asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether they will initiate an objective study of the comparative effectiveness of the various agricultural projects of non-governmental organisations in Africa with a view to encouraging and advising others, including donors.[HL7347]

DfID supports many non-governmental organisations working on agricultural issues in Africa. These are usually subject to independent evaluation. Progress reports on much of DfID’s support to NGOs are made available on the DfID website (www.dfid.gov.uk). Most non-governmental organisations we support also synthesise their experience and share good practice widely.

In 2005-06 DfID provided more than £81 million of support through long-term strategic arrangements (Partnership Programme Agreements—PPAs) to 18 international non-governmental organisations. PPAs support a broad range of activities including agriculture. PPAs are reviewed annually and independent evaluations are planned for all of these arrangements.

DfID also undertook a wide range of studies on agriculture and poverty reduction, including on the role of development assistance, in preparation for the DfID policy paper Growth and poverty reduction: the role of agriculture released in December 2005. Copies of this have been laid in the Library of the House.