplementplannedactivities,anditalsocontributedforsustainabilityoftheproject.

Implementation followed participatory approach while selecting sites and prioritizinginterventions. Selection of target areas, selection of target Farmers Training Centers (FTCs),selecting technology options for the targeted FTCs, conducting Needs Assessment (PNA) offarmers and the like were held by the project coordination office together with differentpartners of the project. Different monitoring and evaluation activities were designed andcarried out periodically by the assigned program officer in a close collaboration with otherstaffsandpartners.All theaboveconditions facilitatedsmoothprocessof implementationoftheproject.Allinall,therefore,itisindicatedbytheWoredaandKebelelevelpartnersoftheprojectthatstrongfollowupsweremadefromtheprojectcoordinationofficesoastokeeptheprocessontherighttrack.

TrainingswerealsoorganizedandconductedatWoredaagriculturaloffices.Trainingonfollowseasons and arranged as pre,mid and end-season. The trainingswere on: land preparation,seed selection, line planting, use of improved seeds and application of fertilizer withrecommendedrates,timelyweedingandharvesting,postharvesthandling,andmarketaccessandmarketing.In2013/14,about80percentofdemonstrationhostfarmersreceivedtrainingsfromextensionagentsonSG2000promotedtechnologies.Farmersreportedthattheirfarmingskills andknowledgehas improved following the trainings, and theyappliedgoodagronomicpractices such as better land preparation, appropriate input rates and good managementpractices.

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2.TheFinalEvaluationThis evaluation was demanded by the SG2000 - Ethiopia and JICA to assess and documentprogresses made and changes realized against the established indicators. Three sampleWoredas, namely Tselemti, Tesgede and Raya-Azebo were, therefore, chosen for theevaluation.. ThreeKebeleswere selectedone fromeachWoreda:Medhanialem,AlemGenetandGenetie.

2.1.Objectiveoftheevaluation

The final evaluation was intended to assess the progresses to date against the establishedindicators.Itmainlyaimedatmeasuringachievementsoftheprojectoutcomes,strengthsandchallenges, and identify essential lessons that can be scaled-up and scaled out. The specificobjectivesofthefinalevaluationoftheprojectincludedthefollowingareas:

! Review and document key successes, best practices, lessons learned and challengesfacedtowardsmeetingtheoutcomesoftheproject;

! Assessrelevance,efficiencyandeffectivenessofPCDATinterventionsandmeasuretheprogressestowardskeyoutcomesbasedonindicatorsstatedintheprojectlogframe;

! Identify the impact of the project on crop productivity and income of the targethouseholdsincludingthefactorsforchanges;and

! Identify key lessons and recommendations that would have strategic significance forpossiblefutureprojectinitiatives.

2.2Methodology

Participatory approach was followed to undertake this evaluation. Pertinent stakeholders,mainlyRegional, Zonal,WoredaandKebele level officials and farmerswereactively involvedboth infacilitatingthesurveyaswellasprovidingrelevant information.Suchparticipations inthe evaluation process helped to initiate senses of ownership of the undertaking as well asfacilitating learning from the required results, through anticipating such results from projectimplementation.

Whileundertakingthefinalevaluation, threeessentialstepswerefollowed:Thesewere:pre-datacollection,datacollectionphaseinthefieldanddataorganizationandanalysis.Toolsweredevelopedandmethodologydesignedduringthepre-datacollectionphase.Externalresourcepersonwas involvedforthedatacollectionmainly fromWoredaandKebele levelpartnersoftheproject.SAEDEprojectstaffswerealsohighlyinvolvedstartingfromfacilitatingthesurveytodataanalysisandfinalizingtheevaluationreport.

SampleProjectSitesandHouseholds

The final evaluationwas carried out in three selectedWoredas: Tselemti, Tsegede and RayaAzebo Woredas; and three Kebeles: Medhnialem, Alem Genet and Genetie, one in eachWoreda. The selectedWoredas and sample Kebeles well represented SG2000 developmentinterventionsandagro-ecologicaldiversities.Arandomsampleof35households(representingprojectfarmers)wereselectedfromeachKebele,i.e.,atotalof105.Outofthesetotalsamplehouseholds,70%(65)ofthemwerebeneficiariesoftheCPEcomponentoftheproject:farmersparticipatedasdemonstrationhostsofTOPsandWADs,andPTPfarmers.Ontheotherhand,

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23 (30%) of themwerepostharvest beneficiaries,while 17 (16.2%)were beneficiaries of theThemeIIIcomponents;marketandcreditaccess.

Both qualitative and quantitative data were collected from farmers using structuredquestionnaires. In addition to that, discussionswereheld atWoreda andKebele levels usingsemi-structuredquestionnairestosupplementinformationcollectedfromfarmers.

Box1.Processesfollowedforundertakingtheevaluation

Initially, three separate questionnaireswere developed to be used at three levels; at theWoreda,Kebeleandfarmerslevels.A resource person was deployed to handle data collection at the Woreda and Kebele level. Theresourcepersonwasgivenorientationsabouttheoverallsituationoftheprojectandwastaskedtoalsoproducedraftreport.Different documents were carefully reviewed by the resource person, such as project document,baselinereport,projectprogressreportsandotherrelevantdocuments.Discussions were held with Woreda Agriculture and Rural Development Offices and Kebele levelofficialsusingsemi-structuredquestionnaires.Six enumerators were recruited and trained to interview 105 beneficiary households in the threesampleWoredas,andtherespectivethreeKebeles.Theevaluationteamconductedcasestudiesofsixfarmers involvedintheproduction,consumptionandsellingofriceDataentryandcleaningwashandledbyexperienceddatatechnicians,butanalysisofinformationwasdonebytheresourcepersonandMELSThemeusingSPSSsoftware.Draftreportwasproducedandcommentsincorporated.

2.3LimitationsoftheFinalEvaluation

In undertaking this evaluation, somemajor limitations were observed in the process.Whiletotalnumberofbeneficiariesoftheprojectwereexpectedtobe3,000farmers,thesamplesizein this evaluation was only 105 farmers; accounting only 3.5 percent of the total. ThisproportiongetsverylowwhenitisassessedasapercentageoftotalnumberofhouseholdsintheprojectKebeles.Similarly,fromthe24projectKebelesonly3kebeles(12.5%)werecoveredinthisevaluation.Althoughtheseareserious limitations,secondary information,casestudiesand detailed household level assessmentswere used to supplement the study, and so as tominimizethedegreeoftheabovelimitations.

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3.EvaluationResults:KeyFindingsandDiscussions3.1Backgroundcharacteristicsofsamplehouseholds

Familysize

As indicated in the table below, majority of the sample households have family size whichrangesfrom4to7members,whileonlyabout7%reportedtohavefamilysizelessthan3onaverage.Table1.HouseholdsizesbyKebele(in%)

Educationlevels

In terms of education levels of the households, the majority are illiterate. To the contrary,however,someofthemhavecompletedgrade10,whiletherewerenohouseholdswhohaveattained to the level of diplomaordegree in their education. ExceptAlemGenetKebele, nosignificantdifferenceofilliteracy(cannotreadandwritecategory)wasobservedbetweenmaleand the female respondents. But female respondents surpass their male counterparts withregardtoattendinggrades1-6(seeTablebelow).

Table2.Educationlevelsofhouseholdsbysex(in%)No.

Description

Kebele TotalMedhanialem AlemGenet Genetie

Male Female Male Female Male Female1 Cannotreadandwrite 3.8 6.7 1.9 13.3 8.6 13.3 47.62 Readingandwriting 1.9 3.8 0 0.95 0 0 6.63 Grades1-6 0.95 7.6 0 7.6 2.9 7.6 26.64 Grades7-10 0.95 4.8 0 1.9 0 0.95 8.65 Abovegrade10 1.9 0.9 0 2.9 0 0 5.76 Notgiveninformation 4.8 Total 9.5 23.85 1.9 26.6 11.5 26.6 100

Source:HouseholddataofPCDATFinalEvaluation

Typesofbeneficiaryhouseholds

The sample farmers are of three typeswith regard to their participation in the project. Themajority of them (70% percent) are participants of crop productivity enhancement (T1)componentoftheproject,while22%participatedinPostharvestandAgro-processing(T2)and16.2%were involved inthePublicPrivatePartnershipsandMarketAccess (T3)componentoftheproject.

Kebeles

Familysize Total1-3 4-7 8-11

Medhanialem 11.4 60 28.6 100AlemGenet 8.6 68.6 22.8 100Genetie 0 74.3 25.7 100Source:FieldAssessmentforFinalEvaluation

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Table3.TypesoffarmersbyKebeleandsex

Kebele

TypesofFarmers Totalnumberofhouseholds

Cropproductivityenhancement(T1)

farmers(TOP,WAD,PTP,CVP)

Postharvestandagro-processing(T2)farmers

PPPandmarketaccess(T3)farmers

Male Female Male Female Male FemaleMedhanialem 10 5 0 12 0 8 35AlemGenet 0 15 1 10 1 8 35Genetie 12 23 0 0 0 0 35TotalinPercent 20.95 40.95 0.95 20.95 0.95 15.24 100

Source:HouseholdleveldataofPCDATFinalEvaluation

3.2.RelevanceoftheProject3.2.1.Projectrelevancetoprioritiesandneedsoftargetgroups

Low agricultural productivity, and hence food insecurity, was one of themajor problems oftargetprojectWoredas.ThePCDATprojectwasdesignedandimplementedconsideringthesemajor developmental problems. Before project implementation, needs assessment wasconductedtoidentifyandprioritizeprojectactivities.Suitabilityoftheagro-climaticconditionsto grow rice and other crops were also assessed. Project sites were selected having goodaccessibility(roadinfrastructuresaswellaspublictransportation)andavailabilityofsufficientEAstoimplementtheplannedactivities.

Theneedsassessmentwasconductedwithactiveparticipationoffarmersintheprojectsites.Accordingtoresultsoftheneedsassessmentsurvey,oneofthemajorproblemsofthetargetedareas was that agricultural productivity was so low. Further, the assessment identified thatsufficient number of Extension Agents (EAs)were available to conduct project activities, theproject sites were accessibility with good road infrastructure and public transportation, andtherewerewillingnessofWoredasandtheFTCofficialstocollaboratewithSAAintheprocessofimplementation.Additionally,therewerejointproblemidentificationandplanningprocesseswithmajorprojectpartners.

