International Development Enterprises (IDE)
Capacity Building for the
Dissemination of Water and Irrigation Technologies
Final Evaluation
December 2000
Project No. 938-0158
Cooperative Agreement
No. FAO-A-00-97-00047-00
Prepared for the Office of Private and Voluntary Cooperation
Bureau of Humanitarian Response
U.S. Agency for International Development
ii
This report was prepared by AMA Technologies, Inc. under contract number FAO-C-95-
00036-00 with the Office of Private and Voluntary Cooperation, Bureau for
Humanitarian Response, USAID.
Evaluation Team: Jeanne Downing
TABLE OF CONTENTS
List of Acronyms
Executive Summary
I. INTRODUCTION
Introduction to International Development Enterprises (IDE)
History of Program Development (MG)
Purpose of the Evaluation (SOW)
Methodology
II. FINDINGS – DENVER
Project History/Description
Project Goals/Indicators/Findings
Goal 1: Strengthen Operational and Technical Capacity to Facilitate Expansion and
Leveraging of the IDE Model.
Goal 2: Increase Public Education and Outreach to Enhance IDE’s Visibility in the
Denver, National, and International Development Communities
Goal 3: Improve Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) and Management Information
Systems (MIS)
Goal 4: Enhance IDE’s Regional Development
Goal 5: Enhance Technology Dissemination (See Goal 2)
Goal 6: Improve Documentation of Organization-Wide Policies and Procedures
Goal 7: Assessment of Success of the Project
III. FINDINGS – INDIA
Project History/Description
Project Goals/Indicators/Findings
Goal 1: Strengthen the Micro-Irrigation Team
Goal 2: Demonstration of the Utility of Affordable Micro-Irrigation Systems
Goal 3: Test-Market Micro-Irrigation Systems
Goal 4: Estimate Market Potential of Micro-Irrigation Systems
Goal 5: Establishment of Sustainable Supply Chain
Goal 6: Effective Project Management
Project Success/Sustainability
IV. FINDINGS – BANGLADESH
Project History/Description
Project Goals/Indicators/Findings
Goal 1: Strengthen the Skill Base of Local Staff.
Goal 2: Design, Fabricate, and Field Test Low-Cost Hand Pumps on a Pilot Scale
Goal 3: Strengthen the Capacity of Supply Chain Partners to Disseminate Low Cost
Hand Pumps (LCHP)
Goal 4: Test-Market LCHPs –Motivate Users/Customers to Purchase LCHPs, Assess
User Acceptability of LCHP, and Adapt Product Accordingly
Goal 5: Establish Collaborative Relationships with NGOs
Goal 6: Build Awareness of Safe Drinking Water and Arsenic Problem
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Goal 2.1: Hire Staff Person with Arsenic Expertise to Supervise Arsenic Testing
Goal 2.2: Launch Public Awareness Campaign
Goal 2.3: Develop and Train a Network of Testers, Technical Officers (TOs), and
Customers Service Officers (CSOs) to Ensure Effective Arsenic Testing
Goal 2.4: Test and Mark (Red or Green) Pumps in Target Area for Arsenic
Contamination
Goal 2.5: Establish a M&E System Adapted to Arsenic Orientation of Project
Goal 2.6 Procure an Arsenator and Ensure its Reliability
V. SUSTAINABILITY
VI. STRENGTHS, WEAKNESSES, AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Annexes
Scope of Work for Evaluation
Itinerary
References
Persons Interviewed
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Acronyms
AMIT – Affordable Micro Irrigation Technologies
BDS – Business Development Services
BHR – Bureau for Humanitarian Response
CDM – Capacity Building, Development, and Marketing of the Low Cost Hand Pump
COO – Chief Operation Officer
COPE/MRE – Corporate Performance and Evaluation/ Monitoring, Reporting, & Evaluation
DfID – (British) Department for International Development
DIP – Detailed Implementation Plan
EWW – Enterprise Works Worldwide
FAO – Food and Agriculture Organization (UN)
GOB – Government of Bangladesh
GOI – Government of India
IDE – International Development Enterprises
IDE-B – IDE Bangladesh
ITC – Intermediate Technology Consulting
LCHP – Low Cost Hand Pump
MEDA – Mennonite Economic Development Agency
MG – Matching Grant
M&E – Monitoring and Evaluation
MIS – Management Information Systems
NGO – Non-Governmental Organization
OD – Organizational Development (Committee)
PLA – Participatory Learning and Action
PVC – Private and Voluntary Cooperation (Office)
PVO – Private Voluntary Organization
R&D – Research and Development
SEEP Network – Small Enterprise Education and Promotion Network
SDC – Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation
SOW – Scope of Work
TS&D – Technology Selection and Development (Department in Bangladesh)
USAID – U.S. Agency for International Development
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Executive Summary
1. The Context and Constraints Leading Up to the Matching Grant (MG) Program
IDE was launched in 1981 by a handful of religiously motivated businessmen,
believing that through a business-like approach they could affect poverty around the
world. From its inception, IDE used a market-driven approach, in which poor people
were viewed as customers able to improve their productivity and incomes through
improved access to affordable and appropriately scaled technologies.
Fifteen years ago in Bangladesh, IDE launched a project to commercialize the
treadle pump, a low-cost irrigation technology, using a private sector supply chain and
mass-marketing strategies. More than one million treadle pumps were sold in
Bangladesh to small and marginal farmers, who generated $120 million in net income
between 1986 and 1999. These impacts established IDE’s reputation in the development
community, as very few technology transfer programs have ever achieved such outreach
or impact.
Over the years, IDE’s concern for impact in the field has been an all-encompassing
focus, to the extent that relatively little attention was paid to the “institutionalization” of IDE.
Management information systems (MIS) were not highly developed even as the NGO’s
budget grew from US $0.5 to $5 million between 1990 and 1999. Moreover, headquarter
staff ranged between five and nine even as country programs grew in number (there are eight
today) and the field presence mounted to nearly 500 employees. This disproportionate ratio
between headquarter and field staff clearly stretched the management capacity of Denver.
At the same time, IDE has been highly dependent on funding from the Swiss Agency
for Development and Cooperation (SDC) since the early 1990s. While SDC has continued to
be a loyal supporter, the donor is now pressuring IDE to diversify its funding base,
nationalize its country programs, and find other resources to cover Denver headquarter costs.
Against this backdrop, IDE Management and the Board realized the need for IDE to
build its institutional capacity and, with this in mind, applied to USAID’s BHR/PVC Office
for a Matching Grant.
2. The Objectives of IDE’s MG Program
The objectives of the MG Program as detailed in the Detailed Implementation Plan
(DIP) include:
1) Better management systems throughout the organization to facilitate planning,
communication, monitoring, evaluation, information and lessons sharing;
2) Increased effectiveness of public education and outreach;
3) Improved monitoring and evaluation systems that are essential for program
management and documentation of successes;
4) Development of regional committees to facilitate communication within IDE,
with the aim of fostering greater cooperation between country programs;
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5) Enhancement of IDE’s capacity to assist its collaborators in building their
capacity, and of IDE’s ability to transfer mature products to other country
programs and share program experience with other organizations.
The rationale for these objectives is aptly described in IDE’s Year 2 Annual Report to
USAID. “IDE aims to increase the management capacity of the international headquarters
so that it can manage its growth; better communicate its model and methodology; and
become a more widely-known and influential organization in the development community.”
The report also intimates the need to “become an active player in the development
community” so as to “open new sources and types of funding, reducing our dependency on
European donors.”
3. The Accomplishments of IDE’s MG Program
Denver Headquarters
The MG Program has allowed IDE Denver to strengthen its management capacity by
hiring new staff and developing improved management systems, which were previously
either weak or non-existent. The new professional (technical) staff – the Monitoring &
Evaluation (M&E) Officer and the Accountant – bring to IDE Denver much-needed technical
capacity. Moreover, these new positions appear to have been institutionalized. However, in
order to be effective, they need sufficient travel monies to provide regular assistance to
country programs.
A key accomplishment of IDE’s MG Program has been the development of
monitoring and evaluation and management information systems (M&E/MIS). The M&E
Guidelines represent a significant body of quality work that has contributed to improved
reporting, planning and institutional decision making. While more needs to be done to
institutionalize the systems already completed, they appear to have had a marked impact on
the organization and decision making at headquarters, the Board level, and in the field.
The formalization of systems at IDE, however, came at a price, i.e., significant
turnover in staff. IDE had always considered itself a “cowboy” organization where
independence, creativity, and impacts were rewarded. The institutionalization of systems
created stresses, at a time when the rapid growth of the organization was stretching the
technical and managerial capacities of staff. This situation culminated in five staff persons
leaving the Denver office in 1999/2000.
In early 2000, IDE hired a new Chief Operating Officer (COO), who brings strong
managerial skills to the leadership of IDE. This new position in addition to a new M&E
Officer and two new and well-qualified country directors in IDE India and Bangladesh
provide a strong managerial base for IDE’s future.
Under the MG Program, IDE Denver produced an impressive body of quality
educational materials, and made concerted efforts to reach out to audiences in Denver,
beyond Denver in the U.S., and in the international community. IDE hired a Director of
Development/Public Education, a professional fund raiser (on a consultancy basis), a
Program Assistant focused partially on public education and outreach, and most recently a
staff person to update and further develop IDE’s mailing list.
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IDE has made some important strides toward greater integration into the development
community as a result of collaborations related to the Global Initiative, and partnerships
forged in applying for an RFP and developing a the Haiti Country Program. Nonetheless,
IDE remains relatively isolated from other PVOs focused on similar goals with similar
strategies.
IDE India
IDE India applied for and used the USAID MG funds to expand into a new product
line, “affordable micro-irrigation technologies” (AMIT). These technologies developed in
Israel and transferred to India 15 years ago allow farmers to increase yields by 30% while
reducing the amount of water used by 50% as compared to conventional irrigation.1
 Drip or
micro irrigation holds enormous promise for the millions of farmers living in semi-arid
regions. AMITs represent the adaptation of these technologies for small and marginal
farmers.
IDE India and IDE Denver have made a convincing case for the potential impact of
AMITs. Both field and market tests have demonstrated the considerable water, labor and
input savings as well as the increased earnings that can be realized by small farmers using
AMIT. AMIT appears to be the kind “killer product”2
 that the treadle pump was in
Bangladesh. The World Bank, FAO, and Winrock International are so impressed with the
potential that they have partnered with IDE in a Global Initiative for micro irrigation.
The AMIT Program’s efforts at developing a high-quality team, a process for
learning and planning, and products tailored to the needs and resources of small and
marginal farmers have been exceptional. AMIT’s sales records are indicative of the
project’s success. In 1997-8, when project activities were largely focused on product
development and testing, sales totaled 331 units. In 1998-9, when the program was
testing marketing the products, sales mounted to 3,538, and then from 1999-up to July
2000, annual sales reached 5,990. Cumulative sales of 9,859 far exceeded the overall
target under the MG Program.
Despite many strengths, the AMIT Program has experienced weaknesses in an
area where IDE is usually strong. AMIT did not appear to have a clear idea of
sustainability from the beginning of the project. AMIT’s early strategy involved IDE
staff selling directly to farmers and through NGOs. While this strategy might be
defendable in the short-term when marketing a new product for which there is no
demand, it is not sustainable and thus needs to be very time bound. AMIT now appears
to be back on track in that the program is working toward developing a private sector
supply chain. Nonetheless, the project needs to be clear regarding a sustainable role for
NGOs and to ensure that NGO and AMIT staff are not involved in selling.
 
1
 Based on IDE’s fact sheet on “bucket kits.”
2
 According to IDE’s definition, “killer products” must be cheap enough to be affordable, small enough for
plots between .5 and 2.49 acres, produce at least 100% net annual income on their purchase price, and have
a global market of at least one million.”
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IDE Bangladesh (IDE-B)
The objectives of IDE-B’s Capacity Building, Development, and Marketing of a Low
Cost Hand Pump (CDM) Project – prior to the reorientation to arsenic mitigation – included:
- developing a new affordable and appropriate product,
- developing (through training) a supply chain (manufacturers, dealers, and
installers) for delivering the product,
- creating demand for the product through mass marketing efforts
- developing linkages with NGOs for credit provision
- developing awareness among customers about safe drinking water
While the arsenic problem hindered CDM’s ability to achieve all of the project’s
original targets set (see below), the Evaluation Scope of Work asks whether CDM was able
to establish the systems for achieving the goals and revised targets. And in fact, CDM’s
achievements include the establishment of an impressive array of systems within a short
period of time. These systems include:
- testing service and equipment made available
- improvements in testing equipment
- supply chain of dealers and testers established
- involvement of dealers and installers in testing and promotion
- coordination with NGOs
- promotional materials developed
- mass marketing of arsenic issue through school programs, open air video shows,
NGO video shows, dealer video shows, tester meetings, leaflets and posters,
miking, and rickshaw processions.
Thus, CDM has been successful at developing and establish a supply chain for the
new JANANI pump, launching a promotional campaign, linking to NGOs for credit
provision, and developing an awareness about arsenic contamination. The targets achieved,
as of July 2000, appear to be in line with the “new targets proposed,” given that the project
still has several more months before completion and that these months are a high sales
period.
ORIGINAL TARGETS PROPOSED NEW TARGETS JULY 2000 ACHIEVEMENTS
40 manufacturers in place 4 Manufacturers 1 manufacturer in place
600 dealers selling the pump 300-317 dealers 254 dealers selling pumps
3000 installers trained 2000 installers trained 1,376 installers trained
15,000 pumps installed 5,000 pumps installed 3,442 pumps installed
50 NGOs working with the project 20 NGOs working with the project 57 NGOs working with the project
Success in achieving these objectives and targets was meant to produce a new
“killer product” for IDE-B to commercialize on a mass scale, as the TP was reaching the
end of its product cycle. Nonetheless, the JANANI pump is most likely not a killer
product. There are at least 15 other similar products on the market.3
 While some of these
are of poor quality, others have an excellent reputation among consumers (based on
interviews with dealers).
 
3
 According to IDE-B’s “Baseline Survey”
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The real strength, however, and success of the CDM Project accrues from the
unexpected, i.e., the arsenic problem. IDE-B’s experience in marketing hard technologies
using a supply chain approach has proven to be effective in developing a local capacity
for arsenic testing. CDM’s network of private-sector testers provide more dependable
services over a larger area than many other better funded efforts (according to an
interview with BRAC).
The success of CDM’s model is also suggested by a paper written for the UNDP￾World Bank Water and Sanitation Program and entitled, “Arsenic Mitigation amidst
Uncertainty: Supply Chains for Arsenic Removal Units and Field Test Kits in West
Bengal and Bangladesh.” This proposed project design borrows from IDE’s “supply
chain” approach and shows its applicability across the arsenic-contaminated region of
Bangladesh and West Bengal.
In seeking a new “killer product,” IDE-B failed in the first attempt (the JANANI)
but found in the arsenic problem an approach that may truly represent a “killer service.”
4. Strengths, Weakness, and Recommendations for the Future
IDE’s Vision and Identity
IDE is an organization with a powerful vision for development. Fifteen years
ago, long before many other organizations, IDE developed a private sector approach to
technology transfer. Using this approach, IDE demonstrated the ability to reach over one
million small and marginal farmers in Bangladesh, increasing their annual income, on
average, by US $100.
Nonetheless, this vision has produced confusion regarding IDE’s identity, and
whether the organization is a business or a development organization. A symptom of this
confusion, exhibited all the way from the Board to field staff, is an over emphasis on
sales of a single product (for instance the treadle pump). While sales are an important
indicator of demand and supply, as a development organization, IDE needs to ensure that
these sales result in broader developmental impacts. In keeping with best practices
established by the Donor Committee, IDE’s success should be measured in terms of its
contributions to a vibrant and competitive market (for small-plot irrigation equipment)
that offers small and marginal farmers, IDE’s target group, a growing number of options
at a wide price range.
IDE’s identity confusion has affected program implementation. Because the
M&E system, reports to the Board, and employee incentives have been focused on
“number of TPs sold,” for instance, field staff have sometimes forsaken sustainability and
broader developmental impacts in the name of greater sales.
Recommendation:
IDE needs to expand its vision beyond a focus on selling a particular product and
toward a greater emphasis on impacts at the market and customer levels.
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IDE’s identity has also been characterized as “cowboy” in nature, different from
others, independent, and path-breaking. While these characteristics may have worked in
IDE’s favor in the past, they may no longer. Fifteen years ago, IDE saw itself –
realistically – as singular in its private sector approach to technology transfer. Today,
however, the rest of the development community embraces IDE’s business-like approach.
To remain a leader in the field, IDE needs to engage in dialogue with the
development community in order to learn and teach. IDE has a wealth of experience that
the rest of the development community has not heard about. On the other hand, IDE has
a considerable amount to learn from others, e.g., on best practice and methods for
assessing markets, conducting feasibility studies, developing and facilitating markets, and
monitoring and evaluation.
IDE did join InterAction as part of the MG Program. Nonetheless, participation
in the development community is still limited because of scarce travel monies and staff
time. IDE is constrained by its Denver location. Greater engagement, however, is a good
investment and can contribute substantially to fund mobilization.
Recommendation:
IDE needs to join and participate in InterAction and the SEEP Network. This will
require setting monies aside for travel and time aside for engaging in the technical
debates within these networks.
IDE prides itself on its creativity. And indeed, IDE has adopted bold strategies
for achieving impact on the poor. The most recent new program is the Global Initiative,
which aims to disseminate micro irrigation technologies on a global scale. To realize this
bold idea, IDE has galvanized support from some impressive institutions – including the
World Bank, Winrock International, and FAO - and individuals, including author Sandra
Postel and drip irrigation specialist, Jack Keller.
Over time, however, IDE has generated and adopted too many bold ideas, not all
which have paid off. IDE is too small of an organization with too few staff and resources
at headquarters to implement so many ideas, e.g., an appropriate technology institute, a
consulting arm, a trading company, a private fund raising campaign and a global
initiative.
Recommendation:
IDE needs to focus its efforts, balancing creative opportunities with its limited
resources.
IDE’s Management Capacity
Over the last ten years, IDE grew 10-fold, from a $0.5 million organization to a
$5 million organization. And yet despite this growth, the Denver headquarters has
remained very small. Prior to the MG Program, the Denver office was made of five staff
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persons. With support from PVC, the Denver Office grew to nine staff persons in 1998;
today there are seven. This handful of staff stands in contrast to the 493 employees in the
field.
The stresses created by growth on the Denver office culminated in 1999, when
five Denver employees left the organization. At the same time, two country directors
left, after the end of the contract, though not without fallout. In organizational
development terms, the upheaval appears to have evolved from two sources. As IDE
grew, it required staff with increasingly specialized skills. As a small organization, a
single staff person could fill multiple functions; with growth, greater specialized
management and technical skills were needed. In other words, some staff outgrew their
ability to manage the greater complexity (according to Board and staff interviews).
Additionally, this “cowboy” organization was being forced to adopt more systems
and to formalize in ways that were painful to some of the more independent staff and
Board members. While recent interviews with Board members now confirm their
commitment to and appreciation for the need of systems, the process of adopting them
was nonetheless painful.
The changeover in Country Directors may also have been related to the
insufficient management capacity of Denver. Although these directors’ contracts had
come to an end, their departures were welcomed. Both directors were young and
relatively inexperienced for managing large, complicated programs. Both left behind
substantial problems to be resolved by their successors.
Finally, IDE Denver staff work on a number of projects that do not directly
support the country programs. For example, IDE’s consulting arm, private fund
mobilization efforts (for Denver), some of the public education and outreach activities,
the Appropriate Technology Institute, a proposed trading company, and the Global
Initiative have either limited, indirect or long-term implications for country programs.
While some of these activities are producing funds and useful mechanisms for field
programs, they also take Denver staff’s focus off of providing the kind of day-to-day
technical assistance and oversight needed to manage a network of eight country
programs.
Recommendation:
Although IDE has recently hired a Chief Operating Officer, who is providing important
and quality management oversight, Denver needs to increase the number of staff, and
especially Desk Officers, in order to manage its eight field programs.
As noted by IDE’s new Chief Operating Officer, IDE has suffered from lack of
cohesiveness, a low degree of quality control and accountability across programs, and
disjointed fund raising efforts.4 These problems stem – at least in part – from the
relationship between programs and headquarters, in particular, the disproportionate
 
4
 IDE Strategic Action Plan,” June 2000.
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number of staff in Denver as compared to the field (7:493). With such a small staff in
Denver, it has been difficult for headquarters to create cohesiveness.
The MG Program has allowed IDE to initiate an effort to harmonize management
information systems, and thereby achieve greater cohesiveness. Nonetheless, the limited
technical assistance and oversight provided by Denver, and the limited role played to date
by Denver in generating funds for the field contribute to a sense of independence on the
part of programs.
Recommendation:
IDE needs to develop a plan for assistance to the country programs that takes into
consideration the proper role and responsibilities of Denver. On the one hand, the
country programs want flexibility in developing a program suited to a country
context and are resistant to dictates from headquarters. On the other hand, they
are eager for assistance with fund raising, proposal writing, monitoring and
evaluation, financial management, and coordinated learning. By providing these
services, IDE Denver can develop greater cohesiveness, quality control, and
accountability with the cooperation of the country programs.
Monitoring & Evaluation/MIS Systems
The M&E/MIS systems developed under the MG Program have made an
important contribution to building the capacity of the institution. The new M&E system
has generated regular (monthly) reporting, provided a common format for reports, and
allowed headquarters to report comparable data to the Board on program performance.
Nonetheless, the M&E/MIS system has not been sufficiently institutionalized within the
IDE network. Country Directors complain that the reporting is only for Denver and does
not suit their needs. Moreover, directors in India and Bangladesh are not clear about the
utility of M&E and MIS.
Recommendation:
IDE needs to further develop and refine the M&E/MIS systems in collaboration
with the field to ensure buy-in (that it serves everyone’s needs), harmonization (of
systems) and their contribution to improved management at the country program,
Denver, and Board levels.
Recommendation:
Country Directors need training in how to use M&E/MIS data for better program
management.
The MG Program has led to greater standardization and regularization of
reporting, but the reporting remains too focused on the accomplishment of activities (as a
business might), with too little attention paid to process, development impacts, and
analysis. The M&E system developed under the MG Program needs to be further
focused on indicators that donors are interested in and that will help country directors
better understand the underlying causes of program performance.
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Recommendations:
IDE needs to incorporate into its M&E system indicators that measure impact on
the market (defined more broadly than TPs, for instance), sustainability of the
supply chain, and impacts (e.g., net income, improved business practices, business
linkages, etc.) on both farmers and supply chain members. 
Recommendation:
USAID’s Office of Microenterprise Development in collaboration with the Donor
Committee for Small Enterprise Development has launched an on-going effort
focused on performance measurement in BDS. IDE needs to refer to this when
refining their own system
While the M&E systems of India and Bangladesh are sophisticated, M&E
Departments do need technical assistance from Denver in designing impact assessments,
incorporating an expanded number of indicators (beyond sales) into their system, and
analyzing data collected.
Recommendation:
The M&E Officer needs the resources to focus on the M&E needs of country
programs and to provide on-site technical assistance.
Institutional Sustainability: Funding Mobilization
Since its inception, IDE has been reliant on a handful of donors. SDC has been a
key donor for both IDE India and Bangladesh. Over time, SDC has pressured IDE to
diversify its funding base and has refused to pay more than 50% of IDE’s already small
overhead. Dependency on SDC has left IDE Denver in a situation in which it is under￾funded; scrambling to identify new sources of funds (SDC has promised to cut the budget
by an increasing percentage every year); and dependent on a narrow base of donors.
Recommendation:
To ensure its sustainability, IDE needs to diversify its funding base and identify
donors that will pay for Denver overhead costs.5
IDE has devoted years to developing fund raising strategies targeting private
sources, foundations, corporations, and bi- and mulit-lateral donors. Under the MG
Program, IDE hired a Public Education Officer that contributed to raising the public’s
awareness of IDE’s programs. More recently, IDE has hired a staff person to further
develop the mailing list for soliciting private funds. In addition, a fund raising expert has
been hired (part-time) to develop a corporate strategy. Despite considerable efforts, IDE
Denver has not had great success.
 
5
 IDE’s new Chief Operating Officer has developed a plan for fund mobilization that includes a broad array
of donors.
xiii
It appears that there have been too many plans and directions researched and not
enough proposals written, submitted, and followed up on. For instance, IDE’s Director
for Development (part time Public Education) spent 15 months on a private-fund raising
effort before she left the organization. This fund raising campaign is viewed as
unsuccessful, and yet the data on donations suggest that this campaign – while just
getting started – increased donations by somewhere between 20% and 50% between 1998
and 1999.
Recommendation:
IDE needs to follow through with its fund raising plans and efforts. Developing
relationships and collaborations with donors requires time, consistency, and follow
through. IDE is more successful that it gives itself credit, but needs to be consistent
in its efforts.
IDE’s sustainability and capacity to implement the recommendations in this report
are largely based its ability to raise funds for institution building. While the MG Program
may be able to support IDE, the organization needs a clear and well-organized plan for
strengthening Denver resources. A number of strategies have been tried and/or
discussed: a private fund raising, a consulting arm, a corporate campaign, and a more
concerted focus on multi- and bi-lateral donors.
Recommendation:
Given its immediate needs for funding,, IDE-Denver needs to prioritize its efforts,
and select opportunities which have potential for success in the short-term.6
The IDE Model (Learning & Harmonization Across Programs)
As noted earlier, IDE has a powerful vision and approach to development. Other
organizations use a supply chain methodology for disseminating technologies to small
farmers and microentrepreneurs. Nonetheless, IDE has probably been more successful
than other PVOs in selecting “killer products” that are truly affordable, at using state-of￾the-art marketing techniques for creating demand, and at strengthening nationwide
business linkages among manufacturers, dealers, and installers (or village-level agents)
for delivering products to the rural poor.
However, IDE’s relative isolation from the development community and reliance
on a small number of donors has meant few people know, understand, and appreciate
IDE’s model. The Donor Committee for Small Enterprise Development as well as a
network of BDS practitioners has launched a learning process in recent years in order to
advance knowledge and practice in BDS. IDE has much to contribute to the dialogue and
much to learn from it.
 
6
 Longer-term plans have been developed by the Chief Operating Officer.
xiv
Recommendation:
IDE needs to participate in BDS conferences (including SEEP’s BDS Working
Group), meetings, and research efforts in order to contribute to and benefit from
the development community’s learning on BDS best practices.
A key area where IDE can improve its model relates to the organization’s strategy
for and investment in market facilitation (or development). IDE’s programs in
Bangladesh and India have invested considerable resources in developing the market for
TPs, for instance. Both programs have large numbers of staff persons (in the hundreds),
and have 15 and 8 years respectively developing the TP market.
The Donor Committee – that includes many of IDE’s donors – are now pushing
for much more time limited interventions, and much less involvement in the market. As
a result, few donors will likely be willing to fund a program for a time period 15 or even
10 years. In fact, the Donor Committee is suggesting 3 years.
Recommendation:
IDE has learned much about market facilitation over the last 15 years. Interviews
with staff demonstrate their sophisticated knowledge of BDS, market development,
and sustainability. IDE needs to consolidate this learning, and experiment with
strategies for market facilitation that entail a much lighter involvement in the
market over a shorter time period.
IDE sees marketing as an important role for the organization, and one that is
largely subsidized. While supply chain participants pay a small part of the cost of
promotional activities, by far the largest share is paid for by IDE. In Bangladesh, IDE is
increasingly shifting these costs to supply chain members, especially in areas where IDE
is or planning to phase out.
Interviews with manufacturers and dealers reveal the value that these
entrepreneurs place on IDE’s promotional efforts. Not only do promotional activities
bring dealers and manufacturers greater prestige in the region, they also increase their
sales of other products. This suggests that IDE may be over subsidizing promotion. For
instance, after less than a year of implementing its promotional campaign, the CDM
Project appears to have developed an appreciation for the benefits of promotion and
business linkages among supply chain entrepreneur. Promotion and business linkages are
services that entrepreneurs may be willing to pay for, once their value is demonstrated.
Recommendation:
IDE needs to explore exiting from promotional activities much earlier in the project
life cycle, and to assess whether these services can be provided by the private sector.
Additionally, there is little sharing among country programs regarding problems
and solutions faced in creating demand, facilitating the supply chain, and reaching
sustainability. Competition among country programs and lack of coordination from
xv
Denver leave many IDE employees talking among themselves and learning from one
another, but not sharing or codifying this knowledge.
As a result, some country programs have adopted strategies that are not in keeping
with IDE’s model and/or BDS best practices. In other instances, country programs
reinvent the wheel because they lack information on how other programs have solved a
particular problem.
To summarize, while IDE has a tremendous amount of knowledge in-house, there
is no mechanism by which employees can collectively codify and consolidate this
knowledge in order to improve the quality of programs and advance best practice. For
instance, both IDE India and Bangladesh are experimenting with approaches to
sustainability (exiting), and yet one does not know what the other is doing.
Additionally, without a clear model and/or concerted and collaborative effort at
developing one, IDE Denver is not in a position to exert quality control over programs.
Recommendation:
IDE needs to launch an organization-wide action research effort in order to codify,
consolidate, and advance its model.
Recommendations:
IDE needs a collaborative project approval, management and/or M&E system that
establishes quality control in line with its model.
IDE’s Approach to Sustainability
Although IDE uses a business-like approach to development, the organization is
still struggling with the issue of sustainability. IDE’s Operations Manual, as well as other
publications, states that once demand reaches a certain threshold, suppliers will
spontaneously emerge to meet that demand. In keeping with this sustainability strategy,
IDE country programs were supposed to engage in promotional activities until demand
reached a “critical mass,” and at this point exit. No program, however, has done this.
Only in the last year has IDE-B phased out of areas where sales are the greatest.
Moreover, because of the lack of clarity regarding sustainability, IDE lacks
guidance for new start-up programs. IDE’s regional marketing expert argues that when
first introducing a new product, it is often necessary to engage in direct service provision,
i.e., in selling directly to consumers, since entrepreneurs are not willing to risk on a
product they know nothing about.7
 This direct intervention in the supply chain needs to
be time limited. The Donor Committee recommends that a vision of sustainability be
established at the beginning of the intervention. In the case of IDE, there needs to be a
 
