Implementation Completion and Results Report - Resilient Productive Landscapes Project

Official Use Only Report No: ICR00222 IMPLEMENTATION COMPLETION AND RESULTS REPORT GRANTS IDA - D2720, TF - A6551, AND IDA - D7420 ON AN IDA GRANT IN THE AMOUNT OF SD R 10.6 MILLION (US$ 15 MILLION EQUIVALENT) AND A GRANT FROM THE GLOBAL ENVIRONMENT FACILITY (GEF) IN THE AMOUNT OF US$6.21 MILLION AND AN IDA GRANT IN THE AMOUNT OF SDR 5.6 MILLION (US$7.75 MILLION) TO THE REPUBLIC OF HAITI FOR THE RESILIENT PRODUCTIVE LANDSCAPES (RPL) PROJECT July 12, 2025 Agriculture and Food Latin America And Caribbean Public Disclosure Authorized Public Disclosure Authorized Public Disclosure Authorized Public Disclosure Authorized The World Bank Resilient Productive Landscapes in Haiti (P162908) ICR DOCUMENT Official Use Only CURRENCY EQUIVALENTS (Exchange Rate Effective at Project Closing on November 30, 2024 Currency Unit = Haitian Gourdes (HTG) HTG 131.17 = US$1 US$ 1.32 = SDR 1 FISCAL YEAR October 1 - Sept ember 31 Regional Vice President: Carlos Felipe Jaramillo Country Director: Lilia Burunciuc Regional Director: Benoit Bosquet Practice Manager: Diego Arias Carballo Task Team Leader s : Kilara Constance Suit, Ziva Razafintsalama ICR Main Contributor s : McDonald Benjamin, Tharcisse Guedegbe , Marc Fantinet, Yerania Sánchez The World Bank Resilient Productive Landscapes in Haiti (P162908) ICR DOCUMENT Official Use Only ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS AF Additional Financing BCR Borrower's Completion Report CBF Caribbean Biodiversity Fund CCB Climate Change Co - Benefits CERC Contingency Emergency Response Component CIRAD French Agricultural Research Centre for International Development ( Centre de coopération internationale en recherche agronomique pour le développement ) CNSA National Food Security Commission ( Commission Nationale de Sécurité Alimentaire ) CNIGS National Geographic and Spatial Information Center (Centre National de l'Information G é o - Spatiale) COP21 Conference of the Parties (2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference) CPF Country Partnership Framework CW Civil Works CS Consulting Services DDA Departmental Agriculture Directorate ( Direction Départementale d e l 'Agriculture ) DDE Departmental Environmental Directorate ( Direction Départementale d e l 'Environnement ) DO Development Objective EFA Economic and Financial Analysis EIRR Economic Internal Rate of Return ENPV Economic Net Present Value ESMF Environmental and Social Management Framework ESM P Environmental and Social Management Plan EX - ACT Ex - Ante Carbon Balance Tool FAO Food and Agriculture Organization FFS Farmer Field Schools FM Financial Management FSS Farmer Subsidy Scheme FY Fiscal Year GDP Gross Domestic Product GEF Global Environment Facility GHG Greenhouse Gas GO Goods GoH Government of Haiti The World Bank Resilient Productive Landscapes in Haiti (P162908) ICR DOCUMENT Official Use Only GRM Grievance Redress Mechanism Ha Hectares HBF Haitian Biodiversity Fund HCP High Carbon Price Scenario HNT Haiti National Trust HTG Haitian Gourdes HTR Haiti Takes Root ICRR Implementation Completion and Results Report IDA International Development Association IFR Interim Financial Report IP Implementation Progress IPC Integrated Food Security Phase Classification IRR Internal Rate of Return ISDS Integrated Safeguards Data Sheet ISN Interim Strategy Note ISR Implementation Status and Results Report J/P HRO J/P Haitian Relief Organization KPI Key Performance Indicator LAC Latin America and the Caribbean Region LCP Low Carbon Price Scenario LDCF Least Developed Countries Fund M&E Monitoring and Evaluation MARNDR Ministry of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Rural Development ( Ministère de l'Agriculture, des Ressources Naturelles et du Développement Rural ) MdE Ministry of Environment ( Ministère de l'Environnement ) MS Moderately Satisfactory MSF Market Support Facility MTR Mid - Term Review MU Moderately Unsatisfactory Mw Moment Magnitude Scale (for earthquakes) NAPA National Adaptation Program of Action NCS Non - Consulting Services NDC Nationally Determined Contribution NGO Non - Governmental Organization OP Operating Costs OP/BP Operational Policy / Bank Procedure OPS Private Service Providers ( O pérateurs P restataires de S ervices ) The World Bank Resilient Productive Landscapes in Haiti (P162908) ICR DOCUMENT Official Use Only PAD Project Appraisal Document PARSA Emergency Resilient Agriculture for Food S ecurity Project PDO Project Development Objective PIU Project Implementation Unit PIU - C Project Implementation Unit at Central Level PIU - L Project Implementation Unit at Local Level PLR Performance and Learning Review RAP Resettlement Action Plan RESEPAG Relaunching Agriculture: Strengthening Agriculture Public Services Project RF Results Framework RPF Resettlement Policy Framework RPL Resilient Productive Landscapes RPO Rural Producer Organization S Satisfactory SDR Special Drawing Rights STEP Systematic Tracking and Exchange in Procurement TA Technical Assistance tCO 2 e Tons of carbon dioxide equivalent TF Trust Fund TOC Theory of Change TR Training TTL Task Team Leader UNFCCC United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Cha nge UPMP Unified Procurement Unit ( Unit é de Passation des March é s Publics ) US$ United States dollar WB G World Bank Group The World Bank Resilient Productive Landscapes in Haiti (P162908) ICR DOCUMENT Official Use Only TABLE OF CONTENTS DATA SHEET ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ................. i I. PROJECT CONTEXT AND DEVELOPMENT OBJECTIVES ................................ ................................ ................ 1 A. CONTEXT AT APPRAISAL ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ................. 1 B. SIGNIFICANT CHANGES DURING IMPLEMENTATION (IF APPLICABLE) ................................ ................................ ........... 3 II. OUTCOME ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ............... 5 A. RELEVANCE OF PDO ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ........................ 