TheappropriatenessofprojectobjectiveandconsistencywiththelocalsituationsandspecificconditionsoftheWoredasareunequivocal.Consideringdevelopmentchallengesintheprojectareas, PCDAT introduced new crops such as rice, green gram, soya bean and sunflower;promoteddiversificationsofotherdifferentlocalcropssuchassorghum,teff,sesame,finguremillet and wheat; introduced postharvest technologies for rice and the other food crops;facilitatedmarketlinkagesonriceandothercrops.

All inall, theprojectwasdesignedbasedon feltneedsof farmers. Itwasdesignedwith fourmajorcomponentsandrespectiveactivitiesaddressingmajordevelopmentchallenges.Thefourmajorcomponentswereexpectedtoaddressproductivityandfoodinsecurityproblemsoftheareas. Woreda level partners indicated that the project was demand driven, hence, it wasrelevanttotheprojectareas.

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3.2.2.Projectconsistencywithdevelopmentpoliciesandpriorities

Theprojectwasconsistentwithgovernmentpolicydirectionthattakespovertyreductionasitscentralpoint.Addressingtheproblemoffoodinsecurityoflocalcommunitiesisthepriorityofthe development efforts undergoing in the country. PCDAT project was designed based onpoliciesandthestrategiesof theGovernmentofEthiopia. Itwas in linewiththeGrowthandTransformationPlan(GTP)ofthecountry.Forinstance,recently,theGovernmentofEthiopianhasidentifiedriceasthe‘MillenniumCrop’andstartedpromotingricecultivation.Forthis,theGovernmenthasestablishedtheNationalRiceResearchandDevelopmentSteeringCommitteeandTechnicalCommittees inwhichSAAandJICAaremembers.TheGovernment iswillingtofacilitate the enabling environment for promoting production of rice while this projectenvisaged to contribute to the goal based on past experiences in the extension system, andparticularlyinriceproduction.

The project was designed with fourmajor components that promoted alternativemeans ofincome to farmers by reducing dependencies on limited income sources of crop productionsuch as sorghum, finger millet and teff. Hence, introduction of new crops and improvedtechnologiescreatedoptionsbywhichfarmerscouldselectaccordingtospecificsituationsoftheirlocalityandtheirfeltneeds.Allnecessaryprojectinputswereprovidedtoenabletogivewider opportunities to farmers to actively participate in their respective interests andpreferences.

3.3.EffectivenessoftheprojectThisevaluationassessedeffectivenessbasedonmajor resultsperspecificcomponentsof theproject: crop and farm productivity, agro-processing and value-addition, and marketing andmarketaccesses.Analysisofmajorfindingsanddiscussionsofeffectivenesswould,therefore,beonthebasisoftargetsandachievementsofoutcomesofmajorcomponentsoftheproject.

3.3.1.CropProductivityEnhancement

This is one of the major components of the project, and aimed to promote improvedagricultural technologies for enhancing cropproductivity in the project sites. For realizing itsobjective a number of development activities were implemented in the last four years andcorrespondingchangesandoutcomeswererecorded.

Trainingoncropproductionandproductivity

Skills and knowledge of farmers and extension agents has improved following differenttrainings and advices provided through the project on improved crop production andproductivity. During the four years of the project life, beneficiary farmers received differenttrainings and important advices both from extension agents and SG 2000 staff. From thetechnicalsupportsprovided,farmersindicatedthattheyhavelearnednewskillsandimprovedagricultural practices and technologies. Almost all farmers (98%) reported that they havelearnednewskillsandtheirfarmingpracticeshaveimproved,and87%ofthemsaidthattheirproductivityhasalso increased. Importanttrainingsessionsandadvicesprovidedbyboththe

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extension agents and staff of the project have contributed for such change in skills andproductivity.

Table4.Farmersperceptionontraining,newskillsandchangeinproductivityItem

%offarmersreported

Proportionoffarmersreportedtheyhavelearnednewskills/technologiesfromtrainings

99

Proportionoffarmersreportedtheirfarmingskillimproved 98Proportionoffarmersreportedincreasedproductivity 87

Source:HouseholdleveldataoftheFinalEvaluation

Farmerswerealsoaskedtoindicatespecificareaswheretheyreceivedsupportfromextensionagentsandprojectstaff.Mostofthemreportedthattheyreceivedmoresupportintheareaofraw planting practices. Furthermore, farmers also indicated they received support in areasmainlyinfertilizerapplication,improvedseed,landpreparationandtimelyweeding.Althoughallofthesubjectsandsupportsprovidedarevery importantascanbeseenfromthelist,thesinglemost important subject likedby themajorityof the respondents (about50%)was rawplantingfollowedbyimprovedseeds.

Table5.SpecificSupportsprovidedtofarmersonCropProduction(in%)

DescriptionProjectKebele

Medhanialem AlemGenet Genetie

Rawplanting 61.7 45 46.3Fertilizerapplication 18.3 9.8 10.4Improvedseed 11.7 28 25.4Properuseoffertilizer 11.7 8.5 0Landpreparation 18.3 18.3 -Timelyweeding 11.7 13.4 -Source:HouseholdleveldataoftheFinalEvaluation

Knowledgeandskilltransfer

Transferring improved agricultural knowledge and skills was one of the very importantaspectsoftheproject.AscanbeseenfromtheTablebelow,aboutninetypesofnewandimprovedagriculturalpracticeswerevery importantto farmers.Themajorones includedrowplanting(reportedby96.2%),improvedvarieties(54.2%),properfertilizerapplication(46.6),andseedrateandweedcontrol(40%each).

Table6.NewskillsandknowledgelearnedfromEAs/SG2000(%)No. Kebeles

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Improvedtechnologies/practicesMedhanialem

AlemGenet Genetie

Total

1 Improvedvarieties 54 25 82 54.22 Methodsofdiseaseandpestcontrol 2 11.4 5.7 6.63 Seedrate 68 48 2 404 Rowplanting 100 94 94 96.25 Properseedspacingbetweenrows

andplants5.7 8.5 0 4.5

6 Weedcontrolandherbicideuse 68.5 40 11.4 407 Fertilizerwith

recommendedapplication60 60 20 46.6

Source:HouseholdleveldataoftheFinalEvaluation

Improvedagriculturalskillsandknowledgetransferredthroughtheprojecthavemultipliereffectsinnon-projectWoredastoo.Newskillsandknowledgeobtainedthroughtheprojectcanbeeasilytransferredthroughfarmer-to-farmersociallinks.Farmerswhoparticipatedinthisprojectareexpectedtosharetheirskills to fellowfarmers.Studiesconfirmedthatthismethodof knowledge transfer ismuch faster andeffective thanextensionagent-to-farmerslink.

Introducingnewandalternativecrops

One of the major objectives of the project was to introduce new crops and improveproductivity of other locally grown ones in the project Kebeles. The project, therefore,introduced four new food crops: rice, green gram, soya been and sunflower. This evaluationalsoconfirmedthatdifferentcropvarietieswereintroducedandpromotedtotheprojectareasduring the four years of the project life. Other different local cropswere also grown by thefarmers in the project sites; themajor ones are: sorghum, teff, sesame, fingermillet,maize,wheat, barley, chick peas, onion and gesho. Improved crop varieties of both the new andexistingcropswerepromotedusingSG2000FLPapproachaimingtoimproveproductivityandproductioninthesites.

Thecropsweregrownwiththeapplicationofmoderninputssuchasurea,DAPandImprovedcrop varieties. Among the food crops, sorghum and rice used more fertilizers in the threesampleKebeles.Tothecontrary,however,verysmallamountoffertilizerwereusedforsomecropssuchasgreengram,barley,chickpeas,onionandgesho(seeannexfordetailsofmajorcropsgrown,anduseoffertilizerandimprovedseedbycrops)

Use/AdoptionofImprovedagriculturalTechnologies

ImplementationofthePCDATprojecthascontributedtotheadoptionoruseofdifferenttypesofimprovedtechnologiesandpractices.Someofthemostimportanttechnologiesorpracticesusedby farmers in theprojectKebeles are depicted in the Table below.Given that, the twomostadoptedonesarerawplantingpracticewhichwasreportedbyover85percentandtheuseofimprovedseeds,byabout39.1percentofsamplefarmers.

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Themainreasonsforuse/adoptionof improvedtechnologiesandpracticesincludedintensivetrainings (reported by almost all farmers) and better production, as reported by 83% of thefarmers.

Table7.Improvedcropproductiontechnologiesandpracticesusedbyfarmers(%)

DescriptionProjectKebele

Medhanialem AlemGenet GenetieRawplanting 94 85 85Improvedseed 25 20 71Properuseoffertilizer 31 17 0Landpreparation 34 34 2Timelyweeding 54 60 -Source:HouseholdleveldataoftheFinalEvaluation

UseofImprovedcropvarieties

More plots are getting covered with improved varieties. Use of improved seed doubled in2014/15 as compared to the situation during the baseline. On average 16.7% of plots werecovered with improved varieties in 2010/11, whereas in 2014/15 it increased to 37.2%. Forsomecrops, likerice,maizeandwheat,therewasasignificantlyhigh increment intheuseofimproved seed, while for some crops such as sorghum and millet the change was notencouraging.

Table8.Cropvarietiesusedduringbaselineandfinalevaluationperiod(%)

No.

Croptype

Baseline(2010/11) Finalevaluation(2014/15)Cropvariety Cropvariety

Local Improved Local Improved1 Sorghum 99 1 94 62 Rice - - 12.5 87.53 Teff 55 45 62.7 37.34 Millet 99 1 100 05 Sesame 87 13 75.6 24.46 Maize 77 23 54.2 45.87 Wheat 83 17 8.3 91.78 Greengram - - 20 80 Mean/Total 83.3 16.7 62.8 37.2

Source:HouseholdleveldataofthebaselineandFinalevaluation

Fertilizeruse

Useof fertilizersandtheirproperuseaccordingtoresearchrecommendationwasoneoftheimportant technologies SG2000 has promoted through the PCDAT project. Accordingly, thisevaluationalsoaskedfarmerswhethertheyhaveappliedfertilizerbasedonrecommendationsandhalfofthemrespondedpositively.

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Table9.Proportionoffarmplotsusedfertilizerbasedonrecommendations

CropType Sorghum Teff Rice Millet Greengram

Wheat Maize Sesame TotalMean

%appliedfertilizerasrecommended

44.5 43 87.5 6 90 100 17 31 50

Lineplantingpractice

Threedifferenttypesofplantingmethodswereusedintheprojectsites;ordinarylineplanting,recommended line planting with proper spacing, and traditional broadcasting methods.Althoughordinary line plantingmethodwas on a rise as compared to broadcastingmethod,onlyveryfewfarmers(3%)practicedrecommendedpracticewithproperspacing.Forcropslikericeandmaizeover70%of the farmersreporteduseofordinary lineplantingpractice,whilelineplantingofteffwasreportedby27%ofthefarmers.

