Result Monitoring & Information Management (RMIM) System for Donor funded short term emergency/recovery projects in Sri Lanka (Period Covered: 2010-2011)

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Result Monitoring & Information Management (RMIM)System for Donor funded short termemergency/recovery projects in Sri Lanka (PeriodCovered: 2010-2011)

W. D. C. J. Hewawasam, Monitoring & Evaluation Specialist,([email protected])

National Programme Coordination Unit, Smallholder Plantations EntrepreneurshipDevelopment Programme, Ministry of Plantation Industries, 172,2nd floor ElvithigalaMawatha, Colombo 08, Sri Lanka

AbstractThe Result Monitoring and Information Management (RMIM) is an initiative system that hasdefined, promoted and supported a common approach to monitoring recovery and reliefefforts and assessing their impacts in short term emergency projects in Sri Lanka. Postconflict recovery represents both a humanitarian imperative and an opportunity foraccelerated development. RMIM initiative arose out of the recognition that most of therecovery programmes are developed to replace the lost assets or seeds for planting orchicks or livestocks for rearing and tracking the input level activity from planning,procurement, quality assurance, delivering at field sites, temporary storage if appropriateand finally handed over to the beneficiaries for their use by which an enabling environmentto build back better. It provides opportunity for learning from the experiences in order to getthings right in the future as well as influence future capacity development actions of theproject team and use of beneficiary perspectives to triangulate and better understand howaffected people view the quality and relevance of the recovery assistance. RMIM initiativealso face the common challenges, including how to collect the data and assure its quality;how to present data in a way that decision makers can use; question about who owns the

system and how it should be sustained. More fundamentally the RMIM needed to beimprovised and designed at the time of project formulation and perhaps an investment inthe a recovery monitoring system for small projects with short project durations six toeighteen

List of acronymsRMIM Result Monitoring & Information Management

SPEnDP Smallholder Plantations Entrepreneurship Development ProgrammeM&E Monitoring & EvaluationNPCU National Programme Coordination UnitFAO Food & Agriculture OrganizationUN United NationGoSL Government of Sri LankaLTTE Liberation Tigers of Tamil EelamIDPs internally Displaced PersonsDAPH Department of Animal Production & HealthOFC Other Field CropsKIQ Key Informant QuestionnaireFGD Focus Group DiscussionDBM Data Base Management


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List of tablesTable 01 Results Summary -Seed paddy Outcome Monitoring (Maha 2010) -MullathievuTable 02 Summary Sheet of Outcome Results - Red onion 2011 Yala

List of Figures

Figure 01 Field staff and the officers from Implementing Agency (DAPH) taking thesignatures of poultry and OFC beneficiaries

Figure 02 Result Monitoring & Information Management (RMIM) SystemFigure 03 Two widows in Kilinochchi District with their preferred input package

Backyard Poultry Figure 04: Jaffna happy beneficiaries with their Red Onion Harvest (Yala-2011)

Author BiographyMr. W.D.C.J Hewawasam: joined SPEnDP in March 2012 as the M&E Specialist of NPCU.Prior to joined SPEnDP, he was the M&E Officer of Northern Recovery Programme of FAOof UN Sri Lanka for last two years (2010-2011). Mr. Hewawasam has graduated in 1997from the University of Peredeniya, Sri Lanka with BSc Special Degree in Agriculture andalso holds a M.phil Degree (2003) in Agricultural Biology from the Postgraduate Institute of

Agriculture, University of Peradeniya, He bears over 14 years of experience in RuralAgriculture, Research & Development and Project Management. Further, his multi-disciplinary training have enabled him gather a wealth of experience in the fields of

Agricultural Project Analysis, Monitoring & Evaluation and DBM.

IntroductionAgriculture is the backbone of the Northern Province in Sri Lanka. Crop farming is the mainpillar of the economy in terms of food security, income generation and employment. About80 % of the population is directly or indirectly based livelihood activities. The 26-year civilwar between the Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) and Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam(LTTE) has seriously disrupted peoples lives and the economic development of the country.The conflict came to an end mid-May 2009. Since then the GoSL has regained control of allthe districts of the Northern and Eastern Provinces which were previously under LTTEcontrol, and started the process of de-mining and resettling Internally Displaced Persons(IDPs) back to their former villages and agricultural lands.