5 B. ACHIEVEMENT OF PDOs (EFFICACY) ................................ ................................ ................................ ............................... 6 C. EFFICIENCY ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ .... 10 D. JUSTIFICATION OF OVERALL OUTCOME RATING ................................ ................................ ................................ .......... 13 E. OTHER OUTCOMES AND IMPACTS (IF ANY) ................................ ................................ ................................ .................. 13 III. KEY FACTORS AFFECTED IMPLEMENTATION AND OUTCOME ................................ ................................ 16 A. KEY FACTORS DURING PREPARATION ................................ ................................ ................................ .......................... 16 B. KEY FACTORS DURING IMPLEMENTATION ................................ ................................ ................................ ................... 17 IV. BANK PERFORMANCE, COMPLIANCE ISSUES, AND RISK TO DEVELOPMENT OUTCOME ......................... 18 A. QUALITY OF MONITORING AND EVALUATION (M&E) ................................ ................................ ................................ .. 18 B. ENVIRONMENTAL, SOCIAL, AND FIDUCIARY COMPLIANCE ................................ ................................ .......................... 19 C. BANK PERFORMANCE ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ................... 21 D. RISK TO DEVELOPMENT OUTCOME ................................ ................................ ................................ .............................. 22 V. LESSONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS ................................ ................................ ................................ ..... 23 ANNEX 1. RESULTS FRAMEWORK AND KEY OUTPUTS ................................ ................................ ................. 25 ANNEX 2. BANK LENDING AND IMPLEMENTATION SUPPORT/SUPERVISION ................................ ............... 32 ANNEX 3. PROJECT COST BY COMPONENT ................................ ................................ ................................ . 38 ANNEX 4. EFFICIENCY ANALYSIS ................................ ................................ ................................ ................. 39 ANNEX 5. BORROWER, CO - FINANCIER AND OTHER PARTNER/STAKEHOLDER COMMENTS ......................... 49 ANNEX 6. SUMMARY OF THE RECIPIENT'S COMPLETION REPORT ................................ ............................... 50 ANNEX 7. MATRIX OF RESTRUCTURING CHANGES DURING PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION ............................ 56 ANNEX 8. EVOLUTION OF THE RESULTS FRAMEWORK WITH PROJECT RESTRUCTURINGS ............................ 66 The World Bank Resilient Productive Landscapes in Haiti (P162908) ICR DOCUMENT Official Use Only ANNEX 9. SUPPLEMENTARY FIGURES, TABLES AND BOXES ................................ ................................ ......... 70 ANNEX 10. SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS ................................ ................................ ................................ ....... 72 The World Bank Resilient Productive Landscapes in Haiti (P162908) ICR DOCUMENT i Official Use Only DATA SHEET @#&OPS~Doctype~OPS^ dynamics @ icr basicdata #doctemplate BASIC DATA Product Information Operation ID Operation Name P162908 Resilient Productive Landscapes in Haiti Product Operation Short Name Investment Project Financing (IPF) Resilient Productive Landscapes in Haiti Operation Status Approval Fiscal Year Closed 2018 Original EA Category Current EA Category Partial Assessment (B) (Approval package - 01 Mar 2018) Partial Assessment (B) (Restructuring Data Sheet - 11 Jun 2024) CLIENT S Borrower/Recipient Implementing Agency Ministry of Economy and Finance, Republic of Haiti Ministry of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Rural Development (MARNDR), Ministry of Environment DEVELOPMENT OBJECTIVE Original Development Objective (Approved as part of Approval Package on 01 - Mar - 2018 ) The Project Development Objectives are: (i) to improve the adoption of resilience - enhancing agricultural and landscape management practices in selected sub - watersheds; and (ii) to enable the Government to respond promptly and effectively to an eligible eme rgency. s s s s s @#&OPS~Doctype~OPS^ dynamics @ icrfinancing #doctemplate FINANCING The World Bank Resilient Productive Landscapes in Haiti (P162908) ICR DOCUMENT ii Official Use Only Financing Source Original Amount (US$) Revised Amount (US$) Actual Disbursed (US$) World Bank Financing 22,750,000.00 22,053,750.00 22,301,912.46 IDA - D2720 15,000,000.00 14,456,174.00 14,876,469.60 IDA - D7420 7,750,000.00 7,597,576.00 7,425,442.86 World Bank Administered Financing 6,210,046.00 6,210,046.00 5,754,757.54 TF - A6551 6,210,046.00 6,210,046.00 5,754,757.54 Non - World Bank Financing 5,000,000.00 0.00 0.00 Non - Government Organization (NGO) of Borrowing Country 5,000,000.00 0.00 0.00 Total 33,960,046.00 28,263,796.00 28,056,670.00 RESTRUCTURING AND/OR ADDITIONAL FINANCING Date(s) Type Amount Disbursed (US$M) Key Revisions 30 - Oct - 2023 Portal 23.99 • Loan Closing Date Extension 11 - Jun - 2024 Portal 27.61 • Loan Closing Date Extension • Reallocations @#&OPS~Doctype~OPS^ dynamics @ icr keydates #doctemplate KEY DATES Key Events Planned Date Actual Date Concept Review 28 - Feb - 2017 21 - Feb - 2017 Decision Review 30 - Nov - 2017 30 - Nov - 2017 Authorize Negotiations 30 - Nov - 2017 14 - Jan - 2018 Approval 01 - Mar - 2018 01 - Mar - 2018 Signing 13 - Apr - 2018 13 - Apr - 2018 Effectiveness 10 - Jul - 2018 10 - Jul - 2018 Restructuring Sequence.01 Not Applicable 30 - Oct - 2023 Restructuring Sequence.02 Not Applicable 11 - Jun - 2024 Mid - Term Review No. 01 25 - Apr - 2022 16 - May - 2022 The World Bank Resilient Productive Landscapes in Haiti (P162908) ICR DOCUMENT iii Official Use Only Operation Closing/Cancellation 