7 However, in the case of the AMIT Program, the manufacturer (who was not small or informal) was
willing to take a risk on AMITs because the opportunity looked attractive. As a result, the manufacturer
invested his own money in modifying components for use by small farmers.
xvi
clear idea of a sustainable supply chain and a plan for exiting from the start. All program
activities should be designed in preparation for exiting.
Recommendation:
IDE needs to establish – in collaboration with country programs - clear guidelines
(especially for start up programs) for reaching sustainability, and the M&E system
should track progress toward and achievement of sustainability.
Recommendations:
IDE needs to require that all project design documents include a description of a
sustainable supply chain, and a plan for exiting.
1
I. Introduction
A. Introduction to International Development Enterprises (IDE)
IDE was launched in 1981 by a handful of religiously motivated businessmen,
believing that through a business-like approach they could affect poverty around the world.
Paul Polak, the founder of IDE – while not a Mennonite himself – gathered with a group of
Mennonite theologians to create and finance the inception of IDE.
IDE’s first program in Somalia in 1981 was designed to market donkey carts to the
poor. In 1984, IDE entered Bangladesh, where the PVO launched what is now considered its
flagship project. In 1992, IDE started its India program, now employing more than 200
people. By 2000, IDE had additional – though relatively small – programs in Nepal,
Vietnam, Sri Lanka, Cambodia, Zambia, Haiti, and China. All programs entail a water
and/or sanitation focus: irrigation, drinking water, and more recently arsenic and/or trachoma
mitigation.
But while IDE has focused on water through irrigation, drinking water, or sanitation,
the hallmark of this NGO has been its business-like approach to program design and
implementation. IDE’s Board, made up of Denver- and Canadian-based entrepreneurs, as
well as the business experience of Paul Polak, the founder and now President, surely inspired
the business orientation of IDE at a time when many NGOs were much more charity and
welfare oriented.
In describing its approach to development, IDE points to it focus on the needs of poor
farmers cultivating less than 5 acres of land (based on “IDE Approach,” by Paul Polak,
September 1999). IDE’s aim is to increase productivity for these farmers by promoting
access to affordable small-plot irrigation. “We sell poor people products to increase their
income and improve their quality of life. To do this, we find or design ‘killer products,’ and
make them available to poor people through mass marketing to activate the private sector.”
Killer products must be cheap enough to be affordable, small enough for plots between .5 and
2.49 acres, produce at least 100% net annual income on their purchase price, and have a
global market of at least one million.”
IDE uses a market-driven approach, in which poor people are viewed as customers
who can improve their productivity and incomes through access to affordable and
appropriately scaled technologies. Fifteen years ago in Bangladesh, IDE used a private
sector supply chain and mass-marketing strategies to commercialize the treadle pump, a low￾cost irrigation technology costing $24 installed. Through this innovative program, IDE-B
sold 1.3 million pumps to small and marginal farmers, who generated $650 million in net
income between 1986 and 1999. These substantial impacts established IDE’s reputation in
the development community, as very few technology transfer programs had ever had such
outreach or achieved such impact.
Today, IDE is among a dozen or more NGOs engaged in technology development
and commercialization, using private-sector supply chains. Among these NGOs/PVOs, IDE
has been a market leader. The impacts that IDE has achieved in Bangladesh have inspired
others to adopt demand-led approaches, focus more pointedly on affordability, and utilize
2
marketing techniques. Because of its long history in private sector development for
microentrepreneurs and small farmers, IDE has a wealth of lessons to share with other PVOs.
And yet its location in Denver, Colorado has contributed to IDE’s relative isolation from the
development community.
IDE’s western location has also shaped the organization, described by one long￾term Bangladeshi staff person as a “cowboy” organization that prides itself on its small
headquarter staff in relation to field staff, and unswerving social mission to help the poor.
Yet the concern for impact in the field has constituted an all-encompassing focus, to the
extent that relatively little attention had been paid to the “institutionalization” of IDE
prior to the MG Program. As a result, IDE’s management information systems (MIS)
was not highly developed, even as the NGO’s budget began to grow considerably – from
US $0.5 in 1990 to $5 million in 1999. And in 1999, there were only nine headquarter
staff responsible for overseeing nearly 500 employees in the field in 8 countries.
Moreover, IDE has been highly dependent on funding from the Swiss Agency for
Development and Cooperation (SDC) since the early 1990s. SDC has been the primary
donor of IDE’s large programs in Bangladesh (since 1990) and India (since its inception
in 1992). And while SDC has been a loyal supporter of IDE over the last decade, the
Swiss are now pressuring IDE to diversify its funding base, nationalize its country
programs, and find other resources to cover Denver headquarter costs.
Against this backdrop, IDE Management and the Board realized the need for IDE to
build its institutional capacity and, with this in mind, applied to USAID’s BHR/PVC Office
for a Matching Grant.
B. Purpose of the IDE’s MG Program
According to the Detailed Implementation Plan (DIP) and the Scope of Work for the
evaluation, the purpose of IDE’s Matching Grant included the following:
1. Better management systems throughout the organization to facilitate planning,
communication, monitoring, evaluation, information and lessons sharing;
2. Increased effectiveness of public education and outreach;
3. Improved monitoring and evaluation systems that are essential for program
management and documentation of successes;
4. Development of regional committees to facilitate communication within IDE, with
the aim of fostering greater cooperation between country programs;
5. Enhancement of IDE’s capacity to assist its collaborators in building their capacity,
and of IDE’s ability to transfer mature products to other country programs and share
program experience with other organizations.
The rationale for these objectives, however, is aptly described in IDE’s “Year 2
Annual Report to USAID.” This report states that – under the Matching Grant – IDE aims to
increase the management capacity of the international headquarters so that it can manage
its growth; better communicate its model and methodology; and become a more widely￾known and influential organization in the development community.” The report also
3
intimates the need to “become an active player in the development community” so as to
“open new sources and types of funding, reducing our dependency on European donors.”
In other words, the Matching Grant was conceived in response to some of the
institutional strengths and weaknesses of the organization. IDE’s growth from a $0.5 to a $5
million organization during the 1990s was straining the financial, human resource, impact
monitoring, and strategic planning systems in place. At the same time, the European donors
that IDE had grown to rely on were increasingly circumscribing the Denver costs they were
willing to pay for. Public outreach and education were viewed as a means for expanding
IDE’s constituency and opportunities for funding.
The imbalance between an under-funded headquarters staff and well-funded field
staff produced “insufficient integration,” as noted by the new Chief Operating Officer. To
combat lack of cohesiveness as well as quality control, IDE headquarters aimed to improve
communications with the field, support regional committees with members from across
country programs, and to advance organization-wide MIS, policies, and procedures.
Prior to the implementation of the Matching Grant, IDE’s M&E system was overly
focused on sales and insufficient attention was given to broader impacts that interested
donors as well as the broader development community. While the sale of 1.3 million treadle
pumps in Bangladesh had clearly put organization on the map within the development
community, IDE still had to prove that these sales reduced poverty. And given the 15-year
time frame of IDE-B’s project, IDE had to prove that the expenditure of money over all these
years was cost-effective.
In the field, IDE was in need of a new “killer product.” The treadle pump – so long
IDE’s trademark – was apparently (based on declining sales) reaching the end of its product
cycle. Under the Matching Grant, IDE proposed to develop, introduce and market low-cost
micro-irrigation in semi-arid India. Micro irrigation was a new technology for IDE that
showed tremendous promise. Its affordability and global applicability suggested that it could
have even greater impact than the treadle pump.
In Bangladesh, IDE-B was also in search of a new product. Initially, a low-cost
potable water hand pump was seen as the answer. However the problem of arsenic
contamination across much of the country forced the program to change strategies. In
applying its supply-chain methodology to this health risk, IDE-B found a new focus that had
greater potential for helping people, and representative an innovative approach to a public
health issue.
C. History of MG Program
IDE’s Matching Grant commenced in September 1997. Two years into the program,
IDE experienced a substantial disruption. Five out of nine staff persons in IDE Denver as
well as three country directors – including the directors of IDE’s largest programs in
Bangladesh and India – retired and/or resigned. The country directors of India and
Bangladesh left at the end of their respective three-year contracts, and the third country
4
director from Cambodia left to continue his education. The departures from IDE Denver,
however, were part of growing tensions within the organization.
These tensions and departures can be viewed within the context of organizational
changes within IDE. By 1999, IDE Denver had clearly outgrown its former way of operating
under a substantially expanded budget as well as expanded needs from both the field and
Denver. Growth was pushing this “cowboy” organization toward a more formalized
structure with more formalized systems. It was also demanding more specialized skills from
staff than was needed when IDE was a smaller organization.
 The end result of these organizational changes and tensions was a changeover in
staff. By early 2000, IDE had a new Chief Operating Officer, a new M&E officer; and a new
program assistant/desk officer. Presently, IDE Denver is staffed by seven full-time
permanent employees, an intern, and a volunteer.
Nonetheless, the Matching Grant had set in place a number of systems and processes
and a new direction toward greater formalization and institutionalization that the new
employees have picked up and moved forward with. This is not to say that IDE has not
suffered from such a significant staff turnover. It has. It has lost substantial historical
knowledge that will take time to replace. The new staff persons, while well qualified, have
needed time to familiarize themselves with the systems that were developed under the first
two years of the USAID MG Program, learn about country programs and their needs for
support, and master IDE’s approach and methodology. On the other hand, the changeover has
brought in some very good new staff to carry on the directions established by the Matching
Grant.
A second disruption that occurred during the course of the Matching Grant was the
change in focus of the IDE-B hand pump project due to the growing recognition of the
severity of arsenic contamination in tubewells. While the arsenic problem in the region is
tragic, it has provided IDE-B with the opportunity to apply its supply chain and mass
marketing approach to what constitutes a different kind of product. The arsenic awareness
and testing campaign launched by IDE-B has been innovative and effective. It has been
effective in terms of the outreach IDE-B has been able to achieve with its network of dealers
and well installers, and the private-sector network of arsenic testers is an approach that others
are not emulating and which has proved to more effective than subsidized testing.
In India, overall funding shortages caused IDE India to withdraw from Maharasthra.
SDC funding available only for Gujurat resulted in a shift of a Regional Office from
Maharashtra to Gujurat. The overall reductions in funding, however, may have also had a
positive effect on the project, by pressuring IDE India to adopt strategies that were both cost￾effective and innovative. These strategies may not only prove to be a more effective
leveraging of funds than used in the past but may also contribute to best practices for the
development community at large.
5
D. Methodology
The evaluation of IDE’s “Capacity Building for the Dissemination of Water and
Irrigation Technologies” Project was based on a comparison of project goals - expressed in
the form of measurable objectives and/or indicators – measured against specific outputs. In
some instances, achievement of project objectives was quantifiable, while in other instances
indicators required qualitative assessment.
Since IDE’s program falls within the field of “business development services,”
project performance was also measured against indicators of market development,
sustainability, and impact as suggested by “Guideline to Performance Measurement of
Business Development Services,” prepared for the Committee of Donor Agencies for Small
Enterprise Development, 1999. While this framework for performance measurement is still
under development, there is widespread agreement within the development community
regarding the performance goals of market development, sustainability, and impact. This
framework was particularly useful in assessing sustainability, a key goal of the IDE program.
The data used for evaluating project goals and objectives was collected from IDE
documentation in Denver, India and Bangladesh, and from interviews with staff. Information
collected from field trips in India and Bangladesh contributed to an understanding of the
context in which the field programs were implemented and provided primary data on supply
chain members and regional staff.
6
II. Findings – Denver
A. Project Goals/Indicators/Findings
The assessment of project goals and objectives is divided into findings, evidence and
analysis in order to ensure that evidence for findings are clear and to keep references to
evidence from interrupting the flow of the analysis.
Goal 1: Strengthen Operational and Technical Capacity to Facilitate Expansion and
Leveraging of the IDE Model.
In light of its expanding budget, the growing number of country programs, and the
increasing needs of the field for support, IDE Denver – through its Matching Grant – aimed
to increase its management capacity through more staff and improved and standardized
management information systems (MIS).
Additionally, IDE Denver proposed “vitalizing its consulting arm.” The rationale for
this objective was twofold. To be more effective, Denver needed more funding to pay for
staff, travel, as well as management and M&E systems. Given pressure from the European
donors to diversify their funding base, IDE Denver viewed consulting as an attractive source
of unrestricted income. Vitalizing its consulting arm was also viewed as a strategy for
leveraging impact by “working with and through others,” as well as implementing country
programs. In other words, IDE could disseminate its “killer products” on a larger scale not
just by implementing country programs, as in the past, but by providing consulting services
to others.
Hiring of Accountant, M&E Officer, and new Country Desk Officer
a. Findings:
Under the Matching Grant, IDE hired an accountant, M&E Officer, and a Program
Assistant, who is partly responsible for backstopping country programs. Additionally, MG
funds covered a portion of the salary of a Public Education Officer.
The new Accountant, formerly worked in a small firm, from which IDE Denver out￾sourced accounting services prior to the MG Program. Already familiar with IDE’s financial
accounts, the Accountant was in an excellent position to upgrade IDE’s financial
management information systems. Through field trips to India, Bangladesh, Cambodia,
Vietnam, and Zambia, IDE’s new accountant has Ms been able to provide technical
assistance across IDE’s country programs and improve financial reports to the IDE Board.
The Board Meeting Books of 1998, 1999, and 2000 demonstrate the development, use and
upkeep of improved systems throughout the Matching Grant.
The M&E Officer originally hired under the Matching Grant left in September 1999
(according to IDE Denver’s staff person in charge of human resources). Between April 1998,
when the M&E Officer was hired, and September 1999, he produced a substantial body of
work focused on systems for monitoring and evaluation, reporting and submission of
deliverables, and strategic planning. The IDE Board Meeting Books demonstrate that
7
systems for reporting to the Board and strategic planning were used and integrated into IDE
operations during the time that this M&E Officer was employed. Monthly Reports from IDE
India and IDE-B demonstrate that reporting has been relatively consistent up until May or
June 2000. More recent reports are fewer in number.
The original M&E Officer left IDE in September 1999, and IDE filled the position in
January 2000. The position was filled by a highly qualified social scientist, who intends to
advance the work of the former M&E Officer by providing additional support to the field to
further institutionalize the M&E systems already developed and to strengthen the capabilities
especially of the smaller country programs.
According to IDE’s “Year 1 Annual Report” to USAID,” the new Desk Officer
position, referred to in the DIP, was decentralized to the Vice Presidents.” When one of
these Vice Presidents/Desk Officers left in early 2000, the Country Director for Nepal took
over the Desk Officer position, with responsibilities for Bangladesh, Vietnam, and his own
program of Nepal. The individual is a long-term, senior employee of IDE, who began his
work as Country Director of Bangladesh in the mid-1980s, and thus has considerable
experience and qualifications for the Desk Officer position. IDE-B expressed considerable
satisfaction over their new Desk Officer assignment.
Other staff persons hired under the MG Program, included the “Program Assistant”
and the Public Education Officer. The Program Assistant’s job description includes
responsibilities for communications, program support, and assistance to the IDE’s consulting
arm. After the initial Program assistant left in early 2000, he was replaced by a new junior
professional, who has focused on public education and communications and some program
backstopping. An interview with the new Program Assistant revealed that in the future, he
expects his responsibilities to shift increasingly toward country program backstopping. He
reports to the Desk Officer for India, Cambodia, Sri Lanka, Zambia (though this program has
very recently been shifted to IDE Canada), and Haiti.8
As noted in IDE’s “Year 1 Annual Report” to USAID, a Public Education Officer
was also hired under the MG Program (25% of the position is covered by USAID). This
individual also left in late 1999, and the new Program Assistant as well as a volunteer
assumed her responsibilities. Most recently, IDE Denver has hired a junior person to develop
a mailing list for public outreach activities.
b. Evidence:
Personnel records, including job descriptions and advertisements, and the resumes of
those employed represent evidence that IDE Denver hired the three staff persons.
IDE Denver 1997-1999 organigrams, including the one incorporated into the DIP and
the one submitted to USAID as the “Year 1 Annual Report” indicate where these new
employees fit into the organization. A new organigram developed for the evaluation reflects
the staff changes that occurred in late 1999 and early 2000.
 
8
 Beatrice Szadokierski was formerly the Desk Officer for Bangladesh, Nepal, and Vietnam. Since her departure
in February 2000, the Country Director of Nepal, Bob Nanes, has assumed this position on a temporary basis.
8
Board Meeting Minutes: January 1998; June 1998; December 1998; June 1999;
December 1999; and June 2000 provide evidence of the hiring of staff, the institutionalization
of these roles within the organization (at least for the time period), and improved MIS,
including financial reports.
Interviews with the Finance Departments of IDE India and IDE-B provided evidence
of the technical assistance provided by IDE Denver’s new Accountant. Finance Officers in
the field indicated that the assistance from Accountant was very much welcomed and viewed
as helpful and of good quality. Moreover, the Accountant’s visit represented the first time
that headquarters had provided the field with technical assistance of a financial expert, who
was able to help identify problems and solutions to problems.
An interview with the Accountant provided evidence of her background, field visits,
and the systems, which have been developed under her leadership.
The first M&E Officer’s work is detailed in his “Hand Over Report,” dated 30
September 1999. It lists under “Monitoring and Evaluation Systems and Sub-Systems,” his
contributions to improved MIS/M&E systems, including:
• Monthly Reports,
• Quarterly Reports,
• Tickler (database on IDE reporting responsibilities),
• Deliverable Schedule (detailing for Country Directors the schedule of grant
deliverables),
• Format for strategic planning,
• Format for “Annual Self-Assessment” for country programs, and
• Monitoring systems of socio-economic impact assessments conducted in the
field.
c. Analysis:
Prior to the Matching Grant, IDE’s financial systems did not allow IDE Denver to
adequately monitor and account for expenditures in the field. The new accountant has clearly
upgraded IDE’s financial information systems, and – through field trips – regularized
reporting, improved communications, and institutionalized better financial systems within
IDE and country programs.
Likewise, prior to the Matching Grant, IDE’s M&E system was overly focused on
sales. From the Board down to the field programs, sales were used as a proxy for project
success, the basis for employee incentives, and the focus for impact monitoring and
reporting. Over the course of the Matching Grant, there has been a change within the
organization regarding the importance of M&E and impact measures that are broader than
sales and that include client as well as market level impacts.
Nonetheless, the current M&E Officer needs to carry on the work of institutionalizing
M&E, and providing assistance to the field. IDE India and IDE-B need and want help in
designing effective systems that extend beyond sales and are in keeping with best practices in
9
the BDS community.9
 Pressure from SDC to improve impact monitoring is an added
incentive for India and Bangladesh to focus on and improve their M&E systems.
The new staff persons at IDE Denver have clearly strengthened the operational and
technical capacity of headquarters. The Accountant and M&E Officer have provided
technical capacity that was not previously in place. Moreover, it appears from the
documentation and interviews that these positions have been institutionalized within the
organization. However, the Program Assistant, who is a relatively junior person, cannot
provide the technical assistance that the more senior-level position of “Desk Officer” would
have. And while the Nepal Country Director is well qualified for this position, his
responsibilities in Nepal likely over-stretch his capacities. This replacement for of the
Denver Desk Officer/Vice President was meant to be temporary. The evaluator understood
that this situation is temporary until more funding can be secured for the Denver Office.
Standardization of Information Systems
a. Findings:
Under the MG Program, IDE Denver has developed a Personnel Manual, a Financial
Manual, an Operations Manual, and formats for Monthly Reports from country programs,
Quarterly Reports to the Board, a Strategic Planning process, and a database on all IDE
grants that includes schedules for reports and deliverables.
IDE India, meanwhile, had its own Personnel and Financial Policy Manuals, as does
IDE-B. Because the India and Bangladesh field programs are relatively large with budgets in
the millions of dollars, the country programs have had more developed personnel and
financial management information systems than Denver. And, in fact, the Denver Personnel
Manual was based on India’s.
The Operations Manual, according to the initial M&E Officer’s “Hand Over Report,”
was meant to standardize procedures related to planning, monitoring, and reporting. This
manual is in its first draft form and has not sufficiently been vetted by the country programs.
Field staff and managers were not aware of the document.
But while there can be some standardization of financial and personnel policies,
because of local laws, culture, and professional codes, by necessity MIS systems need to be
adapted to the local situation. Where MIS systems have been standardized or harmonized is
in areas of financial and country-program monthly reports from the field to IDE Denver.
Regarding financial reporting, although India and Bangladesh have different software
accounting packages than each other and as compared to Denver, Denver has provided a
format for the field’s financial reports that is consistent across the IDE network. The template
for reports is provided in the “Financial Manual,” and has since been updated.10 Country
programs translate their reports according to the template and into Excel as a common way of
 
9
 The Donor Committee, USAID’s Office of Microenterprise Development, and the SEEP Network are working
on performance measurement indicators. IDE needs to incorporate these into their own M&E systems in order to
gain legitimacy within the expanding BDS field.
10 The revised template was provided to the consultant.
10
communicating. The Finance Departments in India and Bangladesh expressed satisfaction
with IDE Denver’s reporting format.
To institute harmonization and common financial systems, IDE Denver’s accountant
developed an “Outline for Internal Audit,” in preparation for field visits to all country
programs (with the exception of Nepal) to gather and provide information on financial
systems.
The Monthly Reports format developed under the MG Program, as noted by the
“Corporate Performance and Evaluation (COPE) Monitoring, Reporting, and Evaluation
(MRE) Guidelines,” was meant to achieve a “more standardized and systematic reporting
schedule and format.” Previously, country program reports tended to vary from program to
program both in format and what was reported. These earlier reports were consistent,
however, in their focus and reports on sales against targets. The Corporate Performance and
Evaluation/ Monitoring, Reporting, and Evaluation (COPE/MRE) Guidelines served to
regularize reporting times, indicators, and format.
A review of IDE India’s “Combined Monthly Reports”11 reveals that for the most
part the reports to Denver have been quite extensive and regular until recently. Only a few
monthly reports were somewhat thin in content and length. For the most part, reports were
submitted on time. However, no reports were available after May 2000, suggesting that
the staff turnover in Denver has had an impact on M&E reporting. The AMIT program,
funded under the MG, has its own internal reports developed by each Regional Office and
based on Denver’s MRE format. These reports appear to be submitted in a regularized
fashion and up-to-date.
There was a changeover in IDE India’s Country Director in June 1999, and the M&E
Department was suspended soon afterwards for a year during the Matching Grant. The
department has been reconstituted in the last several months. Currently, M&E staff is
converting all data to a new software package. These changeovers appear to be coincident
with gaps in reporting. The new M&E Department at IDE India is staffed by several highly
qualified people, who are in the process of updating the database, and incorporating more
development indicators into the monitoring system.
In Bangladesh, the changeover in Country Directors occurred between October 1999,
when one director left, and January 2000, when the new director arrived. The new Director
then assigned at new head of the M&E Department in April 2000. Since April, internal
Monthly Reports were developed by the “Capacity Building, Development, and Marketing of
Low-Cost Hand Pump”(CDM) Project, funded under the Matching Grant, but there are no
records of COPE/MRE Monthly Reports to Denver. This hiatus in reporting has occurred
with changeover in M&E staff in Denver and Bangladesh. Bangladesh is now reconstituting
its M&E Department and putting some excellent systems in place.
 
11 These reports are entitled “combined” since they represent reporting on IDE India’s two programs: affordable
micro irrigation technologies (AMIT) and the treadle pump (TP) program. The combined reporting was
commenced in the third quarter of 1998, in recognition that AMIT was evolving into a full-fledged program.
11
b. Evidence:
- “IDE Finance Manual,” September 1999.
- “IDE Outline for Internal Audit,” prepared by Melanie Formanek, August 31,
1998.
- “IDE Field Accounting/Finance Questionnaire,” prepared by Melanie Formanek,
August 14, 1998.
- Financial Report, Board Meeting Minutes: January 1998; June 1998; December
1998; June 1999; December 1999; and June 2000
- “IDE Personnel Policies for Headquarter Staff and Country Directors.”
- “IDE Operations Manual,” September 1999.
- IDE India’s COPE/MRE “Combined Monthly Reports:” Oct. 98; Dec. 98, May
99, June 99, Sept 99, Oct 99, Nov 99, Jan 00, Feb 00, April 00, and May 00.
- AMIT Monthly Regional Reports (from Shimla, Nagpur, and Ahmedabad): Sept
98 thru July 00.
- IDE Bangladesh’s COPE/MRE: Monthly Reports: Oct. 99, Nov. 99, Jan 00, Feb
00, March 00, Apr 00.
- IDE Bangladesh, “List of Data Collection Formats and Tools,” M&E
Department.
c. Analysis:
While not all MIS systems lend themselves to standardization, given difference in
laws, culture, and software support services, financial and M&E systems have been
significantly standardized (between Denver and the field) under the MG Program. The more
standardized financial and programmatic reports to the Board indicate a more formalized
organization able to make decisions based on clear and well-organized data.
Staff turnover has had some impact in weakening the regularity of reporting,
especially M&E reports. Moreover, new country directors in Bangladesh and India have not
been clear about the utility of standardized M&E systems, as illustrated by the abolishment of
IDE India’s M&E Department for one year. During the evaluator’s field visit with the new
M&E Officer, country directors suggested a greater appreciation of how these systems can be
used for management purposes. Nonetheless, country directors see monthly reports to
Denver as onerous, and not always helpful for their own purposes.
More recently, there appears to be greater appreciation for M&E as witnessed by the
re-constitution of IDE India’s department and improvements made within IDE Bangladesh.
Overall, M&E activities appear to be getting back on track, and the country programs are
looking forward to better improved reporting in the future.
The Operations Manual is still in draft form and has not become operationalized
within the IDE network of programs. Moreover, based on conversations with field staff,
some of the content in this manual no longer widely accepted because of the learning that has
occurred within the organization. This manual combines operational functions – like M&E, a
detailing of the project cycle, and procedures for project start-up and program hand-over by
country directors – with program design issues like feasibility study design, sustainability,
and marketing. As a result of IDE’s learning over time, the program design issues, for
instance IDE’s thinking on such complicated issues as sustainability, have evolved and may
12
continue to evolve. Thus these kinds of issues may not be appropriate for an Operations
Manual.
The new M&E Officer has initiated some limited efforts to further develop and
harmonize M&E systems. And while he is eager to focus on M&E, so far he has devoted
considerable amounts of time to proposal writing and other funding activities.
Vitalizing IDE’s Consulting Arm
a. Findings:
According to interviews with IDE’s new Chief Operating Officer, hired in early 2000,
the Desk Officer in charge of IDE’s consulting arm, and the 1998 Strategic Plan, the
motivation for IDE’s initiation of consulting activities was twofold. It represented a strategy
for disseminating IDE technologies and thereby leveraging IDE’s impact globally.
Additionally, consulting service income was seen as a source of unrestricted funds, greatly
needed by IDE Denver due to limited success at securing overhead monies from European
donors.
In 1996, as part of the development of IDE’s Consulting Arm, IDE developed
systems for a consultant roster, detailing skills of IDE and other consultants as well as
guidelines for IDE international and national staff. In 1997, a “Consulting Strategy” was
developed that included a list of educational materials that would need to be developed,
procedures that would need to be in place, the need for a roster of consultants, and other steps
toward building a consulting capacity. According to IDE’s 1998 Strategic Plan, a roster of
“two dozen staff” had been assembled, policies and procedures had been written, and
extensive public education materials had been developed.
Efforts to build consulting capacity included the development of manuals (marketing
manual, micro irrigation materials/manual), fact sheets on a range of technologies,
promotional materials, a brochure on IDE competencies, and videos. The volume of
materials developed by IDE Denver and country programs is so substantial that IDE has
devoted an entire room to storing materials. Moreover, the quality is impressive.
According to the Strategic Plan included in the June 1998 Board Meeting Book, IDE
aimed to raise $100,000 from consulting services. During 1997, consulting income exceeded
$28,000. In 1998, it dropped slightly to $21,000, and in 1999, it dropped again to just over
$10,000. During the first eight months of 2000, consulting income reached nearly $25,000.
Financial reports on consulting income between 1997 and 2000 indicate eight consultancies,
a total income of $84,199 during the three-year period, and clients that include the World
Bank, Intermediate Technology in U.K., Chemonics, and PLAN International in Haiti.
IDE identified “staff time available for consulting without disrupting a regular
country program work” as a constraint to developing the Consulting Arm (1998 Strategic
Plan). Although country program staff have participated in consulting activities, feasibility
studies, and in conferences in other countries, their time is relatively limited. This is a
constraint that IDE will need to address if it is to be successful with consulting under the
Global Initiative, for instance.
13
During a staff meeting with IDE Denver, the issue of IDE’s ability to compete in the
consultancy market was raised. The question asked was how could IDE expect to compete
against well-established consulting firms in the Washington, D.C. IDE now admits that it
may have been unrealistic in assessing its competition, however, it may be realistic to
compete within the niche market of micro irrigation.
b. Evidence:
- “IDE Consulting Strategy,” December 1997
- “IDE Consulting Income 1997-2000,” prepared by the IDE Accountant,
September 2000.
- IDE Board Meeting Book, December 1998.
- 1998 Strategic Plan
- September 12, 1996 memo to IDE Country Directors from Keith Frausto
- Interview with Keith Frausto, VP, and Fritz Kramer, COO
c. Analysis:
During 1997 and 1998, IDE developed plans, materials, and even staff expertise for
consulting. However, the track record so far, as reflected by income earned, suggests the
IDE is still at a nascent stage in developing its capacity for consulting services.
In June 2000, the new Chief Operating Officer (COO) noted that “in providing
consulting and technical services, IDE will need to work within project frameworks designed
by others ... (this) will require that IDE position itself as a world-class provider of these
services. At the same time, IDE is aware that it is a relative newcomer to the field of service
provider....” To the evaluator this quote from COO highlights the weakness in IDE’s plans.
There is substantial competition in the consulting service market, and IDE is a newcomer
located in Denver, relatively isolated from many of the buyers of services.
IDE still hopes to revive its vision of a consulting arm – that has been relatively
dormant during the staff transitions of 1999 – means of the Global Initiative, a collaboration
with the World Bank, FAO, IDE, and Winrock International to disseminate micro irrigation
on a global scale. Within the niche market of micro irrigation, IDE may be able to develop a
market for consulting services, especially if it has the financial backing and outreach afforded
by these partnerships.
Goal 2: Increase Public Education and Outreach to Enhance IDE’s Visibility in the
Denver, National, and International Development Communities
Membership in Interaction
a. Findings:
During the first year of the MG Program, IDE joined InterAction, and has continued
to pay dues for membership in 2000. IDE’s participation in InterAction, however, included a
trip by Paul Polak, IDE’s President, to an InterAction meeting in 1998 as part of the
Corporate Partnership Task Force and attendance at the 1999 West Coast meeting. IDE’s
14
current M&E Officer had plans to attend the 2000 West Coast meeting of InterAction event
but was forced to cancel since the USAID evaluation was planned at the same time.
Additionally, IDE has taken advantage of InterAction through linkages with their website,
that has increased “hits” on IDE’s own website, and through InterAction’s newsletter,
Monday Developments. In January 2000, IDE placed a full-page add in Monday
Developments, advertising “services to NGOs” in the area of micro irrigation. Additionally,
in March 2000, IDE was featured in the front-page story of Monday Development, in an
article entitled, “Marketing Affordable Technologies to Solve World Hunger.”
Interviews with NGOs and donors revealed that – for a small PVO located in
Colorado – IDE is surprising well known within the development community of PVOs
working in technology transfer and microenterprise development. According to interviews
with several PVOs (Enterprise WorksWorldwide (EWW), Mennonite Economic
Development Agency (MEDA), and Save the Children), IDE is known largely because of its
program results in Bangladesh, selling over one million treadle pumps. IDE was asked to
present these results at a SEEP12 meeting in 1996; at the Donor Committee conference on
business development services held in April 2000, where IDE presented a paper; and through
the networking activities of IDE’s President, Paul Polak.
Board Meeting Books from 1997 to 2000 reveal Mr. Polak’s interactions with the
World Bank’s Water and Sanitation program, Winrock International, Swiss Agency for
Development and Cooperation (SDC), and irrigation specialists within FAO Rome.
Interviews with Mr. Urs Hierili of SDC revealed that he has long been involved with IDE
since the 1980s, when he was the Head of SDC in Bangladesh. Through the Global
Initiative, IDE has established contacts within the World Bank, with Randall Purcell and
Fernando Gonzalez, and with Frank Tugwell, the President of Winrock International.
b. Evidence:
- Financial record of membership in InterAction dues paid
- January and March 2000 copies of Monday Developments
- Interviews with EEW, MEDA, SDC, Winrock International
- Interviews with IDE staff: Paul Polak, Fritz Kramer, Tim Gibb, John Magistro, and
Melanie Formanek
c. Analysis:
In conclusion, IDE is relatively well-known among PVOs and a few donors that work
within a relatively narrow market niche: irrigation, water and sanitation, technology transfer,
and business development services/microenterprise development. However, much of this
knowledge of IDE is due to the networking of its President and the impacts of its projects. A
number of U.S. PVOs indicated that IDE staff do not attend many meetings of InterAction or
SEEP, for instance. Among members of the Committee of Donor Agencies for Small
Enterprise Development, IDE is not well known since it has not participated in many
conferences, and has partnered with a relatively narrow range of donors.
 
