1. Water for a food-secure world IFAD agricultural water management investments in “challenging contexts”: IFAD context, commonalities across countries, & recommendations June 2012 Douglas J Merrey Consultant to IWMI

2. Water for a food-secure world Overview The IWMI Project on water management in “challenging contexts” IFAD’s organization: structure, culture, reforms Case studies: Analytical framework Common findings Recommendations & way forward

3. Water for a food-secure world Improving Sustainability of Impacts of Agricultural Water Management Interventions in Challenging Contexts “Challenging”: post-conflict, weak institutions 5 countries (Nepal, Sri Lanka, Ethiopia, Burkina Faso, Ghana) – Case studies of IFAD AWM investment projects – Fieldwork, analysis, development of guidelines, recommendations, training modules Goal: Help IFAD improve project quality

4. Water for a food-secure world IFAD Context Investments target agricultural development for lifting people out of poverty – Next 3 years: $4.6B to lift 80m people – Rhetorical emphasis: improve equity, gender, “learning organization” – Recent analysis—Significant scaling up of AWM investments in recent COSOPs: +/-25% of total investments – Does IFAD have the technical capacity to support this level of investment?

5. Water for a food-secure world

6. Observations-IFAD IFAD reform process: decentralization of responsibility to CPMs [& CPMs to countries] – Direct responsibility for policy dialogue, planning, implementation at program & project level Replaces contracting out eg, to World Bank, UNOPS Dependence on consultants—”intellectual capital” and pathway to influencing IFAD investments – Weak technical support from HQ PTA as “the enemy”—quality reviews of new projects at a late stage: “gatekeeper” Process to change this—IWMI project contributes

7. Water for a food-secure world Defining context… SYSTEM OF STUDY CONTEXT (local and macro) Targeted community Targeted resource AWM intervention Implementing agency Funding agency Recipient government Institutional context Biophysical context Political-economic context Cultural context Discursive context External actors OUTCOMES Livelihood improvement Sustainaibility Fairness& legitimacy Adaptability Resilience Agricultural growth

8. Water for a food-secure world Analytical Framework

9. Water for a food-secure world Broad Challenges from Research Partial and poorly directed ‘community’ participation and buy-in Poor communication: within donor agencies and between projects and government implementers Unbalanced attention to ‘hardware’ than ‘software’ Lack of downward accountability [ie, to clients] Weaknesses in design, supervision and monitoring Not multi-sectoral—work in sectoral “silos”

10. Water for a food-secure world Broad Challenges cont’d Inadequate technical support – Lack of expertise for using community driven development approaches – Poor integration with other project components (marketing) Limited implementation of laws and policies Gender inequity Weak local institutions [elite capture]

11. Water for a food-secure world Design & Implementation Project design: well crafted on paper, but goals fail to match reality; proposal design team external; weak consultative/participatory approach No continuity design to implementation team Infrastructure design and construction: often faulty; challenges in personnel capacity – few well-trained engineers Supervision focuses in financial & physical progress not achieving project goals [poverty, livelihoods, equity]

12. Water for a food-secure world Delays Start-ups extremely slow: bureaucratic process; funds disbursement; changes in costs Politicization of project: taints procurement; tendering; implementation; Capacity challenges on part of local government project staff to meet project criteria

13. Water for a food-secure world Operation & maintenance, sustainability, productivity Community hand-over and ownership Funds for maintenance insufficient Training/capacity Disengagement after hand-over Lack of sustained productivity

14. Water for a food-secure world Recommendations Project design  include adequate time and funds for capacity building Project design process should be more consultative – with national programs and with communities – “Ownership” at national, local government, community levels Promote multi-sectoral involvement in design & implementation

15. Water for a food-secure world Recommendations Find solutions to recurring problems – – Capture and share lessons learned – Learning process should be built into projects – Improve KM across projects, countries, regions Invest in strengthening local institutions – Engage with government, stakeholders – Training on engaging with communities and adapting project design and implementation to local context

16. Water for a food-secure world Recommendations Test new approaches to address gender and other social equity issues: more than quotas Design mechanisms for more downward accountability – M&E – Stronger role of FO in contracting for infrastructure Build on existing institutions & knowledge Continued and targeting engagement after hand-over

17. Water for a food-secure world Way forward Strengthen capacity of regular consultants— IFAD “intellectual capital” – Consultant roster under development—intended to support CPMs and projects – IWMI learning module on community engagement-to be tested in Nepal, Ghana – IWMI & PTA--Major Consultant Learning Event planned for November in Rome Promote innovative types of investments

18. Water for a food-secure world Thank you!