Ex-post Evaluation

1.1 Background of the project

In early 1990s, the Government of the Philippines (GoP) stepped up its efforts to ensure food security. In line with this, the Department of Agriculture (DA) embarked on the Key Production Area (KPA) approach aimed at increasing food production in selected areas of the country including Bohol province being the rice and corn production center of the whole Region VII (Central Visayas). With this KPA approach, the Bohol Agricultural Promotion Center (BAPC), which received a technical cooperation from Japan in 1983 through 1990, was expected to play a vital role in ensuring regional self-sufficiency in rice production. However, it was found out that in order for BAPC to effectively carry out its new role, there was a need to assist the BAPC in improving its institutional, physical and technical capabilities in such new fields as water management for irrigation systems, farm mechanization, technology transfer skills, and improvement of rice-based farming systems for location-specific requirements in the province and the whole Region VII. Considering this limitation and recognizing the immediate need for capacitating the BAPC, the GOP requested the Government of Japan (GOJ) in 1995 for an Aftercare program to the previously implemented PTTC on BAPC project. In response to the request, the GOJ through JICA dispatched several study teams in 1996 to determine the feasibility of the request and to examine the appropriateness of the After-care program.

As a result of those investigations, JICA concluded that a new Project Type Technical Cooperation (PTTC) was more appropriate to respond to the request. Thus, the Records of Discussions (R/D) for a new PTTC on the Bohol Integrated Agricultural Promotion Project (BIAPP) was signed by both GOP and GOJ authorities in October 1996. The technical cooperation on BIAPP was implemented from November 1996 to November 2001. It was extended for two years from 2001 to 2003. A Terminal Evaluation study for the project was carried out by JICA in July 2001.

This Ex-post evaluation study was conducted to determine impact and sustainability of the project as well as extract lessons from the project cooperation and formulate recommendations to improve planning and implementation of similar projects in the future.

1.2 Project overview

The project cooperation was aimed at transferring necessary techniques to BAPC counterparts on integrated agricultural promotion.

(1) Overall goal

The agricultural production and income of farmers in Bohol are increased.

(2) Project purpose

Agricultural productivity is increased by improving management of farming activities in the Project sub-site.

(3) Outputs

1) Baseline survey and monitoring can be conducted by BAPC staff;
2) Improved location-specific technologies for rice-based farming systems are adopted in the project sub-site;
3) Effective management of IA activities are carried out in the project sub-site;
4) Technical capabilities of extension workers and key farmers in Bohol are enhanced; and
5) Agricultural promotion system is improved by enhanced collaborative linkages of BAPC with Local Government Units and concerned organizations.

(4) Inputs (1996-2001)

Japanese side:

Philippine side:

3.1 Summary of evaluation results

(1) Impact

The BIAPP was designed to contribute to the overall increase in agricultural production and income of farmers in Bohol Province. Towards this end, the project focused on the improvement of agricultural productivity in the Project sub-site at the Capayas Irrigation System (CapIs) located in the municipality of Ubay. At the Project sub-site level, the average rice yield increased from 2.8 mt per hectare in 1996 to 4.0 mt per hectare in 2001. This average yield was sustained during and after the follow-up cooperation period which ended in 2003. Rice productivity in the entire province likewise improved from 1.96 mt per hectare in 1996 to 2.39 mt per hectare in 2004. This yield improvement, however, was insufficient to generate significant impact on the Overall Goal considering that the total paddy production of 150,000 mt recorded in 2004 was still below the highest production of 162,000 mt attained in 1997 and far below the project target of 250,000 mt for the entire province. The delay in completion of Bohol Irrigation Project-Stage 2 (BHIP-2) which could have expanded the total irrigated area in the province and the severe drought brought about by the El Nino phenomenon in 1998 and 2004 were identified as key factors that inhibited the attainment of the Overall Goal. In addition, the total paddy production of 250,000 metric tons targeted by the project for Bohol province is deemed too high. Historical data for the last 10 years indicate that highest paddy production level achieved by the province was only 160,000 metric tons. In terms of increasing farmers' income, farmers who have adopted the rice-based farming system (RBFS) introduced by BIAPP revealed that their incomes improved as a result of increased farm productivity. Official income statistics at the provincial level, however, revealed that while annual per capita increased from 6,993 pesos in 1997 to 11,239 pesos in 2004, poverty incidence in the province likewise increased from 37.3 percent to 52.8 percent during the same period.

(2) Sustainability

Institutional

The institutional sustainability of the project is ensured by the integration of the BAPC in the network of research centers of DA Region VII (referred to as the Central Visayas Integrated Agricultural Research Center or CENVIARC) in 1999 with the primary task of promoting rice-based farming systems not only in Bohol Province but the entire Central Visayas Region. Moreover, in recognition of its important role in agricultural promotion, the BAPC was designated by the DA-Regional Field Unit (RFU) VII as the Provincial Agriculture Technology Coordination Office (PATCO) for Bohol province responsible for coordinating the agricultural programs and projects of the DA in the province. The institutional sustainability of project is further ensured by the fact that 36 out of 45 former project counterparts remain employed at the BAPC, all of whom have permanent employment status. On the other hand, 18 out of the 20 former project counterparts sent to Japan for training are still working with BAPC applying the knowledge and skills learned from training in their regular functions.