Various International Organizations worked in Sri Lanka during this period aimed to rapidlyrestore agricultural and livestock activities to help rebuild the livelihoods and dignity of theworst-affected poor and food insecure households. Their funding contributed to GOSLsoverall recovery program in response to resettlement of IDP families aimed at theimmediate resumption of agricultural and livestock livelihood activities. Many donor

supported projects of six to fifteen months duration provided hand tools, quality seeds,water pumps to support paddy, vegetable and other field crops cultivations. Governmentprovided assistance for land preparation and fertilizer at subsidized rates. Approximately110,000 acres paddy, 20,000 acres other field crops and 7,000 acres vegetablesestablished over one main cultivation season thus bringing back the abandoned lands tocrops. The main input seeds, procured and distributed over a short period of time tocomplete the planting within the season.


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Methodology EmployedThree levels Mental Model for monitoring results (Inputs, outputs and outcomes) wasintroduced

Results Monitoring & information Management Levels

A) Activity Level

Inputs procured

Inputs procured by the Funding Agency following its standard procurement rules (Datacollection format available) and regulations. They should ensured that the varieties providedare preferred by the farmers, adapted to the target agro ecologies, and approved by theMinistry of Agriculture and that seed meet Donor Agencys technical standards. The seedsprocured met or exceeded the quality declared standards and conformed to the standardsfor emergency seeds of national government. A minimum standard of 80% germination was

requested to ensure the availability of quality seeds to the farmers. The services ofindependent superintendence company were obtained to ensure the quality/quantity andproper packaging and delivery of seeds. As much as possible, inputs were procured locally.

Inputs Delivered

Transportation of the inputs to the store/warehouse of the implementing partners at districtlevel coordinated by Donor Agency. Delivery of inputs in time was closely supervised by thefield staff of the Donor Agency under the overall supervision of the Monitoring andEvaluation (M&E) focal person in the Head office in Colombo (Special Data collectionformats available).

B) Output Level

Inputs Distributed

The distribution of the inputs done jointly with the DoA, and other local governmentauthorities as appropriate. The related services (e.g. transportation) contracted locallyfollowing Donors relevant administrative procedures.

At field level, monitoring of the input distribution taken place through the implementingpartners who were responsible for the progress of distribution of inputs to households(Special Data collection formats available) .Implementing partners will be closely supervisedby the field staff of the Donor Agency (Figure 01) and the overall supervision done by the

Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) focal person in the Head office in Colombo,


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Figure 01: Field staff and the officers from Implementing Agency (DAPH) taking thesignatures of poultry and OFC beneficiaries

C) Outcome level

Inputs Used

Donor Agency took the lead directly at this level to provide the conceptual and operationalmechanism for monitoring and outcome assessment of the Project at two (pre defined)different occasions as 1st round & 2nd round Outcome Monitoring (Special OutcomeMonitoring format available ).

M&E officer applied several M&E tools (E.g.: Random Beneficiary Surveys, KIQ, FGD) andfound that there were some significant progress towards achieving expected ProjectOutcomes/ Results for several project interventions on targeted beneficiaries (Table 01, 02& Figure 03 & 04)

(D) Generation of quarterly & annual Performance reports

The M&E Officer monitored the progress of the project against the outputs and evaluate theperformance of the project against the indicators set out in the project logical framework.

Donor Agency (M&E Team) prepared monthly monitoring and progress reports on projectactivities and shared with the project management, Government counterparts and the


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donor. This information helped to alert Donor agency and the line Ministries to problems (ifany) that may be encountered so that they could addressed in a timely manner.