30 - Nov - 2024 30 - Nov - 2024 ICR/NCO 30 - May - 2025 -- @#&OPS~Doctype~OPS^ dynamics @ icr rat ing s #doctemplate RATINGS SUMMARY Outcome Bank Performance M&E Quality Satisfactory Satisfactory Substantial ISR RATINGS No. Date ISR Archived DO Rating IP Rating Actual Disbursements (US$M) 01 07 - Jun - 2018 Satisfactory Satisfactory 0.00 02 07 - Dec - 2018 Satisfactory Moderately Satisfactory 0.00 03 03 - Jun - 2019 Satisfactory Moderately Satisfactory 1.40 04 07 - Dec - 2019 Moderately Satisfactory Moderately Satisfactory 1.45 05 10 - Jun - 2020 Moderately Satisfactory Moderately Satisfactory 3.71 06 10 - Dec - 2020 Moderately Satisfactory Moderately Satisfactory 7.36 07 28 - May - 2021 Moderately Satisfactory Moderately Satisfactory 8.01 08 22 - Dec - 2021 Moderately Satisfactory Moderately Satisfactory 15.21 09 29 - Jun - 2022 Moderately Satisfactory Moderately Satisfactory 16.58 10 05 - Jan - 2023 Satisfactory Satisfactory 17.04 11 24 - May - 2023 Satisfactory Satisfactory 21.04 12 30 - Oct - 2023 Satisfactory Satisfactory 23.99 13 12 - May - 2024 Satisfactory Satisfactory 27.61 14 27 - Nov - 2024 Satisfactory Satisfactory 28.29 @#&OPS~Doctype~OPS^ dynamics @ icr sectortheme #doctemplate SECTORS AND THEMES Sectors The World Bank Resilient Productive Landscapes in Haiti (P162908) ICR DOCUMENT iv Official Use Only Major Sector Sector % Adaptation Co - benefits (%) Mitigation Co - benefits (%) FY17 - Agriculture, Fishing and Forestry FY17 - Agricultural Extension, Research, and Other Support Activities 67 61 16 FY17 - Public Administration - Agriculture, Fishing & Forestry 33 66 19 Themes Major Theme Theme (Level 2) Theme (Level 3) % FY17 - Environment and Natural Resource Management FY17 - Climate change FY17 - Adaptation 63 FY17 - Mitigation 17 FY17 - Renewable Natural Resources Asset Management FY17 - Landscape Management 95 FY17 - Watershed Management 28 FY17 - Urban and Rural Development FY17 - Disaster Risk Management FY17 - Disaster Preparedness 12 FY17 - Rural Development FY17 - Rural Infrastructure and service delivery 28 FY17 - Rural Markets 86 The World Bank Resilient Productive Landscapes in Haiti (P162908) ICR DOCUMENT v ADM STAFF Role At Approval At ICR Practice Manager Preeti S. Ahuja, Valerie Hickey Diego Arias Carballo Regional Director Benoit Bosquet Global Director Juergen Voegele, Karin Kemper Shobha Shetty Practice Group Vice President Juergen Voegele Country Director Anabela Abreu Lilia Burunciuc Regional Vice President Jorge Familiar Carlos Felipe Jaramillo ADM Responsible Team Leader Caroline Plante Kilara Constance Suit Co - Team Leader s Nyaneba Nkrumah Ziva Razafintsalama ICR Main Contributor s McDonald Benjamin , Tharcisse Guedegbe , Marc Fantinet, Yerania Sánchez The World Bank Resilient Productive Landscapes in Haiti (P162908) ICR DOCUMENT 1 I. PROJECT CONTEXT AND DEVELOPMENT OBJECTIVES A. CONTEXT AT APPRAISAL 1. At the time of appraisal, Haiti was the poorest country in the Latin America and Caribbean (LAC) Region, with a Gross Domestic Product ( GDP ) per capita of US$820 per year and 60 percent of the population living below the national poverty line . In rural areas, 75 percent of individuals lived below the poverty line, with extremely limited access to basic services, while 27 percent lived in extreme poverty . Around 1.32 million Haitians were facing crisis levels of food insecurity at the time of project preparation, 1 while 40 percent of the population was affected by undernutrition. 2 2. Agriculture was the primary source of income for most rural households, accounting for 66 percent of rural employment, rising to 75 percent among low - income households, but the sector was beset by a range of challenges . Chronic under - investment in the rural economy (notably in infrastructure, public services and programs) and ineffective natural resource management had steadily depleted the rural productive base. F arm holdings lacked the technological, informational and financial resources (including improv ed planting materials or pest controls) to boost productivity , and faced high risks of shocks due to alternating droughts (2014 - 16) and storms (such as Hurricane Matthew in 2017). 3. Since rural Haitians faced intertwined human and ecological vulnerabilities, a holistic landscape - level, productive approach was considered essential at A ppraisal . Unsustainable farming practices, driven by land pressure, combined with farmers’ low education levels and difficult economic conditions, ha d contributed to the severe degradation of around 85 percent of watersheds . The impact of these practices on yields further exacerbated land pressures, causing more degradation and deforestation , and thus a ne gative feedback loop between agricultural production and natural resource depletion. Moreover, i n the context of climate change, these challenges were expected to worsen significantly. 4. In this context, there was a strong rationale for World Bank engagement to support the Government of Haiti (GoH) in promoting resilient productive landscapes . By i mproving the natural resource base , addressing soil erosion and improving water retention capacity by promoting climate - smart production and practices adapted to the agro - ecological contex t , and enhancing the capacity to generate sustainable incomes, a resilient productive landscapes approach was expected to have a significant positive impact on agriculture and rural livelihoods , while protecting commu nities against risks of flash flood s and landslides due to soil erosion and water runoff . Due to the severe impact of Hurricane Matthew on the Department of Nippes , GoH decided to focus the proposed Resilient Productive Landscapes (RPL) project in four sub - watersheds in hard - hit hydrological zones of the Department, so as to promot e the adoption of resilience - enhancing agricultural and landscape management practices, and mitigat e the impacts of future extreme weather events. 