Internal Evaluation Study of the Project “Improving Livelihood of Small Farmers in Kampong Tralach and Samaki Meanchey District, Kampong Chhnang Province

By: Sok Thea
The internal evaluation study was conducted early December 2009, with the main objectives as follows:

• Assess the levels of adoption/adaptation of innovations developed by the project in cooperation with farmers, such as the System of Rice Intensification (SRI), Multi-Purpose Farms (MPF), chicken-raising, home garden improvements, and others;
• Assess the economic, social and environmental impact of the project, with a focus on quantitative and qualitative assessment of changes in living conditions of the target group, such as changes in production, income, nutrition, mutual help and cooperation, as well as sustainability of the farmers association, agriculture cooperative and pig insurance group;
• Make recommendations for future follow-up of the project; and
• Draw lessons learned from the project experiences.

Household interviews and focus group discussions were the key tools for collecting information from the field. Approximately 187 of 200 villagers were interviewed from 20 villages, 9 communes and 2 districts of Kampong Chhnang province. Ten focus group discussions in 10 villages were conducted with participation of 80 villagers. The Samchol approach was used to assess the quality of life of farmers as compared with before the project. Key indicators of the Samchol approach include health, friendship and cooperation, knowledge and money. Read more…