At the Project sub-site, the Municipal Agriculturist Office (MAO) of the Local Government Unit (LGU) of Ubay has assigned three of its seven staff to sustain the extension activities at the CapIS while the BHIP-2 Project Office of the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) has assumed the responsibility of providing institutional development support to the irrigators' associations (IAs). After the project ended in 2003, however, the organizational performance of the four IAs that were activated and strengthened under the project declined as a result of the suspension of irrigation service due to the water shortage in 2004 and the inability of NIA to assign a full-time Institutional Development Officer (IDO) in the area. Key informants at NIA, however, expect the revitalization of the IAs in the next two years as the institutional development component of BHIP-2 is fully implemented in CapIS.

The "farmer-to-farmer" extension approach whereby BIAPP technologies are promoted through the model farms operated by seven (7) key or model farmers was sustained after the project ended in 2003. Aside from the seven key farmers, 12 additional farmers have adopted the rice-based farming systems in the project sub-site at the time of evaluation. In view of its effectiveness in terms of cost and rate of technology adoption, the "farmer-to-farmer" extension strategy is currently being applied by BAPC in its technology promotion activities outside the project sub-site.

Technical

The technical sustainability aspect of the project is likewise secured. Former project counterparts continue to apply and practice the knowledge and skills they have acquired during the implementation of BIAPP in the ongoing rice-based farming systems promotion activities of BAPC. Moreover, the BAPC has been able to develop effective approaches in technology transfer and promotion not only for lowland rice-based farming systems but also for other types of farming systems. While BAPC staff had limited opportunities to attend trainings and seminars after 2003, the survey conducted among former project counterparts revealed that they were able to upgrade their skills through their active participation in BAPC program/project implementation, peer-to-peer sharing, reviewing scientific literature and pursuing graduate studies. At the Project sub-site, most farmers continue to practice the knowledge and skills acquired during the BIAPP implementation such as the use of recommended varieties and synchronous planting thereby sustaining the average yield of 4.0 mt achieved in 2003. The seven model farmers continue to share the knowledge and skills to other farmers with some of them introducing improvements to the technologies introduced during the project. While farmers had lesser opportunities for training after 2003, this was compensated by the continuous technical guidance by agricultural technicians assigned by the LGU of Ubay in the Project sub-site.

Financial

The financial aspect of the project is fairly secured. BAPC, as the center for rice-based farming systems in Region VII, receives a regular budget of 9.9 million pesos every year from the national government through the DA-RFU VII. In addition, BAPC gets a supplemental budget for operations and maintenance from the national programs implemented by other government agencies such as the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) and DA's Ginintuang Masaganing Ani (GMA) rice production program. The shift from the "farmers' training-oriented" to the "farmer-to-farmer" extension approach has reduced the cost of BAPC operations in view of the reduced emphasis on costly trainings. But considering that BAPC is tasked to promote rice-based farming systems not only in Bohol but also in the entire region, the current financial capacity of BAPC is certainly limited. At the local government level, the Municipal Agriculture Office (MAO) of the municipality of Ubay has an annual budget of 1.9 million, two-thirds of which is earmarked for the salaries of agricultural extension personnel. In view of its tight operating budget, the extension activities of the MAO have been limited to farm visits by its agricultural technicians. Technology demonstration, seed production and other extension-related activities are mostly subsidized by the national government.

3.2 Factors that have promoted the project

(1) Impact

The adoption of effective agricultural promotion strategy during the follow-up cooperation period, i.e., the "farmer-to-farmer" extension approach contributed to the wider adoption of improved farming technologies in the Project sub-site. Moreover, the efforts of BAPC to promote location-specific rice based farming technologies on a wider scale after the project ended in 2003 outside the Capayas area with the support of the Bohol provincial government are contributing to the achievement of the Overall Goal of increasing productivity and income of farmers in Bohol province.

(2) Sustainability

The high priority given to food security in national and local development plans has helped ensure the continuity of government support to the initiatives of BIAPP to develop location-specific rice based farming systems and effective approaches to agricultural promotion. This is evidenced by the continuous budgetary support to the activities of the BAPC by the national government. Moreover, the recognition of the important role of BAPC in rice-based farming technology promotion by the Bohol provincial government, DA and other national government agencies (e.g., Department of Agrarian Reform and PhilRice) has enabled the BAPC to sustain the project activities after the cooperation ended in 2003. Given its expanded role in CENVIARC and as PATCO for Bohol province, BAPC is placed in a better position to sustain the activities of the BIAPP and help alleviate agricultural productivity and farmers' poverty situation.