ChangeincroppingpatternafterthePCDATproject

PCDAT contributed to the change in cropping pattern in the projects sites, mainly throughintroducingnewcrops,likerice,andpromotingimprovedagronomicpractices.ThisevaluationassessedchangeinthecroppingpatterninthesampledKebelesusingmainlythechangeintheuse of cultivated land and production after the PCDAT project as compared to the baselinesituation. Changes in the total cultivated land and production of sampled households werecomparedforsevenmajorcrops:sorghum,teff,millet,rice,maizeandsesame.

The cropping pattern considering cultivated farm lands showed that rice as a new crop hascoveredmore land particularly inMedhanialem and AlemGenet Kebeles. Cultivation of riceshowedan increasing trendby a significant level, for instance, just from0.25ha to 10ha inMedhanialemKebele.RicewastotallyanewcropinAlemGenetKebele,wherecultivatedlandjumped to 17ha from zero, showing PCDAT contribution in introducing rice. However, inGenetie Kebele rice cultivated land did not show any change as the cropwas not promotedthere. Cultivation of Teff has also shown a significant change, particularly in MedhanialemKebele, indicating the contribution of the project mainly through promoting improved lineplantingpractice(seeTablebelow).

Table10.Totalareacultivated(inhectares)beforeandafterPCDATinterventions(2014/15)

CropsKebeles

Medhanialem AlemGenet GenetieBefore

(2010/11)After

(2014/15)Before

(2010/11)After

(2014/15)Before

(2010/11)After

(2014/15)Sorghum 23.05 19.5 53.51 49 40.11 47Teff 5.5 14.5 0 0 28 26Millet 10.5 10.2 7.87 7 0.25 1Rice 0.25 10 0 17 0 0Maize 5.46 5.85 0.375 0.6 1 1Sesame 0.375 0.375 46.2 50 0 0Source:HouseholdleveldataoftheFinalEvaluation

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Another essential comparisonwasmade regarding the change in the total productionof thecropsaftertheproject.Itwasfoundthatsignificantchangeinproductionwasrecordedforrice,sorghum and teff, indicating PCDAT contribution in introducing new crops and promotingimprovedagronomicpractices,particularlyonthosecrops.

Table11.Totalcropproduction(inquintal)beforeandafterPCDATinterventions

CropsKebeles

Medhanialem AlemGenet GenetieBefore

(2010/11)After

(2014/15)Before

(2010/11)After

(2014/15)Before

(2010/11)After

(2014/15)Sorghum 376 499.5 766 769 376 669Teff 32.3 49 0 0 201 197Millet 126.5 185 59.5 74 4 15Rice 2.6 477 0 437 0 0Maize 84 130.5 3 5.5 1 1Sesame 18 20 178 210 0 0Source:HouseholdleveldataoftheFinalEvaluation

Cropproductivity

Productivity of major crops showed an increasing trend compared to the baseline. Averagecerealproductivity(ofmajorcrops)wasonly1.5ton/haduringthebaseline(2010/11),but in2014/15 (end of project) productivity increased, on average, to 2.0 ton/ha, showing a 32%increment.Thechangeincropyieldwasafactorofmanyreasons,amongothers,betteruseofimprovedagriculturalpracticesandimprovedseedwerethemajor,forwhichthecontributionofthePCDATwassignificant.Table12.Cropproductivityofmajorcrops(inton/ha),comparingbaselineandfinalevaluationCrops Kebeles Average

Yield2014/15

Average yield2010/11(Baseline)

Changeincrop yield(%)Medhanialem

AlemGenet Genetie

Sorghum 2.6 1.8 1.5 2.0 1.4 43.4Teff 0.89 - 0.97 0.95 0.8 18.9Rice 3.2 3.0 - 3.1 2.4 30.5Average 2.2 2.4 1.23 2.0 1.53 32.4Source:Householdleveldataofthebaselineandfinalevaluation

Farmerswereaskedtorankthemainreasonsforthechangeincropproductivity,andmajority(over 80%) of them reported three reasons. The reasons in order of importance are: use ofimprovedagriculturaltechnologies,favorableclimatecondition(rainfall),andattractivemarketpricesmotivating farmers toproducemore.Whereas,about25%of thehouseholdsreportedotherreasonsforthechangesincropproductivity.

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Table13.Mainreasonsforthechangesincropproductivityin(in%)No. Description Kebele Total

Medhanialem AlemGenet Genetie1 Useofimprovedagricultural

technologies100 91 44 78.3

2 Favorableclimatecondition(rainfall)

97 51.5 100 83

3 Attractivemarketprices 27.3 30.3 4 204 Betteraccesstocredit 6.1 6.1 0 6.14 Otherreasons 12.1 21.2 44 25.7

Source:Householdleveldataofthefinalevaluation

3.3.2.PostharvestandAgro-ProcessingIntroducingandpromotingpostharvestandagro-processing(PHAP)technologieswastheotherimportant component of the PCDAT project as part of its objective of promoting advancedtechnologies.Fortherealizationofthiscomponent,anumberofactivitieswereimplementedandhence,correspondingresultshavebeenachieved.The PCDAT introduced and promoted postharvest and agro-processing (PHAP) technologiessuchasricemills,multi-cropthreshersandseedcleaners.Ithasprovidedsevenriceprocessingmills, twomulti-crop threshers,one seedcleanerandonepar-boil kit. These improvedPHAPtechnologies were introduced to three rice growing Woredas of Tigray Region (Tsegede,Wolqait and Tselemti Woredas). After placing or installing the PHAP technologies, machineoperatorswereidentifiedandtrainedonmaintenanceandoperationofthemachines.

The project was effective in introducing, improving skills and knowledge of farmers andpromotingtheuseofPHAPtechnologiesintheprojectsites.Expectedresultsoftheprojectinthe PHAP component were to train 2000 farmers, and 500 farmers were planned to useimproved PHAPor storage technologies. In this regard, the project achieved over 100%as atotalof4549farmersweretrained,and6,628farmersusedthePHAPtechnologies.

TrainingontheuseofimprovedPHAP

Capacity building of extension staff, farmers and PHAPmachine technicians was among themajor activities implemented by SG2000 through the project. During the four years of theproject, SG2000 provided different trainings and established demonstrations on PHAPtechnologies.AtTOT level,269extensionagents (EAs)and134 lead farmerswere trainedonagroprocessing,foodpreparationandstoragemanagementtechnologies.Extensionagents,inturn, have trained a total of 4549 farmers (12% women). Training on food processing,particularlyonnewlyintroducedcropssuchasgreengram,riceandsoyabeanwasprovidedtoatotalof146people(82%ofthemwerewomen).Trainingswerealsoprovidedto57machineoperators,maintenanceserviceprovidersandmembersofagro-processinggroups.

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Table14.TrainingofTrainersandnumberoffarmerstrainedonPHAPParticipantsofTrainingofTrainers(TOT) FarmerstrainedbyTrainedEAsParticipants 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 Total Sex 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 TotalSMSs 59 18 21 6 4 108 Male - 1388 2191 - 406 3985DAs 40 53 29 15 24 161 Female - 128 303 - 133 564LeadFarmers - - - 84

50 134 - - - - -

--

Total 99 71 50 105 78 403 Total - 1516 2494 - 539 4549Source:AnnualreportsofthePCDATproject

AlmostallsampledfarmersandkeyinformantsreportedthattheyhavegainednewskillsandknowledgeinPHAPtechnologies.Theprojectprovidedfourtypesofsupport,included:formaltraining(onstoragemanagement,ricemillsandmulti-cropthresher);informalconsultationontheuseofPHAPtechnologies;fielddaysonPHAPtechnologies;andfollowupsontheuseandmanagementPHAPmachines.ThesupportsandfollowupsonthePHAPtechnologiesplayedanimportantroleinimprovingtheknowledgeandtheskillsofbeneficiaryhouseholds.Becauseofthe integratedeffortsexertedwiththedifferent typesofsupports, therefore,majorityof theinterviewed farmers reported that their skills and knowledge improved on the use of PHAPtechnologies.KeyinformantsfromprojectKebeleshaveindicatedthatthenewPHAPtrainingshavehelpedthemtoacquireimportantknowledgeparticularlyintheareaofimprovedwayofharvestinganddrying(particularlyforrice)andimprovedstoragetechniquesandmaterials.

Use/adoptionofthePHAPtechnologies

PCDAT project promoted PHAP machines (10) through field demonstrations and field days.Many demonstrations and field days were organized particularly to promote the newlyintroducedricemills,multi-cropthreshers,seedcleanersandpar-boilkitsPHAPtechnologies.Atotal of 2,228 people (1760 farmers and 468 EAs) attended and learned from the PHAPdemonstrationsduringthelastfouryears.

ThedemonstrationsonPHAPcreatedhugedemand fromfarmers,privateentrepreneursandgovernmentpartners.Themachines (e.g., thericemills)wereappreciatedparticularlybyriceproducingfarmers,privateserviceprovidersandTigrayBureauofAgriculture.Asaresult,theBureauhaspurchasedsixadditionalricemillstoprovideservicetofarmersintheRegion.OneprivateinvestorandoneMonasteryalsopurchasedricemillsafterobservingserviceprovisionoftheSG2000introducedricemillsinTselemtiWoreda.

UseofthepostharvestmachinesincreasedintheprojectWoredas.Asaresult,6,628farmers(27%womenfarmers)usedtheserviceofthesepostharvesttechnologies,andBirr315,324wasgeneratedfromtheserviceprovision.Atotalofabout849MTofcropswereprocessedbythetechnologies - rice polishers, multi-crop threshers and seed cleaners. The machine inMedhanialem Kebeles has performed better in terms of amount of polished rice than otherKebeles.

