Mid-Term Evaluation of UNDP/GEF Conservation and Sustainable Utilization of Wild Relatives of Crops Project (Agro-Biodiversity Project)
China is one of the seven independent centres of crop origin in the world. It is estimated that of about 1,200 crop species harvested worldwide, 600 are found in China, and of those up to half originated in China. However, the diversity of wild relatives of crop species in China with high international significance is increasingly threatened from land conversion, improper agricultural practices, intensification of land use, spread of invasive species, pollution and impact of genetically modified crops. The underlying causes of these threats include short-term economic development measures at the local level, institutional constraints to implementation of conservation regulations, promotion of new cultivars and new techniques by the agricultural extension system, and obscurity of population status of wild relatives. If unaddressed, these issues will result in loss of genetic resources for China and the world. UNDP/GEF Conservation and Sustainable Utilization of Wild Relatives of Crops Project (Agro-Biodiversity Project) will promote involvement of farmers in conservation activities instead of physically separating conservation from agricultural production. This will be achieved by working within existing governmental structures that support dialogue with farmers, but building the capacity of such structures to present and promote agricultural development options that incorporate conservation of wild relatives. Thus, the county and township agricultural bureaux and extension services will be supported in establishing participatory conservation measures in land under production. This project will also ensure that local knowledge regarding conservation and use of wild relatives is incorporated into conservation strategies. For sites where the opportunity to effect in situ measures has already passed as a result of the fast pace of economic development, ex situ conservation will be promoted where possible. The project objective is to mainstream conservation of wild croprelatives in agricultural production landscapes by targeting wild relatives of rice, soybean and wheat in eight provinces of China. Five outcomes are designed to address barriers to this objective and underlying causes of threats to wild relatives:
The Agro-biodiversity project was approved by the GEF Council in 2006 and the Project Document was signed in May 2007, and project was launched in December 2007. According to Project Document, Agro-biodiversity Project lasts for five years, with total budget of USD 20,898,000 (8.056 million from GEF). Ministry of Agriculture (MoA) is the national implementing agency of the project. Some key stakeholders include State Forestry Administration (SFA), Ministry of Environmental Protection (MEP), National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), Ministry of Land and Resources, Ministry of Science and Technology (MoST), National Management Office for Rural Development and Poverty Reduction, China Wild Plant Conservation Association (CWPCA), Scientific institutions, such as the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS), Farmers’ Associations, and All-China Women’s Federation (ACWF). The project will target wild relatives of rice, soybean and wheat in eight provinces across China. These sites and focused species include: Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region and Xinjiang Vygur Autonomous Region for wild relatives of wheat; Jilin Province, Heilongjiang province and Henan Province for wild relatives of soybean; Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Yunnan Province and Hai’nan Province for wild relatives of rice.
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The purpose of the evaluation is to help guide the project’s implementation from now till end of the project to achieve its objective. The MTE is also meant to synthesize lessons to help improve the project design and implementation of project activities. The mid-term evaluation will do this by:
Scope of Services: Under the supervision of UNDP CO in consultation with Implementing Partner of Agro-biodiversity Project, the mid-term evaluation team will accomplish the following tasks:
Review of project performance:
Project impact: To determine the extent to which the project objectives are expected to be achieved and what are the short-term and long-term impact of the project, including efficiency of the project, cost-effectiveness of the project, impact on wild relatives of crops conservation management in China, generation of income to local communities, replication and dissemination of project results within and outside project areas; awareness raised of Agro-biodiversity by the public and decision makers. Sustainability of project outcomes: To analyze the risks and assumptions that are likely to affect the persistence of the project outcomes, including financial resources, socio-political, institutional and environmental risks. Recommendations and lessons learned:
Requested Services and Activities: The team will use the information generated by Agro-biodiversity Project including baseline and information generated by the M&E framework, and seek the necessary contextual information to assess the significance and relevance of the results. The strategic priorities of biodiversity portfolio in GEF Phase IV will be used as benchmark for evaluation by the mid-term evaluation. In order to carry out the evaluation tasks, the team will carry out the following activities during the assignment period:
Outputs - The mid-term evaluation team will consist of an international consultant and a national consultant. The consultant team are expected to deliver the following outputs:
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Mid-Term Evaluation of UNDP/GEF Conservation and Sustainable Utilization of Wild Relatives of Crops Project (Agro-Biodiversity Project)
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