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Lesson
Future sector strategies and projects seeking to modernize agriculture in Uzbekistan will require a thorough analysis of the markets and an evaluation of the sustainability of previous interventions. The new sector reform strategy seeks to reduce farm quotas, support other high-value crops (including horticulture), and introduce more resource-efficient agricultural methods (e.g., drip irrigation).

Project Number: 37536-013
Project Name: Land Improvement Project
Report Date:
Lesson
Small targeted technical assistance can have a significant impact on institutional capacity. The project supported the enhancement of the GIS capabilities of the Hydrogeological Melioration Expeditions (HGMEs), primarily through the GEF grant. Local HGMEs have benefited from the institutional capacity building provided through the project. Through the use of GIS, they are able to map drainage and irrigation infrastructure and facilities in the project areas, to support their O&M planning and implementation.

Project Number: 37536-013
Project Name: Land Improvement Project
Report Date:
Lesson
Agricultural drainage projects will yield greater benefits if they are coupled with complementary support for irrigation and other agricultural support mechanisms. In this case, the farms achieved more efficient drainage through the project, but the project did not pay enough attention to ensuring the prudent use of water. Overwatering is still practiced by farmers, exacerbating the inefficient transfer of water from sources to farms (40% reported water loss).

Project Number: 37536-013
Project Name: Land Improvement Project
Report Date:
Lesson
Regular monitoring and early course correction are required to mitigate poor project readiness and weak baselines. The project suffered from project readiness issues that resulted in significant cost overruns and delays. While ideally these would be captured before project approval, if they are not, it is imperative that identified flaws are acted on as soon as possible during implementation to allow for course correction.

Project Number: 37536-013
Project Name: Land Improvement Project
Report Date:
Lesson
Successful introduction of a new crop may require support from both private sector and government. Through the project, PRAN has introduced cassava in Bangladesh at commercial scale. Its first approaches to farmers were in 2014. PRAN has accessed support from multilateral development banks and nongovernment organizations to develop the crop but interaction with the government appears to have been limited.

Project Number: 46904-014
Project Name: Sylvan Agriculture Limited PRAN Agribusiness Project
Report Date:
Lesson
Additional studies to confirm project impacts are important when ADB is delivering first-time projects. This project was ADB’s first private sector agriculture project since 1985 and at the time of appraisal very few recent private sector approvals had been made in Bangladesh. The gender and poverty impact studies were undertaken at ADB’s request to identify the importance of the project for women, factory workers, and contract farmers. These were high-quality assessments and provided recommendations, some of which were incorporated into the second ADB loan to SAL.

Project Number: 46904-014
Project Name: Sylvan Agriculture Limited PRAN Agribusiness Project
Report Date:
Lesson
To confirm development outcomes, both clear definitions identifying the target beneficiaries and clear detailed records of participation are required. The project design did not provide a clear definition of contract farmers. It was therefore unclear whether only the lead contract farmer should be counted toward the outcome target number of farmers, or whether the group of farmers represented by the lead farmer should be included, or whether the entire cohort of lead farmers, lead farmer groups, and seasonal workers was covered by the term.

Project Number: 46904-014
Project Name: Sylvan Agriculture Limited PRAN Agribusiness Project
Report Date:
Lesson
Project outcome targets must be set at appropriate levels and risks must be recognized and appropriately mitigated. The evaluation recognized that this was the first agribusiness project done by ADB private sector operations since 1985 and that familiarity with contract farming may have been limited at the time of appraisal. The target of 25,000 contract farmers for SAL’s operations appears to have been formulated based solely on the starch plant’s capacity, rather than on specific analysis of likely farmer participation.

Project Number: 46904-014
Project Name: Sylvan Agriculture Limited PRAN Agribusiness Project
Report Date:
Lesson
Selecting a strong sponsor with alignment on development targets is critical to achieving results. PRAN is a flagship company in Bangladesh with sufficient corporate experience, resources, and knowledge to develop and deliver agribusiness projects. Through its newly established group company, SAL, the project was constructed to appropriate standards on time and under budget. All the required permissions were obtained, and the project complied with government regulations and ADB requirements. Contract farmers and factory staff benefited from the project.

Project Number: 46904-014
Project Name: Sylvan Agriculture Limited PRAN Agribusiness Project
Report Date:
Lesson
Nonrevenue water will remain a neglected issue without serious government and development partner support and targeted project actions. The project’s high target levels for NRW, at 70%, reflected a low priority given by both government and ADB. There were no specific actions outlined in the project design to achieve reductions in NRW. Metering should have improved the ability to monitor and control losses. Although impressive results in metering were achieved, the priority appears to have been to improve collection efficiency rather than seriously address NRW.

Project Number: 40296-013, 45299-001
Project Name: Water Supply and Sanitation Sector Project
Report Date:
Lesson
A simplified monitoring and evaluation system, with direct reporting to the executing agency, would have led to better assessment of the project’s performance. The ability to evaluate project performance and benefits was seriously compromised when the collection of performance data was discontinued even though collection was required under the loan agreement. The PPMS for the project was complex and was maintained only for the duration of each loan’s implementation period.

Project Number: 40296-013, 45299-001
Project Name: Water Supply and Sanitation Sector Project
Report Date:
Lesson
Long-term engagement is needed to foster private sector participation in water supply provision. Along with other development partners, ADB has contributed significantly to the development of an enabling environment for private sector engagement in the provision of WSS services in Armenia. This would not have been possible without ADB’s long-term engagement in the sector through this project and other interventions. ADB support to draft the PPP law (approved in June 2019) and continuing support on regulations will further enhance the enabling environment.

Project Number: 40296-013, 45299-001
Project Name: Water Supply and Sanitation Sector Project
Report Date:
Lesson
The riverbank erosion management system can play a crucial role in sustaining the adaptive approach beyond the life of the project. Greater clarity is needed on what a riverbank erosion management system (REMS) consists of and what institutional setting is required to make it sustainable. Effective operation of a REMS needs to be based on a crystal-clear consensus on the roles of local stakeholders, implementation arrangements, and Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB) coordination and financial commitment.

Project Number: 34038-013
Project Name: Jamuna-Meghna River Erosion Mitigation Project
Report Date:
Lesson
An adaptive approach can work effectively to mitigate riverbank erosion if it is executed to its full extent. Such riverbank protection work requires persistent commitment and continuous effort, unlike a one-time physical investment. Effective mitigation measures using geo-bags along riverbanks requires the implementation of an adaptive approach. O&M activities, including routine maintenance, need to be continuously implemented in parallel.

Project Number: 34038-013
Project Name: Jamuna-Meghna River Erosion Mitigation Project
Report Date:
Lesson
Agreement of all project stakeholders on the use of an adaptive approach and on O&M at the design stage is crucial for achieving project results. More time should have been spent during project design to ensure there was a common understanding on the following questions: What activities are required for the adaptive approach? What is the difference between the adaptive approach and O&M? Who is responsible for the implementation of the adaptive approach and O&M? How is the adaptive approach to be implemented after the project?

Project Number: 34038-013
Project Name: Jamuna-Meghna River Erosion Mitigation Project
Report Date: