Monitoring and Evaluation Report 1
1. Introduction On April 20 th, 2016, as part of the M&E strategy of the Agricultural Innovation Marketplace MKTPlace, the in situ M&E of the project ID 1004 took place at Embrapa Cassava and Tropical Fruits, in Cruz das Almas, BA, Brazil. The researchers Francisco Ferraz Laranjeira Barbosa (Head of R&D), Alfredo Augusto Cunha Alves (international focal point), Edson Perito Amorim (co-leader) and Janay Almeida dos Santos Serejo (researcher) and Paulo Camargo Duarte (MKTPlace team) participated in the meeting where the aim of the visit, general aspects of the MKTPlace and the work of the unit were discussed. The meeting was followed by a visit to experimental fields and laboratories. After the M&E of the specific project, there was a meeting with former MKTPlace co-leaders, whose projects were completed, to discuss their experience in participating in the initiative. 2. Objectives The objectives of the M&E mission were: To verify the progress of project activities; To identify possible bottlenecks in project implementation; To propose solutions to the bottlenecks identified. 3. Methodology The methodology used for the M&E included: 1) the review of project proposal and objectives; 2) review of the annual report; 3) discussion on partial results, challenges and opportunities. 4. Evaluated Project 4.1 Project: Exchange of banana and plantain (Musa spp.) varieties and hybrids between IITA and Embrapa widening the genetic base for the development of new cultivars and direct use by farmers. ID: 1004 2
Co-leaders: Edson Perito Amorim (Embrapa Cassava and Tropical Fruits) Rony Swennen (International Institute of Tropical Agriculture -IITA) Countries of implementation: Uganda, Nigeria and Brazil. Beginning of the project: 11/20/2013 Duration: 2 years Initial date estimated for the end: 11/20/2015 Extension: 6 months Estimated date for the end: 05/20/2016 4.2 Evaluation of the progress of the project The main activity of the project is the exchange of banana germplasm between IITA and Embrapa Cassava and Tropical Fruits, and the evaluation (in Uganda, Nigeria and Brazil) of the performance of this germplasm regarding the resistance to specific diseases and agronomical and sensorial characteristics, the latter connected to the acceptability for consumption to be evaluated only in Africa. Partial objectives were already achieved. Due to the time needed for the bureaucratic procedures for the germplasm exchange, the sending of this material from Embrapa to IITA in Uganda occurred later than expected, what has resulted in a delay in the field evaluations in the country. Therefore, regarding what was initially established, the available results in Africa at the end of the project will be limited and proportional to the time left of its duration. However, as informed by the co-leaders, the experiments will go beyond the duration of the project and the results initially planned can be achieved in the future. The experiments in Nigeria were not implemented as planned because the Brazilian germplasm sent from IITA in Uganda to IITA in Nigeria was lost. Actually, the African co-leader indicated that only one accession was lost, not all of them. Due to the time needed for the bureaucratic procedures, added to a certain disarticulation of the Embrapa internal organizations in charge of this matter, up to the moment of this monitoring the germplasm initially expected in the project was not received, even though the request has been made, apparently successfully. However, the germplasm received and not initially expected for the project is more relevant for 3
Brazil as the expected one. Up to this M&E, there were no field tests with the material received in Brazil. The communication between the co-leaders has been adequate and despite the difficulties described above, the project boosted the mobilization of additional international resources for the banana research and paved the way for the Brazilian participation in the International Consortium for the Genetic Improvement of Banana for the African Great Lakes region. The financial implementation of the Brazilian side is consistent to the stage of the project, considering the difficulties found. 4.3 Advances The project is in its final phase of implementation. The Brazilian co-leader is expected to go to Uganda before the end of the project activities, including data collection and evolution in the experimental fields planted there and the preparation for the use of materials received in Brazil. 4.4 Difficulties/Bottlenecks The biggest bottleneck found in the implementation of the project was the difficulty in the genetic material exchange, specifically regarding the bureaucratic processes within Embrapa. When reviewing the internal material available, regarding the request of material delivery to Brazil, the impression is that there is a fragmented communication among the several sectors involved, and even though the requirements seem to have been all fulfilled, there is no obvious explanation for the reason why the material was not received. 4.5 Lessons Learned Projects involving exchange of germplasm need special attention and the necessary procedures for the realization of the exchange must begin as soon as possible in the project implementation; 4
4.6 Recommendations The most important recommendation is the elucidation of researchers, the alignment of information among the several sectors and the facilitation of processes, referring to the germplasm exchange. This was also the main recommendation from the other former project co-leaders during the specific meeting. Brasília, April 20, 2016 Paulo de Camargo Duarte MKTPlace team 5