IMPACT EVALUATION OF DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS - A CASE STUDY OF PROJECT “DEVELOPMENT OF SERICULTURE ACTIVITIES IN PUNJAB”

Abstract

Sericulture is a short gestated (40 days) and labor intensive cottage industry which can be helpful to alleviate poverty in the rural areas. In Punjab province of Pakistan, sericulture activities were introduced under Forest Department, Govt. of Punjab since 1975. In 2006, a project titled “Development of Sericulture Activities in Punjab” was initiated with a cost of Rs. 66.073 million for the duration of 48 months to strengthen the already existing setup and to promote the sericulture activities in the rural areas of Punjab. The project envisaged distribution of silk seed packets atsubsidized cost, along with necessary training to jobless and marginalized rural people to engage them in the silkworm rearing practices. Mulberry nurseries (total 1,380 acres) were also raised at the project area locations on the state and private lands to provide mulberry leaves to the silk rearing farmers at a nominal cost. Directorate General of Monitoring and Evaluation (DGM&E) conducted an ex-post evaluation of the project to check impact on the targeted stakeholders (rural public). A well structured instrument was designed to collect data from randomly selected households from these locations. Data was collected as per designed survey plan. The data was analyzed by using Statistical Package of Social Sciences (SPSS 15.00) and conclusion and recommendations were drawn. The relationship among these variables was studied using appropriate statistical techniques. Results and recommendations are shared in the last section of the paper.