Final Evaluation of Support to Food Security and Nutrition in Tanzania

The main objectives of this evaluation are to provide the relevant services of the European Union, the interested stakeholders and the wider public with: an overall independent assessment of the past performance of the project: Improving food and nutrition security in Dodoma and Singida Regions, Tanzania - Boresha Lishe, paying particular attention to its results measured against its expected objectives; and the reasons underpinning such results; key lessons learned, conclusions and related recommendations in order to improve future interventions. In particular, this final evaluation will serve to understand the performance of the Action, its enabling factors and those hampering a proper delivery of results, in order to assess its impact to date and future sustainability/replicability of similar interventions in the field of food security and natural resources resilience. The evaluation assessed the intervention(s) using the six standard DAC evaluation criteria, namely: relevance, coherence, efficiency, effectiveness, sustainability and early signs of impact. In addition, the evaluation assessed the intervention(s) through an EU specific evaluation criterion, which is the EU added value. The project has been implemented in a total of 146 villages and 40 health facilities in Bahi and Chamwino districts in Dodoma Region, and Ikungi and Singida Rural districts in Singida Region. The overall objective of the Action was to improve food and nutrition security and ultimately contribute to reducing all forms of malnutrition in Tanzania. The project aimed at improving access to and use of nutritious food by women and children through Social Behaviour Change Communication (SBCC) and the diversification of food production, with the ultimate goal of reducing the prevalence of stunting in children under five in the targeted areas. The particularity of the project is that it included both nutrition-specific activities and nutrition-sensitive activities. The project results to be evaluated were: Improved behaviour change toward the production of nutritious foods and consumption of an adequate, diversified diet is increased at community level. Social behaviour change communication (SBCC) on the benefits of a nutritionally diverse diet was a key component of this project and complemented the production activities under Result 2. Increased production of nutritious crops, small-scale livestock, and access to nutritious diversified diets was enhanced Coordination, knowledge and information management improved to guarantee efficient monitoring and planning of actions by local and central government authorities. To achieve this, the project works with the Government at national, regional and district levels to strengthen nutrition data management and utilization at district level. This is done in partnership with other stakeholders and supports the strengthening of multi-sector coordination and implementation of nutrition programmes at District and Central levels.