The document outlines a workshop focused on strengthening capabilities for strategic agricultural policy and investment planning in Africa, particularly through project formulation and management. It emphasizes the importance of stakeholder and problems analysis, providing tools such as the problems tree and objectives tree for effectively addressing project challenges. Key factors for successful agricultural interventions are highlighted, including community participation, capacity building, and quality implementation.

1. Project Formulation
Workshop on Strengthening Capacity for Strategic Agricultural Policy
and Investment Planning and Implementation in Africa
Safari Park Hotel, Nairobi on 25th- 26th June 2012
Stella Clara Massawe
ReSAKSS-ECA, ILRI

2. A project
• activities aimed at bringing about clearly specified
objectives within a defined time-period and with a
defined budget
• Hierarchy of objectives (inputs, activities, outputs,
purpose and goal) & assumptions

3. A programme
• Series of several projects
• Projects that strategically combined to
achieve a common program objective

4. Five stages of project life cycle

5. Situation Analysis and Project Design
• Three main components:
– Stakeholder analysis
– Problem analysis
– Objectives/Strategies Analysis

6. Who is a Stakeholder? ….(1)
• Any individual, community, group or
organization with an interest in the
outputs/outcomes of a project,
• Either as a result of being affected by it
positively or negatively, or by being able to
influence project activities.

7. Who is a Stakeholder? …(2)
• Key stakeholders: Those who can significantly
influence or are important to the success of an
activity.
• Primary stakeholders: Those who are ultimately
affected by an activity.
• Secondary stakeholders: All other stakeholders than
Primary stakeholders.

8. The importance of Stakeholder Analysis
• To Know:
– Those around a project, who may affect or be affected
by a project
– Opportunities and relationships to build upon in
implementing a project to help make it a success
– Who should be encouraged to participate in a project
– Potential conflicts and risks that could jeopardize a
project, etc.

9. Problems Analysis
• is a central tool for the project design, showing issues
which need to be dealt with
• Problems Tree Analysis: an effective technique used
for Problems Analysis
• In the Problems Tree, problems are connected by
“cause-effect” logic.

10. From a problem to strategic intervention (1)
Identify problems faces and the causal linkage among them

11. Objectives/Strategies Analysis
• Is a tool to understand what objectives to address
the problems identified in Problems Analysis.
• It also shows what strategies will be taken to solve
the problems identified in Problems Analysis.
• In Objectives Tree, objectives/strategies are
connected by “if-then” logic.

12. From a problem to strategic intervention (2)

13. From a problem to strategic intervention
(3)

14. Project Formulation

15. Link to the thinking about impact
pathways & result chain

16. Logic model…
• Is a systematic and visual way to present and share
your understanding of the relationships among the
resources you have to operate your program
• The activities you plan, and the changes or results
you hope to achieve
• Input and activities = Your planned work
• Output, outcome and impacts=Your intended results

17. Prepare project Management Plan
• Need to prepare a detailed project management plan
which specifies the key tasks, targets and timescales
• Logical Framework (Logframe)/ Project Design Matrix
(PDM)
• A four-by-four matrix which shows the design of a
project and functions as a base of management after
the project commencement

18. Log frame
Narrative Objectively Means of Important
Verifiable Verification Assumptions
Indicators (OVI) (MOV)
Goal Indicators and Sources of
target values Information
Project Purpose
Outputs
Activities Inputs External factors
and preconditions

19. Learning from the past agricultural
projects

20. Framework for reviewing the case studies
SPATIAL
VARIATION

21. Factors for success of the reviewed interventions
• Problem definition
• Community Participation
• Choice of commodity
• Gender consideration
• Project/ programe Design-strategy
• Complimentary investments &partnerships

22. Factors for success of the reviewed interventions
• Capacity building
• Sustainability
• Well organized groups
• Timing & conditioning factors
• Leadership and Dedication
• Financial resources: access to credit, rural finance

23. Key messages: factors to consider in
designing agricultural interventions (1)
• Demand for the intervention, not only at the national
level but also at the local level as well as enabling
environment;
• Stakeholder/beneficiary participation;
• Impact on the beneficiaries;
• Quality design arising from quality technical assistance
and feasibility study;

24. Key messages: factors to consider in
designing agricultural interventions (2)
• Quality of implementation
• Government support and commitment
• Performance of the executing agency and effective
quality control system
• Exogenous factors.

25. THANK YOU

26. Exercise 1
Constructing and Using a Theory of Change
Task objective: to enable the participants practice how to develop a theory of change for their
programme
Estimated time: 30 minutes

27. Task 1
• Consider a programme you are currently working with or one
which you are familiar but not directly involved. Develop a
graphic showing of the theory of change for this programme
or project.
• Be sure to identify the assumptions underlying the
programme or project
• Use simple theory of change template (please only include a
few outputs and activities)
• Reference pages 150-171