The EU-funded project aimed to strengthen institutions and capacities for strategic decision-making, planning, regulation, quality control and management in the food and agriculture sectors, including livestock.

 The evaluation found that the project was well aligned with the needs and priorities of national stakeholders, with FAO’s strategic objectives and with community beneficiaries. Several strategies, assessments and policy papers were developed, pilot initiatives were started, the Ministry of Agriculture was sensitized to reform processes and its changing role in the context of a market economy. Furthermore, capacities for delivering animal health services have improved considerably and are used. The project managed to navigate across institutional changes, although it suffered from delays that impeded the complete implementation of the pilot initiatives on agrarian reform.

Acknowledging FAO’s comparative advantage in assisting the initiation of agrarian reform, the evaluation makes a number of recommendations for a successful policy reform, which include continuing to work closely with all involved ministries and stakeholders at all levels, to guide and steer the process from the start through endorsement; alongside a systematic approach to capacity building and training for involved ministries.