12 The Small Enterprise Education and Promotion (SEEP) Network is an association of more than 48 North
American private and voluntary organizations which support micro and small enterprise programs in the
developing world.
15
Exposure Through Heightened Public Education Campaigns
a. Findings:
Over the course of the Matching Grant, IDE has been developing a strategy for public
education. IDE’s 1998 Board Meeting Book includes a matrix entitled “Public Education
Strategy,” detailing public education and outreach strategies for the development community,
general public (including Denver), donors, Government (Congressional), corporate or
business, and media audiences. IDE’s 1998 Strategic Plan included an objective to increase
IDE’s public profile and raise $200,000 from private sources and/or donations. These earlier
plans appear further distilled and refined in a document entitled, “IDE Public Education
Plan,” dated March 16, 1999. This plan, which is a deliverable under the Matching Grant,
includes the following goals:
- Increase IDE name-recognition among donors, the international development
community, the general public and selected government officials.
- Increase collaborative opportunities with NGOs and government organizations
- Increase the database of IDE supporters
- Provide consistent and transparent portfolio of IDE expertise
To fulfill these goals, IDE has undertaken a wide array of activities and developed an
impressive volume of materials – within a relatively short period of time – for public
education. IDE commissioned MIDAS Consulting to help in the development of
professional education, while the IDE Program Assistant developed an IDE website, and a
volunteer created a video. The list of materials and activities undertaken in 1998/99 include:
- A brochure
- An IDE logo
- Introductory information packets on IDE that include a folder, an introduction to
IDE, the brochure, the Annual Report (1997), IDE's newsletter
- Upgrading of IDE newsletter
- Technology fact sheets
- IDE video and video library
- An IDE website
- Increased Board participation in fundraising13
- Participation in conferences: Colorado Association of Nonprofit Associations,
InterAction (in 1999)
- Sent mailings to 18 international NGOs soliciting partnership interest
In response to the Education Plan, Board members organized fund raising events in
Winnipeg and Denver. The Winnipeg fundraiser hosted by Board member, Bill Fast, resulted
in a $15,000 (Canadian) donation and a $25,000 grant from the Mennonite Central
Committee (MCC) for an IDE program in China. The Denver event, hosted by Board
member, Michael Edessus, raised $4,500 and provided several potential donors for future
follow up.
 
13 Board members organized fundraisers in Winnipeg and Denver in 1999.
16
According to a report entitled, “Campaign Summary Analysis,” developed by the
Public Education Officer (sometimes referred to as Director for Development), IDE’s
donations have changed follows since 1997:
Fiscal 97 $80,582
Fiscal 98 $66,642
Fiscal 99 $136,410
Grand Total $283,634
However, IDE’s income statement (October 1998 thru October 1999) reports
donations amounting to $189,980; a “Campaign Summary Analysis” that includes IDE￾Denver and IDE-Canada reports donations of $136,410 and $66,642 for 1999 and 1998
respectively; and IDE’s website lists 1999 and 1998 donations as amounting to $87,586 and
$68,796 respectively. In other words, it appears – although the documentation is not totally
consistent – that donations to IDE increased substantially between 1998 and 1999, indicating
success at raising IDE’s visibility among constituents. While other documentation indicates
that a fair percentage of these donations are restricted for use in specific programs,
nonetheless, the increase in donated funds (1998-1999) is noteworthy.
IDE’s visibility in Denver, however, is not supported by the relatively small results of
the Denver fundraiser. While IDE staff have made efforts through speaking engagements
with local civic groups, a public radio announcement, as well as the Denver fund raiser,
according to an informant who is well connected in Denver, IDE still is not widely known
locally.
Paul Polak, IDE’s President, has contributed considerably to outreach to the
international development community through attendance and participation at international
conferences, writing papers, the Global Initiative, and meetings with donors. The Board
Meeting Books (1997 – 2000) detail the list of contacts Dr. Polak makes during the course of
every year. The “IDE Institutional Capability Statement” lists 25 “selected” papers written
by Dr. Polak and other IDE staff between 1998 and 2000. Moreover, in the last year, Dr.
Polak listed seven international conferences attended or presentations given, ranging from the
Irrigation Institute Meetings to the World Bank’s Water and Sanitation Division to a
presentation to Taipei’s Rotary Club.
IDE’s role in the Global Initiative and collaborations with the World Bank, FAO, and
Winrock International has given IDE considerable visibility within the international
community. Moreover, author Sandra Postel has written a book entitled, Pillar of Sand: Can
the Irrigation Miracle Last?, highlighting IDE’s efforts in smallholder irrigation. IDE is
also referenced in a Harper’s Magazine article (July 2000), entitled, “Running Dry: What
happens when the world no longer has enough fresh water?,” authored by Jacques Leslie.
b. Evidence:
- IDE’s 1998 Board Meeting Book includes a matrix entitled “Public Education
Strategy,”
- “IDE Public Education Plan,” March 16, 1999.
- “Campaign Summary Analysis,”
- The Board Meeting Books (1997 – 2000)
17
- 1998 Strategic Plan (December 1998 Board Meeting Book)
- “IDE Institutional Capability Statement”
- Pillar of Sand: Can the Irrigation Miracle Last? by Sandra Postel, W.W. Norton
& Company, 1999.
- Harper’s Magazine article (July 2000), entitled, “Running Dry: What happens
when the world no longer has enough fresh water?,” authored by Jacques Leslie.
- “Smallholder Irrigation Market Initiative: Business Plan Development,”
submitted to the World Bank Group by Winrock International and IDE, July
2000.
c. Analysis:
IDE’s public outreach and education campaign has been surprisingly successful for
such a small organization and over such a short period. The information materials – ranging
from videos to website to papers to speaking engagements to fund raisers - developed under
the MG Program are voluminous and of good quality. While IDE’s visibility within Denver
may be only marginally greater, IDE has made in-roads at other levels as demonstrated by its
increasing donations and increased visibility in 2000 alone at international conferences and as
a result of the Global Initiative.
Annual Strategy Plans, fund-raising reports, Board Meeting Books reveal an
ambitious though organized campaign by IDE’s President, Director of Development/Public
Education, and initial M&E Officer. Since the departure of the latter two, documentation of
the local and national campaigns has dwindled. Although the new COO has produced “A
Strategic Action Plan,” the strategic planning format developed by the initial M&E Officer –
that included goals, objectives, and achievements against objectives – has not been updated
since May 1999. In other words, much good work was initiated under the MG Program, and
new staff have somewhat transformed these outputs or let them fall into disuse.
Upgraded Capacity to Distribute Material
a. Findings:
According to an interview with the new Program Assistant, who has major
responsibility for public outreach and education, the primary means by which IDE distributes
information is through:
- the IDE website
- published or presented papers, and
- mailings
IDE’s website was developed in 1998 and has been updated throughout 2000. The
website details IDE’s programs, impacts, donors, board members, and new initiatives, such
as the Global Initiative. Additionally, the website provides information for accessing IDE
consulting services, a list of IDE technologies, and a selected number of papers.
As noted earlier, IDE has been relatively successful at getting others to publish
articles on IDE activities, including Harper Magazine and the writer, Sandra Postel. In
October 2000, a Denver Post reporter will follow Dr. Polak to China, in order to develop an
article on IDE’s work.
18
IDE’s mailing list has also been an important means for distributing materials.
Although IDE has had a database of about 650, most recently, a much larger list of names has
been obtained from PACT to significantly upgrade IDE’s mailing capacity.
b. Evidence:
- IDE website: www.ideorg.org - Harper Magazine (ibid), Pillars of Sand (ibid)
- Interview with Paul Polak
- Interviews with Anke Herrmann and Tim Gibb
- Mailing list database
c. Analysis:
Under the MG Program, IDE has upgraded its capacity to distribute material by the
development of a website and the upgrading of its mailing list.
Goal 3: Improve Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) and Management Information
Systems (MIS)
Hire M&E/MIS Officer
a. Findings:
As noted under Goal #1, IDE Denver’s first M&E/MIS Officer was hired in April
1998 and resigned in September 1999. A new M&E Officer was hired in February/ March
2000. According to the job description, the responsibilities of the M&E Officer include the
(1) “design and implementation of policies, procedures, and guidelines for monitoring and
evaluating IDE program inputs, activities, and results;” (2) “conceptualizing, obtaining
funding for, and implementing research studies on development issues relevant to IDE’s
mission;” and (3) based on an analysis of data collected and lessons learned, contributing to
IDE’s planning process.
In other words, the M&E Officer has a very large role to play within the organization
both in headquarters and in relation to the country programs. While IDE Bangladesh and
India have relatively sophisticated capacities in M&E, they still need and want conceptual
guidance. However, Denver and some of the smaller country programs have substantial
needs for systems development. Denver, as noted earlier has always had a lean
organizational structure and has never before had an M&E staff person. As a result, there
was a tremendous amount of work to be done by the new M&E Officer. Additionally,
because of the need for funding, the M&E Officer had the added responsibility of fund
raising.14
 
14 Both Mr. Saussier and Dr. Magistro contributed to proposal writing, which tended to conflict with the
development of M&E systems, because of the urgent and time-consuming need for funding. In the first eight
months of his job, Dr. Magistro has spent more time writing proposals than focusing on M&E.
19
The initial M&E Officer added to his job, the responsibilities of strategic planning
and organizational development (of IDE Denver) (noted in the Year 1 Annual Report to
USAID). He developed a planning process for IDE Denver in the form of the “Strategic
Plan,” which included IDE goals, objectives, and achievements against goals. Once
developed, the M&E Officer worked with staff and the Board to update this plan on an
annual basis. It became a basis for reporting to the Board and senior management on
progress made toward agreed upon goals, as well as a means to remain focused on achieving
goals.
In order to improve and standardize reports to the Board, the initial M&E Officer
developed a standardized reporting format, in which IDE Denver consolidated and analyzed
the quantitative reports from country programs, in order to help Board members better
understand the program results and make more informed decisions.
Interviews with staff and Board members as well as documentation indicates that the
systems and organization put in place by the M&E Officer created an order, discipline, and
cohesiveness to achieving goals and objectives, especially within Denver. Because of
turnover in staff within IDE-B and the earlier dismantling and recent reconstitution of the
M&E Department in IDE India, there was little institutional memory regarding the role of the
initial M&E Officer.
Nonetheless, all significant country programs are following some of the systems that
the initial M&E Officer established. Monthly Reports provided by IDE India and
Bangladesh followed the COPE/MRE format. According to the “Year 2 Annual Report to
USAID", five of eight programs (were) in compliance with the reporting formats.” The two
programs not using the M&E system were Haiti and Sri Lanka, both of which were still in
start-up mode. The Annual Report also states that “all the established programs in
compliance use the (reports) as part of their management systems.15 Headquarters has used
the monthly reports to track progress against plans, documents, and important events.16”
Since May/June 2000, compliance to COPE/MRE has weakened. Clearly the new
M&E Officer needs to focus greater attention on M&E systems. He has an added burden of
educating the new country directors in IDE India and IDE-B about the utility of M&E. Both
directors have tended to see the Monthly Reports as something that needs to be done for
headquarters.
b. Evidence:
- “Job Description: Director of Monitoring and Evaluation”
- “IDE Strategic Plan – 1998 Objectives and Achievements,” December 1998
Board of Directors Meeting
- “IDE Strategic Plan: Status Report on Accomplishments, January – May 1999.”
- “Year 1 Annual Report to USAID.”
- “IDE Headquarters Role, Responsibilities, and Activities,” November 1999.
- Interviews with the M&E Departments, IDE Bangladesh and India
 
15 A review of IDE India’s MIS system for the AMIT Program showed this to be true.
16 The M&E Officer used the reports to develop and update the schedule for reports to donors, etc.
20
- Interviews with Mr. Saussier and Dr. Magistro.
c. Analysis:
The new M&E position has contributed to improved planning and institutional
decision making, as well as the public fund raising campaign. However, the first M&E
Officer’s contributions weigh very heavily toward the development of MIS systems and a
strategic planning process. While more needs to be done to institutionalize the systems
already completed, they appear to have had a marked impact on organization and decision
making at headquarters, the Board level, and in the field. The new M&E Officer, hired only
in 2000, has contributed – according to his own account – more heavily to donor solicitation
and proposal writing.
Create M&E/MIS Guidelines
a. Findings:
The M&E Guidelines, referred to as Corporate Performance and Evaluation/
Monitoring, Reporting, and Evaluation (COPE/MRE) Guidelines, include Monthly Report
indicators and formats, Annual Self-Assessment indicators, and a Three-Year Impact
Evaluation guidelines.
The monthly reported included (1) sales, the number of demonstrations and other
promotional activities, the number actors in the supply chain, number of people trained.
Annual reports included a comparison of target vs. actual sales, demonstrations, actors in
supply chain, and numbers trained; (2) change in number of actors in supply chain and
margins; (3) product performance indicators; (4) cost-effective indicators, including subsidy
content; and (5) market penetration. The COPE/MRE Guidelines also included and
recommended an annual customer satisfaction survey.
The COPE/MRE indicators are largely in keeping with M&E best practices drafted
(and in draft form) by Committee of Donor Agencies for Small Enterprise Development.
However, in keeping with best practices, IDE needs to incorporate more information on the
wider market in which it is intervening. Too often, IDE focused on the treadle pump market,
and overlooks the performance of and competition with other products in the market.
Moreover, IDE needs to assess sustainability not only in terms of the subsidy content of its
product and of the supply chain, but also the sustainability of demand.
The major weakness, however, in IDE M&E system is the sheer volume and
complexity of the system. While the initial M&E Officer deserves tremendous credit for the
thinking that has gone into these guidelines and the improvements they have made compared
to previous systems,17 the M&E system has not been completely followed and/or
institutionalized. Until very recently, country programs have accepted and complied with
Monthly Reports, which largely request information on discrete activities that can be
counted. However, according to the initial M&E Officer, only two country programs,
Vietnam and Cambodia, submitted annual reports. Moreover, while the Monthly Reports
 
17 The previous M&E system focused primarily on sales.
21
called for qualitative assessments of training and promotional activities, this type of analysis
was not submitted systematically.
A trip report written by the initial M&E Officer in October 1998 revealed resistance
from the field regarding incorporating a number of indicators into IDE India’s M&E system,
e.g., market penetration and socio-economic data on clients. Additionally, the subsidy
indicator fell into disuse.
Interviews with country directors in India and Bangladesh indicated some resentment
regarding the workload of so much reporting to Denver, since country programs must also
report to their donors. Some argued that monthly reports were excessive and rather argued
for quarterly reports. One country director felt that the country programs should be able to
select their own indicators. And finally, both country directors were not convinced of the
utility of an M&E system.
b. Evidence:
- “IDE Corporate Performance and Evaluation (COPE) Monitoring, Reporting and
Evaluation (MRE) Guidelines”
- “IDE MRE System: Three-Year Impact Evaluation”
- “Program Operations Manual,” September 1999.
- Interviews with initial and new M&E Officers
- Interviews with IDE Country Directors, India and Bangladesh
- Interviews with M&E Department staff in India and Bangladesh
c. Analysis:
In conclusion, the M&E Guidelines represent a significant body of work of high
quality. A recent conference, however, held by the Committee of Donor Agencies for Small
Enterprise Development (which includes a Working Group made up of USAID, SDC, DFID,
GTZ and other donors of IDE), is advancing best practice in M&E. IDE’s guidelines could
benefit from interacting with this effort. Nonetheless, the problem with the guidelines is not
the quality but perhaps that they are impractical for country programs to fully apply.
The M&E system could help country programs report to their donors and to the IDE
Board, rather than create more work for them. Moreover, the resistance to the new M&E
system is understandable, when staff were used to a much simpler system in the past. To
gain the support of country directors, the M&E Officer needs to raise the awareness of
country program staff and provide training in how to use the data collected for program
management. Country Directors need to understand the benefit of having standardized
indicators across programs in order to further the learning within the IDE network as a whole.
Finally, there is some confusion in identity within IDE, such that programs see
themselves as businesses (interested in sales) rather than development agencies (interested in
impact). On the positive side, donors in India and Bangladesh (who attended the Donor
Committee conference) are demanding a broader range of impact data and analysis of the
data. The challenge of IDE’s M&E Officer is to help country programs meet the demands of
their donors, improve their reporting (without creating duplicate reporting), and learn how to
22
use the data to better manage their programs. M&E reporting needs to be transformed within
IDE into a “win-win” for Denver and the field.
Goal 4: Enhance IDE’s Regional Development
Improved Organization-wide Communication via Email and Monthly Reporting
a. Findings:
Interviews with IDE Denver staff persons revealed that in the last several months,
IDE Denver has upgraded its communications system by installing voicemail and improved
email. Previously, IDE Denver only had two computers with access to email. Presently IDE
Denver staff are networked and have their own email account. Increased access to email has
expanded the communications between the staff and the field significantly. Although IDE
Denver no longer keeps files on communications with the field – as was the case when there
were only two email lines – interviews with IDE staff in Denver, India and Bangladesh
confirmed that communications occur multiple times in a day.
Additionally, email has allowed for improved communications among country
programs. It has facilitated joint projects, for instance, between Nepal and India18;
technology exchanges between Vietnam and Bangladesh,19 as well as communications
between India and Bangladesh20.
While Monthly Reports and the synthesis of these reports have improved reporting to
the Board and to Denver, there is little evidence that country programs read each others
reports. They are, however, interested in – since there is some competition – performance
figures, especially sales.
b. Evidence:
- Interviews with IDE Denver, Bangladesh, and India
- Monthly Reports of IDE-B and IDE India (see above for specific dates)
Better Cooperation Among IDE Headquarters and Country Programs through
Shared Technologies and Standardized Evaluation Systems
a. Findings:
IDE has developed a number of processes for strategic and program planning and for
sharing technologies and expertise across country programs. Headquarter field visits, senior
technical staff who work for Denver but are based in the field, regional committees, Board
Meetings and Country Director meetings.
Field visits by IDE Denver staff serve a role in cross-fertilization, bringing ideas,
technologies, and lessons learned from one project to another. Denver staff have served this
 
18 Nepal and India have worked collaboratively on micro irrigation and on the Market Mountainsheds Project.
19 Bangladesh tested the hand pump developed in Vietnam for possible dissemination.
20 Marketing staff from Bangladesh have provided technical assistance to India’s program.
23
role of disseminating lessons learned as well as information on new technologies among
country programs. Additionally, a number of senior staff persons based in Asia, including
the Nepal Country Director and Desk Officer for Bangladesh, Vietnam, and Cambodia,
provide technical assistance on a regional basis. With regional responsibilities, these experts
shares technologies, processes, and effective strategies with other countries.
Country Directors also participate in Board Meetings on occasion, and use these
meetings for strategic planning and to gain approvals for programs. Board Meetings are an
occasion when the results of all programs are synthesized and discussed.
One of the most powerful tools IDE has instituted for fostering regional cooperation
are the Country Director Meetings. These meetings, held on an annual basis, provide IDE
with the opportunity to harmonize planning processes, information and evaluation systems,
and approaches to processes like sustainability.
Nonetheless, efforts at harmonization have been difficult, according to staff in
Denver, India, and Bangladesh, due to competition between programs, the small size of
headquarters in relation to the field, and the independence of country programs and country
directors. These factors present a challenge for IDE in creating harmonized systems.
IDE’s Strategic Action Plan references the “loose coordination of country programs.”
It explains that IDE’s philosophical emphasis “on field activities and preoccupation with
impact” has tended to translate into minimal time spent on central backstopping,
coordination, and fund raising assistance. As the number of country programs and their
needs have grown, IDE Denver has clearly has increasing difficulty in creating cohesiveness.
b. Evidence:
- Interviews with IDE staff in Denver, India and Bangladesh
- John Magistro’s Trip Report, September 2000
- “Minutes from 1998 Country Director’s Conference, Koh Samui, Thailand,
September 1998.”
- “Conference Minutes from Country Director’s Conference, Koh Samui, Thailand,
September 1999.”
- IDE Strategic Action Plan, 2000 (Board Meeting Book, June 2000)
c. Analysis:
IDE Denver, under the MG Program, has initiated a process toward the
harmonization of systems –especially related to M&E, strategic planning, reporting to the
Board, and agreement of how to reach sustainability. The efforts made to date should are
considerable, especially given the challenges. Institutionalization of new ways of doing
things – especially over great distances – takes time. However, to institutionalize and
harmonize M&E systems, processes for learning, and approaches to sustainability (as one
example), systems will need to further adapted to best practices and to the needs of country
programs. Additionally, Denver needs to be strengthened so as to provide leadership to the
network of country programs, and to demonstrate the value added that cohesiveness can
bring.
24
Intensified Training of Private Enterprise Networks in Program Countries
a. Findings:
As noted in the DIP, “the training program is most pertinent to IDE country programs
of India and Bangladesh. Headquarters has no training program.”
b. Evidence:
- “Detailed Implementation Plan, IDE March 31, 1998.”
Participation in Regional Committees
a. Findings:
IDE’s Regional Committees include the R&D Committee, a Marketing Committee,
and the Organizational Development (OD) Committee. According to an IDE staff person,
the idea for establishing these committees came from senior management in Denver, and the
committees have not had a clear purpose.
However, a review of the activities of the R&D Committee suggests that it has been
relatively active (1998 and 1999 Minutes from Country Director Meetings), and that it does
have a defined purpose: “information sharing, coordination, critical feedback, priority
setting, facilitation of technology transfer, establishment of design and quality control
standards, and source of blueprints, technology manuals, and other information and
assistance needed for technology transfer.” The R&D Committee has informally appointed
“experts” for specific technologies and works collaboratively – across country programs – to
further development of pipeline technologies. Moreover, at the 1999 Country Directors
Meeting, the Committee reviewed actions taken to further the development of five different
technologies. Given that both India and Bangladesh have R&D Centers, with the capacity to
carry out tests on new products, combining efforts across country programs in developing
new products makes ultimate sense.
The Marketing Committee stated its mission as follows: “to drive rural marketing
excellence through training, and information and technical backstopping.” The Committee
developed a “Marketing Manual,” discussed a workshop on best practices (1998 Country
Directors Meeting), the development of booklets on channel management, rural promotion,
and IDE’s marketing model (1999 Country Directors Meeting), and a syllabus for training
courses (1999 Country Directors Meeting). One goal of the Committee was to earn income
through consultancies to pay for the Manager International Marketing (MIM) position. The
position was filled by Mrinal Sircar – the Marketing Committee’s head – who at the time was
paid for by Denver. The Marketing Committee has followed through with its manual and
completed a first draft, but other outputs were not found. According to a Denver staff person,
this Committee has not been very active over the last year.
The OD Committee, according to interviews, was headed by the initial M&E Officer.
In 1998, the Committee stated its mission “to develop policies and strategic procedures that
promote and inculcate IDE values and principles for organizational growth and
development.” Since the departure of the initial M&E Officer, this Committee, has
25
purportedly fallen inactive (no report was given at the 1999 Country Directors Meeting).
Nonetheless, when it was active it oversaw the production of the Personnel Operations, and
Finance manuals. Its initial foci include: “pension for expatriates, gender policy, security
policies and procedures, non-emergency medical travel, consulting policies and procedures,
and overheads.” One problem with the Committee is that it appeared to lack members from
the country programs (members were Denver-based).
b. Evidence:
- Interviews with IDE Denver staff
- “Minutes from 1998 Country Director’s Conference, Koh Samui, Thailand,
September 1998.”
- “Conference Minutes from Country Director’s Conference, Koh Samui, Thailand,
September 1999.”
- “IDE Marketing Appropriate Technology: Marketing Manual,” prepared by
Mrinal Sircar (First Draft).
c. Analysis:
The R&D Committee appears to be the most dynamic of the three, and to have the
clearest purpose and benefit regionally. While the other committees certainly could play a
role in “regional development,” there was not as much evidence of this occurring. The
Marketing Manual can or could benefit country programs, but it appears to have been written
more for IDE consulting activities than for “regional development.” Another problem with
the effectiveness of the committees may relate to the fact that their creation came from the
“top” (senior management in Denver) rather than as an expressed need of the “bottom” (field
staff). To make these committees play the roles which was envisioned for them, they need
to structured so as meet the real needs of the field. In other words, they need to be demand
driven.
Goal 5: Enhanced Technology Dissemination (See Goal 2)
Goal 6: Improved Documentation of Organization-Wide Policies and Procedures
Regular Presentation of Strategic and Business Plans to the Board
a. Findings:
The Board Meeting Books from January 1998 through June 2000 reveal the
increasing systemization of reports to the Board during the course of the MG Program. The
initial M&E Officer developed two systems for improving reporting to the Board: a format
for reporting country program performance and a process and structure for reporting strategic
planning efforts to the Board. Reports on program performance were previously
unsystematic; each country program wrote a short description of their program activities in
no particular format. The new format provides more analysis of the data and attempts to
systematize information across programs.
At the same time, the financial reports, developed by IDE’s Accountant, have also
improved over time. In January 1998, the financial report to the Board consisted of a two-
26
page income and expense statement. By May 2000, the financial report to the Board
included eight-pages accounting for income and expenses in the past and expectations for the
future.
The 1998 and 1999 strategic plans presented to the Board followed a format that
included seven goals and achievements against each goal. According to IDE Denver staff,
these plans were very helpful in keeping IDE Denver focused. No strategic plan was
developed for 2000. In its place, the new Chief Operating Officer (COO) presented a full
document to the Board in June 2000, while not a business plan, is certainly the basis for one.
b. Evidence:
- Board Meeting Books, 1998 – 2000.
- 1998 and 1999 Strategic Plans
- Interviews with two Board members and IDE staff
c. Analysis
As noted in the “Year 2 Annual Report to USAID,” the strategic planning process is
too short-ranged and headquarters-oriented. It has been useful to headquarter staff, but not
particularly meaningful for Board members (based on an interview) or to the field. The
Strategic Action Plan written in 2000, while also Denver oriented, incorporates a vision for
the future that includes the country programs and Denver’s relationship to them. The
strategic planning process might best be adapted to this broader vision for the future for use
by Denver staff. Country programs in India and Bangladesh already have well-established
planning processes that are more mature than Denver’s.
Use of M&E/MIS Guidelines, Update and Use of Personnel Manual, Development
and Use of Operations Manual
(This has been discussed under Goal 1 Objective 2, and under Goal 3. Therefore the
discussion of the Guidelines and Manuals have been combined here.)
a. Findings:
As noted in the “Year 2 Annual Report to USAID,” IDE has M&E/MIS Guidelines,
updated its Personnel Manual, and developed an Operations Manual under the MG Program.
Under Goals 1 and 3, the use of the M&E system has been documented. The Personnel
Manual is written for Denver and expatriate field staff only. Each country program has their
own personnel manual for their local staff that is adapted to the laws and culture of the
particular country. While not yet approved, the Personnel Manual proved to be very useful
during the transition period of IDE, when eight staff persons left. Clarity regarding
transitions in the field and in Denver facilitated the process, and led to further improvements
in the manual.
The Operations Manual is still in draft form. As stated earlier, field staff were not
aware of its existence. However, the manual is probably valuable to start up projects. The
relative lack of information about this manual in the field may suggests that it was an output
driven by Denver more than a need from the field, and/or staff in India and Bangladesh,
established in 1984 and 1992 respectively, did not see this document as relevant.
27
b. Evidence:
- COPE/MRE Guidelines
- Personnel Manual
- Operations Manual
- Interviews with IDE staff in Denver, India, and Bangladesh
- IDE India Monthly Reports
- IDE-B Monthly Reports
c. Analysis:
In order to ensure the wider use of the M&E, MIS, and Operations Manual developed
under the MG Program, the M&E Officer must work with the field to institutionalize these
systems and adjust them where needed to the field’s needs. The institutionalization process
is difficult, when Denver is so small and undeveloped (in terms of systems) as compared to
the very large programs in Bangladesh and India. Institutionalization will require more than
the development of systems in Denver. It will require real efforts at making the systems
useful, meaningful, and cost effective. It will require more time spent in the field, interacting
with M&E Departments and mutually developing workable systems. Most recently, the new
M&E Officer has sent a survey to the field, to try to better understand their needs. This is an
excellent approach.
B. Project Success Assessment
The measurable objectives for Goal 7 – M&E Guidelines/MIS in Place, Monthly
Reporting from Country Directors, Semi-Annual Presentation of Accomplishments to the
Board of Directors, and Project Objectives Measured on On-Going Basis – have been
discussed above. Documentation exists to verify each of these outputs, but do these outputs
constitute “project success?” Under Goal 7, the liberty has been taken to redefine “project
success,” in terms of the accomplishment of the goals rather than the objectives of the MG
Program for IDE Denver. No evidence is provided in this section, as it is based on the
evidence and assessment presented above.
Additionally, assessing the success of MG Program and progress in achieving goals is
best accomplished by reiterating the institutional constraints that the MG Program was
designed to address. These constraints are matched against the overall MG Program goals (in
bold) and objectives (not bolded) below:
28
Constraints MG Program Goals & Objectives
Rapid growth of IDE – including the growing number
and size of country programs – was becoming
increasingly difficult for a very small headquarters to
manage.
Strengthened operational and technical capacity
Improved M&E/MIS
(1) improved management systems
(2) new technical staff
The growing imbalance between the (small) size of
IDE’s headquarters and field presence (large) was
reducing institutional cohesiveness, quality control,
and accountability.
Strengthened operational and technical capacity
Regional development
Organization-wide policies and procedures
(1) improved communications
(2) improved coordination (greater participation in
regional committees)
(3) harmonization of systems
(4) organization-wide policies and procedures
Reliance on European donors, who were increasingly
unwilling to pay for Denver costs, was affecting
headquarter’s ability to develop the technical and
management capacity needed to manage a growing
organization..
Public Outreach and Education
Strengthened operational and technical capacity
Improved M&E/M
(1) a public education and outreach campaign
(2) membership in InterAction
(3) a “vitalized” consulting arm
(4) improved M&E system (to be able to document
impacts)
IDE’s relative isolation due to its location in Denver
and its identity as a “cowboy” organization was
beginning to create more disadvantages than
advantages.21
Public Outreach and Education
Strengthened operational and technical capacity
(1) a public education and outreach campaign
(2) membership in InterAction
(3) IDE’s consulting arm was also seen as a means of
leveraging IDE’s model and impacts
This following assessment of project success synthesizes and summarizes IDE’s
achievements of the MG project goals, and progress toward addressing the constraints that
inspired the design of the MG Program.
Strengthened Operational and Technical Capacity
The MG Program has allowed IDE Denver to strengthen its operational and technical
capacity by hiring new staff and developing management systems, which were previously
either weak or undeveloped. The new professional (technical) staff – the M&E Officer and
the Accountant – bring to IDE Denver much-needed technical capacity. Moreover, these
new positions appear to have been institutionalized. In order to be effective, however, these
new staff persons need sufficient monies to travel to the field on a regular basis.
Additionally, the M&E Officer, who also has fund raising responsibilities, needs sufficient
time to focus on further developing and institutionalizing the M&E systems.
Although the turnover in staff in Denver created a hiatus in efforts to further develop
and institutionalize systems, the new Chief Operating Officer (COO), hired in 2000, brings
very strong managerial skills to the leadership of IDE. This COO was formerly Deputy
 