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Table15.NumberoffarmersusedPHAPmachinesandamountofricepolishedProcessing

Center/KebeleNo.offarmersusedtheService

(Beneficiaries)Polishedrice(intons)

MoneyCollectedfromtheservice(inBirr)

Male Female Total

Alem-genet 711 115 826 73.4 29,365.20

Maidele 238 69 307 15.4 6,176.80

Dedebit/Qeshi-gebru 799 235 1034 221.87 71,426.00

Selam 597 146 743 66.6 22,982.30

Endabo 54 19 73 10 3,000.00

Medhanialem 2393 805 3198 442.5 177,001.60

Tsaeda-qerni 329 118 447 19.72 5,372.50

Total 5121 1507 6628 849.55 315,324.4

Source:In-depthstudyon‘SuccessstoryofriceinTigray’,2015

BenefitsoftheuseofthePHAPmachines

ThePHAPtechnologies,particularlythericemillshavebroughtrealchangeinriceproductionand consumption. Rice production increased primarily following promotion of Nerica 13 ricevarietybySG2000,buttherewerechallengestoprocess,useandmarketrice.Thus,promotionof the rice mills has solved these challenge and encouraged farmers to produce more.Furthermore, these processing machines helped farmers to utilize rice by preparing it indifferent food types for consumption. Trainings particularly on rice food preparationcontributed to improved consumption of rice in the project areas. After polishing andprocessingofrice,farmersstartedusingriceintheformofInjera,bread,boiledriceandlocaldrinks.

Sampledfarmersandkeyinformantsreportedimprovementinincomeandlivingstandardafterthe use of the PHAPmachines. Additionally, therewere other benefits like improvements inqualityofproductsandreductionsofpostharvest lossescomparedto thebaselinesituations.Theimprovementsinthequalityandreductionsofthepost-harvestlossesenabledfarmerstogetattractivepricesfortheirproduceinthelocalaswellasothermarkets.

Challenge

Promoting the use of the PHAP technologies has faced some challenges mainly related tomanagementofthemachinesandlackoffrequentmaintenanceservice. ThePHAPmachineswereworkingproperly,buttheydidnotprocess(threshorpolish)enoughquantityofcropsascomparedtotheircapacityandpotential.Therateofuseoradoptionofthesemachineswaslowascomparetotheirexpectedcapacity.Particularlyuseofthethresherswasverylowduetomainlypoorrepairandmaintenanceservice.

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Despitethesuccess,thericemillswerealsoprocessinglowamountofricecomparedtotheirpotential. Polishing service provision was low, and they were underutilized compared topotentialnumberofricefarmersandnumberofmachinesprovided.Oneofthemainreasonswas lack of proper management of the machines. Farmers’ cooperatives owning thesemachinesneedtobestrengthenedmainlywithrespecttobusinessmanagementandoperationof the machines. Furthermore, they also need to be supported to actively engage in ricemarketinginadditiontotheirpolishingservices.

3.3.3.Public-PrivatePartnershipsandMarketAccess

This component of the project contributed to improvedmarketing andmarket access in theprojectsitesthroughestablishinggroups,trainingfarmers inmarketingandlinkingthemwithpotentialbuyers. Theprojectwaseffective inproviding training to462extensionagentsand3,638 farmers, and establishing and strengthening 18 groups engaged in production andmarketing. The number of trainees was much higher than what was initially planned (500farmers).Theprojecthasalsodonecommendabletaskoflinkingfarmerstopotentialmarkets,butstillalotisrequiredinthisaspectoftheproject.

TrainingsonBusinessManagementandMarketLinkage

The PCDAT project conducted ToTs on marketing and farmers’ organization and businessmanagement in all the projectWoredas. The training focused on basic marketing concepts,marketlinkages,collectiveactionformarketaccessandroleofextensionagentsinsupportingfarmersandfarmergroupsformarketing.Thetrainees includedDAs,SMSsand leadfarmers.FollowingtheToTs,EAsandWoredacooperativeexpertstrained3,638farmers(ofwhich25%werefemale)onmarketing,marketlinkageandbusinessmanagement.

Sampledfarmersindicatedthattheyreceivedsupportonmarketingandgroupformationintheform of formal training (69%), informal consultations (12%), participation in rice exhibition(10%)andthroughgroupformationandfacilitationofmarketlinkages(9%).

Figure2.SupportReceivedfromSG2000onmarketingandmarketaccess

0%20%40%60%80%

100%92%

15% 14% 12%

%

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Establishingproducergroups

Withsupportsand followups fromtheproject,developmentagentsandcooperative leadersorganizedfarmersingroups.Intotal,theprojectestablishedsevengroups,andsupportedandstrengthened11groupstoactivelyinvolveinproductionandmarketing.Theestablishedgroupsengaged in seed production (four in rice and one in teff seed), honey production and agro-processing.Theseedproducergroupsweretrainedtoproducegoodqualityseedofrice(N13)andteff.

Additionally, one existing rice seed producer group, eight multi-purpose cooperatives, oneCooperative Union, and one agro-processing group were supported and strengthened withtrainings on marketing and organizational management skills. These skills enabled them tointeractbetterwithmarkets,andimprovedtheirnegotiationcapacity.

Creatingmarketlinkagesandorganizingexhibitions

ThePCDATprojectfacilitatedmarketlinkagesandpromoteduseofnewcrops,particularlyrice.Different forums and discussions were held with partners and potential buyers on ricemarketing.Exposurevisitswerealsoarrangedforriceproducingfarmers,membersandleadersofprimarycooperativesandUnionstotownssuchasWoreta,ShireandMekeletopopularizetheirproduct,togetexperienceonmarketingandestablishmarketlinkages.

As a result, market linkages were establishedwith traders and retailers found in towns likeWoreta,ShireandMekele.FarmersinWolqaitandTsegedeWoredasbecameabletoselltheirrice in bulk to Woreta town traders. Cooperatives in project Kebele participated in ricemarketing and have started to play important role solvingmarket problems in some of theprojectKebeles. InTselemtiWoredapolishedricewassold inopenmarketsandretail shops,and some vendors were selling paddy and polished rice. Locally produced and milled ricemeeting consumer preferences were sold in the domesticmarkets atMaitsebri and DanshatownsatapriceofBirr850to1100perquintal(100kg).

Eatlocalriceexhibitionswerealsoconductedtopopularizeutilizationofriceandattractbuyersfrom different locations such as Maitsebri, Dansha, Shire, Mekele and Addis Ababa.Stakeholder’seventswerealsoheldwithmanypartnersandpotentialbuyersonricemarketing.Theprojectalsoconductedseveralotherexhibitions,aimingtocreategoodlinkagesbetweenriceproducersandtraders.

Changeinmarketing

Improved processing,marketing and food preparation has contributed for increased incomeandbetteracceptanceofnewcropslikericeandgreengram.Farmersweretrainedinimprovedagronomicpractices,processing,foodpreparation,marketing,andbettermarketlinkageswerealsoestablishedwithtradersfromdifferenttowns.Particularly,riceproducersbenefitedfromthemarket linkagescreatedwithgrain traders fromdifferent townssuchasWoreta,AmharaRegion. The biggest sale of ricewas alsomade through this linkage. Local traderswere alsoencouraged and farmers in Tsegede and Wolqait were selling their rice to traders andcooperativesintheirKebeles.

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After SG2000 interventions, certain changes were observed in the marketing of the cropsproduced in the project areas. Majority of interviewed households indicated that majorchangeshavebeenobservedintheareasofmarketaccess,priceofoutput,qualityofproductsand income levels. This evaluation attempted to assess opinion of farmers in the sampledKebeles with regard to change in marketing and income, and except one project Kebele,Genetie,most farmers in twoof theproject Kebeles reportedpositive change in that aspect(seetable8).

Table16.Percentoffarmersreportedimprovementinmarketingandincome

No.

ChangesobservedProjectKebeles

Medhanialem AlemGenet Genetie1 Accesstomarketimproved

andmarketlinkagescreated 74.3 66.0 11.44 Incomelevels 77.1 51.4 14.35 Marketpriceofaproduce 57.1 51.4 14.36 Qualityofproducts/crops 77.1 71.4 20.0

Source:FinalevaluationofthePCDATproject

Ever increasing price of rice has contributed to change in income of rice farmers. In 2011,marketpriceofpaddyricewas3,800birr/tonandin2012itwentupto5,500birrperton.In2013,thefarmgatepriceofpaddyricewasabout6300/ton.Changeinthepriceofricecanbetakenasagoodsignforbetteracceptanceofthecropandchangeintheincomeofricefarmers.This trend was also supported with some case studies conducted at random householdsindicatingthatricehasbroughtsignificantchangesinincome(seeboxbelow).

Box2.IndividualcasesofSuccess:There were changes in the consumption and sale of rice as indicated by these cases of twoindividuals.Afarmercalled‘BirhaneTegegn’atAlemgenetKebele,TsegedeWoreda,harvestedabout3.3tonsofricein2011.Heused0.3tonsforconsumptionandseed,whiletherest3tonsofpaddyricewassoldatbirr3,800per ton. From thisheearnedaboutbirr11,400asadditional income. In2012productionseason, this farmerharvestedabout2.1 tonsofpaddy rice,andsold1 tonofpaddyriceatamarketpriceofbirr5,500pertonandearnedbirr5,500.Healsostored0.7tonsforlaterconsumptionandsalewaitingforbettermarketprices.Anotherfarmer,“AlehegnMillaw”,fromSelamKebeleofWolqaitWoreda,harvested2.3tonsofpaddyricein2012andsold1.3tons,while1tonwasstoredathomeforfood.MarketingbySelamPrimaryCooperativeThePCDATprojecthasencouragedSelamPrimaryCooperative,inSelamKebele,WolqaitWoreda,toparticipate inricemarketing. In2013,fromJanuarytoMarch,thecooperativehadpurchased51tonsofpaddyricefromitsmembersatapriceofbirr5,200pertonwhichwas200birrhigherthanthethenmarketpriceinDansha.InJuly2013,thecooperativemanagedtosellriceatapriceofbirr6,300perton.Followingthat,thecooperativemadeanetprofitofbirr900birrpertonandsharedbirr60/tonofitsprofittomembersaccordingtotheirtransactionswiththecooperative.

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Although the project succeeded creating market linkages mainly by inviting traders fromdifferenttownssuchasWoreta,AmharaRegion,itfacedsomeobstacleswhilecreatingfurtherlinkages.Themarketlinkagescreated,particularlyinTsegedeWoredawasnottotherequiredlevelas there lessdemand for farmers’produce.Oneof theseriouschallengeswas thepoorquality of rice in that it was broken and with some impurity as it was mixed with otherunnecessarymatters.Thismadeitdifficultforfarmerstoenterintoothermarkets,astherewasbetterqualityriceinthemarket.Despite this challenge, the PCDAT project tried and looked for newmarket opportunities tocreatemarketlinkagesforTigrayrice.Inthefuture,asriceproductionincreases,theneedforbigger market will be critical. Meanwhile, there is an encouraging trend in which primarycooperativesandUnionshavestartedtobuy largeamountof localricefromthefarmersandsellitinbulk.ThePCDATprojectsupportedthisactivityandassistedthecooperativesbylinkingthemtomarketstoselltheirrice.

