The final evaluation of the project "Building adaptive capacity to climate change through food security and nutrition actions in vulnerable Afro and indigenous communities in the Colombia-Ecuador border area" (Binational Project) was commissioned by the World Food Programme (WFP) in Colombia and Ecuador. The project was financed by the Adaptation Fund (AF) and implemented from 2018 to 2024 in the two binational river basins of Mira-Mataje and Guaitara-Carchi. It sought to reduce the climate vulnerability of Indigenous Awa and Afro-descendant communities and their ecosystems (promoting food security and nutrition, gender equality, and peace building) and strengthen the capacities of the communities and regional institutions to adapt to climate change.
The evaluation covered the period from 2016 (project design) until April 2024 (six months before project closure) and served the double purpose of accountability and learning. It responded to eight main evaluation questions (which covered all AF evaluation criteria except impact), adopting a theory-based mixed methods approach. The evaluation combined conventional performance assessment (through a comprehensive review of available documents and quantitative M&E data, key informant interviews, and direct observation in the field) with appreciative inquiry workshops and indigenous storytelling in beneficiary communities. The field mission in Colombia and Ecuador lasted more than three weeks.
In addition to the evaluation report, a short video with a summary of evaluation results was produced for dissemination purposes. Both products are available at: https://www.wfp.org/publications/colombia-ecuador-evaluacion-descentralizada-del-proyecto-binacional-de-adaptacion-de