Sub-regional evaluation of IFAD's experience in the Dry Corridor of Central America

Overview

The Independent Office of Evaluation of IFAD (IOE) conducted its second subregional evaluation (SRE) on IFAD’s experience in the Dry Corridor of Central America. The SRE covered the period 2008 to 2023. The Dry Corridor is an ecozone characterized by common development challenges, including climate vulnerability, multidimensional rural poverty, and large migration outflows. The objectives of the SRE were to: identify the development challenges and strategic opportunities for IFAD in the Dry Corridor; analyse the intervention approaches supported by IFAD and their results; and provide learning to strengthen the results attained. The SRE found that IFAD has achieved a high coverage of municipalities in the Dry Corridor. Some interventions have promoted the socioeconomic transformation of rural areas. However, in the absence of specific strategic guidelines for the subregion and the Dry Corridor, it was difficult to adapt to the area’s structural features. Project design did not take a territorial approach to prioritize and articulate interventions and generate a critical mass of investments. The SRE recommends, among other things, that strategic guidelines be prepared for a subregional plan of action. A territorial approach should be adopted, placing family farming and resilient territorial development at the centre of interventions. In addition, IFAD should pay more attention to innovative approaches, knowledge management, strategic partnerships and policy dialogue. It is crucial for IFAD to consolidate its leadership position in the subregion, which is characterized by a high presence of international cooperation.

Report Details