5. The Ministry of Environment (MdE) and the Ministry of Agriculture , Natural Resources and Rural Development (MARNDR) recognize d the interdependency between natural resources management and agricultural production. In 2006 , GoH adopted a National Adaptation Program of Action (NAPA), identifying urgent risks from climate change , including the relationship between soil erosion and agricultural sector vulnerabilit y , and MARNDR's policy priorities for 2010 - 25 included addressing watershed degradation and environm ental vulnerability , as well as disaster preparedness and management. I n 2015, MdE 's updated Haiti's National Action Plan against Desertification identified the collaborative development of management plans for the most vulnerable watersheds as an objective . 3 That same year, i n the context of the COP21 process and Paris Agreement, a Haiti - based NGO, the J/P Haitian Relief Organization (J/P HRO), together with MdE and MARNDR, developed a proposal for a Haiti Takes Root (HTR) initiative to improve watershed management and reforestation in key areas of Haiti and to facilitate engagement, coordination, learning, monitoring and synergies in a 1 See the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC): " Haiti: Acute Food Insecurity Situation October 2017 - February 2018 and Projection for March - June 2018 ", available at: https://www.ipcinfo.org/ipc - country - analysis/details - map/en/c/1068538/?iso3=HTI 2 See data from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), available at: https://www.fao.org/faostat/en/#country/93 3 See: Haiti - Action Against Desertification, at: https://www.fao.org/in - action/action - against - desertification/countries/caribbean/haiti/en/ The World Bank Resilient Productive Landscapes in Haiti (P162908) ICR DOCUMENT 2 long - term, strategic, programmatic approach . 4 The RPL project was envisaged as a “proof of concept” under HTR, with a view to potentially scaling it up in other (sub)watersheds of the country . 6. The RPL project buil t on solid analytical work and on experiences with previous and ongoing IDA and other donor - funded projects. A review of landscape management - related intervention s 5 underscored the need for strong participatory community engagement , continuous institutional commitment and support, and income generation for farmers. Recent and ongoing IDA investments in Haiti provided insights on effective implementation arrangements . 6 During Appraisal, t he experience of the ongoing RESEPAG II project informed the design of farmer support mechanisms and of institutional arrangements under the proposed RPL project . For example, in the difficult political and security context of Haiti, this included providing for both a central Project Implementation Unit (PIU - C) and a local PIU (PIU - L) in Nippes, as well as reliance on local technical and service providers . In addition, the design of the RPL project built on a regional project financed by the Global Environment Facility (GEF), 7 which had set up and endowed a Caribbean Biodiversity Fund (CBF) mechanism to ensure sustainable financing over time to combat threats to biodiversity from human, climate or other sources . Thus, the RPL project's design included a GEF - financed grant that would enable Haiti to join the CBF by endowing a National Biodiversity Fund under the Haiti National Trust (HNT) , which would enable the country to access long - term sustainable financing for climate adaptation and biodiversity conservation in perpetuity . Theory of Change (Results Chain) 7. The Project Appraisal Document (PAD) for the RPL project included a theory of change, reflected in a results chain from the strategic context to operational priorities and expected development outcomes . 8 The strategic context highlighted key dimensions of climate change and variability, including higher incidences of droughts, rainfall variability, more fragile soils, and increased soil erosion, flooding and run - off. To this end, it proposed activities to s trengthen institutional and organizational capacities for landscape level interventions , together with i nvestments to strengthen the establishment of resilient agricultural production and practices . It also provided for project coordination, Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E), and for a CERC to enable the Government to respond promptly and effectively to an eligible emergency . These project activities were expected to result in strengthened absor p tive cap acity (as measured by farmers with improved market acc ess); adaptive capacity (as measured by the adoption of improved agricultural technology); and transformative capacity (as measured by the land area under sustainable management practices). The RPL project's T heory of C hange and Results Chain , as presented at Appraisal, appear in Figures A9.1 and A9.2 of Annex 9 of this Implementation Completion and Results Report (ICRR). Project Development Objective (PDO) 8. The Project Development Objectives established at Appraisal were : (i) to improve the adoption of resilience - enhancing agricultural and landscape management practices in selected sub - watershed s ; and (ii) to enable the Government to respond promptly and effectively to an eligible emergency . Key Expected Outcomes and Outcome Indicators 9. The two Outcomes of the Project Development Objective, and their related indicators, as originally approved, were as follows : (1) The first outcome, "improve the adoption of resilience - enhancing agricultural and landscape management practices in selected sub - watersheds" was to be measured by : (a) " Land area under sustainable landscape 4 See: Haiti Takes Root, at: https://www.haititakesroot.org . 5 See: World Bank (2016). " Landscape - level Land Management Efforts in Haiti. Lessons Learned from Case Studies Spanning Eight Decades." 6 Th ese include d the: Community Driven Development Project (PRODEP ), US$38 million equivalent IDA g rant, approved in 2005; Relaunching Agriculture: Strengthening Agriculture Public Services Project ( RESEPAG I ), US$5 million equivalent IDA g rant, approved in 2009; RESEPAG II, US$40 million equivalent IDA Grant and US$10 million Global Agriculture and Food Security Program (GAFSP) g rant, approved in 2011. 