21 IDE realized that to increase its funding base and to leverage its model for greater impacts, it could no longer
isolate itself from the development community. To achieve its long-range goals of greater leverage, in fact, IDE
would have to become much more a part of the international development community.
29
Director General, Finance, and Administration at the International Center for Tropical
Agriculture (annual budget: $50 million) in Colombia. This new position in addition to the
new M&E Officer and Accountant as well as two well-qualified country directors in IDE
India and Bangladesh provide a strong managerial base for IDE’s future.
To realize its potential, however, IDE needs to further strengthen its Denver base,
which now only has seven full-time staff persons to manage a $5.5 million dollar program
(based on expected 2000 budget). Moreover, there is still considerable work to be done in
institutionalizing and harmonizing improved M&E systems, developing a coherent and
consistent strategy for fund raising, and a strategic planning process that enhances
cohesiveness. Finally, IDE is an organization that has developed many creative ideas and
directions over the years (as evidenced by the Board Meeting Books). The number of these
new directions have tended to too many for such a small organization to manage. To be
effective, IDE needs to focus its resources and its planning efforts on achieving a small
number of realistic goals.
Public Education and Outreach
IDE Denver has produced an impressive body of quality educational materials. It has
made concerted efforts to reach out to audiences in Denver, beyond Denver in the U.S., and
the international community. IDE has hired a Director of Development/Public Education, a
professional fund raiser (on a consultancy basis), a Program Assistant focused partially on
public education and outreach, a volunteer focused on outreach, and most recently a staff
person to update and further development IDE’s mailing list. IDE has held “fund raisers” in
Denver and Winnipeg. Nonetheless, IDE seems to lack a cohesive and consistent plan with
realistic outcomes and sufficient follow through to reach those outcomes.
IDE has made some important strides toward greater integration into the development
community as a result of collaborations related to the Global Initiative, a partnership on an
RFP, and on the Haiti Country Program. Yet IDE remains relatively isolated from other
PVOs focused on similar goals with similar strategies. IDE would benefit from greater
participation in consortiums like InterAction and SEEP, and from the dialogue within the
larger community on best practices in business development services (BDS), M&E, and even
financial management, on the one hand, and to disseminate its own best practices and
capabilities to its peers.
Membership in the SEEP Network as well as InterAction are useful, but staff need the
funds and time to take advantage of these services offered by these consortiums.
Improve M&E/MIS
As noted above, the systems developed to date are of very good quality and
impressive in terms of volume, but they need to be adapted to the demands of the field,
adjusted to reflect best practices in BDS performance measurement (based on Donor
Committee Guidelines located on www.ilo.org), and institutionalized both in Denver and
the field. Field staff – especially country directors – need training in how to use MIS to
manage their programs effectively.
30
Regional Development
Improved cooperation within the IDE network of country programs and Denver
remains a challenge. Staff turnover in 1999 and 2000 has slowed the process of “regional
development.” Although improved communications, improved financial systems, regular
reporting, annual Country Directors Meetings, and – to a smaller extent – IDE regional
committees have contributed to improved cohesiveness, IDE Denver still needs stronger
systems for ensuring quality control and cohesiveness.
Organization-Wide Policies and Procedures
More systematic reporting to the Board as well as the Personnel Manual and M&E
Guidelines have been important steps toward the formalization of IDE. The Operations
Manual appears to be less successful, not because it is not well conceived or written, but
because there is too little knowledge of its existence. Additionally, the Operations Manual
addresses complex issues like sustainability – as if there is concurrence – on how to achieve
it, when in actuality, IDE needs a process for reaching some concurrence and recording best
practices both for the IDE network and for sharing with the development community at-large.
31
III. Findings – India
A. Project History/Description
IDE India applied for and used the USAID MG funds to expand into a new product
line, “affordable micro-irrigation technologies” (AMIT). Previously the India program
focused on the commercialization of treadle pumps (TPs) in the western part of the country.
IDE viewed AMIT as having the potential to address the needs of farmers in semi-arid
regions, a territory that spans 3/4s of the country and is far larger than the TP market area.
Fifty years ago, the Government of India (GOI) made huge investments in these
semi-arid areas to harness the country’s irrigation potential after independence.
Approximately 3.5 million wells were dug at the time, and today there are more than three
times this many. However, as a result of the rapid increase in wells, groundwater has been
overexploited in many areas. Depleting groundwater together with erratic rains have
constrained farmers access to irrigation. In 1947, as much as 6000 cubic meters of water was
available per person, the figure was only 2300 cubic meters in 1997.22
In light of the increasing water shortages for agriculture, especially in semi-arid
regions, the GOI began investing in micro irrigation, touted as the most efficient method for
providing water to plants. Micro irrigation, which includes drip and sprinkler systems, is
particularly appropriate to semi-arid areas where water is valuable and conservation essential.
Introduced in India in the 1970s to Agricultural Universities and other research institutes,
micro irrigation represents an important solution to water conservation. The documented23
advantages of micro irrigation include:
• Water savings of up to 50-75%
• Yield increases of up to 50%
• Savings in fertilizer of up to 25-30%
• Improved produce quality
• Reduced weed growth
• Labor savings of 50-60%
In order to disseminate micro irrigation in India, the government launched a subsidy
program that has helped to spawn an industry of more than 60 manufacturers to supply micro
irrigation components. Despite the subsidy scheme, only about 75.000 ha are estimated to
be under drip irrigation. Areas using drip include those producing commercial horticultural
crops in Maharasthra, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and Gujarat. Moreover,
users of micro irrigation tend to the larger farmers. As is the case with many such schemes,
subsidies are rationed and influential farmers have been more successful than poor farmers at
accessing them. Moreover, the systems that have been manufactured have tended to copy
those produced in developed countries, and are not suited to small farmers. Due to delays
and the complexities of obtaining subsidies, manufacturers have increased the price of
systems to cover their costs. Consequently, only a very small number of poor farmers –
 
22 Source: India 1998, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, February 1998.
23 Micro irrigation was developed 30 years ago in Israel, where these advantages have been “documented.”
32
according to an IDE market survey24 - use MI systems because either they are unaware of MI
or they view it as too expensive.
The aim of IDE India’s AMIT program has been to develop micro irrigation products
for small and marginal farmers – affected by the increasing depletion of water resources.
Over the three years of the USAID MG Program, IDE India has focused on developing, field
testing, and market testing micro irrigation products tailored to the needs of IDE’s target
group.
In August 2000, as the evaluation began, AMIT had completed market testing the
products, and was in the process of preparing for mass dissemination. In preparation for this
next phase, the AMIT program has developed a National Marketing Plan, which will be
further discussed, developed, and finalized at the next Annual Meeting in September 2000.
Over the next three to five years, IDE is planning to launch a marketing campaign to
scale up sales of AMIT. IDE plans to in seven semi-arid states. An estimate by IDE
shows that the total potential market size for this new technology in these seven states
is 5 million micro plot drip kits. IDE is currently developing a strategy to tap at least
10% of this market over the next five years.25
The evaluation of the Matching Grant in India needs to be viewed within the context
of the stage of development of AMIT, i.e., that it has just completed the product
development, field and market testing phases. Thus questions regarding sustainability are
largely pre-mature. Nonetheless, the evaluation can and will assess the systems in place for
ensuring future sustainability.
B. Project Goals/Indicators/Findings
The following six project goals for IDE India were presented in the DIP, and reflect
the various phases of the project. Goal 1, strengthening the MI team, reflects project start up
that included the hiring and training of staff and the establishment of regional offices and
personnel policies and procedures. Goal 2, the demonstration of “affordable micro irrigation
systems (AMIS)” to farmers and NGOs, represents the product field testing stage of the
program and the development of a network of NGOs for introducing the technology at the
grassroots level. Goal 3 reflects the market testing of AMIT, and Goal 4 represents the
documentation of the field and market testing and conclusions regarding the market potential
of AMIT, based on technical and what IDE India refers to as “baseline information” and
socio-economic impact studies. Goal 5 focuses on the development of a private sector supply
chain, and Goal 6 on effective project management.
 
24 Dr. K.A.S. Mani, “Identification of Potential Areas for Introducing IDE’s Low Cost Drip Irrigation
System in India.” Final Report, March 1996.
25 “Low Cost Drip Irrigation for Micro Plots in India,” by Guru Naik, Associate Director (MG Program),
IDE India paper presented at International Conference on Micro and Sprinkler Irrigation, 8-10 February
2000, Maharashtra, INDIA.
33
Goal 1: Strengthen the Micro-Irrigation Team
Hiring of Staff
a. Findings:
As part of the MG-funded AMIT Program, IDE hired 17 new staff in 1997, the first
year of the program. Three staff were hired for the Central Coordinating Office (CCO) in
Delhi; and a total of 14 for the Regional and Field Offices in Himachal Pradesh (HP) and
Maharasthra. Each Regional Office included seven staff persons: a Regional Director (RD)
and three Area Marketing Managers (AMM) (considered technical staff); an accountant, an
office assistant, and a driver (considered support staff). The AMMs managed three Field
Offices per region or state.
With additional (matching) funding, the AMIT Program added additional staff, such
that in October of 1999, there were a total of 35 employees. By June 2000, the staff total for
the AMIT program was 32, of which 17 were funded by USAID.
b. Evidence:
- IDE India organizational chart
- AMIT staff resumes
- HR Department employee list
- Interviews with AMIT staff
c. Analysis:
The MG Program technical staff are highly qualified. The Associate Director worked
for three years managing the KB-East treadle pump (TP) program in West Bengal. As a
result of this experience as well as ten previous years of project management, the Associate
Director, as AMIT’s project manager is called, made the decision to hire technical staff from
the micro irrigation industry rather than from the development community. These technical
staff persons, who generally have Master’s degrees in engineering, have provided AMIT with
the technical expertise needed to launch into a new product area.
Interviews with AMIT’s technical staff as well as their resumes indicate their
qualifications. Moreover, a field trip that included a visit with a manufacturer made clear
that staff’s experience has been instrumental in identifying quality manufacturers and in
selecting and testing products. Given their previous employment in the industry, regional
managers have the knowledge to effectively negotiate with manufacturers regarding the
design, production, and pricing of AMIT components.
Nonetheless, these technical field staff – hired from the private sector - lacked
development experience. To address this knowledge gap, IDE India hired a senior staff
person, based in the Delhi Central Coordinating Office (CCO), with over 20 years of
experience in rural development and working with NGOs. This Senior Manager’s credibility
and vast contacts have facilitated linkages and relationships with NGOs.
34
Setting Up of Field Offices
a. Findings:
As part of the Matching Grant, IDE India initially established two new regional
offices to oversee what is referred to as the KB-West program and to introduce and test
market AMITs. In September 1997, Regional Offices were established in Shimla in the
State of Himachal Pradesh (HP) and in Nagpur in the State of Marahasthra. Each Regional
Office, in turn, established three Field Offices, manned by Area Marketing Managers
(AMMs). Field Offices in HP were set up in Solan, Kulu, and Palampur. And Field Offices
in Maharasthra were established in Aurangabad, Amravati, and Indore.
In 1999, IDE India received new (matching) funding - from the Swiss Agency for
Development and Cooperation (SDC) - with which the AMIT program opened up a new
Regional Offices in Bangalore (State of Karnataka) and Ahmedabad (State of Gujarat), and
new Field Offices in HP and Gujarat/ Rajasthan..
In 2000, IDE India experienced funding cutbacks. As a result, the Maharasthra
Regional Office was closed, and many of the staff moved to a new office in Gujarat. The
shift from Maharasthra to Gujurat was a condition placed on SDC funding. IDE left behind
NGOs and an assembler in Maharashtra who continued to disseminate AMIT, but the project
office was moved to an area where SDC operated. Thus by 2000, AMIT had Regional
Offices in HP, Gujarat, and Karnataka (Bangalore). Each of these offices had three Field
Offices, with the exception of HP, which had four. The productivity of these Offices is
evidenced by the data on sales. As of July 2000, over 3,000 AMIS had been sold in
Maharasthra, over 5,000 in Himachal Pradesh, and over 1,300 in Gujarat.
b. Evidence:
- AMIT Program Organizational Charts 1997, 1999, 2000
- Interviews with Associate Director
Training of Staff
a. Findings:
When the USAID MG proposal was developed, IDE India intended to hire – as in
the past – personnel with a development-oriented background, and then train them in the
technical aspects of the program. Instead, however, based on the previous experience of the
Associate Director in KB-East (treadle pump program), a decision was made to hire technical
staff and train them in rural development issues. Moreover, IDE India lacked technical
knowledge of MI, and thus hiring experts from the industry would both provide the AMIT
program with the needed expertise in what is a very technical field, and staff with a private￾sector orientation.
To fill the expertise gap in rural development, IDE hired a Senior Program
Coordinator with over 20 years experience with NGOs, small farmers, and rural development
in India. The Program Coordinator worked with the technical staff to orient them toward
issues related to small farmers and NGOs. Moreover, a great deal of staff training was
35
conducted through Regional Coordinating and Annual Meetings. Minutes from these
meetings reveal the extensive discussion that takes place regarding lessons learned, strategy
development, and planning. Additionally, IDE India organized a Gender Workshop to ensure
that staff were sensitive to gender issues, particularly since women are major clients of the
AMIT program.
Staff training needs are also addressed in performance evaluations, which highlight
areas of weakness of a particular staff person and suggest future training. Attendance at
industry workshops and IDE India regional and annual meetings are also opportunities for
staff to improve their skills. Finally, a number of staff, including Regional Directors, have
had opportunities to travel overseas as part of IDE programs, and this exposure has increased
their technical skills.
Accounts Officers working in Regional Offices receive initial training from the
Finance Department and from monthly meetings held with all finance and accounting staff.
These meetings provide a venue for regular discussion and resolution of problems and
updates on systems.
b. Evidence:
- See IDE’s Five Year Plan – the emphasis on learning
- Monthly and Quarterly Reports – refer to staff training
- Position of Program Coordinator – NGO expert
- Minutes of Annual Accounts Meeting – training of Accounts Officers from ROs
- Minutes of Regional Coordination Meetings (twice per year)
- Proceedings from Government-sponsored National Workshops on micro
irrigation (IDE featured)
- “Micro Irrigation Prospects and Potential in India,” June 18, 1999. Hyderabad,
A.P. IDE paper presented, “Tapping a Huge Micro Irrigation Potential for Small
and Marginal Farmers in India: The IDE Experience” Shri A.M. DE
- International Conference on Micro and Sprinkler Irrigation, 8-10 February 2000,
Maharashtra, INDIA. IDE paper presented, “Low Cost Drip Irrigation for Micro
Plots in India,” by Guru Naik, Associate Director (MG Program)
- Workshop: Micro Irrigation & Sprinkler Irrigation Systems, 28-30 April 1998,
Delhi, IDE paper presented, “Small and Marginal Farmers: A Huge Market for
Micro Irrigation in India – IDE’s Experience.”
- Travel/Workshops/Assessments:
- Sudharshan – China (an assessment); Egypt (assessment of micro irrigation
potential); FAO (part of field team); Washington, D.C. World Bank; and
Mexico
- Joshi – Vietnam (IDE); Cambodia (IDE); and Zambia (IDE)
- Guru – SDC conference in Switzerland; assessment and training in
Bangladesh; U.K. to meet with DFID for fund raising purposes.
- Performance Appraisals of Staff – weak areas are identified and plan
developed for training and staff development to address weaknesses. See
staff performance appraisal format.
36
Completion of Operations Manual
a. Findings:
IDE Denver completed a draft of the Operations Manual, in collaboration with
Country Programs, including IDE India. However, IDE India also produced its own
personnel and finance manuals some time before the Operations Manual was produced. For
instance, IDE India has a “Personnel Policies and Procedures Manual” dated 11/15/98
Version 7 as well as a Finance and Administration Manual (FAM). The content of these
manuals, however, is purely administrative and does not contain guidance regarding the
stages of project implementation or IDE’s approach for developing and marketing affordable
technologies. Nonetheless, IDE India has not made use of the Operations Manual, viewing it
as a tool for new as opposed to well-established country programs.
b. Evidence:
- “Personnel Policies and Procedures Manual” dated 11/15/98 Version 7
- “Finance and Administration Manual (FAM)”
- “IDE Operations Manual”
- Interviews with the IDE India Country Director and Deputy Director, AMIT
Associate Director, Finance Department Head
c. Analysis:
IDE India’s perspective on the manual makes clear that IDE Denver needs to do
training or educational outreach activities to institutionalize the use of the manual within
country programs. Especially the larger and older programs tend to see themselves as not
needing an operations manual developed by Denver. It is an attitude that has developed – it
is surmised – because of the circumscribed oversight that Denver has provided in the past.
Goal 2: Demonstrate to Farmers and NGOs the Utility of AMIS
Building of Contacts with NGOs
a. Findings:
Because drip irrigation was a new concept for most small farmers, IDE needed to
invest efforts into developing farmer awareness of AMIS. In previous projects, IDE assumed
the role of promoter. Once IDE stepped into this role and priced products without a margin
to cover the costs of promotion, it was difficult to hand over promotional activities to the
private sector. Thus IDE India developed a new model for promotion and demand creation
under the AMIT program, which involved demand creation through a network of NGOs and
self help groups (SHGs).
In developing the AMIT program, IDE India discovered that there were hundreds if
not thousands of NGOs throughout India engaged in watershed management and other
related activities. During the field testing of the AMIT products, these NGOs showed keen
interest in the AMIT systems.
37
During the field testing phase, IDE India demonstrated the AMIT kits to 20 NGOs.
This interaction with NGOs spurred communications from an expanded number, indicating
strong interest in bringing the new irrigation technology to their respective constituencies.
As of August 2000, IDE India had been contacted by over 200 NGOs (see “NGOS Involved
in Promoting Micro Irrigation”). While the interest and capacity of these NGOs varied, the
number clearly indicated the interest and potential for involving NGOs as the program
expanded.
By using the Dainet NGO Directory, the AMIT Program was able to identify NGOs
whose interest and experience overlapped with those of AMIT. NGOs working in watershed
management, NGOs that worked with women, and NGOs that worked in agriculture were
also possible partners.
b. Evidence:
- “NGOS Involved in Promoting Micro Irrigation”
- “NGOs (that have) Shown Interest in Micro Irrigation in HP”
- “NGOs (that have) Shown Interest in Micro Irrigation in Maharasthra”
- “NGOs (that have) Shown Interest in Micro Irrigation in Rajasthan”
- “NGOs (that have) Shown Interest in Micro Irrigation in Madhya Pradesh”
- “NGOs (that have) Shown Interest in Micro Irrigation in Gujarat”
- “Dainet NGO Directory: A Directory of NGOs in India”
Training of NGO Personnel
a. Findings:
In order to engage NGOs in AMIT promotion, IDE India had to train their staff in the
operation and maintenance of micro irrigation systems and in how to conduct
demonstrations. In a report entitled, “Final Report on Feasibility of Affordable Micro￾Irrigation (Extension Phase),” the AMIT Program details the training needs of NGOs and
Self-Help Groups (SHGs). In this report, IDE states that SHGs were found to be the best
grassroots agency for identifying potential customers, conducting field demonstrations and
farmer meetings, and training farmers. The report notes that to accomplish these tasks, SHGs
need kits for demonstration, promotional materials, and training in installation and agronomy.
The Monthly Reports from the Regional Offices provide ample evidence of the
training of NGO personnel. Typically after an initial training by the Area Marketing
Managers, NGOs conduct demonstrations alongside IDE staff – as a form of “on the job”
training. Annual Reports (developed by Regional Offices) also provide specifics on training
and make reference to its effectiveness. However, there does not appear to be a formal
assessment of the effectiveness of the training.
b. Evidence:
- “Combined Monthly Reports of Treadle Pump and Micro Irrigation
Programmes,” Oct 98, Dec 98, Feb 99, May 99, June 99, Sept 99, Oct 99, Jan 00,
Feb 00, April 00, May 00
38
- “Monthly Regional Progress Report,” from Regional Offices
- “Final Report on Feasibility of Affordable Micro-Irrigation (Extension Phase)”
c. Analysis:
While NGOs have often been involved in product commercialization efforts, the
results have typically not been positive since NGOs are not business oriented and their
attentions typically shift with the interests of the donors. However, IDE has identified a role
for NGOs, which takes into account both their strengths and weaknesses. IDE has leveraged
NGOs strengths – their excellent contacts as well as credibility at the grassroots level – as
promoters to increase scale of outreach, while avoiding NGOs weaknesses in project
implementation.
NGOs working in watershed management and agriculture in semi-arid regions of
India have significant outreach, which IDE needed in order to disseminate AMIT on a mass
scale. Thus as part of the AMIT program, IDE explored the feasibility of leveraging
promotional efforts through a network of NGOs, who have their own staff and own
resources. While some NGOs asked IDE for funding, it was refused. Thus all NGOs
involved in AMIT are using their own funds. The overwhelming interest in the technology
(200 NGOs have contacted IDE) is testimony to the willingness of NGOs to participate in the
program with their own funding.
Goal 3: Test-Market AMIS
Identifying Market Segments and Develop Customer Profiles
a. Findings:
A key part of the test-marketing phase of IDE projects involves segmenting the
market, as a means of tailoring product design, training, and promotional activities to the
needs of customers. The market segments identified in the National Marketing Plan
include26:
- Marginal farmers owning an inadequate water source and regularly growing
vegetables
- Marginal farmers not owning a water source but with access to water
As a result of NGO and government interventions, a substantial number of poor
farmers in semi-arid areas own open wells, which for the most part dry up during the summer
months. According to government statistics, in the AMIT project areas (expanded area27),
there are approximately 440,000 wells, half of which could represent customers for
affordable micro irrigation. Thus the estimated market size for AMIT is about 220,000
farmers.
 
26 National Marketing Plan for Affordable Micro Irrigation Kits, IDE India, July 2000.
27 Including Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Maharasthra, Andhra Pradesh, and
Karnataka.
39
Farmers who do not own wells but have access to water tend to rely on community
wells and/or water harvesting structures. Some of these farmers grow vegetables during the
winter but not during the summer due to a lack of water. IDE estimates that this market
segment includes more than 2 million farmers.
To appropriately design project activities for these farmers, IDE India developed
initial customer profiles using baseline information (“Baseline Information: Micro Irrigation
Program” and “Baseline Study on Micro Irrigation in Rajasthan”) culled from the census.
These profiles were refined during the test-marketing phase. Based on these customer
profiles, “80% of the small, non-mechanized kits were purchased by farmers with less than 2
acres of land.” The AMIT Program decided to focus its program and product design on this
market segment of small and marginal farmers
b. Evidence:
- “National Marketing Plan for Affordable Micro Irrigation Kits,” July 2000.
- “Baseline Information: Micro Irrigation Program,” IDE India 1998.
- “Baseline Study on Micro Irrigation in Rajasthan,” by Sudrak, submitted to IDE
- “A Market Development Approach Study of Affordable Micro Irrigation
Technology (AMIT) Program of IDE,” prepared by IDE for Intermediate
Technology Consulting
Selling and Installing AMIS
a. Findings:
Prior to the test marketing, IDE conducted field tests to identify and select products
The criteria for selecting products included:28
- The layout and operation should be simple and easy for farmers to understand
- Farmers should be able to install the systems themselves without depending
outside engineers;
- The initial investment for purchasing the systems should be within the purchasing
power of the small, marginal, and landless farmer; and
- The systems should be divisible so that farmers can install small units to begin
with and expand these in the future by adding other units (strategy for
affordability)
Five products were selected: bucket kits (for kitchen gardens); drum kits (for larger
vegetable gardens); micro-sprinkler kit; overhead sprinkler kit; and customized system.
 
28 IDE India Business Plan: April 2000 to March 2005. First draft, 31 May 1999.
40
Product Price Crop/Use Coverage
Bucket Kit
Kitchen Garden Kit
Rs 225 Kitchen garden (consumption) 104 plants
Drum Kit
Vegetable Garden Kit
Rs 600 w/o
drum
Rs 1200 w
drum
Vegetable garden (commercial) 520 vegetable
plants
Drum Kit
Horticulture Kit
50 papaya
plants
Micro Sprinkler Kit Rs 800 Designed to be attached to tap
water
250 sq meters
Overhead Sprinkler
Kit
Rs 1000 Designed to be attached to
electric pump
Customized system varies Designed to specifically suit a
farmer’s land and crop
Adaptable
Source: National Marketing Plan for Affordable Micro Irrigation Kits, IDE India, July 2000.
Following the field tests and product selection, AMIT launched the test-marketing
phase to answer some key questions from the perspective of the customer (the small farmers),
the supply chain participants (manufacturers, dealers, and assemblers), and promotion.
From the perspective of the customer (small farmer), the test-marketing phase was
designed to:
- gauge the extent to which the rural poor were willing to buy AMITs, especially
within the context of the subsidy programs of the Government of India (GOI).
- understand who could afford to buy AMIT products and how (to develop
customers profiles)
- understand the perceived benefits of the AMIT products by different market
segments
- price the products
- gauge the costs of AMIT against benefits that could be reaped (income, water
savings, labor savings, higher yields, etc)
From the perspective of the supply chain, market testing was designed to:
- learn about how much financing is needed to start up an assembling business
- gauge costs of components, labor, etc
- learn about the profitability and viability of an assembling business (to gauge
margins)
From the perspective of promoters and promotion, market testing was designed to help:
- develop the communication strategy for promoting the benefits of AMIT
- learn about how best to create awareness of AMIT (how do farmers learn about
the technology? Where does the information come from?)
- learn how best to convince farmers of the benefits of AMIT? (what methods were
most convincing to farmers, e.g., demonstration, personal contact, farmer
meetings, or dealer displays.)
- identify key motivating factors in farmers’ decision to purchase AMIT ( e.g.,
liked the kit; dealer insisted; NGO supported; wanted to experiment)
41
Although IDE was operating from three Regional Offices, market testing was
conducted in five states because of the numerous contacts with NGOs, indicating interest in
this expanded geographic area.
The results of the test marketing,29 detailed in a report developed for Intermediate
Technology Consulting and funded by DfID, produced four important findings:
(1) Even in an environment of heavy government subsidies,30 farmers are willing to
purchase AMIT products at a free-market price.
(2) IDE’s strategy for demand creation has been to involve others (especially NGOs
and SHGs) as much as possible. As a result, IDE’s involvement in demand
creation “has been less than 50%.” To date, this has proven to be an effective
strategy.
(3) The AMIT Program found that personalized demonstrations were the most
effective means of promotion.
(4) AMIT Program tested a strategy in which farmers’ did their own needs
assessment. This also proved to be a successful strategy.
The success of market testing is demonstrated at least partly by subsequent sales. The
AMIT program’s MIS system indicates that sales of all AMIT products over the three-years
of the USAID MG Program reached 9,859 (as of July 2000), thus far exceeding the 3,200
target stipulated in the DIP.
b. Evidence:
- National Marketing Plan for Affordable Micro Irrigation Kits, IDE India, July
2000.
- “A Market Development Approach Study of Affordable Micro Irrigation
Technology (AMIT) Program of IDE,” prepared by IDE for Intermediate
Technology Consulting
- “Combined Monthly Reports of Treadle Pump and Micro Irrigation Programmes”
Goal 4: Estimate the Market Potential of AMIS
Collecting Baseline Information
a. Findings:
IDE’s process for gauging the market potential of a product (like AMIT) involved an
iterative process that begins in the start-up phase with the collection of information, extends
to the field testing phase, where users’ reactions to the product are assessed, and then to the
market-testing phase, where the market segments are defined and the market potential
estimated. These phases of market assessment are described below:
 
29 “A Market Development Approach Study of Affordable Micro Irrigation Technology (AMIT) Program of
IDE, by Guru Naik and Dr. V.K. Dixit with contributions from Sobhan Sinha for ITC.
30 The GOI has invested substantial subsidies in micro irrigation.
42
Type of study/document Market Assessment Goal
Start up phase
Baseline information
- Select areas for project focus
- Collect key information about areas to help identify
high, medium, and low potential areas
Estimate market potential based on secondary data
prior to program activity
Product Field testing phase
(Technical) Feasibility studies
Socio-impact study
Annual Report (ROs)
Annual Report (CCO)
- Select products based on technical performance
- Product testing results with different market segments
– assessment of their reactions to the technical
performance of the product
Market testing phase
(Marketing) Feasibility studies
Socio-Impact study
Annual Report (ROs)
Annual Report (CCO)31
- To gauge farmer reactions
- To develop customer profiles/define market segments
-
Initial AMIT reports on baseline information focused on the state of drip irrigation in
India and socio-economic characteristics of the states where micro irrigation is feasible.
Based on the early baselines, IDE selected areas for focusing its AMIT program and for
locating regional and field offices. For instance, in 1996, IDE commissioned a paper
entitled: “Identification of Potential Areas for Introducing IDE’s Low Cost Drip Irrigation
System in India,” by Dr. K.A.S. Mani. This paper is an analysis of secondary data from 11
states and focused on the feasibility and potential for drip irrigation for small farmers.32
Based on substantial data analysis, this report provided recommendations for where
(what states and districts within states) and why (what benefits repeated) to focus AMIT
activities based on criteria such as: rainfall, crops grown, landing holding, irrigation sources,
groundwater availability, present status of drip irrigation (GOI schemes), and market
potential for drip irrigation. It also estimated market potential based on the following factors:
(1) users would be mostly from drought-prone areas with rainfall under 1000 mm;
(2) users belong to SC or ST,33 or economically backward communities;
(3) users would be small farmers with land holdings less than 2 hectares, a portion of
which is under irrigation;
(4) the irrigation source is groundwater, developed through hand-dug wells in areas
where exploitation is high and water volume is limited;
(5) the area has no surface water irrigation system; and
 
