Building the Sustainable Rural Development Index in Asia and the Pacific Region:

1. “Perspectives on Impact Evaluation: Approaches to Assessing Development Effectiveness.” Semiramis Intercontinental Hotel, Cairo, Egypt March 29-April 2, 2009 Building the Sustainable Rural Development Index in Asia and the Pacific Region: Scoreboard on the Levels of Development of Rural Communities & Country Performance in Rural Development Eva Benita A. Tuzon angelic4112004@yahoo.com Department of Agrarian Reform-Phillippines

2. Department of Agrarian Reform Elliptical Road, Diliman, Quezon City Philippines COMPREHENSIVE AGRARIAN REFORM PROGRAM http://www.dar.gov.ph

3. Background: AGRARIAN REFORM COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT FRAMEWORK Adopted in 1993 by DAR as its key development strategy in the provision of comprehensive development interventions on land tenure improvement (LTI), agrarian justice [AJ] & program beneficiaries development (PBD).

4. CONSIDERATIONS FOR UP- SCALING THE ALDA TOOL IN CIRDAP MEMBER-COUNTRIES • Support to Poverty Alleviation Thrust of Countries • Locate Social Reform Character in programs • Multi-Agency Responsibility for RD Implementation • Scope of the poverty reduction programs • Available and Prospective Resource Allocations • Institutional Capability of ministries and Other link agencies

5. Locus & Focus: Rural Communities in different countries Replicating a Model: WHAT IS AN ARC? An Agrarian Reform Community (ARC) is a barangay [lowest administrative unit] or cluster of barangays where there is a critical mass of farmers and farmworkers awaiting the full implementation of the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program.

6. 3 MODALITIES in rural communities Satellite Areas Inaccessible, low soil fertility, low production Inadequate facilities, limited access to government services & farmers producing more for subsistence than for commerce Semi-Prime Areas To provide production support system to the prime agricultural areas To serve as mid-processing or market centers for the relatively inaccessible areas Prime Agricultural Areas High Technology High Productivity Integrated agribusiness system approach

7. ARCs Level of Development Assessment Basis for planning of interventions, project development & budgeting Informed decision-making Organizational capacity development & learning Establishes substantive accountability and organizational positioning

8. Participatory/inclusive development Balance between quantitative and qualitative data Contribution Analysis Wholistic/Integrated Poverty & culture sensitive tool Technology based PRINCIPLES

9. RD looks at different dimensions using 6 Key Result Areas & 58 Indicators 7 indicators Land Tenure Improvement 5 indicators Organizational Maturity Gender & Development 27 indicators Sustainable Rural Development Index Basic Social Services Economic & Physical Infra Support Services Farm Productivity & Income 8 indicators 6 indicators 5 indicators

10. KEY RESULT AREAS OF ALDA • 1. LAND TENURE IMPROVEMENT (LTI) • Focused on assessing the extent of land acquisition and distribution, ownership, cultivation and the improvement in tenurial status of ARBs • 2. ORGANIZATIONAL MATURITY (OM) • Assess the result of interventions under the Organizational Building and Strengthening (OBAS) KRA. This KRA deals with the assessment of the organizational functionality and financial viability of the ARB organizations in the ARCs

11. KEY RESULT AREAS OF ALDA • 3. ECONOMIC & PHYSICAL INFRASTRUCTURE SUPPORT SERVICES (ECOPISS) • Assesses the delivery of needed economic and physical infrastructure support services to the ARCs, provision of credit and marketing services, and rural-based industries established to effect increase in ARBs productivity and household income. • 4. FARM PRODUCTIVITY & INCOME (FPI) • Assesses the ARBs’ adoption of appropriate farming technology to increase farm productivity and income.

12. KEY RESULT AREAS OF ALDA • 5. BASIC SOCIAL SERVICES (BSS) • Defines the existing basic social services in the ARC and the extent of access of the households to the services. • 6. GENDER AND DEVELOPMENT (GAD) • Assesses the access to land and economic services, and the participation of women in organizations and local governments

13. DEVELOPMENT OF SRDI AS A BASIS FOR ALDA WHY AN INDEX? • Convenient way in summarizing many components or indicators • Aggregates all indicators and KRAs of the ALDA incorporating the assigned weights • Useful in comparing many samples and determining growth & development trends • Indicators are link to performance measurement of different stakeholders

14. Indicators • Are variables with particular characteristics or dimensions used for measuring progress towards achievement of key result areas. • Signposts to indicate movement towards a higher level of development CHARACTERISTICS • Relevant – measuring factors that affect the projects • Selective – adequate and meaningful • Clear – precisely defined so that their measurement and interpretation is unambiguous (more-or less – is unmistakably better)

15. Analysis & Interpretation1. Computation per index using STATISTICA.2. Determination of the levels of development of the communities based on the following thresholds for overall rating. Communities are first classified into three modalities:Satellite, Semi-Prime, & Prime Communities.

16. In each modality, thresholds are determined: Level 1. Lower level of development Level 2. Low-level of development Level 3. Medium level of development Level 4. High Medium Level of dev’t. Level 5. Higher Level of development

17. Issues in building the SRDRI: It entails a lot of groundwork at the country level as it needs key players. We need adequate support to undertake advocacy-brainstorming sessions, forums, web-discussions, conduct trainings, research, workshops, and the application of knowledge and for its sharing to others. Establishing the index means evolving it based on consensus, and sustain it s relevance by incorporating those emerging issues Examples, climate change and globalization.

18. Sustainable Rural Development Results Index in Asia Pacific region Promotes Sustainable in Evolving Partnerships* Relevant Databases on Rural Development Results CIRDAP Headquarters GDPRD, NONIE, 3IE, AFrEA CIRDAP Contact Ministries, e.g., DAR Planning & Budget Agencies Link Institutions, e.g., BARBD Civil Society + Private Sector ALDA Generates from the grassroots relevant indicative information on the varying needs and capacities of people via impact evaluations Our business is to make rural development results tangible in the CIRDAP-member countries WHAT WE ARE ASPIRING FOR? CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK OF PARTNERSHIPS Impact: Peaceful, Healthy, Progressive Economic Communities Outcome: effective regional cooperation on RD Outputs: KRAs Inputs: various resources

19. I sincerely THANK YOU Eva Benita A. Tuzon angelic4112004@yahoo.com