7 Sustainable Financing and Management of Eastern Caribbean Marine Ecosystem Project , US$8.75 million GEF grant, approved in 2011. 8 Report No: PAD2329, dated January 31, 2018. The World Bank Resilient Productive Landscapes in Haiti (P162908) ICR DOCUMENT 3 management practices" (hectares); (b) "Farmers adopting improved agricultural technology" (number), of which female (percentage); and (c) "Share of targeted farmers with improved market access" (percentage). (2) T he second outcome, " to enable the Government to respond promptly and effectively to an eligible emergency , " would be supported in the event that the CERC was activated . N o Development Objective (DO) indicator was specified for this outcome at Appraisal. Components 10. The RPL project was designed with the following four components and estimated costs at appraisal : • Component 1: Strengthening of institutional and organizational capacities for landscape level interventions (US$7.0 million, financed by: US$1.4 million IDA, US$4.2 million GEF, 9 plus parallel financing of US$1.4 million from J/P HRO). Th is comprised subcomponents to: (i) build institutional capacity in agriculture and environment to fill skills and knowledge gaps required to implement respective mandate s, and improve planning and climate - related disaster risk prevention ; (ii) support a national level sustainable landscape management approach to agriculture and watershed management, via a joint agricultural/environmental landscapes policy and action plan to promote resilient agriculture and ecosystems; and (iii) fund the establishment of a Haiti National Trust Fund so as to provide financing for climate adaptation in perpetuity with resources from the CBF. • Component 2: Investments to strengthen resilient agricultural production and practices (US$15.7 million, financed by: US$10.1 million IDA ; US$2.0 million GEF, plus parallel financing of US$3.6 million from J/P HRO). Component 2 comprised three subcomponents to: (i) support investments by farmers, agricultural entrepreneurs and communities in the selected sub - watersheds to invest in resilient, sustainable agriculture and ecosystems; (ii) promote the intensification, diversification and commercialization of a griculture, through actions aimed at improving revenues and livelihoods via better market access and improved food availability and nutritional quality ; and (iii) enhance the protection of infrastructure and watersheds via investments in small infrastructure construction or rehabilitation so as to increase the resilience of both landscapes and of farmers' enterprises. • Component 3: Project Coordination and Monitoring and Evaluation (US$3.5 million, financed by IDA). This component would finance eligible expenses associated with the overall management of p roject implementation , as well as resources to monitor progress and evaluate results and impact. • Component 4: Contingency Emergency Response Component (US$0 million, to be financed by IDA if activated). The CERC was set up with a zero allocation to allow the Government to respond quickly in case of an eligible emergency . B. SIGNIFICANT CHANGES DURING IMPLEMENTATION (IF APPLICABLE) Revised PDOs, Outcome Targets and PDO Indicators 11. The PDO remained unchanged throughout project implementation, although outcome targets were adjusted in light of changing circumstances . In particular, the reallocation of resources to the CERC led the Bank to adjust the targets downwards for the PDO indicators as follows: (1) the targe t for the " l and area under sustainable landscape management practices" was reduced from 2,000 to 1,500 hectares; 10 ( 2 ) the target for " f armers adopting improved agricultural technology" was reduced from 3,000 to 2,200, although the related target "of which female" was retained at 33 percent; and ( iii ) the target for the " s hare of targeted farmers with improved market access" was reduced from 40 percent to 35 percent. The revised targets were reflected in the Project Paper for the RPL project's AF in November 2020. 11 However, all 9 The GEF resources were allocated from the GEF's Least Developed Countries Fund (L DC F). 10 The main text of the AF Project Paper (Report No. PAD4179, dated November 6, 2020 , page 14 ), mentions that: “Land area under sustainable landscape management practices” now reads “Land area under sustainable landscape management practices with climate change consideration” , but th e change in wording is not carried over to the Financing Agreement for the AF, the Results Framework in the Project Paper , or to KPIs monitored in subsequent ISRs or Restructuring Agreements. Th erefore , this indicator is reviewed in the ICRR as originally framed in the PAD. 11 Report No: PAD4179, dated November 6, 2020. The World Bank Resilient Productive Landscapes in Haiti (P162908) ICR DOCUMENT 4 three PDO indicator targets that had been revised down as of the sixth Implementation Supervision Report (ISR), filed in December 2020, were revised back to their original target values before the end of the project, beginning with the indicator for " f armers adopting improved agricultural technology" , as of ISR 11 (filed in May 2023), followed by the other two PDO indicators as of ISR 13 (filed in May 2024). 12 Revised Components 12. At Project Closing, the RPL project had the same components as at Appraisal, although activation of the CERC led to activities being included under this component that were not specified at Appraisal . The CERC component extended coverage beyond the four sub - watersheds in the Department of Nippes to include farming households more broadly in the Departments of Nippes and Sud. The aim was to benefit 21,500 family farmers working on 14,200 hectares and s afeguard production for the 2020 - 2021 cropping seasons, e specially in light of sharp reductions in remittances expected during the COVID - 19 pandemic. 