3.4.ChangeinincomeandlivelihoodIncomelevel:Theprojectataminimumachieveda24%incrementinannualincomecomparedtothelevelduringthebaseline.Annualincomewasestimatedonlybasedonmarketedproductfromcropproductionwhichisthemajorsourceoflivelihoodtofarmersintheprojectsites.Theprojectplannedtoreachabouta20% increase in income levelofproject targetedfarmers inwhichthebaselinewasBirr9,779,whereasattheendoftheproject itreachedBirr12,117.Thisaverageannualincomewascalculatedtakingaveragemarketedproductionperhouseholdmultipliedby respectivepriceof theproductsat thebaselineand finalevaluationperiod (fordetailsseeAnnex2).

The increase inproductionofmajorcropssuchassorghum,riceandmillet,andhighproductpricecontributedforthesignificantchangeinincomecomparedtowhatitwasin2010/11(thebaseline).

Table17.Annualestimatedincomelevel

Source:HouseholdleveldataofthebaselineandFinalevaluationNote:*:Averageincomeperhouseholdwasestimatedbasedontheassumptionthatonehouseholdproduceonaverage2ofthetopfourmajorcropsandonecropfromthebottomthree

Changeinlivelihood:ThisevaluationfoundthatfollowingthePCDATprojectsomehouseholdshavemanaged tosavesomemoneyanddiversify their livelihood.Project farmers,benefitingfrom their good harvest and its sale, have bought goats for the purpose of fattening. Such

Items Baseline:2010/11

Finalevaluation:2014/15

Percentagechange

Totalgrossincomefromproducingallthesevenmajorcrops(inBirr) 21,836.01

27,413.9

25.5

Estimated average income perhousehold(inBirr)* 10,331

13,069

25.5

TotalAverageCostofproductionperhousehold(inBirr) 552

952

72

Net average income from cropproductionperhousehold(inBirr) 9,779

12,117

24

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investmentshelpedthemtobuildassetsandcreatewealth.Othersaretryingto improvethequalityoftheirhousesandhouseholdutensilsasaresultofthe incomegeneratedfromtheircropproduction.The farmerscovered in thisprojectproducedgoodamountof thenewly introducedcropsaswellasexistinglocalfoodcrops.Thathashelpedthemtosecuretheirfoodfromyeartoyear.Inadditiontothat,theyareabletohavevarietyoffoodscomparedtothesituationsbeforetheinterventionsoftheproject.Suchvarietiesoffoods(e.g.rice)hadshowngoodhealthbenefitsinrespectivefamilymembers.Othersaretryingtosellthesurplusproductinthelocalmarketsandhencetheyareabletocollectincomethatwasnotthecasebeforetheproject.Usingtheadditional income some bought small ruminants particularly goats for reproduction andfattening.

Theprojectalsodirectlybenefitedwomen.Theyparticipated inasignificantproportion in itstechnologydemonstrations,implementationofactivitiesandprojectbenefits.This,infact,wasagoodapproachfromdevelopmentpointofviewasanydevelopmentinterventionthatdoesnotinvolvewomeninproblemidentification,planningandimplementationofactivitiesfailtosustain its benefit. A growing number of women farmers were, therefore, involved in thelearning process, primarily through interventions like agro-processing, crop production andmarketing. The project practically made women to participate in the training sessions,demonstrations (WAD), implementation of other activities. In this sense, the project hasmainstreamedgenderinitsdevelopmentendeavor.

Theothercontributionoftheprojectwasthatsomefarmershavestartedsendingtheirchildrentoschools.Theprojectalsoenabledandshowedthemthattherearedifferentoptionsintheiragriculturalbusinesses.FormoredetailedinformationseeBox3whichdescribescasesofsomehouseholds.

Individualcasesofchangeinlivelihood

FivecasesoftwomenandthreewomenwereassessedtolookatthechangeinlivelihoodafterthePCDATproject.Briefdescriptionofeachofthesixcasesispresentedinthefollowingbox.

Box3.Individualcasesofprojectparticipanthouseholds

1. MedhanialemKebele,TselemtiWoredaAtoAzenawWegesha,

AtoAzenawisa50yearoldfarmerfromMedhanialemKebele.Heisafatherof7children(4boysand3girls),6ofthemattendnearbyprimaryandsecondaryschools.Hecultivatesonehectareofland,ofwhichhalfwasusedforproductionofriceduringthelastcropseason.That,accordingtohim,wasachangeinhiscropproductionstartingfromtwoyearsbefore.Beforehisengagementinriceproduction,hislivingstandardwassomehowatthemiddlecomparedtohisneighborhood.Heusedtosellsomeofhisanimalstobuyfoodforhisfamily.Hisfamilylifehascompletelychangednow,particularlyafterusinghisplotforriceproduction.Duringthe last season, for instance,heproduced2 tonsof rice from thehalfhectareand soldone tonofunclean rice for Birr 7,000 and cleaned rice for Birr 12,000. At themoment, therefore, he owns 5oxen,18cows,2donkeysand25goats.Hehasalsoimprovedhishousingconditionbyconstructingtwonewadditional roomsandboughtonebed.Asa resultof the changes, he isnowcategorized

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amongthehighwealthfarmersinthevillage.Wellbeingofhis familymembershas improved.Ricewasalsousedforconsumption,preparing it indifferentformlikeenjera,ambasha,kita,nifro,genfoandlocalbeer.Heindicatedthathefoundricegoodforhealthasnoneofhisfamilymembershaseverbeensickforthepasttwoyears.Otherfellowfarmersstartedtocometohisplacetolearnfromhisexperiences.Hedescribedthebenefithegotfromtheproject:“Ihave learnedgoodskills fromthetrainingsandgained practical experiences in rice production during the last two consecutive years.Hence, I willnevergobacktomyprevioussituation.WoizeroFantayeMamunehAwomanfarmerfromMedhanialemKebele,WoizeroFantaye is25yearsold,andamotherof twosons.Sinceherhusbandpassedaway,shehasstartedtomanagethefamilybyherself.Shehasoneandhalfhectareplotoflandusedfortheproductionofdifferentcrops,halfofwhichwasusedforriceproduction.Herlivingstandardwasverylowbeforetheprojectandherengagementinriceproduction.Now,herfamilylivelihoodhasimprovedfollowinggoodriceproduction.Shemanagedtoharvest2tonsofricefromherriceplotandsoldwithapriceofBirr7,000perton.Presently,therefore,sheowns4oxen,7cows,3donkeysand20goats.Shealsousedpartofherriceforconsumptionpreparingitintheformofenjera,ambasha,kita,nifro,genfoandlocalbeer.Herchildrenalsoenjoyedthericeproductionastheyprefer consuming rice to anyother foodprepared from locally grown crops. She said: “Now IknowthebenefitandIwillcontinueproducingrice”.WoizeroYalemTeshager

WoizeroYalemisanotherwomanfarmerfromMedhanialemKebele.Shehastwochildren(aboyanda girl) attending a primary school. She has a half hectare plot of land used for production of localcropssuchasfingermilletandsorghum.Thehouseholdrentedadditionalplotoflandforproducingrice.Livelihoodofthehouseholdimprovedfollowingthericeproduction,thankstothePCDATproject.Atthemomentthefamilyhas3oxen,5cows,20goatsandadonkey.Inadditiontothat,thehouseholdhas saved Birr 2,000 in one of the financial institutions in the village. That, according to her, waspossible following the good yield of rice. She believed that consumption of rice gives good energyparticularlytopeopleinvolvedinphysicalwork,andsaid,“foodpreparedfromriceandeatenatthemorningkeepspeoplewithnofeelingofhangeralmostforthewholeday”.

2. AlemGenetKebele,TsegedeWoredaAtoNigusuAlemu,AtoNigusuisa46yearsoldfarmerwholivesinAlemGenetKebele.Hehasfivechildren,andowns5hectaresof land.Fouryearsago,thatmeansbeforetheintroductionofricetothearea,heusedtoproduce crops such as sorghum, finger millet and sesame. His living condition was good and hefulfilledfoodrequirementofhisfamily.Following thePCDATproject, he started touse twohectaresof his plot for theproductionof rice.From that he managed to get 3 tons of rice every year. Half of the produce was used for ownconsumptionwhiletheremainingwassoldinthelocalmarket.Oneimportantlessonhelearnedwasthatriceusesaplotoflandthatcannotbeusedforothercrops.With theproductionof rice, his life improvedandmovedbeyond fulfilling food requirementofhisfamily. He has been able to save Birr 14,000 and presently, he owns 4 oxen, 10 cows, 10 goats, 2donkeysand8traditionalbeehives.However,hereportedabsenceofmaintenanceserviceandlackof

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sparepartsofthemachineusedforthreshingasamajorchallengewithregardtotheproductionofrice.WoizeroAlemtsehayBerhaneAwomanfarmerfromAlemGenetKebele,WoizeroAlemtsehayisamotherof3sons.Shehas0.75hectare of land, from which half was used for rice production. After her engagement in riceproduction (followingtheproject)her livingconditionhas improveda lot.Shestartedtoproduce2tonsofrice,andobtainedBirr3,000frommarketinghalfofherproduce.Sheutilizedthemoneytoeducateherchildrenandpartofittorentoxenforploughing.Theproblemwithrice,accordingtoher,wasthatricelandrequirestobeploughedmorefrequently,which is labour and time consuming. Rice is easily affected by weeds, andmanagement of whichrequiresfrequentploughing.Theotherproblemmentionedbyherwasthatthepriceofriceisgoingdownrapidlymainlyduetoincreasedproductionwhiledemandhasshirkedtremendously.