31 “A Market Development Approach Study of Affordable Micro Irrigation Technology (AMIT) Program of
IDE,” by Guru Naik, Dr. V.K. Dixit with contributions from Sobhan Sinha, for Intermediate Technology
Consulting (ITC). 2000.
32 The scope of work for this study included: (1) determining the number of landless, marginal, and small
farmers in India by state that suffer from inadequate water but have access to some source of water; (2)
assessing the importance of different water sources to the target population (identified previously) and the
percent of water required supplied by these sources; and (3) summarizing the state of drip irrigation in
India, average land holdings, type of crop, average cost per acre, number of systems by state, and the
estimated potential for drip by state.
33 SC is an abbreviation for “schedule caste, and ST for “schedule tribal.” This terminology relates of
Indian legislation.
43
(6) a cropping system that includes flowers, fruits, vegetables, sericulture, and a
readily available market.
Another study – entitled “Report on Feasibility of IDE’s Affordable Micro Irrigation
Systems in SDC’s Watershed Project Areas: Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya
Pradesh, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh and written in 1998 – documents the benefits of
AMIT as compared to conventional flood irrigation. It analyzes tests measuring and
comparing the uniformity of water discharge, water savings, and improvements in yields by
crop. To illustrate, the average percent water saved by AMIT system against conventional
flood irrigation proved to be between 33.45 and 35.75. Estimates of increased crop yields
averaged 50% for 8 different crops. Although this study was part of the reviews and analyses
conducted during the product development phase, the assessment of benefits to farmers helps
demonstrate the economic and market potential of AMIT.
b. Evidence:
- “Identification of Potential Areas for Introducing IDE’s Low Cost Drip Irrigation
System in India,” by Dr. K.A.S. Mani.
- “Baseline Study on Micro Irrigation in Rajasthan”
- “Final Report on Feasibility of Affordable Micro-Irrigation (Extension Phase)”
- “Report on Feasibility of IDE’s Affordable Micro Irrigation Systems in SDC’s
Watershed Project Areas: Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh,
Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh,” 1998.
Conducting Socio-economic Impact Studies on Users of AMIS
a. Findings:
The AMIT Program conducted two socio-economic impact studies on users of
affordable micro irrigation. The first study, conducted in 1998 in connection with the field
tests, was entitled “Socio-Economic Impact Study” and authored by R.S. Nijjar. The study
included a survey of 40 farm families and 20 promoter-NGOs, and assessed both farmers’
and NGOs’ perceptions of the AMIT products. It showed women’s preference for the drum
kit due to its low cost, easy operation, time-savings, and income generated (the bucket kit had
not yet been devised). Moreover, the drum kit, later called the Kitchen Garden Kit, could be
easily used in the “kitchen garden,” which women played a role in.
Additionally, the study showed the improved usage of water afforded by AMITs
against conventional systems. “The cultivation of vegetables – though on a small scale – is
seen as a major change in cropping pattern observed as a result of AMIS.” There was also
some evidence of a shift from local to hybrid varieties for better crop yield by AMIT users.
Documented income increases ranged from Rs 1,500 to Rs 20,000. Those who experienced
smaller increases in income tended to consume the vegetables, and thus save income as a
result of vegetable production (the savings were not calculated). Increased consumption of
vegetables was assumed to contribute to improved nutrition.
One purpose of the Nijjar report was to win the interest of a major NGO network, for
which Mr. Nijjar worked. They study, itself, was not of high quality, but it did serve the
purpose of developing an important partnership.
44
The AMIT Program commissioned another socio-economic impact study in 1999, as
part of the test-marketing phase of the project. This study entitled, “Socio-Economic Study
of the IDE Promoted Micro Irrigation Systems in Aurangabad and Bijapur,” was conducted
and written by Meena Bilgi, a Gender and Community Development Consultant. The
objectives of this study was to document AMIT benefits, including net income, water
savings, nutrition, labor savings, and specifically impact on women’s labor and constraints
faced by AMIT users.
The study pointed out some important findings. It quantified income gains from
using AMIT, labor savings for women (due to fewer weeds), water savings (also added to
women’s labor savings), and decreased needs for fertilizer and pesticides. It also
documented the needs of farmers that were not being met by the program. For instance,
farmers – especially women – needed training in how to use and maintain AMIS. “There is a
need for well-packaged training modules on AMITS usage and maintenance and on
agronomy and other agricultural-related topics related to vegetable production.”
A later study produced in mid-2000 entitled, “A Market Development Approach
Study of Affordable Micro Irrigation Technology (AMIT) Program of IDE,” further
documents the expressed need by farmers for training in hardware installation and proper
agronomic practices. While the “Combined Monthly Report for February 1999” indicates
that “each Regional Office will be provided with a Horticulturalist” partly responsible for
conducting training programs aimed at NGOs, SHGs, dealers, and farmers, a survey of
farmers in 2000 indicated farmers’ need for agronomic training.
Monthly Progress Reports for January, February and May 2000 indicate AMIT
training of NGOs and farmers in installation and maintenance. There is less evidence of
agronomic training.
b. Evidence:
- “Socio-Economic Impact Study,” by R.S. Nijjar. June 15, 1998.
- “Socio-Economic Study of the IDE Promoted Micro Irrigation Systems in
Aurangabad and Bijapur.” Report by Meena Bilgi, Gender and Community
Development Consultant (research Jan – Mar 1999)
- “Report on Feasibility of IDE’s Affordable Micro Irrigation Systems in SDC’s
Watershed Project Areas: Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh,
Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh,” submitted by IDE to SDC. 1998
- “A Market Development Approach Study of Affordable Micro Irrigation
Technology (AMIT) Program of IDE,” by Guru Naik, Dr. V.K. Dixit with
contributions from Sobhan Sinha, for Intermediate Technology Consulting (ITC).
2000.
- “Combined Monthly Reports from IDE India on the Treadle Pump and Micro
Irrigation Programmes.”
c. Analysis:
The socio-economic studies conducted by the AMIT Program have underscored the
considerable benefits offered by the technology. They have also highlighted, however, the
45
need for soft technologies (e.g., training) to enable users to translate use of the technology
into those potential benefits. For some farmers, vegetable production is new, and for others
vegetable production using AMIT is new. Farmers need information on how much water to
provide plants, on spacing of seedlings, and requirements regarding fertilizer and other
inputs.
As AMIT scales up operations, it will have to focus more pointedly on the soft
technology side of micro irrigation.
Preparing National Marketing Plan
a. Findings:
IDE India developed its “National Marketing Plan for Affordable Micro Irrigation
Kits” following and based upon the test-marketing phase of the AMIT Project. This plan is
meant to provide the vision for scaling up AMIT over the next five years. It includes a
synthesis of data on the project area (states that have potential for AMIT), a description of the
products selected for further dissemination, an estimate of the market size, a review of the
proposed supply chain, and a strategy for promoting AMIT and leveraging the resources of
others (NGOs and government agencies) to achieve outreach.
The plan has not yet been approved. It has been developed for presentation and
discussion at the AMIT Annual Meeting in September 2000. At this point, all regional staff
will discuss a path forward for AMIT, and make recommendations regarding the National
Marketing Plan.
b. Evidence:
- “National Marketing Plan for Affordable Micro Irrigation Kits,” developed by
and for IDE India, July 2000.
- Interview with AMIT Associate Director
Goal 5: Establish a Sustainable Supply Chain for AMIT
a. Findings:
In developing a supply chain for micro irrigation, AMIT made the decision to use
manufacturers who were already fabricating components in the micro irrigation industry.
Whereas, IDE had identified small, informal sector manufacturers to fabricate the treadle
pump, these micro irrigation manufacturers were quite different to work with. However,
AMIT’s staff, themselves hired from the private sector, were already known to these
manufacturers and well equipped to negotiate with them on an equal footing.
AMIT found that an advantage of working with relatively well capitalized
manufacturers was that they were willing to invest their own funds in product development.
Although AMIT uses some off-the-shelf components, dyes needed to developed for others.
AMIT provided no funds to manufacturers for these dyes.
46
There are over 50 small-scale plastic manufacturers in India who fabricate
components and supply micro irrigation components to the large drip irrigation companies.
AMIT is working with seven of these manufacturers (see below).
Components Component Manufacturers Location/State
LLDPE pipes
(16, 12, and 1 mm)
Sheetal Plast
Himalayan Plastics
Swati Storewel Ltd.
Maharasthra
Himachal Pradesh
Himachal Pradesh
PVC fittings Bhinge Brothers
Vidhi Enterprises
Maharasthra
Delhi
Micro sprinklers Jain Irrigation
Concord Agro Sprayers
Maharasthra
Punjab
Overhead sprinklers Concord Agro Sprayers
Jain Agencies
Punjab
Madhya Pradesh
Source: National Marketing Plan
These manufacturers make components, which then need to be assembled.
“Assembling” represented a new function that did not exist in the private sector, and thus had
to be created by IDE. Initially, AMIT staff assembled parts and sold them either directly to
customers or through NGOs. IDE played this role in order to fill the vacuum at a time when
there was no demand for the product and thus little incentive for a small entrepreneur to risk
such a business undertaking.
In February 2000, the Nagpur Regional Office (in Maharasthra) reported (in the
Monthly Progress Report) that “this month was a step toward sustainability.” Assemblers
had been developed and showed a willingness to promote and market in their respective
areas. They were starting to conduct demonstrations and hold farmers meetings to sell and
promote AMITs. By March, the Nagpur Office reported that assemblers were buying kits
from manufacturers and selling them directly to customers (without going through dealers or
using agents).
The distribution and/or sale of AMIT to farmers was also initially done by IDE or
NGO staff. The AMIT Program had involved itself early on with NGOs engaged in
watershed management, since their objectives fit well with those of AMIT and NGOs were
able to give AMIT entry to rural markets. Initially NGOs were viewed as excellent
promoters, but they easily slipped into selling. According to an IDE Denver Trip Report, “it
is fine to start with NGOs, but how does IDE involve the private sector and reduce the need
for IDE involvement.” In other words, selling AMIT kits through IDE and NGO staff – as
was the case in early 2000 – may be a starting point, but it clearly not a long-term solution to
distribution.
In HP, in April 2000, the Monthly Regional Progress Reports states that “direct sales
by IDE staff will be stopped and AMIT kits will be sold only through dealers.” And by July
2000, when the National Marketing Plan was developed the following schema was proposed
for distributing AMITs.
47
The National Marketing Plan explains the roles of distributor, dealer, assembler and
agent. Distributors of components are few in number and located in only several states.
Agricultural Input Dealers, on the other hand, are located in most small markets throughout
India and are well linked to farmers growing vegetables. According to the National
Marketing Plan, these dealers are very enthusiastic about selling AMITs.
Agents are often village-level entrepreneurs or a lead farmer experienced in installing
AMITs. Paid on a commission basis, agents may be linked to dealers or theoretically to
assemblers. However, interviews revealed that some assemblers – at least at this stage – are
doing their own selling at the village level in order to capture a larger profit margin.
b. Evidence:
- “Monthly Regional Progress Reports,” 1998, 1999, 2000
- “Combined Monthly Report from IDE India on the Treadle Pump and Micro
Irrigation Programs,” 1998, 1999, 2000
- “National Marketing Plan for Affordable Micro Irrigation Kits,” developed by
and for IDE India, July 2000.
- “IDE Trip Report,” dated May 1999.
c. Analysis:
The AMIT Program focused its initial efforts on developing and field and market
testing products. By all estimations, these tasks were done quite competently. However, as
IDE began to enter into the marketplace, it seemed to lose sight of its own private-sector
supply chain model. In the initial stages of market development – when no one has heard of
the product or tried the product – it is understandable that finding entrepreneurs interested
and willing to sell the new product would be difficult. It is also understandable that NGO
staff, who have already developed trusted relationships with farmers, would be excellent
sales people. However, direct sales by NGOs or AMIT staff run counter to the project
objective to develop a sustainable supply chain..
Manufacturer Distributor
Assembler
Dealer
Agent Farmer
48
The question is whether AMIT could or should have started using a private sector
supply chain earlier. Some IDE Denver staff believed this to be the case. Nonetheless, the
debate raises an important issue for IDE as an institution. IDE needs a clear articulation of
best practices, or a model for developing and commercializing new products. To ensure
viability, a model of a sustainable supply chain needs to be developed at the start of a
program, such that all project activities are designed toward achievement of sustainability.
By August 2000, the AMIT Associate Director was clear about the need to move
toward a private sector supply chain and toward a role for NGOs that included only training
and promotion. The model proposed by AMIT today is one which involved leveraging
others in order to “do more with less.” It involves:
- Leveraging NGOs to do the promotion, though it seems that assemblers are also
beginning to get involved in this function, and
- Leveraging the private sector to fulfill the distribution and sales functions
In such a model, the role of IDE is to facilitate market development. Market
facilitation, according to the Donor Committee for Small Enterprise Development, entails
supporting others (preferably the private sector) to provide/sell services directly to
consumers. Thus this “leveraging” model is in line with best practices.
IDE also needs to consider the pros and cons of NGO involvement in light of the
sustainability issue. NGOs’ priorities can change and thus their functions are not necessarily
sustainable. In the short run, however, they may play valuable roles as information
providers, promoters, and trainers.
Goal 6: Manage the Project Effectively
Monitoring the Impact of the Project at Regular Intervals (M&E System)
a. Findings:
The M&E Department at IDE India was vacant for a year, and has been refilled
within the last several months. Although the MIS system was developed and refined over the
last four years, it has not always been centralized in Delhi and has tended to be product
specific. Presently IDE India is creating a centralized system that can be used for any
product, and will include both the TP and AMIT programs.
The current system is focused largely on the TP program and on sales, product
quality, and production for the purpose of providing an information link between
manufacturers and distributors and dealers. There is only one two-page form for social
impact assessment.
In the future, IDE India intends to transform its MIS so that only 10% focuses on
sales of products, while 90% focuses on impact assessment (interview with Deputy Country
Director). At present, this is reversed.
49
The MIS system for the AMIT program consists of MS Office Excel sheets on sales
by product, place, and time (month and year). Because the AMIT program – over the last
three years – has focused on product development and test marketing, it has not developed
the MIS for this program beyond simple sales data. During this initial phase of the program,
decisions were still being made regarding what product and in what place the program would
focus on. It was decided to keep the MIS system simple until the next project phase.
b. Evidence:
- Interview with AMIT Associate Director and M&E Department
- AMIT spreadsheets (M&E system)
- “Combined Monthly Reports of Treadle Pump and Micro Irrigation
Programmes,” Oct 98, Dec 98, Feb 99, May 99, June 99, Sept 99, Oct 99, Jan 00,
Feb 00, April 00, May 00
- “Monthly Regional Progress Report,” from Regional Offices
Developing Reports and Documentation
a. Findings:
IDE India has produced a substantial body of reports and documentation on micro
irrigation. Even Regional Offices prepare analytic reports for the Annual Review and
Planning Exercises held in September every year. Based upon the regional reports, the Delhi
Central Coordinating Office develops a synthesized report and/or business plan each year.
Additionally, IDE has been successful at getting donors to pay for reports. For
instance, SDC funded a feasibility study entitled, “Report on Feasibility of IDE’s Affordable
Micro Irrigation Systems in SDC’s Watershed Project Areas: Maharashtra, Rajasthan,
Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh,” submitted by IDE to SDC in
1998. Similarly DfID funded IDE to produce a report, in collaboration with Intermediate
Technology Consulting, entitled, “A Market Development Approach Study of Affordable
Micro Irrigation Technology (AMIT) Program of IDE,” written by Guru Naik, Dr. V.K. Dixit
with contributions from Sobhan Sinha.
The SDC feasibility study was the basis for the AMIT expanded project area, while
the DfID-funded report addressed issues related to long-term marketing of AMITs. AMIT’s
National Marketing Plan is largely based on the DfID-funded research.
IDE India has also written reports presented at conferences. Typically these
conferences have been aimed at the micro irrigation industry (which large-scale farmers
benefit from). IDE India’s role in these conferences has been to underscore the potential for
reaching small-scale farmers.
IDE’s President, Paul Polak, has also contributed to documenting the potential of
micro irrigation. Dr. Polak has written numerous reports for an international audience as a
means to further IDE’s Global Initiative (for micro irrigation).34
 
34 Articles written by Paul Polak include: “Increasing the Productivity of the World’s
50
b. Evidence:
- “A Market Development Approach Study of Affordable Micro Irrigation
Technology (AMIT) Program of IDE,” by Guru Naik, Dr. V.K. Dixit with
contributions from Sobhan Sinha, for Intermediate Technology Consulting (ITC).
2000.
- “Report on Feasibility of IDE’s Affordable Micro Irrigation Systems in SDC’s
Watershed Project Areas: Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh,
Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh,” submitted by IDE to SDC. 1998
- “Low Cost Drip Irrigation for Micro Plots in India,” by Guru Naik, Associate
Director (MG Program). Prepared for International Conference on Micro and
Sprinkler Irrigation, 8-10 February 2000, Maharashtra, INDIA.
- “Small and Marginal Farmers: A Huge Market for Micro Irrigation in India –
IDE’s Experience.” Prepared for Workshop: Micro Irrigation & Sprinkler
Irrigation Systems, 28-30 April 1998, Delhi, INDIA.
- “Tapping a Huge Micro Irrigation Potential for Small and Marginal Farmers in
India: The IDE Experience” Shri A.M. DE. Prepared for conference on “Micro
Irrigation Prospects and Potential in India,” June 18, 1999. Hyderabad, A.P.
INDIA
- “Increasing the Productivity of the World’s Micro Farmers in Developing
Countries,” by Paul Polak and Jeff Saussier, in Sustainable Agriculture Solutions,
Novello Press, U.K. 1999.
- “A Low Cost Drip Irrigation System for Small Farmers in Developing
Countries,” Journal of the American Water Resources Association, Vol. 33, No.
1, 1997, February 1997, pp. 119-124, Paper Number 96064.
- “The IDE Low Cost Drip Irrigation System,” by Paul Polak, Bob Nanes, and
Deepak Adhikai, in Zeitschrift fuer Bewaesserungswirtschaft, Vol. 32, No. 1,
1997, pp. 105-112.
- “The Potential Contribution of Low Cost Drip Irrigation Productivity in India,”
by Paul Polak and R.K. Sivinappan, in Water Resources Management Sector
Review, Report on the Irrigation Sector, The World Bank in cooperation with the
Ministry of Water Resources, Government of India, 1998, pp. 121-123 (box
A4.1)
Developing the Long-Term Plan
a. Findings:
IDE has undertaken a number of long-term planning efforts. In April 1999, IDE India
held a “Strategic Planning Workshop” aimed at contributing to the development of a Five￾Year Plan. In May, a Business Plan for 2000 to 2005 was developed based on the strategic
planning workshop, and then a further developed Five-Year Plan document was developed.
In 1998, IDE in partnership with SDC held a “Roundtable on Rural Marketing:
Strategies for Success.” In January 1999, IDE held a “Workshop on IDE’s Scaling Up
Strategy for the Affordable Micro Irrigation Technologies (AMIT) Program. While the 1998
workshop addressed general issues in rural marketing, the 1999 workshop was specifically
focused on developing a marketing strategy for the AMIT program.
51
The National Marketing Plan, which could be strengthened with more analysis,
provides a long-range plan for AMIT. It includes projected sales over the next five years and
a vision for further developing the supply chain. This plan will be further developed at the
Annual Meeting in September 2000.
b. Evidence:
- “Three Year Action Plan,” prepared by IDE India. June 1999.
- “Workshop on IDE’s Scaling-Up Strategy for Affordable Micro Irrigation
Technology (AMIT) Program. January 18 –19, 1999.
- Business Plan for 2000 to 2005
- “Strategic Planning Workshop”
- Roundtable on Rural Marketing: Strategies for Success.”
C. Project Success/Sustainability
IDE India and IDE Denver have made a convincing case for the potential impact of
AMITs. Both field and market tests have demonstrated the considerable water, labor and
input savings that can be realized using AMIT. Additionally, the potential for increasing
incomes, especially in semi-arid regions appears to be significant (e.g., 141.65% according to
Bilgi’s socio-impact assessment).
The AMIT Program’s efforts at developing a high-quality team, the learning focus of
the team’s approach to project implementation, and the success at developing products
tailored to the needs and resources of small and marginal farmers have been exceptional. The
reports and documentation have been numerous and of high quality.
AMIT’s sales record indicates relative success. In 1997-8, when project activities
were largely focused on product development and testing, sales totaled 331 units. In 1998-9,
when the program was testing marketing the products, annual sales mounted to 3,538, and
then in 1999-up to July 2000, annual sales were 5,990. Cumulative sales of 9,859 exceeded
the overall target under the MG Program. But while sales have been good, IDE India’s
programmatic success has been affected by hiccups in funding. When the program was
initially launched, it had strong support from SDC. However, as IDE’s main SDC contact in
India was transferred back to Switzerland, funding became an increasing problem. Although
SDC is again a major financier of the program, this financing has come with conditions.
Because SDC only works in certain states, of which Maharasthra was not one, IDE had to
move its Regional Office from Maharashtra to Gujarat in 2000. Regional Monthly reports
make mention of cut backs in operation due to lack of funding.
Despite many strengths, the AMIT Program has a key weakness in an area where IDE
is usually strong. AMIT did not appear to have a clear idea of sustainability from the
beginning. AMIT’s early strategy involved IDE staff selling directly to farmers and through
NGOs. While this strategy might be defendable when marketing a new market for which
there is no demand, there must be a time limit on this strategy coupled with a clear up-front
vision of future sustainability.
52
AMIT now appears to be back on track in that the program is working toward
developing a private sector supply chain. Nonetheless, the project needs to be clear
regarding a sustainable role for NGOs, and to ensure that NGOs can play a sustainable role in
promotion. Moreover, AMIT should ensure that staff engage in facilitation and do not play a
role that is more appropriate for the private sector.
53
IV. Findings – Bangladesh
A. Project History/Description
In applying for the USAID Matching Grant, IDE-Bangladesh (IDE-B) aimed to
launch a new product line, using the same model and to a large extent the same supply chain
developed under its renowned treadle pump project.
The “Capacity Building, Development, and Marketing of the Low-Cost Hand Pump”
(CDM) project, was launched to address the lack of affordable drinking water pumps and
inadequacies in the supply-driven systems for delivering many of these technologies.
According to the “Detailed Implementation Plan (DIP)” for Bangladesh, existing hand pumps
were expensive, and well beyond the purchasing capacity of the population they were meant
to serve. They also lacked sufficient lifting and discharge capacity and were not easy for
owners to maintain and/or repair themselves. Additionally, many drinking water pumps were
subsidized and developed under “a supply-driven approach.” Because these pumps were
either provided free of charge or sold at a subsidized price, they generally were not to meet
the needs of customers.
The objectives of the CDM project were originally envisioned as the following:
1) strengthen the skills base of local staff,
2) establish collaborative partnerships and improve the capacity of NGO and other
local organization partners,
Additionally and more specifically, IDE-B articulated four project goals/objectives
related to the product development, field testing, market testing, and product marketing of a
low-cost hand pump (LCHP). They are as follows:
3) design, fabricate, and field test the LCHPs on a pilot scale,
4) motivate quality partners from existing private-sector networks to produce
(manufacturers), deliver (dealers), and install (mistries) the LCHPs
5) motivate users/buyers to purchase the LCHPs
6) scale up marketing of the LCHP when appropriate
The final project goal, which was originally envisioned as more limited and later
became a major focus on project activities, was:
7) build awareness of users about safe drinking water and the “arsenic problem”
IDE’s staff was to be trained to focus on the relationship between clean water and
family health, water testing procedures, well installation procedures, and in a range of human
resource development skills. NGOs were to be trained in marketing and to become the
trainer-of-trainers. Farmers were to be taught to recognize quality pumps and basic repair
techniques. Well drillers, often called “mistries,” were to be trained to install, repair, and
promote pumps. Dealers, retailers, and distributors were to be trained to identify quality
pumps and in marketing techniques.
54
Evaluation of this strategy was to be based on the number of hand pumps sold
through NGOs, credit facilities extended to buyers of the technology, and retention of
training topics. Upon completing the market testing of the low-cost hand pump (LCHP),
brand named the JANANI pump, IDE-B field experience suggested that demand for the
pump was substantial. As a result, the market-testing phase was merged with the product
launching. At the same time, there was growing publicity about the arsenic problem in
Bangladesh. As the gravity of the problem became clearer, IDE-B requested permission
from USAID to re-orient the Matching Grant toward increasing arsenic awareness. Although
marketing of pumps did not stop, efforts at marketing were curtailed. For example, IDE-B
withdrew from two southern regions, where arsenic contamination was most extreme and
focused on arsenic testing and awareness activities in three northern regions.
As a result of the re-orientation of the CDM program, targets were revised as follows:
ORIGINAL TARGETS PROPOSED NEW TARGETS
40 manufacturers in place 4 Manufacturers
600 dealers selling the pump 300-317 dealers
3000 installers trained 2000 installers trained
15,000 pumps installed 5,000 pumps installed
50 NGOs working with the project 20 NGOs working with the project
B. Project Goals/Indicators/Findings
Because of the re-orientation of the program in Year 3, fifty percent of the evaluation
– as stipulated by the SOW – is focused on the original objectives, targets, and
accomplishments of CDM, with less emphasis on numerical targets and more on the
establishment of systems. The second half of the evaluation assesses IDE-B’s
accomplishments under the revised project plan.
Goal 1: Strengthen the Skill Base of Local Staff.
a. Findings:
IDE-B hired 20 new staff for the CDM project. Many of these staff persons,
however, were not hired at the start of the project. For instance, the Arsenic Program
Coordinator was hired in February/March 2000 after the re-orientation of the program toward
arsenic awareness raising and testing. Additionally, out of 10 Technical Officers now
working under the program, 6 were hired in 1997/98 and 4 were hired between May and July
2000. The delay in hiring staff related to the time required to obtain permission from the
Government of Bangladesh (NGO Bureau) to undertake the program, and the time taken up
by product development. IDE-B has initially assumed that it would disseminate the hand
pump developed by IDE Vietnam. However, this pump proved to be too costly to
manufacture in Bangladesh and was not competitive with other pumps on the market.
To orient the staff to IDE’s program strategy and strengthen their skill base, various
training workshops were held. According to an interview with the CDM Program Manager
and the “Annual Report: October 1998 – September 1999,” staff training included the
following
55
Training subject Staff trained
IDE orientation, i.e., IDE’s private sector
approach to technology/product
commercialization - the “customer-focused,
supply chain approach”
1 Manager
3 Assistant Managers
Project orientation, i.e., the goals of the CDM
project
10 Technical Officers (TOs)
2 Assistant Managers
Training on the technical aspects of the
product (the LCHP) and on water, hydrology,
and related knowledge of areas of operation
10 Technical Officers (TOs)
2 Assistant Managers
Training on marketing, e.g., demonstration
techniques and promotional strategies
10 Technical Officers (TOs)
2 Assistant Managers
Training on accounts 10 Technical Officers (TOs)
2 Assistant Managers
Training on technical aspects of arsenic 10 Technical Officers (TOs)
Business English course 3 Assistant Managers
Computer course 1 Assistant Manager
The CDM Program Manager stated that her training and learning occurred through
reading, proposal writing, and meetings with other donors and NGOs working on the arsenic
issue; as well as through an international conference attended in San Diego, California on the
issue of arsenic. The Arsenic Program Coordinator stated that he was educated as a chemist
at the University of Dhaka and had previously worked with the Government in arsenic
mitigation and other water-related issues.
In July 1999, immediately after the product was finalized based on field and market
testing, IDE-B decided to “mainstream” CDM staff. In other words, rather than working as a
separate unit from the rest of the IDE-B, the Technical Officers became staff of the
Technology Selection and Development Department, Monitoring Officers were integrated
into the M&E Department and so forth. Mainstreaming was meant to provide staff with the
support offered by a specialized department. As such, it was designed to strengthen staff
skills.
b. Evidence:
- “CDM Project’s Staff Development Training, 1999 and 2000”
- “Report on CDM Project Orientation Training, 23 June 1999.”
- “Training Calendar 1999”
- “Training Manual: Training on Field-Level Arsenic Testing.”
- “Completion Report on Training of Trainers of IDE on Arsenic Issues,” February
2000.
- “Human Resources Development Plan for the Year 1999,” Internal Training.
- “Annual Staff Conference,” August/September 1999.
- “IDE Progress Report,” submitted by HR & Training Department, January-June
2000
- “IDE Monthly Regional Progress Report (October 1999 to September 2000)”
56
-
IDE’s Monthly Progress Reports provide data on the number of participants attending
dealers’, mistries’, customers’, and NGO staff training workshops. Moreover, workshop
reports provide some evidence of the quality of the training, which were purportedly of good
quality.
Goal 2: Design, Fabricate, and Field Test Low Cost Hand Pumps on a Pilot Scale
Designing and Producing a Low Cost Hand Pump
a. Findings:
IDE-B spent years 1 and 2 of the CDM project developing and field testing the
LCHP for marketing. Originally, IDE-B had envisioned adapting a hand pump IDE was
commercializing in Vietnam for the Bangladesh market. Nonetheless, the R&D team of
IDE-B tested at least four different pumps, as evidenced by Monthly and Annual Reports
during 1997-98. It became clear relatively early on that the Vietnamese pump would be too
costly in Bangladesh as compared to other pumps on the market. Consequently the R&D
team had to do a more extensive search and testing for a competitive product. This process
took longer than envisioned in the project proposal. This affected the time remaining for
marketing the finalized product.
The R&D team began their work on selecting a technology by researching other hand
pumps in the market (see document on “Information of market available hand pump in BD
regarding cost & specification”). Data was collected on fifteen different pumps, including
the Vietnamese pump. Performance indicators included weight, price, ex-factory cost,
overall dimensions, discharge, and quality. The definition of “quality” included strength
(which related to longevity or durability), the quality of the seal (which relates to leakage), as
well as the finish (or the overall look of the product). This data provided the R&D team with
parameters for selecting and designing a competitive product that was affordable to IDE-B’s
target group.35
Based on these parameters, the R&D team designed a product, developed drawings
and a mold for casting, and had 15-20 samples fabricated by a local manufacturer. These
samples were tested in the IDE-B lab alongside a variety of other pumps and against the
parameters developed earlier. Data on these lab tests were incorporated into the files of the
TS&D Department, and the overall results of the tests were reported in the “Annual Report
October 1997 – September 1998.”
The pump selected for field-testing was a modified No. 6 pump. The original No. 6
was developed by UNICEF. According to the “Annual Report: October 1998 – September
1999,” the modified No. 6 pump which IDE-B brand named the “JANANI” pump is meant
for lifting water from shallow tubewells, that is from a maximum of 25 feet. It has a
discharge rate of 25-30 liters per minute (average .5 liter per second), and a weight of
between 15.5 and 14.5 kilograms. A sheet entitled, “Design Analysis and Specification of
 
35 see “Base-line Survey: highlighting weight, market price and profit margins of existing Hand Pumps,”
May 1999.
57
JANANI Pump Compared to Other Pumps,” compares the JANINI design against the
“UNICEF Standard” and other pumps in the market and provides the following comparisons:
Parameter JANANI Competitive Products
Weight 15.5-15.75 kgs.36 17.5-18.0 kgs
Retail price Tk. 400
Ex-factory: Tk 355
Tk 49037
According to the May 1999 “Base-line Survey,” the average weight of the No. 6 hand
pump (a competitive product) in 6 regions of Bangladesh ranged from 19.1 to 23.2
kilograms, and the average retail price ranged from Tk 555 to Tk 633. Interviews with the
Program Manager indicated that while there are other products that sell at Tk 490, though
they are purportedly low in quality and durability, (they last for about half as long as the
JANANI). According to the TS&D Department’s information sheet on prices across 15 other
pumps, there were five pumps on the market price at Tk 450 or below. All of these were in
classified in the “Low Class.”
The difference in performance of the JANANI against its competitors is important.
Unlike the treadle pump which entered the market in 1985 with essentially no competition,
the JANANI does have to compete with a whole range of hand pumps. The new product
must also compete against psychological factors, such as customers’ long-time confidence in
a particular brand. Dealers in Mymensingh noted customers’ loyalty to the “RFL” brand
despite its much higher price as compared to the JANANI (Tk 560 as compared to Tk. 400).
They also noted that the RFL was their biggest selling hand pump.
b. Evidence:
- “CDM Annual Report, October 1997 – September 1998”
- Interviews with TS&D Department staff, IDE-B
- “Baseline Survey,” (highlighting weight, market price, and profit margins of
existing pumps), May 1999.
- “Production Drawings on JANANI Hand Pump,”
c. Analysis:
While the TS&D Department made considerable efforts to test and document the
parameters of competitive products on the market against the performance of the JANANI
pump, there was no documentation on how much better the JANANI needed to be in order to
constitute a “killer product.”38 Before IDE invests in product commercialization, there
should be a litmus test that ensures that a product is a “killer product,” and thus worth the
investment of commercialization.
 
