Performance Evaluation of the Land and Rural Development Program (LRDP)
Global Development
Period of Performance: December 2016 – October 2017
Cloudburst conducted the rigorous midterm mixed-method performance evaluation (PE) of U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Colombia’s Land and Rural Development Program (LRDP), an innovative program focused on land administration and institutional change in post-conflict Colombia. LRDP was designed to improve land tenure in Colombia by addressing two key development issues:
- The displacement of millions of Colombians, particularly in rural areas, because of armed conflict between the Government of Colombia and various guerilla/paramilitary groups; and
- The high level of poverty and inequality in the same rural areas.
Using a set of matched comparison and programming areas, the PE compared trends and results along LRDP’s expected theory of change and four program components (restitution, formalization, rural development and information management). The PE included a large-N household survey across 50 municipalities, an organization and institutional survey covering the Land Restitution Unit (LRU), land restitution judges and mayors, key informant interviews across various local government entities such as Superintendency of Notaries and Registry (SNR), Agustin Codazzi Geographic Institute (IGAC), Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) and the National Land Agency (ANT) as well as focus group discussions with women, Afro-Colombian youth, indigenous communities and producer associations. Cloudburst designed the survey instruments to collect information on conflict and displacement, rural development, perception of local institutions, satisfaction with public-private partnerships (PPPs), tenure security and livelihoods. Data collection was conducted using a local firm and in close coordination with local organizations and agencies including the LRU, local producer associations and the implementing partner in order to identify and survey specific beneficiaries.
Through this contract, Cloudburst accomplished the following:
- Cloudburst led data collection efforts that included 1,462 household surveys, 81 government stakeholder surveys with land-restitution judges, LRU officials and mayors, 10 focus group discussions with women, ethnic minority groups, and producer associations and 65 key informant interviews with implementing partners, government representatives, and private sector stakeholders.
- The data collected allowed Cloudburst to provide robust analysis of LRDP’s impact on strengthening national and local institutions working with victims of the armed conflict and to generate pertinent recommendations.
- Cloudburst also produced a Mid-term Performance Evaluation Report, with analysis by both gender and ethnicity. The report provided an in-depth analysis of LRDP achievements to date and ongoing challenges and opportunities for future USAID programming.