3.4.EfficiencyoftheprojectThe PCDAT project efficiency was assessed in terms of its timely commencement, timelyimplementation of planned activities, delivery of project inputs, accomplishment of plannedactivitieswith the requiredbudgetand timeframe. In this regard, thisevaluation interviewedkey informants includingprojectstaff,Woreda andKebele levelpartners,andthey indicatedthattheprocessofimplementationoftheprojectwasuptotheexpectedlevelofprecision.Theproject started immediately after a formal agreementwas actualized. Togetherwith that, allthenecessarypreconditions,suchasallocatingrequiredbudgetandofficespace,andrecruitingrequiredpersonnel,weredoneon time. Itwas especially important to note that theprojectofficewashostedattheTigrayBoARDinMekeleandallstaffexceptfortheJapaneseprojectmanager were from the regionwho are well acquaintedwith the agro-ecology, culture andlanguageofthetargetareas;theproject’sfouroutof5technicalstaffwereformeremployeeoftheTigrayBoARD,whichwasadditionalvaluetotheproject intermsofnetworkandsmoothcommunicationwith the stakeholders. Although itwas the first time for SG2000 Ethiopia toestablish such satellite type office, it greatly contributed to smooth information sharing andcollaborationamongtheteamandtheBureau.Asaresult,theprojectreceivedmostnecessarysupportandfacilitationfromTigrayBoARDsincetheverybeginningtilltheendoftheprojectaccordingtotheagreedtimeframe.

Flowofprojectinputssuchasfinance,equipment,agriculturalinputsandothers,wasefficient,according to discussions held with partners and implementing staff. Timely flow of inputsfacilitatedthewholeprocessof implementationoftheproject;startingfromthecoordinatingofficeanddowntothegrassrootslevel.WoredaandKebelelevelkeyinformantsindicatedthatthe flow of project inputs encountered no major problem in the process. The smooth andefficient flow of project inputs can be taken as important lessons for developing andimplementingsimilarprojectsatSG2000orforanyotherdevelopmentprojects.

Plannedactivitiesoftheprojectwereaccomplishedwithintheallocatedbudgetandtimeframe.Furthermore, implementations of activities utilized efficient collaboration with the primaryimplementingpartners.Particularly,plannedactivitiesintheareasoftrainingwereundertaken

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at different levels in close collaborations with Regional, Woreda, Kebele and farmer levelprojectparticipants.

There was also a periodic and continuous monitoring and evaluation of the project whichfacilitated delivery of the intended outputs and outcomes of the project. The process ofimplementing planned development activities and projectmonitoring and evaluation carriedoutwithactiveandfullparticipationsofdifferentpartners.

3.5.ProjectSustainabilitySustainability of the project requires, above all, improved capacity of extension agents forscalingup/outandprojectbestpracticesandtosustain longtermbenefitsofproject results.The project has introduced new crops such as rice, green gram, soya bean, and improvedproduction of existing cropswith promoting improved technologies to the projectWoreda sand Kebeles. Project beneficiaries were provided with relevant trainings on improved croptechnologies,postharvesthandlingtechniques,marketingandbusinessmanagement.Fromthetrainingsalongwithpracticalsessions,demonstrationsandexperiencessharingevents,farmersreported they obtained new skills and knowledge that helped them to improve theirproductivity and increase farm income. They proposed and suggested that the benefits theygainedandthedevelopmentimpactsachievedsofarshouldbesustainovertimeandscaledtofellowfarmers.

Forthis,improvedcapacityofextensionagentsintechnicalskillsandimplementationcapacityofRegions,Zones,WoredasandKebelesareveryimportant.Theprojecthasbuiltcapacitiesofextensionworkersmainly atWoreda and Kebele levels,which played important role for thesustainabilityoftheproject.Togetherwiththis,theinstitutionalarrangements,thepartnershipandpracticalinvolvementsofthethreeAgriculturalResearchCenters(ARCs):Alamata,Humeraand Maytsebri can be mentioned as the other areas that facilitated sustainability ofimplementeddevelopmentactivities.

The advices and trainings provided to the farmers have created knowledge, technical skills,capacities and confidences in the operational areas of the project. Advices and differenttrainingswerealsoprovidedtotheWoredaandKebelelevelpartnersoftheproject.Allthesewere very important for the sustainability of the different efforts exerted and resourcesinvestedasthepartnersaretheultimateresponsiblebodiesoftheprocess.

Additionally,almostallpartnersconfirmedthat the introducedcropsandtechnologieswouldcontinue tobe implementedevenafter theprojectphasedout.Outof thenewly introducedcropvarieties; greengram, riceNerica13and soyabeanaswell aspostharvest technologiessuchasricemills,multi-cropthresherandseedcleanerswerefullytakenupbythebureauofagriculture for further scaling up to other sites. Beneficiary farmers of the sampled Kebeleshavealsoconfirmed,saying:‘Theprojecthasshownusthecorrectwayandthenit isupustocontinueinthesamemanner’.

However, high turnover of the extension staff members of the local government structureneeds immediatesolutionby thepartners for thepurposeofsustaining thealreadyachievedsuccesses,andscalingupofbestpracticesandlessonsoftheproject.

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3.6.SummaryofProjectAchievements/OutputsMostof theplanned activities of theprojectwere implemented, and accomplishmentswereabove theplan. Furthermore,outputsof theprojectmotivated farmersandcreateddemandfor improved technologies. Alternative and new crops, which the project introduced in theproject areas were appreciated by the farmers. Number of farmers using improvedtechnologies such as proper application and utilization of fertilizer, line planting, properweeding, improved postharvest technologies like rice polisher increased from year to year.Marketlinkagewasalsostrengthenedcomparedtothesituationbeforetheproject.Asaresult,yield of major crops and income of farmers have shown significant improvements. Severalstakeholder meetings were conducted for increased awareness of project partners on theachievementsandbestpracticesoftheproject.

ThefollowingTablesummarizesthemajoraccomplishmentsoftheprojectduringitslifetime.Table18.SummaryofAchievementsoftheProjectNo. Expectedoutcomes/outputsoftheproject Verifiableindicatorsset

Plans Achievements %age1 Increasethetypesofcroptobecultivated 3 >3cropwith

differentvarieties>100

2 Supportfarmers’tocultivatethenewlyintroducedcrops 3000 3230 >1003 Supportfarmerstouseimprovedtechnologiesfortraditional

cropstoo3000 13631 >100

4 Increasetheyieldsofthetargetedfarmersinthekebeles 20% 32% 5 Increasetheincomesofhouseholdsofthetargetfarmers 20% 24% 6 Trainfarmersontheuseofimprovedagro-processingor

storagetechnologiesforriceandalternativecrops,1500 4,549 >100

7 Supportfarmerstouseimprovedagro-processingorstoragetechnologiesforriceandotheralternativecrops,

500 6,628 >100

8 Trainfarmersinmarketingandrelatedtopicsonriceandalternativecrops

500 3,638 >100

9 Establishandstrengthenproducergroupsonriceandalternativecrops.

20 18 90

10 Identifypotentialbuyersofriceandalternativecrops 3 Above3 100TheTablebelowsummarizeseffectivenessoftheprojectwithrespecttoachievingitsplannedoutcomes/outputs.

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Table19.Projectcomponent,expectedoutputs,indicatorsandachievementsProjectExpectedOutputs/indicators

Actualachievements

ProjectComponent1.Indicator-Thenumberoffarmerscultivatingnewcrops(riceandalternativecrops)andtraditionalcropswithimprovedtechnologiesincreased1.1:Bytheendoftheprojectatleast3newcropshavebeenintroducedtothetargetareaandarecultivatedbymorethan3000farmers

The project introduced three new crops; rice (Nerica 13), Green Gram and SoyaBean).TheFLPs(TOPs,WADs,PTPsandCVPs),andparticularlytheCVPswereusedasmeansofdemonstratingnewcropstofarmersforintroductiontotheprojectareas.Hence,41CVPswereusedtodemonstrate10croptypesand38varieties in the24projectFTCs.Thecropsandvarietiesdemonstratedwere:

• Teff–5varieties(Kuncho,Tsedey,Smada,Bosetand1local);• Wheat:2varieties(PicaflorandMekelle3);• Rice:4varieties(Nerica13,Nerica3,Nerica4,Nerica12andNerica13;• FingerMillet–4varieties(Baruda,Dibate,Tadesseand1local);• Maize:8varieties(e.g.,Melkassa6andAMH-760);• SoyaBean:6varieties(Afgat,Gishama,Wogayen,Gizo,Aw-95andNova);• Sesame:3varieties(Humera1,Setit1and1local);• Sunflower:2varieties(OissaandR-black);• Haricotbean:onevariety,Lucpin;and• Greengram:3varieties(Bored,SML-668orArkebeandSheraro);

In linewiththedemonstrationofthecrops,adaptationtrialswereconductedintheAgriculturalResearchCenters(ARCs).RiceandgreengramwererecommendedbytheARCsforfurtherdemonstration.MaytsebriResearchCenterhadtestedandapprovedtworicevarieties(N12andN13),whichwerefoundtobesuitableforWoredas likeTselemti,WolkaitandTsegede.TheARCsrecommendedthatgreengram is suitableto theWoreda s. Besides, soya bean and sun flower were tested in the ARCs anddemonstrated.Thecropsperformedwell.In2014,morethan3412farmersplantedricein1920haandmorethan90%ofthemplanted Nerica 13. Green gram was also expanded in Alamata, Raya Azebo andTselemtiWoreda s. Soyabeanwas the thirdnew crop thatwaspopularized, and itwasplantedon16.5ha inTselemtiWoredaby69farmers. Ingeneral,2657farmersproducedthesecropsandtechnologiesintheprojectareasduring2011-2014.Majorreasonsforthepromotionofthethreeintroducedcropsarelistedbelow:Rice N13becamepopular in Tselemti, TsegedeandWolkaitWoreda s.Mostof thetime,themajorityofthelandmassreceivehighamountofrainfall,withareabecomewaterlodged,thatcannotbeusedforothertraditionalcrops.Riceperformedwellonthis kind of land, gave good yield and have becomemore appropriate crop for thetargetWoredas.Green Gram introduction anddissemination started by testing for its adaptation intheARCssince2011.Fromtheresultsofthetrial,itwasunderstoodthatthecropisearlymaturing,canbeharvestedwithin60-70days,givesgoodyieldand isdroughttolerant.So,itwasdemonstratedinRayaAzeboandAlamataWoredasfortwoyears.In 2011/12 production year, Raya Azebo was seriously affected by drought. Thedemonstration plots of green gram received little shower at the planting time, but

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performedwellwhereasallotherlocalcropsfailed.SoyabeanwastestedintheARCsandevaluatedbythecommunity.Itwasfoundtobehighyieldingprovideditgetsearlyweeding.Ittolerateslategrowingweedsbythehelpof itshighgreenbiomass. Itcanalsogrowwell in rice fieldsandservesasonemeans of crop rotation in the fields. Because of such qualities, many farmersrequestedtheseedandwas foundtobeoneof thealternativecrops in theprojectareas.

