Scaling Up the Fight Against Rural Poverty - FIDAfrique
Scaling Up the Fight Against Rural Poverty - FIDAfrique
Scaling Up the Fight Against Rural Poverty - FIDAfrique
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Moreover, IFAD has had some success stories in developing effective scaled up value chain programs<br />
and has recently much intensified its attention to this issue. However, <strong>the</strong> effectiveness of its<br />
engagement in this area remains to be fully tested. A systematic assessment has yet to be made how<br />
IFAD can best use <strong>the</strong> value chain approach to pursue an effective scaling up approach for rural<br />
livelihood development.<br />
D. Corporate evaluation of innovation and scaling up in IFAD’s programs<br />
In April 2010 IFAD’s Independent Office of Evaluation presented to <strong>the</strong> Evaluation Committee of <strong>the</strong><br />
IFAD Executive Board <strong>the</strong> findings of EIS, its major evaluation of innovation and scaling up at<br />
IFAD. 22 This evaluation was principally focused on innovation, but also explored IFAD’s operational<br />
approach to scaling up.<br />
The evaluation is based on a broad range of information inputs, including an assessment of IFAD’s<br />
strategic directions; of <strong>the</strong> evaluation results of <strong>the</strong> completed project portfolio; of <strong>the</strong> approach in<br />
recent country strategies and ongoing projects; and of <strong>the</strong> results of a survey of IFAD’s operational<br />
staff.<br />
The evaluation concludes that <strong>the</strong> importance of scaling up has been stressed for some time in IFAD’s<br />
strategic documents, and it cites specific cases of successful scaling up in country programs. But it also<br />
concludes that scaling up has generally not been effectively built into country programs. “While <strong>the</strong>re<br />
are some examples of successful scaling up, <strong>the</strong> resources allocated for <strong>the</strong> purposes are insufficient<br />
and staff skills are not adequate for <strong>the</strong> purpose. <strong>Up</strong> scaling has largely occurred in an informal and<br />
unsystematic manner largely due to individual initiatives.” 23 The evaluation concludes that IFAD<br />
needs to “[t]reat scaling up as mission-critical”. 24<br />
E. Conclusions<br />
The main findings of this chapter are fourfold:<br />
IFAD has good examples of scaling up in its country and <strong>the</strong>matic programs.<br />
IFAD’s successful scaling up experiences can provide helpful insights and lessons into how to<br />
design appropriate scaling up pathways and should be systematically assessed as part of a<br />
future scaling up knowledge management initiative.<br />
In general, however, scaling up has not been a systematic focus of IFAD’s country and<br />
<strong>the</strong>matic programs.<br />
IFAD would benefit from a more systematic approach to scaling up. The remainder of this<br />
review explores various aspects of how this could be done.<br />
22 IFAD Independent Office of Evaluation (2010).<br />
23 Ibid., Executive Summary, p. 26.<br />
24 Ibid., Executive Summary, para. 125.<br />
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