3.3 Factors that have inhibited the project

The two-year delay in the completion of the BHIP-2 due to right-of-way acquisition problems and budgetary constraints coupled with the long dry spell brought about by the El Nino phenomenon are two major factors that inhibited the attainment of impact and sustainability of the project. The completion of BHIP-2 could have expanded the irrigated area in Bohol by 5,000 hectares thereby increasing total paddy production in the province. Moreover, the timely operation of BHIP-2 could have minimized the effects of the El Nino phenomenon in 2004 in CapIS as BHIP-2 was designed to supplement the water of Capayas Dam. The long dry spell in 2004, on the other hand, did not only affect agricultural production but also the sustainability of IA activities. The water shortage in 2004 and early 2005 resulted in the decline in IA performance as evidenced by decrease in ISF collection and poor participation in IA meetings and activities.

3.4 Conclusion

The BIAPP succeeded in demonstrating the potential of increasing agricultural productivity and farmers' income through the promotion of improved location specific rice-based farming technologies and adoption of effective agricultural promotion approaches. The current effort of BAPC to replicate the BIAPP experiences throughout Bohol province will eventually generate some impact on agricultural productivity and farmers' income. Increasing the total paddy production of Bohol in the near future, however, is largely dependent on the expansion of irrigated areas especially with the completion of BHIP-2 and the ability of BAPC to sustain the promotion of location-specific rice-based farming systems in the entire province particularly in farming communities served by irrigation.

3.5 Recommendations

For BAPC

(1) BAPC has to find ways to ensure that BIAPP experience is replicated in BHIP-2 considering that this irrigation project has a great potential of contributing to a significant increase in rice production in Bohol province. Strengthening the collaborative linkages between BAPC and the NIA-BHIP-2, the concerned IAs, and the LGUs in municipalities benefited by BHIP-2 is important in this regard.

(2) There is also need for BAPC to continue providing technical support to the extension activities of the municipal government of Ubay to protect the gains of the BIAPP in the Project sub-site. Considering that the CapIS was intended as a showcase of BIAPP, the BAPC should ensure that the positive effects of the project on farmers' productivity and income are sustained.

(3) Moreover, BAPC needs to increase its efforts in mobilizing external resources in order to accelerate the rice-based farming systems promotion activities in the province. The current efforts of mobilizing funds from PhilRice and DAR could be augmented by tapping the financial resources of local governments and donor organizations. A Program for External Resource Accessing (PERA) may be formulated for this purpose.

For NIA

(1) As the agency tasked to operate and maintain the CapIS, NIA should ensure the continuity to the institutional development program in the Project sub-site. Because of the budgetary constraints faced by the Philippine government, NIA may not be able to hire additional permanent Institutional Development Officers (IDOs) for the CapIS in the medium-term. However, the on-going process of "personnel rationalization" within the NIA bureaucracy provides an opportunity for the NIA sub-office in Bohol to advocate for the re-assignment of NIA regional staff to provide much needed institutional development support to priority projects like BHIP-2;

(2) There is also a need for NIA to provide a role for BAPC to replicate the BIAPP experience in BHIP-2. In particular, NIA may consider tapping the expertise of former project counterpart staff from BAPC in developing location-specific technologies for rice-based farming systems and supporting the IDO in improving the management capability of IAs to be benefited by the project.

For JICA

(1) To sustain the gains produced by the project, JICA may consider exploring the possibility of formulating an In-country Training Program (ICTP) aimed at propagating the BIAPP experience among extension agents in the country. Albeit in limited scale, BAPC has started disseminating technologies in some farm areas in Siquijor and Iloilo provinces. These technology-dissemination activities will be further strengthened and enhanced if an ICTP would be implemented by BAPC.

(2) To maximize the knowledge and skills learned by BAPC counterparts, JICA may consider advocating for the adoption of the successful experiences of BIAPP in its ongoing and future technical cooperation projects in the agriculture sector. In this regard, BAPC former counterpart staff may be mobilized as lecturers or resource-persons to training, seminars and conferences organized by on-going technical cooperation projects. BAPC may also receive visiting farmers, agricultural technicians and extension workers of on-going or future technical cooperation projects that involve promotion of rice-based farming systems.

3.6 Lessons learned

(1) Proper recognition of the role and mandate of the implementing and cooperating agency at the project planning stage is key to project sustainability. In the case of BIAPP, there was a smooth transfer of responsibility for continuing the activities at the Project sub-site as the future roles of NIA and the LGU were determined at the outset.

(2) Timing of project implementation is critical in realizing higher project objectives. In this project, the attainment of Overall Goal was largely dependent on the expansion of irrigated area through the BHIP-2. The contribution of the Project Purpose to the achievement of the Overall Goal would have been more significant if the BHIP-2 was completed as scheduled or when the technical cooperation was about to end.

(3) Formulating realistic target indicators is essential in project designing. In this project, the indicators set at the Overall Goal level were too high considering that up until 1996, the total annual paddy production in Bohol never reached 160,000 metric tons and the highest record achieved in poverty reduction at the national level never reached 10 percent. Monitoring key assumptions is, therefore, essential for adjusting project targets during project implementation.