Indicator1.2.Bytheendoftheprojectatleast3000farmerscultivatetraditionalcropswithimprovedtechnologiesinthetargetarea.

Intotal,13631farmers(26%womanfarmers)weretrainedonimprovedagronomicpractices of different crops. The trained farmers has applied different improvedagronomicpractices like lineplanting,useof improvedseeds,properapplicationoffertilizers, pest and disease control practices on the newly introduced and existingcrops.

ProjectComponent2.Indicator-Thenumberoffarmersusingagro-processingandstoragetechnologiesforalternativeandtraditionalcropsisincreased2.1.Bytheendoftheprojectatleast2000farmerstrainedintheuseimprovedagro-processingorstoragetechnologiesforriceandalternativecrops.

DifferentTOTswereprovidedtotheEAsandleadfarmersontheuseofpostharvestandagro-processingtechnologies.Intotal,269peopleparticipatedintheTOTs.Extensionagentsinturntrainedatotalof4549farmersonimprovedpostharvestandagronomicpractices.

Additionally,Followingtheintroductionofnewcrops:rice,greengramandsoyabean,intotal173people(83%female)weretrainedonfoodprocessing,agro-processing,marketing,businessplanning,financialmanagementandrecordkeeping.

2.2.Bytheendoftheprojectatleast500farmersuseimprovedagro-processingorstoragetechnologiesforriceandalternativecrops.

Theprojectintroducedandpromotedtheuseofsixriceprocessingmills,twomulticropthreshers,oneseedcleanerandoneparboilingkit.Bytheendoftheprojectatotalof5831farmersusedtheseimprovedpostharvestandagro-processingtechnologies,mainlythericemill,buttheuseofthemulti-cropthresherswereverysmall,only35farmers.

ProjectComponent3.Indicator-Organizedproducergroupsgainmarketaccessfortheirfarmproducts3.1.Bytheendoftheprojectatleast20producergroupsestablished.

From2011tomarch2015,TOTonmarketing,farmersorganization,businessmanagementandmarketextensionweregivento462trainees.Followingthat,atotal15groupswereestablishedandstrengthened;5seedproducergroups,6riceproducersandmarketingcooperatives,twomarketingofagro-processinggroups,onebeekeepinggroupandonevegetableproducerirrigationcooperatives.

3.2.Bytheendoftheprojectatleast500farmerstrainedinmarketingaspects,

TOTswereprovidedto theEAs,different trainingsessionsof farmersonmarketing,farmers’ organization and business management have been organized in the lastyears.Asaresult1149havebeentrainedfrom2011-2012andfrom2013-rnfof2014,atotalof3638farmershadbeentrained.

3.3.Bytheendoftheprojectatleast3buyersidentifiedforpurchasingfarmproductsfromthegroups.

Different forums and discussions were held with partners and buyers on ricemarketing.Representativesofriceproducingfarmersweremobilizedtothetraders.In2013,exhibitionsandfieldvisitswereconductedtopopularizethefeedingofriceandattractbuyersinareaslikeMaytsebri,MekelleandAA.Aftertheexhibition,goodlinkage had been established between rice producers and traders. Cooperatives ineachKebeles hadparticipated in ricemarketing andhad started to contribute theirroleinsolvingsomeofthemarketproblems.

Source:SummarizedfromtheJPP2AnnualReport(16thJuly,2011toMarch30,2015)

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3.7ProjectMonitoringandEvaluation

This is the fourth important component of the project. A number of activities have beenimplementedunderthiscomponentandcorrespondingresultshavebeenreordered.

Mechanismsdevelopedforprojectmonitoringandevaluation

Monitoring,Evaluation,LearningandSharing(MELS)ThemeofSG2000,liaisingwithitsstaffatthePCDATprojectoffice inTigray,was responsible forperiodicmonitoringandevaluationoftheproject.Monitoringandevaluationplanof theprojectderived fromthemainstrategyofSAAMELSTheme.MELSmajoractivitiesinclude:needsassessments,baselinestudies,periodicoutcome monitoring, evaluation and impact assessment. MELS component of the project,therefore,undertookactivitiesfollowingtheabovechains.UsingMELSapproach,itwasmadepossible to continuously and systematically collect, analyze and report monitoringdata/informationofprojectintervention.

Theproject startedwithaneedsassessmentandbaselinesurveywhichwerecoordinatedbytheMELSteam.Theprojectprioritizedinterventionsbasedonfindingsoftheneedsassessmentandbenchmarksestablishedusingresultsofthebaselinestudy.Periodic,quarterly,outcomesmonitoringwereconductedassessingprogressesandtrackingresultsoftheproject.

The project gave high emphasis to outcomes monitoring. Outcomes of the project wereperiodicallymonitoredandresultswerecontinuouslysharedtostaffincludingmanagementforimprovedimplementationsandperformanceoftheproject.Themonitoringprovidedevidencewhetherornottheprojectwasgoingontherighttrackintermsofwhatwasbeingdoneontheground.Italsogaveevidenceneededtoverifyaswellasevaluateprocessofimplementationsand approaches followed by SG2000. The outcomesmonitoring created a learning platformfromwhichinformationandknowledgeflowsandsharedcontinuously.

3.8.ProjectmanagementSG2000-Ethiopia implemented various development projects and activities for over twodecades in collaboration with local partners. The project management practiced forimplementing the PCDAT project has capitalized on SG2000 experiences in the agriculturesector. One of the strengths of SG2000 lies in its strong collaboration with the Ministry ofAgriculture and working with in and utilizing existing structure of the country’s extensionsystem. In linewith this,direct implementationofprojectactivitieswerehandledbySG2000MekelleCoordinationOfficeworkinginclosecollaborationwiththeBoARD.ThiswassupportedbyWoredaagricultureofficesthroughestablishingtechnologydemonstrations,trainingfarmersandcloselyfollowingupimplementationoftheproject.

NecessaryinputsprovidedtoWoredaandKebelelevelimplementersforactualimplementationof project activities. Project staff also undertook continuous monitoring and supervision to

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trackprogressesofplannedactivities,andtoidentifychallengesandtakecorrectivemeasures.Technicalsupporttoextensionagentsfromprojectstaff,andexperiencesharingvisitsenabledbetterimplementationandimprovedperformancesoftheproject.Thiscreatedtheopportunitytounderstandprojectprogress,identifygapsandtakenecessaryandtimelyactions.

Therewasgoodparticipationofrelevantstakeholdersoftheproject.JointplanningwasdoneparticularlywithWoredaandKebelelevelagriculturaloffices.TherewasalsojointfollowupofimplementationswithRegionalandWoredaoffices.Participationof farmers inallaspectsoftheproject including in this finalevaluationwasextremelyhigh.Thepresenceofsuchstrongparticipationofrelevantstakeholdersplayedcrucialroleforsmoothresourceutilizationandforsustainingbenefitsoftheprojectandscalingupofgoodpractices.

The partners at Woreda and Kebele levels were involved in the process of implementationstartingfromidentifyingandprioritizingneedstoactuallyimplementingactivitiestomonitoringandsupervision.Ontheimportanceofintegratingcomplementaryactivitiesandeffortsofthepartners was underscored in the discussions made at the Woreda level. During theimplementation process, partners at Woreda levels were expected to provide technicalsupportstoextensionagentsattheKebele level.Theyalsoplayedcrucialrolethroughfollowups and providing technical guidance to development agents and beneficiary households. Ingeneral, efforts from project staff and collaborating partners realizing the roles andresponsibilities while managing and coordinating project implementation found to beencouraging.

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4.MajorChallengesandLessonslearntMajorChallenges

Implementation of the PCDAT project was not always smooth and there were some majorchallenges;amongthemwereDAsandSMS’ lackofcommitment, theirbusyscheduleduetoseasonalandurgenttasks,andcontinuousreshufflingoftrainedExtensionAgents,particularlyduring its firstyearofoperation.Due tooverwhelmingworkloads, trainedDAsandSMSsdidnothavesufficienttimetoorganizeandimplementtheiractionplans.Theywereoverburdenedwith their regular work such as distributing inputs and mobilizing and orienting farmers onmanydifferentdevelopmentandotheragendas.

BusyschedulesandlackofcommitmentofsomeDAsandSMSsalsocontributedtopoorfollowupandextensionadvicetofarmers.Particularly,hostfarmersofdemonstrationsiteswerenotregularly visited by extension agents, and hence there was little close supervision on thetechnologiestheyapplied.Thislimitationcontributedtopoordemonstrationforsomeplotsastheywerenotdonewithcareandappropriatefollowups.

Other challenges included irregular rainfall onset and erratic distribution in some potentialareas, i.e.,droughtmainly insouthernzoneandsometimesalso inwesternzone, inadequatesupplyofgoodquality seedof requiredvarieties, lowbusinessmanagementcapacity for ricemill operation, lack of skill and knowledge in operating rice mills, lack of spare parts, highproportion of rice breakage during polishing and milling which lead to low grade andinadequateseedcleanersandmulti-cropthreshers.

Othersincluded:

• Rice production is labour intensive as it requires frequent ploughing andweeding (atleasttwotimesinasingleseason);

• DistanceoftheprojectWoredasfromthecenterandatthesametimefromeachotherrequiredstafftodrivelonghourstogettothesitesandaccomplishtasks;

• Farmersusetheirproduceforsomeunproductiveandcostlyconsumptionssuchasforwedding,funeralrelatedexpenses(teskar)andotherculturalceremonies;

• PriceofriceinTsegedeWoredaplummeted.Somebelievedthatincreasedproductionandsupplyofricecontributedtothis,whileotherssaiddemandhasshirked

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tremendously.Butitcouldalsoindicatetheneedformoreefforttoestablishgoodmarketlinkages.

Measurestakentosolvesomeofthechallenges

Severaleffortshavebeendonetosolvesomeofthechallenges.Lowskillsofmachineoperatorsandlowcapacitiesofcooperativeleaderswereminimizedbyintensivefollowupsandperiodicandregularrefreshertrainingsandorientations.EAsandfarmersweremobilized,trainedandregularlyorientedonhowtoreducebreakageofricethrough improvedharvesting, threshingand storage techniques of rice. More than 4,010 farmers have been trained on use ofpostharvest and agro-processing technologies, and about 6,628 farmers have used improvedagro-processingtechnologiessuchasricepolishers,Multi-cropthreshersandseedcleaners.

To improve lack of spare parts of postharvest machineries, private service providers wereadvisedandencouragedtosupplysparepartsforricemills.