36 Interviews with TS&D Department indicated a weight range of 14.5-15.5 kgs.
37 Interviews with dealers in Mymensingh indicated that the RFL hand pump was the best selling shallow well
pump. Its cost was quoted at Tk 560.
38 This term “killer product” is referred to by IDE Denver’s description of IDE’s methodology.
58
Field Testing
a. Findings:
The R&D team for the CDM project had considerable documentation on the process
followed for developing a product, field testing it, and finalizing it. After all laboratory tests
and market comparison were conducted to develop the JANANI pump, the “first lot of
demonstration pumps were manufactured in December 1998.”39 Field-testing began in
January 1999 and continued up until May 1999.40
Data was collected on 120 pumps and on pump operation at different depths (of the
water table), on user satisfaction, durability of base plates, and “inspector’s comments.”
Each pump was monitored and data collected on a monthly basis. The data was sheets were
sent from the regional to the Dhaka Office. While the TS&D Department began
computerizing the data, a virus destroyed the database. Consequently, it was decided to use
the written data sheets given that there were only 120 cases to analyze. The M&E
Department developed a report on the user satisfaction with the pump during field-testing.
Upon completion of the field testing in May 1999, a seven-member committee was
organized to review all data and make decisions about the final design and selection of
manufacturers. The committee was made up of two Senior Managers, two Assistant
Managers, and three Technical Officers. On the basis of user feedback and technical test
results, modifications were made to the design (see annex: “Production Drawing on JANANI
Hand pump”). The test marketing was then commenced in June 1999.
b. Evidence:
- “CDM Workplan: May 1999 – September 2000”
- Field Tests – Data Collection Forms
- “JANANI Hand Tubewell Performance Report” (field testing analysis)
- “CDM Annual Report, October 1998 – September 1999”
- “Baseline Survey,” (highlighting weight, market price, and profit margins of
existing pumps), May 1999.
Goal 3: Strengthen the Capacity of Supply Chain Partners to Disseminate Low-Cost
Hand Pumps (LCHP)
Training Network Partners in LCHP
a. Findings:
IDE-B’s CDM Project began involving its partner network as early as the field testing
stage in order to expose them to the new technology, demonstrate the qualities of the product,
and generate motivation for future marketing activities.
 
39 “Annual Report: October 1998 – September 1999.”
40 See IDE-B datasheet on “Chronology of Events.”
59
The original project plan included as many as 40 manufacturers, 600 wholesalers and
dealers, and 3,000 installers. During the market-testing phase, however, CDM limited the
number of manufacturers as the product was not ready for mass marketing. Initially, a
Dhaka-based manufacturer produced pumps, but after this manufacturer began making
demands for more money and up-front payments, CDM shifted to another manufacturer in
Bogra, a city more centrally situated to the regions where CDM is now focused. After
realizing the severity of arsenic contamination and revising the project strategy, CDM
decided not to expand production beyond this one manufacturer, who has reportedly
established good relationships with dealers.
This single manufacturer received technical and marketing training from IDE-B. As
part of the technical training the manufacturer received the pump pattern for the mold,
production drawings, and training in quality production and control. The TS&D Department
developed guidelines for quality control, including fact sheets entitled, “Quality Control
Procedure,” “Quality Installation Steps,” and “Quality control Check Points.” To ensure
quality during the market-testing project stage, CDM Technical Officers monitored the
quality of the manufacturers’ pumps using a form entitled, “JANANI Hand Pump Production
Monitoring Format” and guidelines including, the “List of tools to be used for quality check.”
Technical quality is monitored and assessed in the Monthly Report sent to Dhaka from each
region.
CDM had initially envisioned a role for wholesalers in the supply chain. The benefit
of wholesalers is that they buy in bulk and pay manufacturers up-front. Dealers, on the other
hand, tend to buy many products from wholesalers who often extend credit to dealers with
whom they have established long-term and trusting relationships. However, very soon in the
marketing phase of CDM the dealers argued that they would rather have a direct relationship
with the manufacturer so as to cut out the margin of the wholesaler. Dealers agreed to
coordinate orders by region, buy in bulk, and share the transport costs. However, the
manufacturer requires up-front payment from these dealers. Over time, IDE-B expects the
manufacturer and dealers to develop a relationship that will allow for credit.
The dealers involved in the CDM project were already partners with IDE-B, already
had a cadre of installers working with them, and had already been trained under the treadle
pump program. In other words, a supply chain was in place for the CDM to build on.41
Despite the familiarity of most dealers with IDE-B’s program approach, CDM needed to train
dealers in the operation of the JANANI pump, quality specifications, and marketing. IDE-B
already had a manual for dealer training and added to this information specific to the
JANANI.
As of July 2000, CDM had not met the target of 600 dealers as called for in the DIP.
As shown by the fact sheet entitled, “IDE Network Partners JANANI Hand Pump During
1999 – 2000,” CDM does have linkages with over 600 dealers. However, only 254 are
considered quality partners, meaning that they provide the requisite technical assistance and
share in the costs of promotional activities. Only quality dealers sell JANANI pumps and
arsenic kits. Non-quality dealers cannot sell JANANI pumps but can order testing kits
 
41 A new manufacturer had to be identified, since the JANANI is caste rather than constructed of sheet metal like
the TP, and thus the JANANI requires a fabricator that can develop molds and caste.
60
through quality partners. Due to the limitation set on the project area by the arsenic problem
(described in the next section), marketing and even market testing of the JANANI had been
withheld from two regions. Moreover, because 364 dealers were still not considered “quality
partners,” CDM did not met its target of 600. However, according to the Program Manager,
the number of quality dealers is increasing over time.
As of July 2000, the CDM-selected dealers were working with 1,376 mistries or
installers. Installers are enlisted by dealers, and have in the past received training from IDE￾B on quality installation and marketing. CDM began training installers in JANANI pump
installation in August 1999. Mistries were subsequently trained in repair and maintenance of
the JANANI and marketing.
b. Evidence:
- “CDM Work Plan: May 1999 – September 2000.” (includes training schedule for
all supply chain members)
- “Quality Control Procedure” (for the JANANI pump)
- “Quality Installation Steps”
- “Quality Control Check Points”
- “JANANI Hand Pump Production Monitoring Format”
- “IDE Network Partners JANANI Hand Pump During 1999 – 2000”
- “Report on Dealers Training, 1999”
- “Training Manual: Training on Field-Level Arsenic Testing.”
- “Completion Report on Training of Trainers of IDE on Arsenic Issues,” February
2000.
c. Analysis
IDE had already developed a network of partners – supply chain participants –
through its activities under the treadle pump program. Based on relationships with this
network, IDE was able to launch a new product, the JANANI, with relatively little effort.
Supply chain participants did need training in the production, operation and/or maintenance
of this new product, but they were largely already aware of IDE’s methodology.
Goal 4: Test-Market and Product Launch of LCHP –Motivate Users/Customers to
Purchase LCHP, Assess User Acceptability of LCHP, and Adapt Product
Accordingly
After field testing the JANINI pump and while building the capacity of the supply
chain, CDM staff test marketed the technology in order to gain information from users on the
product design, performance, price, and potential demand. Because of the apparent demand
estimated during the field testing phase and delays experienced during Year 1 of CDM, the
launching of the product occurred simultaneously with the test marketing. Following the
launching of the product, CDM began a promotional campaign in partnership with dealers,
installers, and NGOs to create demand for the new product.
61
Test Market the LCHP
a. Findings:
As part of the test-marketing phase of CDM, six hundred JANANI pumps were
distributed to five regions between June and August of 1999. User feedback on these 600
pumps was collected by using the “Product Monitoring Format: JANANI Hand Pump,”
developed by the M&E Department.42 Product launching programs were organized in all
five regions (Bogra, Comilla, Dinajpur, Jessore, and Mymesingh), and involved the
participation of IDE staff along with dealers and NGOs. Participation by NGOs and dealers
is shown below and based on data gleaned from the Annual Report:
Region Date No. of Dealers No. of NGO
Representatives
Bogra 29 June 1999 29 9
Comilla 1 July 1999 28 3
Dinajpur 28 June 1999 27 15
Jessore 24 August 1999 32 7
Mymensingh 21 June 1999 30 3
b. Evidence:
- “JANANI Drinking Water Pump Test Marketing Phase.”
- “Product Monitoring Format: JANANI Hand Pump”
- “CDM Annual Report: October 1998 - September 1999.”
c. Analysis:
The test marketing phase of CDM resulted in adaptations to the product based on user
feedback surveys, and linkages among supply chain participants. Moreover, because the
supply chain participants were involved in the testing marketing, this project phase
represented an opportunity to introduce and link the manufacturer to the dealers, and dealers
to potential customers and NGOs. The product launching was an opportunity – not only to
stimulate demand – but for dealers to test for themselves the demand for this new product.
 
42 This format calls for data on arsenic and water quality, socio-economic information as well as gender￾disaggregated data on the purchaser of the pump, the use of the pump (including whether it was used for
generating income), and the owners ability to repair and maintain the pump. The section on socio-economic data
requests information on family income, sources of income, land ownership, assets, children attending school, and
health of family members.
62
Creating Demand: The Promotional Campaign
a. Findings:
IDE’s promotional and mass marketing strategy is one of the characteristics that sets
this NGO apart from many other development organizations engaged in product
commercialization. While promotion and marketing are done by other organizations, IDE￾B’s coverage, creative approaches, long-term investment, and emphasis on promotion are
relatively unique.
To generate demand for the JANANI pump, following the product launching, IDE￾B’s engaged in a promotional campaign that included open air video shows, a school video
show, mobile display shows, rickshaw van processions, “miking,”43 demonstrations, and
customer motivation meetings. The impact of these activities (which were most intense
during Year 3) was evidenced by the apparent growth in arsenic testing over the short period
in which CDM has engaged in promotion. In the last six months, during which CDM
established a network of testers, nearly 4,000 tubewells were tested (“Arsenic Test Result
Within CMD Program Areas”). One tester stated that in the last six months, he had tested
362 tubewells, two-thirds of which he had tested in the last month.
Although the majority of CDM promotional activities were carried out in Year 3,
when the project shifted focus during Year 2, posters and leaflets illustrating important
features of the pump were developed, and signboards advertising the JANANI pump were
erected at key sites. At the end of the second year of CDM, planned promotional activities
included rickshaw van processions, folksongs, mobile displays, banner displays, agro-fairs,
and installer and NGO meetings. According to a fact sheet entitled, “Educational Outreach
Material / Promotional Material Distributed up to July 2000,” prior to the shift in strategy,
CDM distributed 27,000 posters and 60,000 leaflets advertising the JANANI.
b. Evidence:
- “CDM Annual Report: October 1998 – September 1999.”
- “CDM Work Plan: May 1999 – September 2000”
- “CDM Monthly Regional Progress Report (October 1999 to September 2000)”
- “Product Launching Ceremony: JANANI Hand Pump”
- Poster
- Leaflet
- Attendance at school program, open air video show, folk song, and “miking”
- Interviews with IDE-B staff
 
43 “Miking” involves a loudspeaker attached to a vehicle for advertising purposes.
63
c. Analysis:
IDE-B has prided itself on its use of “mass marketing techniques” in selling over one
million pumps in Bangladesh. Now that the M&E Department has moved beyond a narrow
focus on sales, it is beginning to analyze the relationship between different promotional
activities and sales, in order to identify which promotional tools are cost-effective. While the
(regression) analyses are still at pilot stage, there are plans to conduct more thorough research
with a larger sample size.
Goal 5: Establish Collaborative Relationships with NGOs
a. Findings
According to an IDE data sheet from the M&E Department file, during the 1999-
2000 season (up to July 2000), IDE-B’s CDM project was working with 57 NGOs in the
three region project area (Mymensingh, Dinajpur, and Bogra).44 These 57 NGOs have a total
of 258 branches working throughout the three regions at district and thana levels. According
to IDE’s “Fact Sheet 1,” IDE –B works with 19 NGOs in Mymensingh, 31 in Dinajpur, and
42 in Bogra.
The CDM Project “Workplan: May 1999 – September 2000” documents the process
of identifying NGOs. Additionally, the “MAT-V Program Status during January – June
2000” document states the criteria used by IDE-B in selecting “quality NGO partners.” They
include:
- Credit facility
- Potential TP or JANANI buyers in group members
- Organizational interest to incorporate TP and/or JANANI program
- Favorable policy support of TP and/or JANANI dissemination
- Willingness to share information
- Willingness to only procure quality pumps (made and distributed by quality
partners)
But while CDM initiated contacts with relevant NGOs, IDE-B had already developed
relationships with over 100 NGOs as part of the treadle pump project. Thus the CDM project
was able to select from these and others NGOs involved in microfinance in the project area.
CDM staff arranged meetings with NGOs, providing information on the JANANI pump and
on arsenic issues. In September 1999, a training session was held to train NGO staff on
arsenic issues and on ways that they could contribute to and/or participate in the marketing of
the JANANI pump and arsenic awareness activities.
The evaluator met with a branch of BRAC based in the Mymensingh region. BRAC
noted that it promoted IDE’s LCHP to its lending clients because of the technical assistance
and arsenic testing provided through IDE’s program. While BRAC too had a arsenic
awareness program, it did not have a network of testers, the same level of promotional
 
44 IDE-B has partnerships with a total of 185 NGOs, but only 57 of these are associated with the CDM Project,
IDE-B Fact Sheet 2.
64
activities, and technical expertise in the Mymensingh region, and thus relied on
collaborations with IDE to promote arsenic testing and awareness to its constituency.
Some NGOs offer clients of IDE’s supply chain credit for purchasing the LCHP.
BRAC is an example. Partner NGOs also play a role in promoting IDE’s technology.
BRAC, for instance, noted that it participated in arsenic awareness activities organized by
IDE and/or its network partners. NGOs often organize their constituency for these
promotional activities and share in the costs.
In partnering with NGOs, IDE signs a “Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)” (see
annex for sample MOU). As part of the MOU, IDE ensures the NGO of the quality of the
equipment and installation. Products and installation, however, are provided by the private
sector network promoted by IDE. Nonetheless, the request for procurement of products is
done between IDE and the NGO. According to BRAC, they provide their clients with
information on the LCHP or IDE’s treadle pump and the location of a nearby dealer and
arsenic tester. In other words, BRAC merely providers information about private sector
suppliers and does not subsidize and/or purchase products for clients.
According to the CDM “Project Proposal,” IDE-B offers NGOs feasibility
assessments and assurance regarding technology products, a local network of dealers and
installers accessible to an NGO’s constituency, and exposure meetings for NGO staff, NGO
staff motivational meetings and training in promotional and technical issues. IDE-B does not
have documentation regarding feedback on this training.45 Sales activities, however, provide
some indication of the strength and/or quality of the relationship between the NGO and IDE.
Of the 3,442 JANANI pumps sold as of July 2000, 285 were sold by NGOs.
b. Evidence
- “Report on NGO Workshop”
- “CDM Monthly Regional Progress Report (October 1999 to September 2000)”
- “Memorandum of Understanding” (MOU with NGOs)
- NGO Training Assessment format
- “Name of Partner NGOs”
c. Analysis
The major advantages that IDE-B and/or CDM brings to arsenic awareness activities
– as compared to other NGOs and donors – is the coverage offered by IDE’s national,
private-sector network of dealers, installers, and testers and the extent of IDE’s promotional
activities. Most NGOs work in only selected districts and/or thanas. Whereas IDE’s private￾sector network affords them national coverage. Additionally, while other NGOs engage in
promotional activities; these promotional efforts are generally more limited to handbills,
leaflets, etc and do not include the whole array of events organized by IDE that include
hundreds of participants. As such these characteristics of IDE-B’s program make it very
effective in social marketing.
 
45 IDE is currently undertaking an impact assessment – as part of the CDM project. This assessment will include
an evaluation of NGO and other training activities.
65
The major advantage offered by collaborations with other NGOs are credit facilities
and linkages to customer networks. Access to credit, however, is particularly important,
since this is a service which IDE-B does not provide it clients. The importance of access to
credit is evidenced by the impact of NGO collaboration on TP sales. In the last year, TP
sales through NGOs has exceeded sales through the private sector. One can surmise – based
on a single interview with BRAC as well as an SDC-funded impact assessment – that TP
sales are moving downmarket, as access to credit allows poorer clientele to purchase the TP.
Goal 6: Build Awareness of Safe Drinking Water and Arsenic Problem
a. Findings
While CDM’s focus on arsenic testing and awareness expanded greatly in Year 3,
activities were initiated earlier during the test marketing project phase in Year 2. A guideline
for arsenic testing was developed and plans were made for an arsenic testing facility.
Information on the testing facility was shared at the product launching in mid-1999.
In October 1999, CDM conducted a Participatory Learning and Action (PLA) session
with rural villagers on a pilot basis. The purpose of the PLA was to test the effectiveness of
PLA in demand creation and awareness raising. The results of the PLA are documented in
“Report on PLA Sessions in Chuadanda.”46 A stated objective of the PLA exercise was:
“to test the effectiveness of the pilot PLA sessions in increasing health, hygiene, and
environmental awareness, especially on arsenic issues, among participants – which
in turn will create demand for the JANANI pump as a better source of safe water.”
Six consecutive PLA sessions were held involving:
(1) physical resource mapping – to identify various resources, including water, in the
village and potential demand for the JANANI pump.
(2) Socio-economic problem analysis – to bring to light the various socio-economic
problems of rural villagers and their effects
(3) Hygenic behavior – to make participants aware of hygenic behaviors, the
importance of safe water, and ways of identifying sources of safe water
(4) Awareness of arsenic – to educate participants about symptoms and prevention of
arsenic-related disease and thus the importance of using safe water
(5) Product knowledge – to introduce the JANANI pump to participants and explain
its advantages and added value in comparison to other similar products on the
market
(6) Scope for IGA – to educate participants about multi-purpose uses of water
pumps, e.g., for small-scale fisheries, gardens, etc.
b. Evidence:
- “Report on PLA Sessions in Chuadanda.”
 
46 “Report on PLA Sessions in Chuadanga,” by Md. Harun-Or-Rashid, CARE Bangladesh, October 1999.
66
C. Goals Oriented Toward Arsenic Awareness Raising
As the severity of the arsenic contamination of tubewells became more widely
understood, CMD requested permission from USAID to re-orient project activities toward
arsenic awareness raising and testing in Year 3. CDM halted project activities and sale of
drinking water pumps in the southern regions, where the arsenic contamination was the
worst, and began focusing on three northern regions. Although sales of JANANI pumps
continued in the newly defined project area, pumps were sold in combination with an arsenic
testing service. Testing services were sold through a network of testers identified, trained,
and linked to IDE’s quality partner dealers, who sold the testing kits and pumps.
Promotional activities aimed at schools, NGOs, and the public-at-large appeared to be quite
effective in motivating increasing arsenic testing.
Arsenic Phase of CDM (Year 3) October 99 – September 00
1. Revising Project Activities
2. Promotional Materials Development for Arsenic
Awareness Raising
3. Arsenic Testing of Installed Pumps by IDE
4. Information Sharing with Dealers and Installers on
Arsenic
5. Selection of Arsenic Testers
6. Training of Trainers for IDE staff on Arsenic
7. Training of Private Sector Testers
8. Revision of Monitoring Format
9. Testing Service initiated by Private Sector Testers
10. Awareness and Promotional Activities started
September 1999
October 99 – May 00
October 99 – February 00
November – December 99
January – March 00
March 2000
March – April 00
May 2000
From May 2000
From October 99 (pilot scale)
From May 00 (mass scale)
Goal 2.1: Hire Staff Person with Arsenic Expertise to Supervise Arsenic Testing
a. Findings:
CDM hired the Arsenic Program Coordinator in March 2000. Although the project
was revised in the fall of 1999, identifying an individual with the proper qualifications was
not easy. Eventually Mr. Sad Ahmed, a former GOB researcher and chemist was selected.
Mr. Ahmed had conducted research on drinking water issues for the Government, and thus
was well aware of the arsenic problem. His chemistry background also provided him with
the technical expertise to assess arsenic contamination.
The Arsenic Program Coordinator has played a key role in developing the testing
capacity of CDM. He has overseen the training of arsenic testers as well as IDE Technical
67
Officers, hired under the CDM Project, and played a key role in cross checking wells tested
by the CDM network. According to the “Arsenic Test Results within the CDM Program
Area,” 3,810 tubewells had been tested between October 1999 (when IDE staff conducted the
tests) and between May and July 2000 (when the private sector testers conducted the tests),47
and 4,991 tests have been conducted. (according to “Fact Sheet 1”). The difference between
wells tested and tests conducted reflects the multiple tests that may be done on a single well,
since the status of a well can change over time.
The development and research community in Bangladesh (USGS has also been
involved) is still debating the most effective means of “ameliorating or mitigating” arsenic
contamination. Nonetheless, IDE-B has begun a number of activities to provide safe
drinking water. A ceramic water filter has been tested and is now being adapted and
developed for production in Bangladesh by IDE-B. Additionally, IDE-B is developing a
small-scale rainwater harvesting technology.
b. Evidence:
- Interview with Arsenic Program Coordinator
- Interview with CDM Regional staff
- IDE-B HR Department Staff List
- “Arsenic Test Results within the CDM Program Area”
- “Fact Sheet 1”
- Visit to IDE-B’s R&D Center
- Interview with Nicaraguan potter, developing ceramic filter for Bangladesh
production
- Visit to village of ceramicists
Goal 2.2: Launch Public Awareness Campaign
a. Findings:
In order to generate awareness of arsenic, CDM relied on IDE-B’s well-established
marketing strategies and expertise. In October 1999, CDM initiated promotional activities on
a pilot scale, and then scaled up efforts starting in May 2000. Awareness raising activities
included:
- an open air video, for which CDM produced a 76-minute drama on arsenic
- school program, in which CDM showed a 20-minute video, handed out leaflets, t￾shirts, and other materials to students
- a TV video show, that dealers could use for showing to their customers
- folk song event, in which CDM hired professional folk singers to perform at
central places in the village or market
- mobile display shows on arsenic
- installer motivation meetings, organized by CDM to educate and motivate
installers about the importance of arsenic testing and awareness raising
- customer motivation meetings
- Arsenic testers meetings
- NGO and local government meetings
 
47 The source of this data is listed as “3810 IDE field Test Emark Kit Analysis, July 2000.”
68
- NGO group member meetings, in which NGO members – often women’s groups
– are informed of the arsenic problem and the availability of testing services
- Rickshaw van procession
- “Miking”
- Distribution of 13,500 posters,13,500 leaflets, and 250 banners48
Based on a field visit that included an open-air video show as well as school program,
it appears that these events are well attended, designed, and organized. The real question,
however, is what kind of impact do they have? The M&E Department is in the process of
developing tools to better understand the relationship between different promotional activities
and sales. To date, these kind of analyses have focused on the TP program. However,
understanding how to effectively change behavior using educational and awareness raising
activities is critical to social marketing efforts, and to CDM as it tackles the arsenic issue.
But while assessments of the impact of arsenic campaign has not yet been done, sales of
JANANI pumps (which have been associated with arsenic testing) and sales of testing
services are good proxy measures.
Monthly sales of JANANI pumps are not necessarily revealing, because of seasonal
fluctuations in sales.49 More historical data is needed to correlate promotion with pump
sales.
PUMPS SOLD/WELLS TESTED JULY 2000 Statistics
Number of pumps sold (1) 3,727
Number of wells tested 3,810
Number of wells tested
(beyond JANANI customers)
 83
Number of tests conducted 4,991
(1) All JANANI pump tubewells have been tested
Of the nearly 5,000 tests conducted, by far most of have been done for JANANI
customers (note that all JANANI pumps have been tested). The larger number of tests
conducted as compared to wells tested likely relates to multiple tests on a single well to check
change over time. Remember the status of a well can change and thus should be checked
every six months or so. What is revealing about these statistics, however, is that they suggest
that CDM has not reached very far beyond their JANANI customers.
Interviews with testers suggested that many more non-JANANI pumps were being
tested. Moreover, the IDE-B regional team noted (in an interview) that 57% of all pumps
tested are JANANI pumps. Thus there is either a problem with the data reported or more
recent testing activities have focused more pointedly on non-JANANI pumps.
 
48 Based on data provided in “Educational Outreach Material/Promotional Material Distributed up to July 2000.”
49 Sales of JANANI Pumps (October 99 – July 00)
Oct 99 Nov99 Dec99 Jan00 Feb00 Mar00 Apr00 May Jun00 July00
192 201 371 724 433 293 318 482 378 228
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b. Evidence:
- Attendance at a school program, where the 20-minute video was shown
- Attendance at an open air video show, where the 60-minute docu-drama was
shown
- Copies of leaflets, posters and other promotional materials
- “Monthly Progress report (October 99 to September 00), July 2000
- “Fact Sheet 1”
- “Messages on the Leaflet and Poster” (English translation)
Goal 2.3: Develop and Train a Network of Testers and Technical Officers (TOs) to
Ensure Effective Arsenic Testing
Identifying and Training a Network of Testers
a. Findings:
Testers were selected from a pool of unemployed holders of secondary school
certificates. Because testing, especially in the beginning, does not constitute a full-time job,
CDM had to identify a profile of a tester that was at once educated – since testers have to
keep records on the tests – and would be motivated by a new and untried job opportunity.
Unemployed secondary school graduates proved to be an effective choice. According to
interviews with IDE-B regional staff and testers themselves, these young people enjoyed the
prestige associated with helping the community, as well as the income opportunity, which in
rural areas are difficult to find.
According to the “IDE Arsenic Testers List,” 75 testers were trained (there is no date
on this document), and yet a July 2000 Fact Sheet notes that 85 testers had been trained
between March and July 2000. Training for these testers was conducted on a regional basis.
Each CMD project region held a one two-day training workshop for testers, as well as a one￾day follow-up training. Additionally, every month a half-day meeting was held with testers,
Technical Officers, and the Arsenic Program Coordinator to discuss problems and issues.
Testers also received further one-on-one instruction from the Arsenic Program Coordinator
on an adhoc or “as needed” basis. Finally, the Coordinator checked the quality of testers’
work by conducting cross-checks and randomly selecting testers to accompany during a day
of testing. Cross-checks on 21 pumps (14 non-JANANI, 7 JANANI) indicated four
reclassifications after cross checking, according to “Cross-Checking Status in July 2000.”
Changes in classification, however, can happen naturally over time. Nonetheless, the cross￾checks can alert the Arsenic Program Coordinator to possible weaknesses among testers.
CDM trained its cadre of Technical Officers on arsenic issues through a “Training of
Trainers” Workshop provided by the NGO Forum. The topics covered included: information
on the arsenic problem in Bangladesh; arsenic testing procedures, health effects of arsenic
poisoning, and possible mitigation efforts. Technical Officers also received “Technical
Training” (a manual is available) focused on JANANI pump production, operation,
maintenance, and repair; product quality standards; and quality installation standards. These
Technical Officers, in turn, play an important role in training new testers, NGOs, and dealers
70
in arsenic issues; overseeing arsenic testing at the regional level; and playing an overall
quality control role.
At present, there is no documentation on the impact of these trained staff persons on
“educating farm families about arsenic risks and effecting behavior change.” While the
increase in sales of testing services is an indicator of effectiveness, understanding the impacts
of trained staff will be a challenge of the CDM impact assessment, planned for the month of
September.
b. Evidence:
- “CDM Project’s Staff Development Training”
- “IDE Training Calendar 1999”
- “Cross-Checking Status in July 2000”
- “Arsenic Test Results Within CDM Program Area”
Goal 2.4: Test and Mark (Red or Green) Pumps in Target Area for Arsenic
Contamination
a. Findings:
As of July 2000, CDM had tested 3,810 tubewells and – according to reports and a
field visit – marked the pumpheads red or green to different contaminated wells from non￾contaminated wells. According to “Arsenic Test Results within CDM Program Areas,” 195
tubewells or 5% of those tested were found contaminated. An earlier sample testing of 204
JANANI pumps found 18 contaminated wells, or 6% percent of the sample. CDM has no
documentation on the impact of the red and green markings on pump users behavior; this will
be assessed by the upcoming impact assessment.
b. Evidence:
- “Arsenic Test Results Within CDM Program Area”
- Field trips to Mymensingh and Bogra
- “IDE Monitoring Report of JANANI Hand Tubewell based on a Sample of 204,”
Monitoring & Evaluation Department
Goal 2.5: Establish a M&E System Adapted to Arsenic Orientation of Project
a. Findings:
IDE-B’s M&E Department designed forms for data collection under the field-testing
phase of CDM, the market-testing phase, and the arsenic awareness and testing phase. Under
the field testing phase, M&E efforts focused on collecting technical performance data on pumps
in the field as well as “users’ comments and inspectors’ comments.” This data is summarized
in a document entitled, “JANANI Hand Tubewell Performance Report: Discharge Performance
and Operations Condition.”
71
During the test-marketing phase of CDM, the “Product Monitoring Format: JANANI
Hand Pump” was used to collect data on product performance, installation costs, level of
arsenic contamination, income earned from the pump (if any), as well as socio-economic
data. The latter includes questions on landholdings and other assets, gender, marital status,
family size, and health status. Additionally, M&E has a “Monthly Progress Report” format
that calls for sales data by region, by private sector and NGO linkages, target versus actual, a
census count of promotional activities and number of participants attending promotional
activities.
Finally, the M&E Department has a “Field Testing Report on Arsenic,” which
collects data on arsenic tests, including: tubewell users’ name, location, annual income,
previous source of water, type of pump in user, level of arsenic contamination, and pump
spout color.
b. Evidence:
- “IDE-B CDM Project, JANANI Pump Monthly Monitoring Sheet”
- “IDE, USAID Program, Pump Monitoring Format”
- “JANANI Hand Tubewell Performance Report: Discharge Performance and
Operations Condition.”
- “Product Monitoring Format: JANANI Hand Pump”
- “Monthly Progress Report”
- “Field Testing Report on Arsenic”
- “A Technical Proposal for Evaluation of the Capacity Building, Development and
Marketing of Low Cost Hand Pump Project”
c. Analysis:
While it is important that IDE-B’s M&E Department developed an M&E system
adapted to the CDM Project, it is also important that this data is analyzed and used for
management purposes. As noted previously, earlier M&E efforts across all programs focused
heavily on sales. IDE-B’s M&E Department has likely taken the most aggressive steps
toward rectifying this situation. In the last year, the M&E Department has begun some
sophisticated analyses of data including:
- Impact assessments of various promotional activities
- Correlation analyses between different promo activities and sales
- Trend analyses of sales by NGOs as compared to the private sector over time
- Assessments of training effectiveness
These assessments, however, have been done for the TP program, which is much
more mature than CDM. Nonetheless, the M&E Department will undertake an impact
assessment to examine the impact of training activities, initial promotional activities (that
were not initiated on a mass scale until May 2000); benefits to women and other clients; the
viability of the supply chain and the tester network, and the extent to which CDM activities
have changed the behavior of the population affected by arsenic (“A Technical Proposal for
Evaluation of the Capacity Building, Development and Marketing of Low Cost Hand Pump
Project”). This assessment can provide the basis for designing a more sophisticated M&E
system for the CDM activities as the program matures.
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Goal 2.6 Procure an Arsenator and Ensure its Reliability
a. Findings:
In searching for a high quality arsenator, CDM discovered from the supplier that a
new model was about to come on the market. This new model is expected to be significantly
more effective than older machines. In waiting for a newer model, CDM still did not have an
arsenator as of August 2000, but was told that it would arrive soon.
b. Evidence:
- Interview with CDM Program Manager
- Invoice for arsenator
D. Project Success/Sustainability
The objectives of the CDM project – prior to the reorientation to arsenic mitigation –
included:
- developing a new affordable and appropriate product,
- developing (through training) a supply chain (manufacturers, dealers, and
installers) for delivering the product,
- creating demand for the product through mass marketing efforts
- developing linkages with NGOs for credit provision
- developing awareness among customers about safe drinking water
While the arsenic problem hindered CDM’s ability to achieve all of these objectives
and targets set (see below), the Evaluation SOW asks whether CDM was able to establish the
systems for achieving the goals and revised targets. And in fact, CDM’s achievements, listed
by the Project Manager, include the establishment of an impressive array of systems within a
short period of time. These systems include:
1. promotional materials developed
2. testing service and equipment made available
3. supply chain of dealers and testers established
4. involvement of dealers and installers in testing and promotion
5. coordination with NGOs
6. mass marketing of arsenic issue through school programs, open air video shows,
NGO video shows, dealer video shows, tester meetings, leaflets and posters,
miking, and rickshaw processions.
7. improvements in testing equipment
Thus, CDM was successful at developing the new JANANI pump, establishing a
supply chain, launching a promotional campaign, linking to NGOs for credit provision, and
developing an awareness about arsenic contamination. The targets achieved, as of July 2000,
appear to be in line with the “new targets proposed,” given that the project still has several
more months before completion and that these months are a high sales period.
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ORIGINAL TARGETS PROPOSED NEW TARGETS JULY 2000 ACHIEVEMENTS
40 manufacturers in place 4 Manufacturers 1 manufacturer in place
600 dealers selling the pump 300-317 dealers 254 dealers selling pumps
3000 installers trained 2000 installers trained 1,376 installers trained
15,000 pumps installed 5,000 pumps installed 3,442 pumps installed
50 NGOs working with the project 20 NGOs working with the project 57 NGOs working with the project
Success in achieving these objectives and targets was meant to produce a new “killer
product” for IDE-B to commercialize on a mass scale, as the TP was reaching the end of its
product cycle. IDE-B already had a network of partners – a supply chain as well as links to
NGOs – in place, able and willing to market new products, especially if IDE-B engaged in
creating demand for the new product.
The weakness, however, in the CDM Project design is that the JANANI pump is
most likely not a killer product. Although IDE-B’s efforts at promotion can surely generate
demand for the pump, there are at least 15 other similar products on the market (according to
the TS&D own “Baseline Survey”). While some of these are of poor quality, others have an
excellent reputation among consumers (based on interviews with dealers). In fact, one of the
constraints to selling the JANANI is that it must compete with other products to which
customers are loyal and that historically have had a good reputation.50
The real strength, however, and success of the CDM Project accrues from the arsenic
problem. Although IDE-B’s experience has been in developing and marketing hard
technologies, the arsenic awareness campaign called for soft technologies, social marketing,
and a focus that is normally thought of as a “public good.” Using a supply chain approach
with a “public good” was innovative. As it turned out, CDM’s approach to arsenic testing
and awareness raising has been one of the more imaginative and successful approaches
attempted in Bangladesh.
CDM’s network of private-sector testers provide more dependable services over a
larger area than many other better funded efforts (according to an interview with BRAC).
The success of CDM’s model is also suggested by a paper written for the UNDP-World Bank
Water and Sanitation Program and entitled, “Arsenic Mitigation amidst Uncertainty: Supply
Chains for Arsenic Removal Units and Field Test Kits in West Bengal and Bangladesh.”
This proposed project design borrows from IDE’s “supply chain” approach and shows its
applicability across the arsenic-contaminated region of Bangladesh and West Bengal.
And it turns out, in seeking a new “killer product,” IDE-B failed in the first attempt
(the JANANI) but found in the arsenic problem an approach that may truly represent a “killer
service.”
Proof of the effectiveness of the CDM approach in addressing the arsenic problem
will come from an impact assessment currently underway. Nonetheless, the number of
arsenic tests (services) sold since the arsenic testers were in place (as of May 2000) is
indicative of the effectiveness of the awareness raising campaign. In the three months
between May and July, almost 5,000 tests were conducted for a fee of Tk 40. Moreover,
 
