THE Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) has been commissioned to lead the evaluation of the Department of Agriculture-Philippine Rural Development Project (DA-PRDP).
A DA flagship program initiated in 2014, the PRDP was intended to increase rural incomes, modernize the agri-fishery sector and establish climate-resilient and market-oriented investments.
After over a decade of the project's implementation, the SEARCA-led evaluation seeks to assess the program's performance, measure its impact on beneficiaries and generate evidence-based recommendations to guide the next phase of the PRDP and similar future initiatives.
On Jan. 22, the kick-off meeting for the "Combined Endline and Baseline Evaluation Study for the Department of Agriculture-Philippine Rural Development Project" was held at the SEARCA in Los Baños, Laguna.
The study will assess the outcomes of the Original Loan or OL, First Additional Financing or AF1 and Second Additional Financing or AF2. It will also establish a baseline for the PRDP Scale-Up initiative designed to expand and sustain the gains of the original project.
SEARCA Center Director Glenn Gregorio highlighted the importance of the evaluation in assessing the progress made by the PRDP and identifying areas for improvement to promote sustainable agricultural development.
He also highlighted SEARCA's long and successful history of improving agriculture and rural communities in Southeast Asia, spanning almost 60 years, making the center a trustworthy partner for this important study.
Gregorio said the kick-off meeting served as a venue to align expectations, finalize technical approaches and address initial concerns among the SEARCA team led by its Emerging Innovation for Growth Department, DA-PRDP representatives and World Bank officials.
As the study's team leader, Ernesto Brown led the discussion and outlined the evaluation scope and data collection methods to ensure a unified understanding of the project objectives.
Angelita Martir, PRDP officer in charge and National Deputy Project director, said at the close of the meeting that "PRDP remains committed to fully supporting SEARCA in delivering a thorough and insightful evaluation."
"This study will provide invaluable guidance for future project implementation and scaling," Martir said.