This mid-term evaluation assessed the KWIHAZA project, “Transformation towards sustainable food systems”, implemented in Rwanda and co-funded by the European Union and the Government of Luxembourg together with the Government of Rwanda. It was both summative and formative in nature, serving the dual purposes of accountability and learning. The evaluation examined the project’s overall performance at mid-term and aimed to generate lessons for the remainder of implementation and a possible second phase. More specifically, it assessed the project’s achievements and added value, identified lessons learned, best practices, obstacles and failures, and considered whether future action should be reoriented.
The evaluation was conducted against the broader backdrop of Rwanda’s efforts to transform its food system in response to persistent structural challenges, including low productivity, weak value chain linkages, limited value addition, post-harvest losses, and constrained access to finance. Within this context, it examined the extent to which KWIHAZA had progressed in supporting the transition towards socially and environmentally inclusive food systems through interventions in aquaculture, fisheries and horticulture, with particular attention to women and youth. It covered the project’s three result areas – aquaculture, fisheries and horticulture – and the full range of intervention themes, including support to smallholder organisations, SMEs and aspiring young entrepreneurs, as well as the enabling environment for inclusive value chain development and sustainable food systems.
The evaluation assessed the project against the OECD DAC criteria of effectiveness, efficiency, coherence and sustainability. It also considered unintended effects and explicitly addressed the cross-cutting themes of environment, gender and inclusion. Methodologically, the evaluation followed a theory-based framework and used a mixed-methods approach, including a mission in Rwanda.