50 Interviews with a relatively small number of dealers revealed that the “RFL” pump, for instance, that sells at a
higher price than the JANANI (Tk 560 as compared to Tk 400), is their best selling pump.
74
interviews with a small sample of CDM testers revealed that demand for services remains
significant and is growing.
Another indicator of sustainability is the viability of the supply chain. Of most
importance to the arsenic issue is the network of testers, who provide the testing service, and
the dealers who sell the test kits. Interviews with IDE-B regional staff indicated that testers,
who remember are hired from a pool of unemployed secondary school graduates, earn Tk 25
per test and conduct about 100 tests per month. This amounts to an annual income of Tk
30,000. This is not sufficient income to maintain a family in the rural areas (according to
IDE-B staff). However, some testers live with their family and others engage in additional
income generating activities. Given the paucity of income opportunities for young educated
men living in rural areas, testing may be an attractive job. It was also clear that the prestige
offered by the job added to the attractiveness of providing the service.
During the course of the project, the cost of these kits increased from Tk 910 to Tk
2,600.51 IDE-B is subsidizing the price of the new kits (by Tk 1.400) that sell at Tk 1,200.
The purpose of the subsidy, according to the CDM Project Manager, is to promote greater
testing. CDM feared that an increased price for testing in the middle of the promotional
campaign would dampen motivations of testers and customers. The concern for the future, of
course, is the un-sustainability of the subsidy.
 
51 The new kits are considerably more sensitive and thus effective than the newer kits.
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V. Sustainability
The objectives and indicators offered by the DIP for measuring sustainability
combine institutional and programmatic performance. The indicators of institutional
sustainability (see below) include building a strong team, generating interest among
donors, and building an effective MIS system. These objectives as well as corollaries
were discussed earlier under the section focused on Headquarters. As a result, the
following assessment will focus on programmatic sustainability.
Sustainability Objectives and Indicators in the DIP
 MEASURABLE OBJECTIVES INDICATORS
To build a strong team Team complete, committed and competent
To modify IDE’s micro-irrigation products
(if required) to suit the specific needs of
small and marginal farmers in the proposed
program areas.
Final product drawings are ready
To build a strong, sustainable supply chain
for the above products
Some manufacturers ready to produce the
systems
To generate interest among donors to
provide resources for this cause
Major donors are convinced about the
utility of micro-irrigation
To build an MIS system to provide timely,
usable information
MIS package field-tested
Fifteen years ago, IDE developed a private sector approach in keeping with the
beliefs of the Board, consisting largely of independent entrepreneurs. At the time, many
other organizations relied on more social-welfare driven strategies. But over the years,
the development community has increasingly adopted IDE’s approach to technology
commercialization. While IDE has a long and rich history in promoting private sector
development, to remain a market leader (in the development community), IDE needs to
consolidate its model and reach clarity regarding sustainability.
To assess IDE’s approach and success at achieving sustainability, this section
addresses issues related to product identification, demand creation, supply of products,
and the overall market for water-related technologies (irrigation and/or drinking water).
According to the Donor Committee’s approach to market development (which is
essentially the task of IDE), sustainability should be viewed in terms of the market,
including the sustainability of demand and supply.
A. Product Selection
In a 1993 article entitled, “On Sustainability,” Paul Polak and Don Schierling
(IDE’s former Vice President) note that “most important (to sustainability) is the
selection of the product.” Paul Polak asserts that “killer products” are at the core of IDE’s
work and success, and defines them as affordable and locally available products that meet
76
an important and/or fundamental need of large numbers of small and/or marginal farmers
and return 100% on a farmer’s investment within one year.
Affordability is key to success in demand creation. It is also an area where many
if not most technology transfer projects have been weak. IDE, on the other hand, has
been clear about selecting products truly within the financial reach of small and marginal
farmers. For instance, the TP installed cost US $24, while the kitchen garden drip
irrigation kit costs about US $8, and the low-cost JANANI Hand Pump costs about US $8
(not including installment costs).
A key factor missing from the definition of a killer product, however, is
competition in the market. In order for the demand for a “killer product” to be
substantial, there must be few if any options in the market. This factor was key to the
success of the TP. When IDE began commercializing the TP, there were essentially no
other options between traditional labor intensive methods (costing US $5) and motorized
pumps prices somewhere between US $5,000 or $10,000. The TP was a killer product
because it was affordable and efficient and had virtually no competition. Once
importation restrictions were lifted, the Chinese exported a diesel pump to Bangladesh
costing US $120. This new pump revolutionized the market, just as the TP had in
previous years. Meanwhile the TP was supplanted by this new “killer product.”
In the case of the JANANI pump, there was an initial assessment of other
products on the market. A report on the JANANI’s competition (there were 15 other
pumps on the market) was a clear signal that this was not a “killer product.” On the other
hand, AMIT represents a new technology for small farmers, for which there is no
competition. Although there is no documentation on the market or policy constraints
related to AMIT, the product appears to be a “killer product.”
Another key factor to making up a “killer product” is the policy environment. For
instance, in Bangladesh, prior to the TP “revolution,” the government had deregulated
irrigation equipment, opening a market niche for the TP. In India, the TP has had greater
barriers due to subsidies in the irrigation equipment market as well as advantages due to
import duties preventing competition with the low-cost Chinese diesel engine.
IDE’s analysis of the market and the role of the policy environment in defining
“killer products” has not been explicit. Although IDE-B was aware of the lack of
competition with TP at the start of the program, the organization then became focused on
TP sales, without sufficient attention to market changes. As a result, IDE-B lacked
clarity in the late 1990s, that TP sales were declining because of competition with a new
product.
Also because IDE’s M&E system – prior to the MG Program – was so geared
toward sales, there was a tendency to see the success of a new (non IDE) product on the
market as a failure for IDE. According to the principles set out by the Donor Committee,
however, IDE’s goal should be market development defined more broadly. As a
development organization, IDE’s role is to improve the market for small-plot irrigation
77
equipment such that small farmers have access to a greater range of options at a range of
prices. If this line of thinking is assumed, then the decline of the TP is not a sign of
failure. Over the course of the 15 years, farmers have been able to increase their land
intensity, switch to higher-return crops, and substantially increase their incomes as a
result of the TP.52 These impacts provided the stage for yet a new innovation, the Chinese
diesel pump, to enter the market. Consequently, IDE-B was successful in developing the
market for small-plot irrigation equipment and contributing to dynamism in the market
(as a result of income gains).
B. Sustainability of Demand
Marketing is a cornerstone of the IDE approach. Probably more than any other
technology-transfer organization, IDE has developed sophisticated and creative
approaches to demand creation. IDE’s marketing campaigns have included a whole array
of events from open air video shows to motivational meetings with NGOs, installers,
dealers, and farmers to well-designed promotional materials like leaflets, posters, t-shirts
and banners. IDE is in the process of developing a marketing manual that documents the
organization’s knowledge and experience in marketing products to the rural poor.
IDE invests substantial resources on marketing. Although figures were not
available on program expenditures on promotion, IDE-B has a Marketing Department in
Dhaka, a network of “Customer Service Officers” in the field, and a budget for
promotional materials that – in the case of the CDM Project – accounted for three￾quarters of the Year 3 budget.
While IDE does require the private sector to share in the costs of promotional
activities, the “lion share” of the expenses are borne by IDE. The Donor Committee
recommends that practitioners focus on facilitating market development, rather than
engaging in direct service provision. This principle suggests that IDE should build the
marketing capacity of the private sector supply chain rather than engaging directly in
demand creation. After 15 years of TP marketing, IDE-B is devolving marketing and
promotion functions to the supply chain. While subsidized demand creation product (for
a limited time) is relatively widely accepted (by the Donor Committee) as a means for
launching a new product, to be truly sustainable, the supply chain needs to have its own
capacity for marketing.
C. Sustainability of the Supply Chain
IDE invests substantial resources in building the capacity of supply chain
members to meet demand. Capacity building activities include production training,
 
52 “Pedal Pump and the Poor: Social Impact of A Manual Irrigation Technology in South Asia,” by T. Shah, M.
Alam, M.D. Kumar, R.R. Nagar, and M. Singh. 1999.
78
training in quality control, business linkages, and training in improved business
practices.53
IDE plays an important role in setting the initial price for new products, based on
assessments of production costs, transport, installation, and reasonable margins for the
supply chain members. Once set, manufacturers and/or dealers find it difficult to changes
these prices except downward.
In Bangladesh, there have been substantial discussion about the low margins
earned by manufacturers (10%), dealers, and installers. On a Tk 1200 installed pump,
manufacturers make about Tk 25, dealers make Taka 100, and installers (anywhere
between 2 and 4 installers per pump) average Taka 250 - 350 depending on the depth of
the water table and the hardness of the soil. Interviews with IDE field staff, however,
reveal that the low level of margins is commonplace for pumps. Moreover,
manufacturers and dealers make their money not on the pump hardware, but on the PVC
pipe (according to interview with IDE-B Marketing Department).
The manufacturer producing the JANANI Pump in Bangladesh complained that
he only made Tk 8 on a Tk 355 ex-factory price. With cumulative sales at 3,727
(October 1999 – July 2000), the manufacturer would only make a profit of US $635.
However, after more discussion, the manufacturer revealed that he requires payment up￾front, although for other products he does offer (supplier) credit to dealers with whom he
has a trusting relationship. Additionally, the manufacturer indicated that he reaps two
important benefits from selling the JANANI. IDE has introduced the manufacturer to a
much larger network of dealers (70% more dealers), and he has gained greater
recognition as a result of IDE’s promotional activities. Both dealers and manufacturers
claimed that they sold more of all of their products as a result of IDE promotional
activities.54 In other words, the benefits reaped by IDE’s supply chain are not fully
captured by the financial analysis of margins. Additionally, the value placed on the
promotional activities suggests that the supply chain might be willing to pay for this
service.
IDE India’s AMIT Program conducted a detailed analysis of the potential
earnings by manufacturers, dealers, assemblers, agents (fitters), and farmers. In “A
Market Development Approach Study of Affordable Micro Irrigation Technology
(AMIT) Program of IDE,” IDE details the margins to for the AMIT kits, and in the
“National Marketing Plan), there is analysis of the viability of the assembler (see below).
AMIT’s financial analyses are thorough and suggest the potential viability of the supply
chain.
AMIT analyses indicate that a distributor, earning a 6% margin on each
component, can earn a total of Rs 165,000 on the sale of 750 drum kits per year. An
Assembler can earn, based on a Rs 100 margin per kit, Rs 75,000 on the sale of 750 drum
 
53 “The Development and Commercialization of the Treadle Pump in Bangladesh: A Case of Product
Marketing on a Mass Scale,” by Jeanne Downing and Paul Polak, April 2000.
54 This information is based on an interview with the manufacturer.
79
kits per year. AMIT estimates that dealers can sell 200 kits per year and earn a total
profit of Rs 30,000. Without a comparison to earnings from other products, it is difficult
to gauge how attractive these earnings are.
However, interviews with a manufacturer and an assembler suggest enthusiasm
for the business opportunity provided by AMIT. The assembler, who would not reveal
her profits, did note that she had sold 360 kits in 6 months. Based on AMIT’s estimated
earnings (and taking into consideration that the kits sold at different prices), one could
guess that this assembler has not yet broken even. According to the assembler, however,
she had made a profit, with which she was pleased.
To conclude, while IDE’s financial analyses do not always capture the qualitative
and quantitative benefits captured by the supply chain, interviews and calculations
together indicate that the enterprises are profiting from the sale of IDE-promoted
products. However, both the AMIT and the CDM programs are still at too early in the
project and product cycle to assess sustainability. Moreover, the weaknesses of the CDM
program relates to the IDE’s subsidization of the test kits and the selection of the
JANANI pump; issues discussed earlier. The weakness of the AMIT Program relates to
the sustainability of the initial supply chain.
Motivated to increase sales and generate demand, the AMIT Program started by
assembling kits and selling them directly to NGOs and/or farmers, though this was
clearly an unsustainable delivery system. Without a clear vision of what a sustainable
supply chain would look like from the start, the AMIT Project spent perhaps too much
time selling directly to farmers rather than building a sustainable supply chain.
Similarly, the TP Program in India has involved Marketing Assistants in selling directly
to farmers. While the program is now working to withdraw from the supply chain, this
direct involvement has come at a price, such that achieving sustainability over the long
run may take more time.

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D. Market Sustainability
Best practice regarding sustainability, according to the Donor Committee for
Small Enterprise Development, calls for a focus on markets. The goal of programs like
IDE’s, according to the Donor Committee, should be develop markets, and to ensure the
sustainability of the market. Markets, of course, entail demand and supply. While IDE
has focused considerable efforts on developing sustainable supply chains, there has been
less attention of developing sustainable promotional functions. Only recently is IDE-B
working on this issue.
Moreover, while IDE supports the facilitation of markets, to develop the capacity
of the private sector to produce and market “killer products,” there has been confusion
regarding market development in practice. Both IDE India and Bangladesh have found it
necessary to engage in direct service selling activities in the early stages of
commercialization. When there is little demand and thus little incentive for suppliers to
be interested in a new product, direct service provision may be the only way to begin to
generate interest in a new product. Nonetheless, in keeping with the Donor Committee’s
best practices, it is critical to have an up-front plan for exiting.
In order to ensure sustainability of interventions, IDE needs to clarify its
definition of sustainability and the stages for reaching it. Sustainability is defined in the
Operations Manual and by an M&E document entitled “Sustainability – Defining Some
Parameters.” These definitions are not in line with the Donor Committee’s Donor
Guidelines for BDS. Interviews with India staff reveal some convergence within the
institution of a definition of sustainability that relates to the Donor Committee’s
definition of sustainability, i.e., sustainability of the market - of supply and demand.
In practice, IDE tends to view the market very narrowly – as demand and supply
of a particular product. This partly relates to an identity-confusion. As IDE’s Board is
made up of entrepreneurs, they tend to view programs from the perspective of a business.
However, IDE is a development organization not a business; and as such should be
interested in improving the opportunities and options for producers. Small farmers
benefit more from a vibrant competitive market with a range of options and prices. A
singular focus on TPs may be in conflict with what is best for the farmer. For this reason,
market development efforts need to assess impacts on the broader market. In the case of
IDE, this translates into the market for small plot farmers. Such an emphasis means
moving away from a focus on a particular technology or solely on sales, but rather on the
impact of IDE’s interventions on the supply and demand for small plot irrigation
technologies – from which small farmers can increase their incomes.
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IV. Strengths, Weaknesses, and Recommendations
A. IDE’s Vision and Identity
IDE is an organization with a powerful vision for development. Fifteen years
ago, long before many other organizations, IDE developed a private sector approach to
technology transfer. Using this approach, IDE demonstrated the ability to reach over one
million small and marginal farmers in Bangladesh, increasing their annual income, on
average, by US $100.
Nonetheless, IDE’s vision has produced a confusion regarding identity, as to
whether the organization is a business or a development organization. A symptom of this
confusion, exhibited all the way from the Board to field staff, is an over emphasis on
sales of a single product (for instance the treadle pump). While sales are an important
indicator of demand and supply, as a development organization, IDE needs to ensure that
these sales result in broader developmental impacts. In keeping with best practices
established by the Donor Committee, IDE’s success should be measured in terms of its
contributions to a vibrant and competitive market (for small-plot irrigation equipment)
that offers small and marginal farmers, IDE’s target group, a growing number of options
at a wide price range.
IDE’s identity confusion has affected program implementation. Because the
M&E system, reports to the Board, and employee incentives have been focused on
“number of TPs sold,” for instance, field staff have sometimes forsaken sustainability and
broader developmental impacts in the name of greater sales.
Recommendation:
IDE needs to expand its vision beyond a focus on selling a particular product and
toward a greater emphasis on impacts at the market and customer levels.
IDE’s identity has also been characterized as “cowboy” in nature, different from
others, independent, and path-breaking. While these characteristics may have worked in
IDE’s favor in the past, they may no longer. Fifteen years ago, IDE saw itself –
realistically – as singular in its private sector approach to technology transfer. Today,
however, the rest of the development community embraces IDE’s business-like approach.
To remain a leader in the field, IDE needs to engage in dialogue with the
development community in order to learn and teach. IDE has a wealth of experience that
the rest of the development community has not heard about. On the other hand, IDE has
a considerable amount to learn from others, e.g., on best practice and methods for
assessing markets, conducting feasibility studies, developing and facilitating markets, and
monitoring and evaluation.
IDE did join InterAction as part of the MG Program. Nonetheless, participation
in the development community is still limited because of scarce travel monies and staff
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time. IDE is constrained by its Denver location. Greater engagement, however, is a good
investment and can contribute substantially to fund mobilization.
Recommendation:
IDE needs to join and participate in InterAction and the SEEP Network. This will
require setting monies aside for travel and time aside for engaging in the technical
debates within these networks.
IDE prides itself on its creativity. And indeed, IDE has adopted bold strategies
for achieving impact on the poor. The most recent new program is the Global Initiative,
which aims to disseminate micro irrigation technologies on a global scale. To realize this
bold idea, IDE has galvanized support from some impressive institutions – including the
World Bank, Winrock International, and FAO - and individuals, including author Sandra
Postel and drip irrigation specialist, Jack Keller.
Over time, however, IDE has generated and adopted too many bold ideas, not all
of which have paid off. IDE is too small of an organization with too few staff and
resources at headquarters to implement so many ideas, e.g., an appropriate technology
institute, a consulting arm, a trading company, a private fund raising campaign and a
global initiative.
Recommendation:
IDE needs to focus its efforts, balancing creative opportunities with its limited
resources.
B. IDE’s Management Capacity
Over the last ten years, IDE grew 10-fold, from a $0.5 million organization to a
$5 million organization. And yet despite this growth, the Denver headquarters has
remained very small. Prior to the MG Program, the Denver office was made of five staff
persons. With support from PVC, the Denver Office grew to nine staff persons in 1998;
today there are seven. This handful of staff stands in contrast to the 493 employees in the
field.
The stresses created by growth on the Denver office culminated in 1999, when
five Denver employees left the organization. At the same time, two country directors
left, after the end of the contract, though not without fallout. In organizational
development terms, the upheaval appears to have evolved from two sources. As IDE
grew, it required staff with increasingly specialized skills. As a small organization, a
single staff person could fill multiple functions; with growth, greater specialized
management and technical skills were needed. In other words, some staff outgrew their
ability to manage the greater complexity (according to Board and staff interviews).
Additionally, this “cowboy” organization was being forced to adopt more systems
and to formalize in ways that were painful to some of the more independent staff and
Board members. While recent interviews with Board members now confirm their
83
commitment to and appreciation for the need of systems, the process of adopting them
was nonetheless painful.
The changeover in Country Directors may also have been related to the
insufficient management capacity of Denver. Although these directors’ contracts had
come to an end, their departures were welcomed. Both directors were young and
relatively inexperienced for managing large, complicated programs. Both left behind
substantial problems to be resolved by their successors.
Finally, IDE Denver staff work on a number of projects that do not directly
support the country programs. For example, IDE’s consulting arm, private fund
mobilization efforts (for Denver), some of the public education and outreach activities,
the Appropriate Technology Institute, a proposed trading company, and the Global
Initiative have either limited, indirect or long-term implications for country programs.
While some of these activities are producing funds and useful mechanisms for field
programs, they also take Denver staff’s focus off of providing the kind of day-to-day
technical assistance and oversight needed to manage a network of eight country
programs.
Recommendation:
Although IDE has recently hired a Chief Operating Officer, who is providing important
and quality management oversight, Denver needs to increase the number of staff, and
especially Desk Officers, in order to manage its eight field programs.
As noted by IDE’s new Chief Operating Officer, IDE has suffered from lack of
cohesiveness, a low degree of quality control and accountability across programs, and
disjointed fund raising efforts.55 These problems stem – at least in part – from the
relationship between programs and headquarters, in particular, the disproportionate
number of staff in Denver as compared to the field (7:493). With such a small staff in
Denver, it has been difficult for headquarters to create cohesiveness.
The MG Program has allowed IDE to initiate an effort to harmonize management
information systems, and thereby achieve greater cohesiveness. Nonetheless, the limited
technical assistance and oversight provided by Denver, and the limited role played to date
by Denver in generating funds for the field contribute to a sense of independence on the
part of programs.
Recommendation:
IDE needs to develop a plan for assistance to the country programs that takes into
consideration the proper role and responsibilities of Denver. On the one hand, the
country programs want flexibility in developing a program suited to a country
context and are resistant to dictates from headquarters. On the other hand, they
are eager for assistance with fund raising, proposal writing, monitoring and
evaluation, financial management, and coordinated learning. By providing these
 
55 IDE Strategic Action Plan,” June 2000.
84
services, IDE Denver can develop greater cohesiveness, quality control, and
accountability with the cooperation of the country programs.
C. Monitoring & Evaluation/MIS Systems
The M&E/MIS systems developed under the MG Program have made an
important contribution to building the capacity of the institution. The new M&E system
has generated regular (monthly) reporting, provided a common format for reports, and
allowed headquarters to report comparable data to the Board on program performance.
Nonetheless, the M&E/MIS (COPE/MRE) system has not been sufficiently
institutionalized within the IDE network. Country Directors complain that the reporting
is only for Denver and does not suit their needs. Moreover, directors in India and
Bangladesh are not clear about the utility of M&E and MIS.
Recommendation:
IDE needs to further develop and refine the M&E/MIS systems in collaboration
with the field to ensure buy-in (that it serves everyone’s needs), harmonization (of
systems), and their contribution to improved management at the country program,
Denver, and Board levels.
Recommendation:
Country Directors need training in how to use M&E/MIS data for better program
management.
The MG Program has led to greater standardization and regularization of
reporting, but the reporting remains too focused on the accomplishment of activities (as a
business might), with too little attention paid to process, development impacts, and
analysis. The M&E system developed under the MG Program needs to be further
focused on indicators that donors are interested in and that will help country directors
better understand the underlying causes of program performance.
Recommendations:
IDE needs to incorporate into its M&E system indicators that measure impact on
the market (defined more broadly than TPs, for instance), sustainability of the
supply chain, and impacts (e.g., net income, improved business practices, business
linkages, etc.) on both farmers and supply chain members. 
Recommendation:
USAID’s Office of Microenterprise Development in collaboration with the Donor
Committee for Small Enterprise Development has launched an on-going effort
focused on performance measurement in BDS. IDE needs to refer to this when
refining their own system
While the M&E systems of India and Bangladesh are sophisticated, M&E
Departments do need technical assistance from Denver in designing impact assessments,
85
incorporating an expanded number of indicators (beyond sales) into their system, and
analyzing data collected.
Recommendation:
The M&E Officer needs the resources to focus on the M&E needs of country
programs and to provide on-site technical assistance.
D. Institutional Sustainability: Funding Mobilization
Since its inception, IDE has been reliant on a handful of donors. SDC has been a
key donor for both IDE India and Bangladesh. Over time, SDC has pressured IDE to
diversify its funding base and has refused to pay more than 50% of IDE’s already small
overhead. Dependency on SDC has left IDE Denver in a situation in which it is under￾funded; scrambling to identify new sources of funds (SDC has promised to cut the budget
by an increasing percentage every year); and dependent on a narrow base of donors.
Recommendation:
To ensure its sustainability, IDE needs to diversify its funding base and identify
donors that will pay for Denver overhead costs.56
IDE has devoted years to developing fund raising strategies targeting private
sources, foundations, corporations, and bi- and mulit-lateral donors. Under the MG
Program, IDE hired a Public Education Officer that contributed to raising the public’s
awareness of IDE’s programs. More recently, IDE has hired a staff person to further
develop the mailing list for soliciting private funds. In addition, a fund raising expert has
been hired (part-time) to develop a corporate strategy. Despite considerable efforts, IDE
Denver has not had great success in diversifying its funding base.
It appears that there have been too many plans and directions researched and not
enough proposals written, submitted, and followed up on. For instance, IDE’s Director
for Development (part time Public Education) spent 15 months on a private-fund raising
effort before she left the organization. This fund raising campaign is viewed as
unsuccessful, and yet the data on donations suggest that this campaign – while just
getting started – increased donations by somewhere between 20% and 50% between 1998
and 1999.
Recommendation:
IDE needs to follow through with its fund raising plans and efforts. Developing
relationships and collaborations with donors requires time, consistency, and follow
through. IDE is more successful than it gives itself credit, but needs to be consistent
in its efforts.
 
56 IDE’s new Chief Operating Officer has developed a plan for fund mobilization that includes a broad
array of donors.
86
IDE’s sustainability and capacity to implement the recommendations in this report
are largely based its ability to raise funds for institution building. While the MG Program
may be able to support IDE, the organization needs a clear and well-organized plan for
strengthening Denver resources. A number of strategies have been tried and/or
discussed: a private fund raising, a consulting arm, a corporate campaign, and a more
concerted focus on multi- and bi-lateral donors.
Recommendation:
Given its immediate needs for funding, IDE-Denver needs to prioritize its efforts,
and select opportunities which have potential for success in the short-term.57 
E. The IDE Model (Learning & Harmonization Across Programs)
As noted earlier, IDE has a powerful vision and approach to development. Other
organizations use a supply chain methodology for disseminating technologies to small
farmers and microentrepreneurs. Nonetheless, IDE has probably been more successful
than other PVOs in selecting “killer products” that are truly affordable, at using state-of￾the-art marketing techniques for creating demand, and at strengthening nationwide
business linkages among manufacturers, dealers, and installers (or village-level agents)
for delivering products to the rural poor.
However, IDE’s relative isolation from the development community and reliance
on a small number of donors has meant few people know, understand, and appreciate
IDE’s model. The Donor Committee for Small Enterprise Development as well as a
network of BDS practitioners has launched a learning process in recent years in order to
advance knowledge and practice in BDS. IDE has much to contribute to the dialogue and
much to learn from it.
Recommendation:
IDE needs to participate in BDS conferences (including SEEP’s BDS Working
Group), meetings, and research efforts in order to contribute to and benefit from
the development community’s learning on BDS best practices.
A key area where IDE can improve its model relates to the organization’s strategy
for and investment in market facilitation (or development). IDE’s programs in
Bangladesh and India have invested considerable resources in developing the market for
TPs, for instance. Both programs have large numbers of staff persons (in the hundreds),
and have 15 and 8 years respectively developing the TP market.
The Donor Committee – that includes many of IDE’s donors – are now pushing
for much more time limited interventions, and much less involvement in the market. As
a result, few donors will likely be willing to fund a program for a time period 15 or even
10 years. In fact, the Donor Committee is suggesting 3 years.
 