Figure 02: Result Monitoring & Information Management (RMIM) System

Result Monitoring & Information Management (RMIM) System

for

Donor funded short term emergency/recovery projects in Sri Lanka

Programme Implementation

1.Activity

Level

Inputs delivered

3.Outcome

Level

Inputs used

2.Output Level

Inputs Distributed

1. PO information record

Based on the Pos issued under

different project codes- Colombo

Office

Summary of project specific input

deliveries completed up to the

delivery points disaggregated by

Project No. and locations

2. Bi- weekly Progress

Delivery Report

Project-specific progress updates of

actual input deliveries against set

targets disaggregated by location

Vavuniya Office

1st Round- Outcome

Monitoring

Seed Paddy - 2.5 months after

distribution

Fruit Trees -1 month after

distribution

OFC - 2 months after distribution

Vegetables - 1 month after

distribution

MOC - 2 months after distribution

2ndRound- Outcome

Monitoring

Seed Paddy - 4 months after

distribution

Fruit Trees -4 month after distribution

OFC - 4 months after distribution

Vegetables -2.5 -3 months after

distribution

MOC -5 months after

distribution

1.Monthly Distribution

reports-

Project specific input

distribution data from the

implementing agency*

2.Bi-weekly distribution

summary(to be

generated through the

web based data base )

-Project specific progress updates

of actual inputs handed over to

targeted recipients against set

targets disaggregated by gender

Quarterly & Annual Performance Reports

Data analysis and monitoring of the project results, based on the data

provided by all three le vel of monitoring


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Table 01: Results Summary -Seed paddy Outcome Monitoring (Maha 2010)

Mullathievu

No of farmers visited 110

Average Extent Cultivated (Acres)/HH 4

Average (bushels) received/HH 11

% Crop Damage

Fully Damaged (100%) 2 %Heavy Damaged of (50-75%) 13 13 %

Moderate Damage (25-50%) 21 %

Low Damage less than 25% 52 %

No Damage 12 %

Poverty status (%)

Wage Earners(WE) 0

Full-time Farmers (FF) 81 %Have Small Business ( SB) 0

FF/SB 7 %

FF/WE 12 %

Yield & Income data

Average yield harvested ( Bu)/Ac/HH 61 Bu 762,5 Kg

Average Bu reserved for Family Consumption(Food)/HH

12 Bu 151 Kg

Average Quantity (Bu) Sold /Ac/HH 50 Bu 1017 KG

Average Price (Rs) of 1 kg 28Average income (Rs) /Ac/HH 28476

Average (expected) profit gained =( 28476- 12,000( production cost) ) = 16,476 Rs/Ac/HH/Season

Figure 03: Two widows in Kilinochchi District with their preferred input packageBackyard Poultry


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Table 02: Summary Sheet of Outcome Results-Red onion 2011 Yala

Mannar JaffnaAverage No of seeds (kg) given per HH 30.4 180

Extent of crop damage (%)

25-50% 30.8 0%

50-75% 5.8

100% 19.2

Main course of crop damage fungal rot No disease evidence reported

Average yield (kg) received per HH 107.1 700

Current average market price (Rs/kg) 55-60 90

Average % of yield thay sold already (kg)/HH 52.8 o sales yet

Average income they received (Rs)/HH 3168.0 No income yet ( expected

income in Dec.-Jan = 1,40,000

(700Kg x Rs 200)

Average % of yield (kg)kept for home consumption

/HH7.1 No use for home consumption*

Average % of yield (KG) kept as seed materials for

next season/HH12.0 25

Average % of yield (KG) kept for selling when mkt

price is good in Dec-Jan/HH28.5 75

Average members of the family 4 4

*- Cultivation of Red onion in Jaffna in 2011 yala season was a success story. They recorded zero (0%)percentage of diseases with average 700kg yield per House hold. Special observation was in Jaffna, they

normally did not use their Onion harvest for home consumption. Main reason for that was they want to

prolog the keeping quality of the bunches when stored as seed material and to keep the bulbs in good quality

until the market price goes high (200 Rs/kg) in Dec - Jan in every year.

Figure 04: Jaffna happy beneficiaries with their Red Onion Harvest (Yala-2011)


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References

Christina, R.D. 2011.Evaluating the effectiveness of Short-term Humanitarian Aid.Thesis

Presented to the Graduate Council of Texas State University-San Marcos 97 pp.Dieter, M.Praefcke: Lai, K.C.,William S. 2010.The use of monitoring and evaluation in

agriculture and rural development projects. Findings from a review of implementationcompletion reports. Investment Centre Division,Food and Agriculture Organization of the

United Nations (FAO),Viale delle Terme di Caracalla 00153 Rome, Italy. 60 pp

Documents

Result Monitoring & Information Management (RMIM) System for Donor funded short term emergency/recovery projects in Sri Lanka (Period Covered: 2010-2011)