A realistic timeline for project activities should be developed before investment, considering necessary sequencing of dependent activities. The Transition to High-Value Agriculture Project was designed to support farmers with irrigation improvements, training, and loans to improve the cold chain. However, there wasn’t sufficient time after the irrigation was completed to train and coordinate farmers in the irrigation area to use irrigation and switch to higher-value crops, nor was there sufficient produce being produced to warrant investments in the cold chain in the irrigation areas during compact implementation. The evaluation documents that as a result, training and loans were primarily provided outside of the irrigation areas, having a very limited impact on the intended beneficiaries in the rehabilitated systems.
Lesson Learned