Project Description

The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), is a specialized agency of the United Nations established with a mission to alleviate rural poverty and combat hunger in developing countries. To assess the degree of effectiveness of IFAD achieving this mission, its Governing Council decided -based on the results of the Sixth Replenishment of IFAD’s Resources – to conduct an Independent External Evaluation (IEE).

The main objectives of the IEE are:

1. To determine IFAD’s contribution to rural poverty reduction, the results and their impact achieved in this area and the relevance of IFAD within the international development community.

2. Assess whether and what IFAD has learned from past experience and how its policies and operations have evolved in response to lessons learned.

3. Finally, provide recommendations on the policy directions IFAD should pursue and other steps it should take to improve its future performance.

Egypt is one of the 20 countries selected where IFAD’s work is being evaluated.  ITAD (Information, Training and Development) was selected to carry out this IEE. NSCE has been subcontracted by ITAD to carry out the research and evaluation work in Egypt together with one ITAD consultant, thereby investigating two fundamental questions: 

a)    Is IFAD properly focused on its rural development mission?

b)  Are the skills and resources of IFAD used in the best possible way, given IFAD’s overarching goal of supporting rural development and helping developing countries eradicate rural poverty?  

The assessment is carried out with project staff, beneficiaries and IFAD stakeholders using quantitative and qualitative research techniques.

Period

April 2004- July 2004

Donor

International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD)

Country

EGYPT

Project Description

The Spanish Government in cooperation with the Ministry of Agriculture and Land Reclamation supported a three years project with the objective to modernize the olive oil sector through the settlement of a demonstration farm to build the capacity for improved olive production and an oil mill to improve the oil production capacity. The project was funded by the counterpart fund from the Spanish Food Aid from Spain to Egypt. The project was completed in March 2003.

Upon a request from the Egyptian government, the Spanish Agency for International Cooperation (AECI) approved the allocation of an additional 240,404 EU to consolidate the results of the previous phase. North South Consultants Exchange was invited to prepare a project document for a one-year period to enable MOALR to manage the project and maintain the operation of the capacity building component of the farm and oil mill. Furthermore the consultant was requested to explore the options for extending the benefit of the project to the majority of the farmers in the area based on an integrated approach and according to the area needs.

On the basis of the results from a series of field visits to the farm and to the project area as well as extensive interviews of key stakeholders of MoALR and of Fayoum governorate,a common consensus has been reached on the way to meet the needs of both the objectives:

-  Consolidate and strengthen the capacity of the farm for cultivation of olive and production of olive oil during one year

-  Extend the benefits of the project to all the farmers of the project area

On that basis, NSCE has elaborated two different project documents for a one year and three years respectively, focusing on the development of the farm and oil mill operation along with a survey of the farmers’ needs and expectations, and on the development of services to the olive growers in Fayoum.

Dec. 2003-March 2004

Spanish Development Cooperation

Tecnologias y Servicios Agrarios SA, (TRAGSATEC), has been commissioned by Spanish Agency of International Cooperation, to execute the Development Program for Livestock Artificial Insemination and Modernization of Olive Oil Production. Within this context, NSCE has been subcontracted to execute the study “Assessment of Livestock and Olive Oil Cooperatives in Egypt”.  The objective of the project is to provide TRAGSATEC with an assessment study on the livestock and olive oil cooperatives in Assuit and Fayoum governorates respectively. This entails the undertaking of sector survey with a full functional review of the agricultural cooperative system in Egypt.

In order to achieve its objectives, NSCE provided TRAGSATEC with a team of field researchers, coordinators and a consultant in the field who were assigned to conduct a research on the history of the cooperatives in the past 15 years, field sampling, group meetings with cooperative members and individual farmers. The team is expected to provide information on the technical, managerial and organizational condition of the cooperatives and formulate recommendations for improvement.

April 2002 – June 2002

In line with the general policy of the Spanish International Cooperation, a project to improve the fertility and health of the animal population has been initiated in Egypt to improve the well being of the small farmers in Egypt and alleviate poverty.

Technologies y Services Agrarios, S.A (TRAGSATEC) has been commissioned by the Spanish Government to manage the Livestock Artificial Insemination Project to be carried out in five governorates of Upper Egypt. NSCE has been subcontracted to carry out a study of the needs and of the acceptability of artificial insemination for farmers. The study was carried out through a quantitative survey, through the implementation of a structured questionnaire and through a qualitative survey through the implementation of a rapid appraisal research.  The results of the three components have eventually been analyzed, compared, combined and elaborated so that a series of recommendations that could alleviate the identified social, economic and cultural bottlenecks could be identified.

July 2000 – Feb. 2001

In relation to the agriculture sector, primarily information users and information providers at the governorates and Cairo level, to provide a macro picture on how information on market trends, production and technical data is delivered to farmers and the channels of information. The project area covers Bahariya, Gharbiya, Dakhaliya, Sharkiya and Assiut.

1999