External Review and Evaluation Services of Forestry Programmes in Tanzania - Report on Programme Assessments 2023: Annual reviews of PFP2, FORVAC and TOSP

External Review and Evaluation Services of Forestry Programmes in Tanzania (ERET) team is contracted for three years (2020-2023) to conduct annual reviews and Mid-Term Evaluations of three forestry programmes in Tanzania: Forestry and Value Chain Development Programme (FORVAC), Participatory Plantation Forestry Programme phase 2 (PFP2), and Tree Outgrowers Support Programme (TOSP). ERET aims to facilitate constant learning within and between the three programmes, and is also part of their risk management.

ERET assessed the progress of the PFP2 programme and concluded that the programme has made considerable progress since last year, showing positive results and adoption levels. There is encouraging signals of adoption of some of the good silvicultural practices. The quality of implementation and technical support is good, but concerns remain with respect to the sustainability of some of the results.

Regarding FORVAC the ERET report 2023 states that the programme is most successful in supporting Community Based Forest Management governance and timber production, but much less on other value chains and micro-businesses. Some communities have managed to get substantial revenue from timber trade, which are used for community projects and payment of forest governance and management services and the sustainability is high. However, for communities that have fewer forest resources or options for timber trade, sustainable management is more complex.

According to the ERET report TOSP is logically set-up and builds on previous experiences . However, the programme is coming to an end and some questions about sustainability are still open regarding for example the management of the tree nurseries.

Evaluation report: Report on Programme Assessments 2023: Annual reviews of PFP2, FORVAC and TOSP