13 Support under the CERC would take the form of urgent production inputs (notably fertilizers) and technical services, as well as the distribution of climate - resilient crop varieties and seeds. The CERC activities had to be implemented urgently, and yet with specific sanitary precautions in order to ensure social distancing and minimize the spread of the COVID - 19 virus. Other Changes 13. Two new intermediate indicators , with sub - indicators by gender, were added to the Results Framework following activation of the CERC, to track the benefits of the CERC activities . The first of these was the "n umber of farmers provided with climate - resilient crop varieties/seeds " for which a target of 550 was set in the AF Project Paper but revised up to 9,000 farmers by ISR 13. A sub - indicator "of which female" for this indicator was included with a target of 33 percent, although this sub - indicator was only tracked in ISR 6, and not in subsequent ISRs. The second new i ntermediate indicator included in the AF Project Paper was "f armers receiving urgent production inputs and services under CERC ", with a target of 21,490 farmers. The related sub - indicator "of which female" for this indicator was tracked to conclusion of the Project, with a target set in the AF Project Paper of 33 percent. After CERC activation, certain intermediate indicators ' targets were adjusted downwards, although some were adjusted back up to their original values before Project Closing (see Table 1). Table 1. Adjustments to Targets for Intermediate Indicators During Implementation of the RPL Project Intermediate Indicator Target in PAD Target in AF/ISR 6 Final Target Final adjustment to Target Spatial decision support tool for the prevention and / or management of climatic risks applied to the area covered by the Project (Hectares) 8,000 6,000 8,000 ISR 13 ** Farmers’ field schools (FFS) promoting a RPL approach, established FFS (Number) 50 35 50 ISR 13 Farmers participating in the FFS (Number) 1,000 700 1,000 ISR 13 Sub - projects supported by the RPL Project improving access to markets for products from targeted areas (Number) 50 40 20 ISR 13 Members of the groups benefiting from sub - projects (Number) 800 500 500 AF Project Paper ...Of which, Female (Percentage) 50% 50% 33% ISR 13 Number of farmers provided with climate - resilient crop varieties/seeds (Number) No target 550 9,000 ISR 13 Sources: RPL Project PAD, AF Project Paper, and ISRs ; **Note: While revised targets were not included in the May 2024 Level 2 Restructuring Paper itself, they were reflected in ISR 13, filed at the time of the May 2024 Level 2 Restructuring. 12 Since both the PDO and the scope of project components remained unchanged throughout the life of the RPL project, while the g eographic scope was expanded significantly as a result of the triggering of the CERC component, and since KPI targets at Project Closing equal led or exceed ed targets at Appraisal (even after some were adjusted at the time of the AF) , no split rating is required in evaluating the RPL project in this ICRR. 13 According to ISR 5, filed in June 2020, remittances were equivalent to 35 percent of GDP prior to the COVID - 19 pandemic. The World Bank Resilient Productive Landscapes in Haiti (P162908) ICR DOCUMENT 5 14. While a few changes were made in the allocation of project resources to respond to changing circumstances , no changes were made to the Operational Policies/Bank Procedures triggered for the RPL project, nor to the project's Legal C ovenants . The disbursement profile was adjusted at the time of the AF, reflecting slow initial disbursement under the RPL project, and the reallocation of resources to Component 4 for the CERC was formalized at that time. In addition, towards the end of the projec t, a Level - 2 Restructuring, approved in May 2024, reallocated resources amon g the GEF grant categories and adjusted the GEF financing ratios up to 100 percent to cover a spending overrun on the IDA grant side related to the COVID - 19 emergency support in the Department of Sud. In addition, the Project Closing was extended twice: (i) from December 31, 2023 to May 31, 2024, via a first Level - 2 Restructuring, approved in October 202 3 ; and (ii) from May 31, 2024 to November 30, 2024, via a second Level - 2 Restructuring, approved in May 2024. The former restructuring only extended the clo sing date, while the latter also adjusted resource allocations, as indicated above. Rationale for Changes and Their Implication on the Original Theory of Change 15. The changes described above were driven primarily by the activation of the CERC . Following activation of the CERC on April 23, 2020, US$9.9 million were reallocated from Components 1, 2, and 3 to Component 4 for the CERC. Since the US$9.9 million shortfall was only partly compensated by the approval of the US$7.75 million AF in Novem ber 2020, this left a shortfall for Components 1, 2 and 3 of US$2.15 million, relative to what was envisaged at Appraisal. Therefore, while not sacrificing any of the originally envisaged project activities and outcomes, the targets for the PDO indicators and for selected intermediate indicators were revised downwards to reflect the reduced financing for those activities, as priority was given to providing emergency support in li ght of the COVID - 19 pandemic. Moreover, since the RPL project focused on four sub - watersheds, while the impacts of the pandemic on farming families were much more widespread, the CERC extended the coverage of emergency support beyond the four initially ide ntified project areas. The Results Framework (RF) was updated accordingly to reflect both the additional activities financed under the CERC and the reduced financing for initially planned Project activities . At the time of the May 2024 Level - 2 Restructuring, most of the indicators were revised back to their original targets, due to the significant advances in project activities in terms of coverage of beneficiaries, as well as the ability to finance more act ivities in local currency with the project's resou rces in light of the 50 percent devaluation of the Haitian Gourde