1. Increasing Project Impact through Participatory Approaches Working Group 1

2. Plan of Presentation What do we understand by participation in the context of IFAD project concepts Participation: Why Bother? Reasons why we cannot be non-participatory Minimum Requirements Participation by whom, for whom and when Participation and the IFAD project cycle Resource Implications Institutional Implications

3. What do we understand by participation, in the context of IFAD project/country programme? is a political act –it gets voices heard –it changes -power relationships starts with consultation, leads to negotiating problems, solutions, approaches and moves to decision-making and action needs to involve all (even those opposing!) stakeholders

4. Participation: Why bother? To ensure design reflects the real priorities of beneficiaries To ensure feasibility from people’s viewpoint To ensure the relevance of interventions To ensure sustainability beyond the project period To ensure the project is reaching and listening to the voices of the people it targets Increase ownership and therefore motivation Makes project accountable to beneficiaries Generates learning/power to facilitate advocacy at the top (partnerships) and at the bottom (by demanding political entitlement) Provides early warning on problems

5. Reasons why we cannot ignore participation of stakeholders? Complexity of issues: problems/statistics/ approaches/impact: all need to be negotiated agreements Even minor stakeholders can seriously affect projects/impacts Human right of participating in actions that affect people and their livelihoods

6. Minimum Requirements/Issues Participation without legitimate organisation difficult Existing organisations can be involved provided that the organisations represent stakeholders Affording participation in terms of time and lost earnings of beneficiaries Enabling participation of weaker groups through access/facilitation/project support

7. Participation and IFAD Project Cycle COSOP INCEPTION FORMULATION Involve stakeholders/PRA etc. Should not Pre-commit Design APPRAISAL APPROVAL Flexible Design *** START-UP Build capacity for participatory adjustment of design and implementation IMPLEMENTATION ***** APWBs Participatory Instrument for Change MID-TERM R/E COMPLETION SUSTAINABILITY Iterative Process

8. Resource Implications Yes, it costs more in terms of money and time Participation needs to be considered as an INVESMENT rather than a cost Costs can be dramatically reduced by building capacity of project staff and other stakeholders (instead of only relying on international) -- cascade training

9. Institutional Implications Participation is a mind-set/attitude -- can we really train people to be participatory? Agencies promoting participation need to be participatory themselves -- Walk the talk!! Need for commitment on the part of donors Be prepared for the consequences of participation: uncertainty, politicization, loss of “control”, etc. IFAD needs to orient and promote participation amongst governments/partners through advocacy, consultation and leverage IFAD depends on consultants. Need to evolve long-term relationships, and help consultants to evolve towards participation through orientation/training and periodic consultation

10. IFAD Project Cycle: An Iterative Process COSOP Inception Formulation Appraisal Approval Start-up Instruments for Change Mid-Term R/E Completion AWP&Bs Sustainability Negotiations Stakeholder workshop Poverty assessments Flexible Design based on: PRAs Poverty assessments Livelihood analyses Stakeholder workshops Participatory Implementation supported by: Participatory Impact Monitoring Participatory Impact Assessment Reality Check Workshops Participatory Evaluation Supervision Build capacity Monitoring and Evaluation