Sustaining livelihood development outcomes in Liberia: An in-depth look at opportunities and challenges in USAID-funded NGO implementation

Abstract

This work leverages comparable in-depth case studies to identify relevant strategies to address gaps in a given NGO’s program design and management. Applicable lessons from case studies are further bolstered by theories on fostering rural local institutions and innovation in rural settings. Remedies are considered in light of low-level equilibrium traps that otherwise inhibit an NGO’s ability to achieve and scale optimal success for poorest beneficiaries. The resulting lessons (referenced by number of appearance in the main document) are arranged to address four key hurdles identified in this author’s review of a USAID-funded NGO project’s midterm evaluation of impact and operations in Liberia. Hurdles to achieving successful development outcomes are characterized by the following: Improved coordination and technical capacity among farmers remains tentative; poorest farmers remain weakly linked to the value chain; reliance on US-donated soy threatens sustainability; and sustainable livelihood development remains elusive for women agro-processors. Lastly, the paper concludes with considerations for implementation that link the recommendation directly to the identified problems.