to HTG 133 per US dollar between November 2020 and May 2024. Finally, the adjustment in the GEF financing categories and percentages enabled the RPL project to address an overrun on the IDA financing side related to the category for the CERC. The two Level - 2 Restructurings approved in October 2023 and May 2024 extended the Project Closing date in order to enable orderly and satisfactory completion of project activities. Beyond the substantial added benefits of the CERC support provided by the RPL project, these changes had only modest implications for the original Theory of Change, whose results chains and most indicator targets remained unchanged. II. OUTCOME A. RELEVANCE OF PDO 16. The relevance of the RPL project to Government of Haiti, World Bank Group and GEF priorities is rated as High . In terms of GoH priorities, the RPL project's design supported the achievement of objectives set forth under Haiti's 2006 NAPA, 14 which served as the basis for the plan that Haiti submitted to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change ( UNFCCC ) in 2015 , which weighted adaptation options based on their impact on vulnerable natural resources and groups, and ranked “watershed management and soil conservation” at the top . The RPL project also aligned perfectly with the three key axes of GoH's 2016 - 2021 National Agricultural Investment Plan (PNIA), adopted shortly before the AF was approved and in place over the final five years of the project, namely: (i) agricultural inf rastructure, especially 14 See: https://seors.unfccc.int/applications/seors/attachments/get_attachment?code=N194UO1QDWEW24J698E2KMEKVDVH8TXD The World Bank Resilient Productive Landscapes in Haiti (P162908) ICR DOCUMENT 6 for water management; (ii) increasing production along value chains, and (iii) strengthening agricultural services and institutional capacity. 15 In terms of World Bank Group (WBG) priorities, the RPL project was closely aligned with the 2015 - 19 Country Partnership Framework (CPF) for Haiti and with the 2018 Performance and Learning Review (PLR) 16 – with their areas of focus on promoting inclusive growth and improving resilience , especially by supporting value chains to access new and better markets and reduc ing production risks while decreasing vulnerability by increasing adaptive capacity to respond to the impacts of climate change and strengthening climate resilience. In terms of GEF priorities, the RPL project's design contributed directly to the GEF's Least Developed Countries Fund's strategic Objective 1 (Reduce the vulnerability of people, livelihoods, physical assets and natural systems to the adverse effects of climate change) and Objective 2 (Strengthen institutional and technical capacities for effective climate change adaptation) , as well as indirec tly to Objective 3 (Integrate climate change adaptation into relevant policies, plans and associated processes) . 17. Moreover, the RPL project maintained its high relevance during implementation . In particular, it responded flexibly to changing circumstances, notably by providing a rapid emergency response in 2020 after GoH's declaration of an emergency due to the COVID - 19 pandemic , and extending the emergency support to crisis - affected areas beyond the project's initial target areas, as well as to partially finance the emergency response to the devastating earthquake that struck southern Haiti on August 14, 2021 . The app roval of A dditional F inancing for the RPL project in November 2020 aimed to ensure that GoH could address the COVID - 19 emergency while maintaining its strategic alignment and support for GoH, Bank, and GEF agricultural and climate resilience objectives. These objectives themselves continued to be highly relevant, as reflected for example in the agriculture and food security priorities and the cross - cutting resilience priorities identified in the most recent Strategic Country Diagnostic Update for Haiti. 17 Moreover, the continuing relevance of the RPL project's development objectives are underscored by their close alignment with the overarching goals of the World Bank Group's CPF for Haiti for Fiscal Years 2025 - 2029, discussed by the Board of Directors on M arch 4 , 2025, namely to build resilience for the poor and vulnerable while strengthening the foundations for resuming growth. In particular, among other priorities cited in the latest CPF, "The theory of change underlying the CPF (Box 5) is designed to prevent economic and social deterioration by...strengthening the resilience of the poor...and resilience to natural disasters." 18 In addition, the continuing relevance of the RPL project to both GoH and Bank priorities is underscored by the Board approval of a Second Resilient Productive Landscapes Project (P504222) for Haiti in the amount of US$50 million on March 28, 2025. B. ACHIEVEMENT OF PDOs (EFFICACY) 18. This section assesses the efficacy of the RPL project in achieving its two PDO outcomes, namely: (i) to improve the adoption of resilience - enhancing agricultural and landscape management practices in selected sub - watersheds; and (ii) to enable the Government to respond promptly and effectively to an eligible emergency . The data for assessing the outcomes is drawn from the RPL project's Monitoring & Evaluation ( M&E ) system (using the Kobo Toolbox 19 ). This data is reflected in the Borrower's Completion Report (BCR) and in the Bank's 14 Implementation Support Reports ( ISRs ) for the RPL project, which inform the assessment of the efficacy of the RPL project. The BCR in turn drew not only on PIU data sources but also on key interviews in Port - au - Prince and Nippes, as well as focus group discussions with 18 groups of beneficiar ies that had benefited from support under the three subcomponents of Component 2. 20 It is important to note 15 Haiti - Plan National d'Investissement Agricole (PNIA 2016 - 2021), dated November 2016 ( cf. the strategic approach on p.17). 