About six cooperative leaders and business persons were trained on marketing of rice andgroups were formed and became functional on seed production and marketing. Severalstakeholders’events,ricefoodexhibitionsandexperiencesharingvisitstopartnersandfarmershavebeenorganizedandeffortsweremadetosolvetheabovementionedproblemsofqualityseedandmarketing.

Finally, although the PCDAT project took different measures to solve the above challenges,further followupsandsupportarehighly required fromWoreda levelpartners forscalingupandsustainingcurrentachievements.

Lessonslearnt

During implementationof theproject, therewereessential lessons learned inprocess.Theseincludedthefollowing:

• Introducingnewcropsandnewagriculturaltechnologiesalongwithpracticaltrainingsincreasesoptionsofsmallholderfarmersandplaysimportantroleindiversifyingincomesources.

• Theprojectenabledpartnersincludingfarmerstolearnthepossibilityofchangingsomepreviously idleplotof lands (marshyareas) andmaking themproductive through riceproduction. Rice grows in marshy (waterlogged) areas that cannot be used for theproductionofotherlocalcrops.

• Although four different new crops were introduced to the target Woreda s of theproject that include rice, soya bean, green gram and sunflower and all the newlyintroduced crops have respective benefits, the widely and intensively produced cropwasrice.Thereasonsforthatincludehighproductivityofrice(2-4tons/ha),possibilityof preparing rice in different forms (like enjera, kita, ambasha, genfo, nifro and localbeer),andtheresidueofricecouldalsobeusedasfeedforlivestock,whichisalsogoodforthepracticeofzerograzingintheprojectareas.

• Ricecanbepreparedandconsumedindifferentforms,anditisalsopossibletomixricewithothercrops,andpreparedifferentfoodshavinggoodtests.

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• Consumption of rice was appreciated by farmers as it has good health benefits andpreferredbychildrenascomparedtootherlocalcrops,whichwerecultivatedandusedintheprojectareasforgenerations.

• The flow of project inputs from the main office to the ground can be taken as animportantlessonbyothersimilardevelopmentprojects.

• JointplanningofprojectactivitieswithmajorpartnersparticularlywithAgricultureandRuralDevelopmentatRegionalandWoredalevelsfacilitatedownershipandcontributedforbetterprojectperformance.

• Smooth relationships with major partners found at different structures: Regional,Woreda,Kebeleaswellasthefarmers’levelsisverycrucialforefficientimplementationofprojectactivities.

• Closefollowup,andperiodicmonitoringandevaluationonaregularbasescontributedforprogressesmadeinproducingrequiredresultsoftheproject.

• Participationof local communitymembers in thewholeprocessof implementationofthe program has been found to be quite determinant that deserves adequaterecognition. This is in fact the basis for the sustainability of the components andactivitiesimplemented.

• ThecommitmentoftheprojectstaffandthecooperationofdifferentpartnersfoundatRegional, Woreda, Kebele and farmers’ levels for successful implementation of theprojectwasofparamountimportancethatcanbetakenasoneofthemajorlessonsfordesigningsimilarprojects.

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5.ConclusionandRecommendations

Conclusion

Thefinalevaluationoftheproject‘PromotingCropDiversificationandAdvancedTechnologiesinTigray’wasconductedinMarch2015.Thisfour-yearprojectwasimplementedinsixWoredasand24KebelesoftheRegionalGovernmentoftheNationalStateofTigray.TheprojectwasoneofthevariousdevelopmentendeavorsintheRegionaimedatcontributingforthefoodsecuritysituationoftheRegion.Thisevaluationwascarriedoutbasedontheestablishedcriteria:relevance,effectiveness,efficiencyandsustainabilitytheproject.

The project followed proper procedures to identify priorities and needs of farmers and tocontextualize the project components and respective activities in line with developmentchallengesoftheprojectsites.Asaresult,theprojectwasfoundveryrelevanttotheprioritiesof Woreda, Kebele level partners including farmers. It was also consistent with existingdevelopmentpoliciesofthecountryandparticularlytheRegion.Participationofpartnersintheprocessofplanningwasalsofoundtobeencouraging.Thecollaborationofthestakeholdersoftheprojectwasstronganditwasaccompaniedbytimelyflowofprojectinputs.

Theprojectgenerallyprogressedontherighttracktowardstherealizationoftheoverallgoalandtheobjectives.Ithasintroducednewcrops(e.g.rice,soyabeanandgreengram)aswellasnew technologies that have contributed a lot to the change in the livelihood farmers in theprojectareas.Theprojectnotonlycreatedcapacitiesthatsustainovertimebutalsoenabledfarmers to build assets in the forms of livestock and construction of houses together withbetterhouseholdutensils,etc.

Moreover,theprojectcontributedalottotheintroduction,promotionandutilizationofriceinTigraydespiteseveralchallengesrelatedtoclimateandotherfactors.Mostoftheprojectplanswereaccomplishedwhilesomeproblemssuchasdrought,irregulardistributionofrainfallandintensive work load on EAs were hindering implementation of PCDAT project activities.Significantimprovementsonproductionandproductivityofricehavebeenrecorded.Farmershave developedmore demands for the crop. The rice mills and other equipment have alsocreated favorable conditions for processing and utilization of rice. Market linkages wereestablished between rice producers, local consumers and some external traders. In terms of

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consumption, rice is becoming one of the stable foodsmanly in rice producing areas of theNationalRegionalStateofTigray.

Overallobservedchangesinclude:• Increasedunderstandingandconfidenceoffarmerstopracticeknowledgeacquiredonline

plantingofricecropandotherimprovedagronomicpractice,• Improveduseofpostharvesthandlingtechniquesandtechnologies• Increasednumberoffooditems,• Increasedproductionandconsumptionofrice,and• Increasedincomeofhouseholdslivinginricegrowingareas.

Ingeneral,itwasobservedthatfarmerswhohadpreviouslybeenexperiencingpoorproductionontheirwaterloggedlandarenowabletosecuretheirfoodthroughproducingriceandusingimproved technologies. This hadmade tremendouseffect in solving food securityof farmersandthiswasoneofthebiggestaccomplishmentsofthePCDATprojectofSG2000.

Important lessons were learned from implementation of the project that could be taken asspring boards for planning and implementation of other development projects in the future.Working in close collaboration with Regional Bureau of Agriculture and Rural Development(BoARD) helped SG2000 to build capacity and develop effective strategicways for extensiondelivery. Sustainability of achievements of this project could also be guaranteed withcontinuoussupportandfollowupsfrompartners,particularlytheBoARD.

Recommendations

• Intensive follow ups and technical supports are required as that are paramountimportancetomakethericemillsmoreeffectiveandfunctional.

• Furthersupporttostrengthenseedproducersgroupisimportantandcancontributeforsatisfyingthehighdemandofseed.

• Price adjustmenton rice inparallelwith thequality andnationalmarketprice is veryimportantforsustainingthemarketlinkageofthecrop.

• Provisionofsometechnicalsupports tothePTPfarmers isvery importantto fill sometechnicalandinformationgapsontheprocessofimplementationofthenewcrops,andapplyingimprovedtechnologiesonthetraditionalcrops.

• Farmersintheprojectareaarestillusingpartoftheirproduceforceremoniessuchaswedding, teskar andother cultural ceremonies. If this continues in the samemanner,the required changemay not be achieved within a relatively shorter period of time.Therefore, further awareness creation and trainings are needed to reduce suchunproductivewaysofusingthecrops.

• The price of rice in Tsegede Woreda in particular is said to have been going downovertime.Regardlessofthereasonsatthepresentsituation,integratedeffortshavetobemadebyWoreda levelpartnersof theproject tocreateworkablemarket linkageswithdifferentpartsofthecountryingeneralandTigrayRegion,inparticular.Creationofmarketlinkagesaretheactionsthathavetobedonesoastobeabletobringabout

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basicsolutionstothepricechallenge.• Theproblemoftimelymaintenanceandthepoorsupplyofnecessarysparepartsforthe

threshersandtheseedcleanersintroducedintheprojectsitesrequirescloseattentionofWoreda level partners. Looking a solution for such challengeswould have its ownpositive contribution for the sustainabilityof efforts exerted, resourcesmobilizedandresultsachievedbytheproject.

• Asthechangesseenintheoperationalareasoftheprojectareremarkable,itwouldbereasonablefromJICAandSG2000toconsidernextphaseoftheprojectparticularlytointroduceandpromotetechnologiestootherareasoftheRegion.

• Thisevaluationassuredthatriceisveryimportantcropindifferentaspects.TheFederalGovernmentofEthiopianhasalsoidentifiedriceasthe‘MillenniumCrop’.Thismeans,therefore, integrated efforts have to be made to promote the diffusion of rice forcultivationtothemarshyareasofthecountryingeneralandtheRegioninparticularsothattheproblemoffoodinsecuritywouldtotallybearrestedonceandforall.

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Annexes

Annex1:Majorcropsgrowninthesampledsitesanduseoffertilizerandimprovedseedsbycrops

Croptypes TotalLandcultivated(inhectares)

QuantityofDAPusedinquintals

Quantityofureausedinquintals

Quantityofseedusedinkilograms

Kebele Kebele Kebele KebeleMedha-nialem

AlemGenet

Genetie

Medha-nialem

AlemGenet

Genetie

Medha-nialem

AlemGenet

Genetie

Medha-nialem

AlemGenet

Genetie

Sorghum 24.245 45 36 1792.5 423 640 1542.5 372.75 730.37 596.5 684.5 613.5Rice 12.97 22 0 1344.5 1485.25 . 1252 1085.25 . 1279 2175 .Teff 5.5 0 29.5 239.5 . 444 231.5 . 446 217 . 651.8Sesame 2.625 41.62 0 95 637 . 95 271.5 . 70 429 .Millet 10.18 2.5 0 429 0 . 359 0 . 341 46 .Maize 4.622 0 0.5 111.5 . 0 86.5 . 0 166.5 . 13Wheat 0 0 5.655 . . 116 . . 126.5 . . 137.3Greengram 0 0 4.625 . . 29.3 . . 31.25 . . 29.5Chickpeas 0.687 0 0.725 22 . 0 7 . 0 77 . 45Barley 0 0 2.5 . . 37.5 . . 37.5 . . 208Onion 0 0.15 0 . 10 . . 0 . . 550 .Gesho 0 0 0.75 . . 25 . . 25 . . 26

Source:HouseholddataoftheFinalEvaluation