Assignment Name: Final Evaluation of the Agriculture and Food Security Project (AFSP III) under the Strengthening Inclusive Development in Chittagong Hill Tracts (SID-CHT) Project

Country: Bangladesh

Client Name: United Nations Development Program (UNDP)

The Agriculture and Food Security Project III (AFSP III), a component of Strengthening Inclusive Development in CHT (SID-CHT) project, aimed to bolster sustainable agricultural practices and improve the livelihoods of marginal and small farm households in the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) region of Bangladesh. Funded by DANIDA and implemented by the Ministry of Chittagong Hill Tracts Affairs (MoCHTA) in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the project focused on increasing pro-poor inclusive agricultural growth, enhancing food security, and building local institutional capacities aligned with the CHT Peace Accord.

The project engaged 26,302 beneficiaries across 24 Upazilas in 3 Hill Districts through its core interventions, including establishing Integrated Farm Management-Farmer Field Schools (IFM-FFS). These initiatives emphasized diversification in agricultural productivity, sustainable farming practices, and market linkages. By strengthening Hill District Councils’ (HDCs) capacity to manage transferred agricultural services, the project enhanced local governance and service delivery. Key outcomes included increasing and diversifying agricultural productivity and ensuring that transferred agricultural services were managed in alignment with the CHT Peace Accord.

This evaluation assessed the project’s impact on agricultural productivity, food security, and institutional sustainability, employing OECD criteria such as relevance, efficiency, effectiveness, sustainability, coherence, and impact. The findings provided actionable insights into the successes, challenges, and lessons learned for scaling and sustainability.

The main purpose of this evaluation was to collect the end line data/ information of the project to measure the most significant changes and results at the output/outcome level for beneficiaries, institutions, and communities with a focus on the overall implementation process and progress towards project targets.

The specific objectives of the study are:

• To assess to what extent AFSP III have contributed to addressing the needs and problems identified during programme design
• To measure Impact level changes of the projects
• To measure intended outcomes of the projects
• To assess the efficiency and effectiveness of various project interventions and to identify causes of success and/or failure with recommendations
• To measure the value addition of the project after continuing over decades, especially for AFSP III
• To examine how the initiatives of the projects are mainstreamed in the government process.
• To measure the Value for money
• To provide forward-looking programmatic recommendations (for any course correction) to achieve the intended results/outcome

The key findings of this evaluation were used for future project design and policy implications at UNDP and the Government of Bangladesh.

The actual services provided in the assignment can be summarized as follows:

Project Design and Inception:

• Conducted inception meetings with UNDP, MoCHTA, and stakeholders to finalize the evaluation framework and tools.
• Developed a comprehensive inception report detailing methodology, sampling strategies, and evaluation plans.
• Carried out an in-depth desk review of programme documents, UNDP strategies, related UN and Ministry documents, and academic literature. Developed and finalized an inception report incorporating feedback from the commissioning parties.
• Designed data collection tools, including questionnaires, checklists, and interview protocols, in line with project objectives.
• Conducted a pre-test of the developed tools, used feedback to refine and finalize the structured survey questionnaire and qualitative checklists.

Data Collection:

• Conducted surveys with 1,850 households, including treatment and control groups, across 24 Upazilas.
• Organized Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) with farmers, women’s groups, and Para Nari Development Groups (PNDGs).
• Held Key Informant Interviews (KIIs) with stakeholders such as HDC officials, Farmer Facilitators, and government representatives.

Data Analysis:

• Analysed quantitative data using statistical software (SPSS).
• Triangulated qualitative data from FGDs and KIIs to ensure robust findings.
• Evaluated gender impacts and institutional integration of agricultural services using tailored frameworks.

Reporting and Dissemination:

• Prepared a comprehensive evaluation report including recommendations for policy and practice improvements.
• Organized validation workshops to present findings to stakeholders and incorporate feedback.
• Delivered final reports, datasets, and infographics summarizing key insights.