16 Cf. the World Bank Group 's 2015 - 2019 Country Partnership Framework (CPF) for Haiti, Report No. 98132 - HT , discussed by the Board of Directors on September 29, 2015, and the Performance and Learning Review of the Country Partnership Strategy for the Republic of Haiti for the period FY16 - 19, Report No. 124812 - HT, dated May 31, 2018, which was discussed by the Board of Directors two months after the RPL Project was approved, and which extended the CPF by two years to 2021. 17 Haiti - Responding to recurrent crises and chronic fragility. Systematic Country Diagnostic Update. January 2022. 18 World Bank Group Country Partnership Framework for Haiti for the period Fiscal Year 2025 - 2029, Report No. 181213 - HT, page 11. 19 KoboToolbox is a free and open source platform for the collection, management, and visualization of data that is used by thou sands of organizations around the world , including development actors, education and research organizations and NGOs. 20 The three sub - components are : (i) investments in resilient, sustainable agriculture and ecosystems; (ii) intensification, diversification and commercial agriculture; and (iii) protection of infrastructure and watersheds . Cf. the RPL Project PAD, page 17. The World Bank Resilient Productive Landscapes in Haiti (P162908) ICR DOCUMENT 7 that the RPL project benefited from support from the Strengthening Agriculture Public Services II Project ( RESEPAG II ) P roject I mplementation U nit (PIU) team, and that by ISR 9 in June 2022, the Bank was reporting that: "The Monitoring and Evaluation has also registered sharp improvement and all the data are collected on time and results reported." The AF Project Paper and various ISRs refer to the use of the Kobo Toolbox as a key tool both for identifying potential beneficiaries and for supporting M&E. The Bank's team was satisfied with the data collection on the project's key performance indicators, as reflected in consistent Satisfactory Ratings from ISR 9 onwards until Project Closing and in no rating for M&E below Moderately Satisfactory throughout the life of the project. 19. The Efficacy of the RPL project is rated as Substantial, having achieved or exceeded all of its PDO indicators and intermediate KPIs . This can be seen in the Results Framework (Table A) and in the Key Outputs by Component (Table B) of Annex 1. 20. The first PDO Outcome, namely " to improve the adoption of resilience - enhancing agricultural and landscape management practices in selected sub - watersheds " was achieved . This outcome was measured by all three PDO indicators and one PDO sub - indicator, all of which were exceeded or greatly exceeded. In particular, 2,053 hectares were placed under sustainable landscape management practices with RPL project support, exceeding the target of 2,000 hectares by 2 percentage points. The number of farmers adopting imp roved agricultural technology, namely 4,196 farmers, was 40 percent greater than the original target of 3,000 farmers, and 38 percent of the farmers supported in this regard by the RPL project were women farmers, equivalent to 1 15 percent of the original target of 33 percent. It is worth noting that the targeted number of farmers adopting improved agricultural technology was exceeded by a greater proportion than the land area under sustainable landscape management practices, because the avera ge farm sizes s upported under the RPL project were smaller than envisaged at A ppraisal , due in part to the greater than projected participation of women, whose plot sizes tended to be smaller . 21 The share of targeted farmers with improved market access that was achieved, namely 80.85 percent, was more than double the original target of 40 percent (see Annex 1) . 21. A range of project activities under Component 1, which aimed to strengthen the institutional and organizational capacities for landscape level interventions, directly supported the achievement of the first PDO outcome, as measured by the related intermediate indicators and outputs under Component 1 . All seven intermediate indicators for Component 1 were achieved. As reported in the BCR, a comprehensive master plan was finalized and validated for the implementation of the RPL approach, and participatory plans developed with community input together with investment plans were prepared for all four sub - watersheds as planned (100 percent of target). The RPL outputs that contributed directly to these achievements included the establishment and operation twice annu ally of the National Committee for Climate Change, the conclusion of technical capacity - building and regional support workshops for the MdE’s National Directorate for Climate Change, which played a key role in the comprehensive master plan development, as well as the implementation of workshops in each sub - watershed for the development of participatory plans and of related pre - investment plans. Moreover, intensive training was provided in MARNDR and MdE, at the national and local level, as well as for local governments and key stakeholders in the four selected sub - wat ersheds, and a gender gap analysis was conducted that informed activities supported by the RPL project and helped the project to meet its gender - related targets. 22. Two intermediate indicators under Component 1 related to spatial decision support were achieved, through the RPL project's support to Haiti's National Center for Geo - Spatial Information (CNIGS): (i) A spatial decision support tool for the prevention and/or management of climatic risks became operational, with data made publicly available on Haitidata.org, and (ii) the spatial decision support tool for the prevention and/or management of climatic risks was applied to the area covered by the Project; indeed, whereas the original target had been to cover 8,000 hectares in the project areas, in practice the tool was applied to 21,968 hectares in the project area, equivalent to 365 percent of the original target. Various RPL project outputs contributed directly t o this achievement, including the signing and implementation of a cooperation agreement with the French Agricultural Research Centre for Internat