Project Information

The ARCP aims to increase the quality of life of the 33,000 agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) in about 165 agrarian reform communities (ARCs) scattered across 33 provinces of the country, including the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).  

The Impact Assessment study was a comprehensive and independent assessment of ARCP interventions in about 71 agrarian reform communities (ARCs) distributed over 11 regions covered by the ARCP.  Salient findings on ARCP were compared with the findings of the ARCP Baseline, Mid-Term Re-survey and subsequent surveys/benchmarking results.  Insights were derived on how future ARC development strategy can be improved, including downstream pipeline projects (both local and foreign-assisted) developed along the ARC framework.

Objectives of the impact assessment (IA) of ARCP were:

a.    Find out the impact of implementation of ARCP on the lives of target households, and indirectly on the members of their families, communities, and the wider ARC socio-economy;

b.    Identified how the impact of implementation of the ARCP and the strategies it had adopted (overall and component strategies) can be improved in the immediate future (particularly during project phase-out process and mainstreaming to DAR and LGUs) and how the lessons learned can be incorporated into: (a) future ARC projects; and, (b) emerging new ARC development framework and strategy;

c.    Developed strategy and tools for on-going monitoring and future conduct of impact assessment in the ARCP-covered areas to ascertain sustainable impact and evaluate compliance to long-term loan covenants (i.e., 10-year operation and maintenance of infrastructure, etc.); and,

d.    Documented and shared the learning gained from the impact assessment with those involved in implementing ARC development projects and similar integrated, multi-component projects aiming to reduce rural poverty and spur sustainable rural development.

•    Designed the methodology process, survey tools and participatory research strategies;

•    Conducted and managed the survey of 100 ARCP subprojects in Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao composed of around 2,500 Household respondents;

•    Designed and implemented data processing needs for the survey and subsequent ARCP monitoring requirements;

•    Developed and managed a data base of qualitative and quantitative data that were collected from the household survey, FGDs sessions; and interviews amongst key informants;

•    Conducted eleven (11) focus group discussions with different ARCS. The FGD determined the extent of social and economic well-being of project participants which otherwise could not be captured adequately or accurately in essence by survey findings or figures and other quantitative indicators (e.g., poverty indicators). Here, self-ratings and perceptions were employed in shedding light on such aspects as one’s poverty situation, satisfaction derived from project outputs, and other social dimensions and impacts derived from the ARCP.  As a participatory approach, FGD finds its merit as a veritable IA tool as the FGD sessions were able to:

1.    Identified and address the multi-faceted concerns of stakeholders at the ground level;

2.    Focused on operational concerns, issues and gaps that need to be addressed;

3.    Provided for alternatives for consideration not only in planning and managing interventions but also in designing them to fit the circumstances of local people in a given ARC and specific to development potentials and limitations faced by the ARC;

4.    Improved decision-making process by taking into account the influence of traditional practices as well as attitudes and behaviour towards risks and change; and

5.    Elaborated on how local dynamics, such as social hierarchical structures, relations among people belonging to different denominations, and gender relations tend to influence the nature of institutional and organizational interventions planned or already provided.

•    Completed five (5)  case studies which were selected according to the scale or amount of sub-project investments implemented/completed, viz.: (i) high-investment level (above PhP30million); (ii) moderate (between PhP10-30 million); and (iii) small-scale (below PhP10million);

•    Processed and analyzed survey, FGD, and case study results including statistical analysis and trend analysis; and

•    Prepared recommendations for the sustainability of sub-projects and the design of ARCP.