57 Longer-term plans have been developed by the Chief Operating Officer.
87
Recommendation:
IDE has learned much about market facilitation over the last 15 years. Interviews
with staff demonstrate their sophisticated knowledge of BDS, market development,
and sustainability. IDE needs to consolidate this learning, and experiment with
strategies for market facilitation that entail a much lighter involvement in the
market over a shorter time period.
IDE sees marketing as an important role for the organization, and one that is
largely subsidized. While supply chain participants pay a small part of the cost of
promotional activities, by far the largest share is paid for by IDE. In Bangladesh, IDE is
increasingly shifting these costs to supply chain members, especially in areas where IDE
is or planning to phase out.
Interviews with manufacturers and dealers reveal the value that these
entrepreneurs place on IDE’s promotional efforts. Not only do promotional activities
bring dealers and manufacturers greater prestige in the region, they also increase their
sales of other products. This suggests that IDE may be over subsidizing promotion. For
instance, after less than a year of implementing its promotional campaign, the CDM
Project appears to have developed an appreciation for the benefits of promotion and
business linkages among supply chain entrepreneur. Promotion and business linkages are
services that entrepreneurs may be willing to pay for, once their value is demonstrated.
Recommendation:
IDE needs to explore exiting from promotional activities much earlier in the project
life cycle, and to assess whether these services can be provided by the private sector.
Additionally, there is little sharing among country programs regarding problems
and solutions faced in creating demand, facilitating the supply chain, and reaching
sustainability. Competition among country programs and lack of coordination from
Denver leave many IDE employees talking among themselves and learning from one
another, but not sharing or codifying this knowledge.
As a result, some country programs have adopted strategies that are not in keeping
with IDE’s model and/or BDS best practices. In other instances, country programs
reinvent the wheel because they lack information on how other programs have solved a
particular problem.
To summarize, while IDE has a tremendous amount of knowledge in-house, there
is no mechanism by which employees can collectively codify and consolidate this
knowledge in order to improve the quality of programs and advance best practice. For
instance, both IDE India and Bangladesh are experimenting with approaches to
sustainability (exiting), and yet one does not know what the other is doing.
Additionally, without a clear model and/or concerted and collaborative effort at
developing one, IDE Denver is not in a position to exert quality control over programs.
88
Recommendation:
IDE needs to launch an organization-wide action research effort in order to codify,
consolidate, and advance its model.
Recommendations:
IDE needs a collaborative project approval, management and/or M&E system that
establishes quality control in line with its model.
F. IDE’s Approach to Sustainability
Although IDE uses a business-like approach to development, the organization is
still struggling with the issue of sustainability. IDE’s Operations Manual, as well as other
publications, states that once demand reaches a certain threshold, suppliers will
spontaneously emerge to meet that demand. In keeping with this sustainability strategy,
IDE country programs were supposed to engage in promotional activities until demand
reached a “critical mass,” and at this point exit. No program, however, has done this.
Only in the last year has IDE-B phased out of areas where sales are the greatest.
Moreover, because of the lack of clarity regarding sustainability, IDE lacks
guidance for new start-up programs. IDE’s regional marketing expert argues that when
first introducing a new product, it is often necessary to engage in direct service provision,
i.e., in selling directly to consumers, since entrepreneurs are not willing to risk on a
product they know nothing about.58 This direct intervention in the supply chain needs to
be time limited. The Donor Committee recommends that a vision of sustainability be
established at the beginning of the intervention. In the case of IDE, there needs to be a
clear idea of a sustainable supply chain and a plan for exiting from the start. All program
activities should be designed in preparation for exiting.
Recommendation:
IDE needs to establish – in collaboration with country programs - clear guidelines
(especially for start up programs) for reaching sustainability, and the M&E system
should track progress toward and achievement of sustainability.
Recommendations:
IDE needs to require that all project design documents include a description of a
sustainable supply chain, and a plan for exiting.
 
58 However, in the case of the AMIT Program, the manufacturer (who was not small or informal) was
willing to take a risk on AMITs because the opportunity looked attractive. As a result, the manufacturer
invested his own money in modifying components for use by small farmers.
ANNEXES
1. Scope of Work
2. Itinerary
3. References
4. Persons Interviewed
ANNEX 1: Evaluation Scope of Work
PVO: International Development Enterprises
Program Title: ‘Capacity Building for the Dissemination of Water & Irrigation
Technologies’
Cooperative Agreement#: FAO-A-00-97-00047-00
Date of Evaluation: July-September
Country Programs: India, Bangladesh
I. PROGRAM BACKGROUND
The purpose of IDE’s Matching Grant program is to expand the mass-marketing
of small-scale water and irrigation technologies in India and Bangladesh, and at the same
time, to increase the effectiveness of IDE’s field offices and headquarters. In
Bangladesh, the program has trained and developed the private sector to disseminate low￾cost handpumps to provide drinking water for farm families. This focus shifted,
however, in response to growing understanding of the arsenic contamination problem in
underground water in Bangladesh. In India, the program strengthened IDE’s capacity to
expand the marketing of manual irrigation pumps and to engage with NGOs to develop
and install low-cost ‘micro-irrigation’ systems. Training and development of the private
sector was also central to the program strategy for working with manufacturers,
distributors, installers and NGOs.
This program also provided IDE with the opportunity to make improvements in
its management and information systems, public education and outreach, monitoring and
evaluation, and coordination of regional development efforts. Together these actions
constituted a response to earlier evaluations that identified improved operational systems,
staffing and documentation as organizational priorities.
II. PURPOSE OF THE EVALUATION
This performance evaluation fulfills the requirements of the USAID/BHR/PVC
Matching Grant Program. PVC will use the information collected in this evaluation in its
annual Results Report and in the review of any follow-on proposals from IDE.
This evaluation should assess the ways in which IDE’s Capacity-Building Grant
with USAID has had an impact on the ability of headquarters and field offices to operate
more effectively and in closer coordination in the areas of 1) administration and
management, 2) public education and outreach, 3) monitoring and evaluation, 4) regional
development, 5) technology dissemination, 6) documentation of organization-wide
policies and procedures, and 7) assessment of project success. Additionally, it should
assess and describe how field programs in India and Bangladesh have implemented
project goals as specified in the DIP.
III. EVALUATOR STATEMENT OF WORK
The evaluator will assess Matching Grant program elements at the IDE
headquarters in Lakewood, Colorado, as well as the country-level programs in India and
Bangladesh. The Goals and Measurable Indicators which form the framework for this
evaluation have been drawn directly from the Detailed Implementation Plan (DIP). The
evaluator will assess the program and institutional elements specified in the DIP and
presented in the following sections. Each project goal and its indicators are followed by
appropriate statements of work and evaluation questions. The evaluator’s goal should be
to provide readers of the final evaluation report with the evidence, citation of information
sources, and criteria for judgements and analysis assembled during the evaluator’s site
visits. To the extent possible, the evaluator should describe the current situation using
available evidence, and assess progress toward the project goals. In cases where the
information required for assessment is unavailable, the evaluator should identify which
data sources had been expected to contain the information. The criteria for the
evaluator’s judgements about relative program success should be made as explicit as
possible.
The evaluator should provide analytical responses to all statements of work and
questions, providing quantitative information where possible and appropriate. Succinct
description of local project circumstances should be provided so that readers are provided
a context for the evaluator’s analyses. This contextualizing description should be as
compact as possible, and should be considered secondary to the evaluator’s assessments.
Also, where possible, data should be presented in the form of tables and charts, if
possible showing percentage changes that have occurred. Questions in parenthesis are
intended as illustrative rather than comprehensive pointers toward the specific
information that should be elicited.
The evaluator will also review documents such as the following, plus others as
suggested or generated by IDE. The evaluation report will include a comprehensive
bibliography of all documents reviewed.
• IDE's MG proposal, DIP, and annual reports to PVC. Specifically, review the
sustainability plan found in the DIP and referenced in this SOW.
• India’s National Marketing Plan (see India: 4.c “Preparation of National
Marketing Plan”) and any Bangladesh market-promotion activities prior to the
shift to the arsenic poisoning focus.
• Bangladesh’s arsenic mitigation plan.
• Strategic planning and business planning documents
• Financial, donor, and related documents and data compilations.
• Educational Outreach materials.
• Past and present organigrams, staffing charts, staff c.v.'s, and job descriptions,
plus new job announcements during the MG.
• IDE training plans and staff exchange program descriptions.
• IDE M&E reports.
• Documentation on MIS in addition to information technology (IT) hardware &
software documentation.
• InterAction membership and participation materials.
Further, the evaluator will conduct individual or group interviews with persons and
entities agreed to in collaboration with IDE.
• IDE managerial, technical, and professional staff, as well as board members based
in the US and each of the field locations.
• Local government representatives and beneficiaries in districts and communities
in the field programs.
• Other individuals or groups agreed up in collaboration with IDE and PVC.
Throughout, the evaluator will carefully document the sources of all data and also
provide PVC with electronic or hard copies of analyses performed as part of the
evaluation report. The evaluator should maintain primary data in the event PVC needs the
information at a later time. Note that the evaluator is not responsible for compilation of
primary and/or raw data beyond those already embodied in existing documents or other
items prepared by IDE, and those collected in evaluator interviews. The evaluator does
bear the final responsibility for evaluation design, report content, final-report preparation
in an acceptable manuscript form, and the successful accomplishment of the evaluation in
general.
IDE India (30% effort)
The following six project goals for IDE India were presented in the DIP. The
end-of-project status of the indicators listed below each goal should serve as the basis for
assessing success in achieving the goals.
1) Project Goal #1: To Strengthen Micro-Irrigation Team
a) Hiring of Staff: Review and evaluate the hiring and deployment of 17 full
time staff using employee data available at country headquarters. (Have
all staff been hired, and have they contributed as planned to strengthening
the micro-irrigation team?)
b) Setting up of field units: Describe and assess IDE’s success in setting up
of 2 Regional Offices and six Field Offices. (Are these offices staffed,
operational, and productive?)
c) Training of staff: Review and assess the training of IDE India staff
through Regional Coordination Meetings, participation in workshops,
Management Development Programs and In-House Training Programs.
(Were these training events sources of appropriate skills for staff in areas
such as Accounting and Financial Management, Planning, Budgeting,
Monitoring and Computer use, Personnel Management, Fund Raising and
proposal writing, and gender awareness?)
d) Completion of the Operations Manual: Discuss the status and current use
of the Operations Manual within IDE. (Has a finalized version of the
operations manual been approved by the Country Director and Board? Is
there evidence that the manual has been incorporated into the operations
of the organization?)
2) Project Goal #2: To Demonstrate to farmers & NGOs the utility of
Affordable Micro-Irrigation Systems
a) Building contacts with NGOs: Describe and assess the relationship
between IDE and the 30 NGO partners with whom relationships have been
built to distribute and market irrigation systems. (Have women’s groups
been identified in the NGO file and included in the cohort of NGO
partners? Have women farmers been identified and addressed through
those NGOs?)
b) Training of NGO personnel: Describe and assess the training of NGO
partner personnel in terms of requisite skills for the irrigation systems
marketing program. (Have demonstrations and training for 30 NGOs been
conduced on the installation of irrigation systems and follow-up? Are
assessments of the effectiveness of the training available? How was
feedback from NGOs on irrigation system functioning incorporated in
product design and marketing?)
3) Project Goal #3: To test-market affordable micro-irrigation systems.
a) System selling and installation: Describe and assess the test marketing
and installation procedures used with the irrigation systems. (Are the
client records contained in the MIS reports and field visit report available,
complete and useful? Do they reflect ongoing program-wide monitoring
of the performance of irrigation systems? How did actual sales volumes
compare to the DIP estimate of 2000 units annually by July 2000, and of
3200 over 3 years?)
4) To estimate the market potential of affordable micro-irrigation systems in
semi-arid India
a) Collection of baseline information: Examine and assess the
appropriateness and completeness of survey studies on micro-irrigation
undertaken by IDE. (Is the baseline survey statistical information on
agriculture in the semi-arid states incorporated in the MIS system? Are
market demand-assessment studies of drip & sprinkler systems available?
Is background information on government irrigation policy and market
interventions available? Is this information incorporated into the MIS
system so as to help document the basis for decision making around the
planning of project interventions?)
b) Conducting socio-economic impact studies on users of affordable micro￾irrigation: Describe and assess the socio-economic studies on the users of
micro-irrigation conducted by IDE. (Were socio-economic impact studies
designed and carried out in order to assess the impact of irrigation systems
on user farmers? Were the results of those studies compiled in a report
that was subsequently used to assess the market potential of micro￾irrigation? Was that survey report used as part of the MIS to better direct
program activities?)
c) Preparation of National Marketing Plan: Describe the development and
program uses of the National Marketing Plan developed by IDE. (Has a
national marketing plan been developed and implemented? What role
does this play in guiding program activities?
5) To establish a sustainable supply chain for affordable micro-irrigation systems
 
a) Finalizing manufacturers for required components: Describe and assess
the creation and current status of the pool of manufacturers for required
components. (Has a sustainable supply chain with a minimum of 6
suppliers for various irrigation kit components been established? Are
there memoranda of understanding with the suppliers? What evidence is
there that this chain is or will become ‘sustainable’?)
b) Building reliable distributor/assembler network: Describe and assess the
creation and current status of the distributor/assembler network. (Has a
distributor for each field unit been established? Are there a minimum of 6
distributors with whom IDE has signed momoranda of understanding? Is
there evidence that this distributors’ network is or will become
‘sustainable’?)
c) Establishing partner dealers: Describe and assess the creation and current
status of the dealership network. (Are there at least 50 hardware dealers
linked to the distributors? Is there a distributor’s list of the micro￾irrigation dealers?)
d) Capacity building of installers/fitters: Describe and assess the program for
training installers/fitters. (Have trainings been conducted for at least one
installer/fitter for each cluster of villages? Have at least 100 fitters been
trained? Are they available for installation and maintenance of systems in
the project area? Has an assessment of the efficacy of training been
conducted? Are the records of training, location and fitter activity
available on the MIS?)
6) To manage the project effectively
a) Monitor the impact of the project at regular intervals: Describe and assess
the system for monitoring project impact. Discuss the relationship
between impact monitoring and project management at IDE. (Were
regular (quarterly) field visits conducted by the monitoring and evaluation
team? Were reports of those visits entered into the MIS system? Is the
MIS system fully developed and operational? Has this system become a
source of functional, operational support for IDE decision-makers?)
b) Reporting and documentation: Describe and assess the production of
reports and documentation of micro-irrigation program successes by IDE.
Discuss the use of this documentation by IDE for program-management
decision making. Discuss the uses of this documentation for use with
IDE’s donors and others in the development community. (Were
communication materials on success stories and project information
prepared? Is there any impact assessment available for the
communications materials?)
c) Develop the long term plan: Describe and analyze the ways IDE has
developed a long-term plan. (Were workshops conducted for project
review and perspective planning? Are workshop reports available
documenting the preparation of a long-term plan and budget? What is the
relationship between IDE’s long-term role and the sustainability of
program impacts?)
IDE Bangladesh (30% effort)
The original Goal of the MG project in Bangladesh specified by the DIP was:
“Development and Marketing of Low-Cost Drinking Water Technologies and
Organizational Capacity Building”. The original strategy of the program had been to 1)
strengthen the skills base of local staff, 2) improve the capacity of NGO and local
organization partners, 3) establish self-sufficient micro-enterprises producing quality
products. IDE’s staff was to be trained to focus on the relationship between clean water
and family health, water testing procedures, well installation procedures, and in a range
of human resource development skills. NGOs were to be trained in marketing and to
become the trainer-of-trainers. Farmers were to be taught to recognize quality pumps and
basic repair techniques. Well drillers were to be trained to install, repair, and promote
pumps. Dealers, retailers, and distributors are trained to identify quality pumps and in
marketing techniques. Evaluation of this strategy was to be based on the number of hand
pumps disseminated through NGOs, credit facilities extended to buyers of the
technology, and retention of training topics.
The original Objectives, Activities and Outputs of the project are represented
below in tabular form.
BANGLADESH PROJECT GOALS AND ACTIVITIES
Project
Objectives by
intervention
Measurement
Method:
How/When
Major Planned
Inputs and
Activities
Outputs Measurement
Methods & Data
Sources
Design, fabricate,
and field test low
cost hand pumps
on a pilot scale in
different areas in
Bangladesh
Field test &
demonstration
through technical
data
Designing,
fabrication, Field
testing and
collecting field
data.
Finalization of
design and
development of
water pump
Methods, How and
When: Same as
column 2. Data
Sources: Field test
& demonstration,
customer feedback
Strengthen the
capacity of
existing operations
and train the
network partners
to disseminate
handpumps to
marginal people.
Pre- and post￾evaluation of all
events, particularly
training to evaluate
capacity
development of
network partners.
How: survey quest.
When: Before and
after.
Training program,
research and
development of
pump, promotional
activities,
collaboration with
NGOs.
Capacity Building
and development
and marketing of
handpumps
Methods: Same as
column 2. Data
Sources:
Customers,
Dealers,
Producers, NGO
Staff and Group
Members
Motivate
Users/buyers to
purchase the
LCHPs and
coordinate
demonstration site
activities of several
LCHP prototypes
combined with
pilot-scale
promotion
activities to assess
user acceptability
within natural
operating setting
and to make final
product
development
refinements from
those findings.
Demand created
and pumps sold
through our
network partners.
Feedback from
users and potential
buyers.
Demonstration of
pump in natural
setting.
Promotional
camaign through
printed media. i.e.
poster, leaflet, etc.
Selection &
motivation of
quality producer,
dealers, Ministries.
Establishment of
marketing network
and pump sales.
Method, How &
When: Same as
column 2. Data
sources: Users,
Potential buyers,
Dealers, producers.
Establish
collaborative
partnership with
various NGOs.
Sales through
NGOs and
provision of credit
through NGOs.
How: Monthly
monitoring of sales
& provision of
credit.
Incorporate LCHP
into their existing
program. Secure
credit facilities and
provide training to
NGO staff and
members.
Increased pump
sales and credit
through NGOs.
Method, How &
When: Same as
column 2.
Awareness
building about safe
drinking water and
arsenic problem.
PRA/Sample
survey, depending
on nature of
promotional tools.
Mass awareness
promotional
campaign through
demonstration,
printed materials
Increased public
awareness and
motivation of
using LCPH.
Method, How &
When: same as
column 2.
Over the period of IDE’s Matching Grants program in Bangladesh, awareness has
grown considerably about the geographic extent and high concentrations of arsenic in
groundwater. This understanding prompted a fundamental change in project goals.
Nationwide surveys documented that high concentrations of naturally occurring arsenic
are found in tube wells across more than half of Bangladesh’s 64 districts. IDE initiated
a revised activity plan for Year 3 of the project. This shifted the program emphasis from
sales and installation of drinking water pumps to dissemination of a smaller number of
pumps that provide arsenic-free drinking water. IDE has developed a strategy for arsenic
mitigation that includes arsenic testing of all IDE-installed pumps. The plan is to reach
every pump buyers, as it is mandatory to provide arsenic testing with every single
USAID sponsored Janani pump.
The IDE year-3 plan shifted strategy to include the following basic elements:
• Rescheduling of project activities, giving main thrust to arsenic mitigation.
• Mass awareness raising on arsenic and its related issues.
• Development of arsenic testing facilities through the private sector.
The strategy IDE undertook – detailed in the revised activity plan -- is two-part:
First, limitation of marketing of pumps to only those areas known to have low incidence
rates of arsenic. This severely limits IDE’s projected ability to reach 15,000 pump
installations by the end of the project. Second, to investigate the feasibility of putting
capacity for testing for arsenic within the private sector as part of the service
accompanying the purchase of the pump and digging of the well. This will require dealer
interest, sufficient quantities of a reliable test kit, and an attractive price structure for the
service. The specific pump targets IDE proposed under this new agenda were as follows:
ORIGINAL TARGET PROPOSED NEW TARGET
40 manufacturers in place 4 Manufacturers
600 dealers selling the pump 300-317 dealers
3000 installers trained 2000 installers trained
50 NGOs working with the project 20 NGOs working with the project
15,000 pumps installed 5,000 pumps installed
PVC accepted IDE’s proposal to keep the life-of-project budget the same, but to
change certain line items to address the arsenic issue. IDE identified five basic areas in
which changes in program activities would be necessary. The evaluator should consider
the extent to which the following changes have been successfully undertaken:
1) Personnel: In addition to the existing staff strength, a person having field experience
in arsenic related activities was to be recruited for supervising the training of testers,
and staff and also to supervise the arsenic testing at the field level. The existing staff
under the project were to continue with expanded responsibilities planned under the
project.
2) Marketing: The main thrust of the revised program is on awareness raising around
the arsenic problem. The planned market-promotion activities include videos, mobile
display shows, rickshaw van processions and folk songs are fully geared towards
addressing arsenic.
3) Training: The existing Technical Officers (TOs), who have already worked in
providing arsenic testing, and the Customers’ Sales Officers (CSOs) involved in
promotional activities were to be further trained on the arsenic issue. The main task
in training was to develop a pool of testers who could provide the door-to-door
arsenic testing service at the village level.
4) Technology: The arsenic field testing kits available in the market have not been
sufficient to meet the high demand, and the more reliable testing kits are beyond the
buying capacity of IDE’s small-scale business partners. Therefore, IDE has sought to
provide a less expensive but reliable testing kit to the dealers and testers.
5) Studies and Evaluation: The existing monitoring system with emphasis on arsenic
has been further improved in tune with the new program emphasis on awareness
raising.
6) Travel: Since promotion of drinking water pumps in two of the arsenic high-risk
regions has been withdrawn, travel expenditures have been commensurately reduced.
The remaining balance has been put in the awareness-raising program.
7) Administrative and Capital Expenses: This has remained unchanged and takes into
account the actual requirement at the regional level for staff support.
2/3 of the time and effort in this Matching Grant project had occurred before this re￾direction. For that reason, it will be important for the evaluator to assess IDE
Bangladesh’s project performance both before and after this difficult transition.
However, because of the importance of the arsenic issue, the evaluator should devote
approximately equal effort (50%) to assessing the two periods and presenting them in the
evaluation report. For the period before the redirection, achievement of numeric targets
or goals ( e.g. in terms of wells/pumps installed) will be less important than to document
that the hiring of project staff, training, activities, and program monitoring were
appropriate and effective. In other words, the evaluator should investigate and establish
that the mechanisms for accomplishing and documenting the original goals of the project
were in place when the transition began. For that reason, the sources of information for
managing and documenting project activities during the first two years should be
examined and assessed. The evaluator should attempt to determine that the activities
undertaken during that period were appropriate and effective, and were adequately
documented in the M & E system.
Third year activities should be assessed according to the revised activities and
indicators chart, and the changes in budget and activities provided above. Training
documentation and sales reports for ongoing pump installation activities should be
examined and assessed, as should the mitigation and public awareness activities
undertaken in areas where pumps were already installed.
Regarding the Year-3 amelioration activities in Bangladesh, it will be important
for the evaluator to document:
• That a person with field experience in arsenic-related activities has been recruited,
and has been supervising the training of testers and IDE staff. Additionally, it will be
important to document that this person has supervised the program of arsenic testing
at the field level. Data on the number of pumps tested and the amelioration or
remediation actions taken will be essential.
• That with regard to marketing, the effectiveness of the public awareness campaign of
videos, mobile display shows, etc. has been assessed. The evaluator should
investigate and document the production and use of a 60-minute film on arsenic
awareness and a 15-minute docu-drama on the same subject. Similarly, the evaluator
should document the production and dissemination of posters and leaflets promoting
arsenic awareness. Records of farmers’ meetings and displays should be documented
and assessed in terms of regional coverage and topical content. (Did the campaign
reach all pump owners? Did they raise awareness of the arsenic problem beyond
pump purchasers?)
• The impact of the training provided to Technical Officers and Customers’ Sales
Officers. (Has a pool of testers (91) been developed who can provide door-to-door
arsenic testing at the village level? Were they trained in 5 training courses? How
effective were they in educating farm families about arsenic risks, and in facilitating
amelioration?)
• That pumps testing positive for arsenic have been painted red on the spout, and that
those with acceptable levels of arsenic have been painted green. (What fraction of the
5,000 installed pumps have been tested? What impact has the color scheme had on
patterns of pump usage?)
• That the monitoring and evaluation system has been modified to accommodate
arsenic-related data.
• An arsenator tester was procured and used, and that it produced reliable results.
IDE Headquarters (30% effort)
In addition to expanding the mass-marketing of small-scale water and irrigation
devices in two countries, an important purpose of the IDE Matching Grant was to
increase the organization’s capacity at headquarters in order to expand IDE’s global
effectiveness. The Matching Grant is structured to provide IDE with support for
headquarters capacity-building in the areas of management systems, public education,
and documentation.
IDE’s capacity strengthening objectives included:
1) Better management systems throughout the organization to facilitate planning,
communication, monitoring, evaluation, information and lessons sharing;
2) Increased effectiveness of public education and outreach;
3) Improved monitoring and evaluation systems that are essential for program
management and documentation of successes;
4) Development of regional committees to facilitate communication within IDE,
with the aim of fostering greater cooperation between country programs;
5) Enhancement of IDE’s capacity to assist its collaborators in building their
capacity, and of IDE’s ability to transfer mature products to other country
programs and share program experience with other organizations.
The following goals were specified in the DIP and provide the basic framework
for assessment of program progress at IDE headquarters. The evaluator should consider
the accomplishment of each Goal in terms of success in realizing the Measurable
Objectives listed below it.
Goal 1: Strengthen operational and technical capacity to facilitate expansion and
leveraging of IDE model.
Evaluation of Measurable Objectives:
1. Hiring of Accountant, M&E Officer, new Country Desk Officer

 Review and evaluate the status of the above staff positions, assessing the extent to
which head office personnel have contributed to the overall strengthening of
operational and technical capacity within IDE. Indicate the extent to which these
positions have been institutionalized within IDE rather than hired primarily to
strengthen MG project-related activities.

 Review all head office documentation and conduct staff interviews both at IDE
headquarters and IDE India and IDE Bangladesh in order to determine fulfillment of
this objective.
2. Standardization of Information Systems

 Review and evaluate all documentation pertaining to Management Information
Systems (MIS) that have been established by IDE headquarters, IDE India, and IDE
Bangladesh.

 Assess the extent to which harmonization of MIS at headquarters and across country
programs (India, Bangladesh) has been achieved in terms of systems used, reporting
methods, and monitoring and evaluation protocols for such systems.

 Conduct staff interviews at IDE headquarters and IDE India, IDE Bangladesh to
determine the overall status of standardization of MIS. Assess the extent to which
this MIS data has actually been used in India and Bangladesh field situations to
strengthen program management.
3. Vitalizing Consulting Arm of IDE in rural mass marketing expertise, and technology
development and dissemination

 Review and evaluate all documentation on consulting rosters and files at IDE
headquarters as it pertains to the current capacity of IDE to deploy human
resources for consultation in specialized domains of rural mass marketing and
technology diffusion and development.

 Conduct staff interviews at IDE headquarters to evaluate institutional capacity to
provide timely and effective consulting services upon demand to IDE clientele.

 Describe the changes in client demand for IDE’s consulting services that have
occurred since this capability was put in place.
Goal 2: Public Education and Outreach – especially through increased visibility in
the international development community.
Evaluation of Measurable Objectives:
1. Membership in InterAction

 Review and evaluate all documentation on IDE membership and participation in
InterAction. Determine the extent to which engagement in this consortium has
increased the visibility of IDE in the international development community.

 Conduct interviews with IDE headquarters staff, InterAction personnel, and
collaborative institutional partners of IDE (PVOs, NGOs, bi/multilateral donors)
to assess the current status and visibility of IDE in the international development
community.
2. Increased IDE exposure through heightened public education campaigns
(Note: Since Goal #5 considerably overlapped this objective, the two have been
combined in the following bulleted points.)

 Review and evaluate IDE headquarter strategy aimed at increasing local and national
public awareness of IDE program activities. Review and evaluate all documentation
on educational outreach/public awareness materials produced and disseminated by
IDE headquarters.

 Conduct interviews with IDE headquarters and local constituents (Denver-based) in
the international development community to assess overall visibility and knowledge
of IDE’s program activities and services. Assess the degree to which public outreach
by IDE has mobilized both a domestic and international constituency for IDE
technical services and capacity.
3. Upgrade Capacity to Distribute Material

 Review and evaluate all operational systems (mailing, electronic media, video,
computerization, etc) used by IDE to distribute educational materials to the
general public. Assess the overall effectiveness of these systems as viable media
strategies to increased public awareness of IDE’s development mission and core
program activities.
Goal 3: Monitoring and Evaluation/Management Information Systems – Improve
MIS and M & E Systems
Evaluation of Measurable Objectives:
1. M&E/MIS Officer Hired

 Review and evaluate documentation pertaining to the role and responsibilities of
the M&E/MIS Officer. Assess the extent to which the newly created M&E
function has contributed to improved donor solicitation, increased grant support,
program planning, and institutional decision making.

 Conduct interviews with IDE headquarters staff, IDE India, and IDE Bangladesh
to assess the impact of M&E/MIS on key organizational processes of strategic
planning, program evaluation, and donor engagement. Assess the extent to which
ongoing program management decisions at the country level have been impacted
by the MIS system.
2. Create M&E/MIS Guidelines/Basis for Evaluation

 Review and evaluate documentation on M&E/MIS guidelines for program and
institutional evaluation. Determine to what extent guidelines have improved or
transformed institutional capacity to monitor and evaluate program activities.
Goal 4: Regional Development
Evaluation of Measurable Objectives:
1. Improved communication within IDE via e-mail and monthly reporting

 Review and evaluate electronic channels of communication between IDE
headquarters, IDE India, and IDE Bangladesh. This will include the regular
exchange of program information, as well as monthly and quarterly reporting
procedures between headquarters and the country offices.

 Conduct interviews with IDE headquarters staff, IDE India, and IDE Bangladesh
to determine the extent to which electronic communication and reporting has
facilitated improved channels of interaction and program development within
IDE.
2. Better cooperation between/among IDE headquarters and country programs through
shared technologies and standardized evaluation systems

 Review and evaluate the status of harmonization of program planning,
monitoring, and evaluation between/among IDE headquarters and IDE India and
IDE Bangladesh.

 Conduct interviews with all staff (headquarters and country programs) to verify
the extent to which such harmonization is taking place.
3. Intense training for private enterprise networks in program countries

 Review and evaluate the scope of professional staff training in all dimensions of
private enterprise development (marketing and promotion, financial management,
program development, data collection, monitoring and evaluation).

 Conduct interviews with program staff at IDE India and IDE Bangladesh to assess the
extent to which human capacity building has been achieved. Describe the Matching
Grant program contexts in which in which these improved skills have actually been
used.
4. Participation in regional committees

 Review and evaluate the degree of participation of IDE India and IDE Bangladesh in
regional institutions (committee, other level) engaged in water resource development,
technology dissemination, and/or related international activities.

 Conduct interviews with country program staff directly engaged in participation in
regional committee development activities. Assess the extent to which regional
networking has benefited each country program in terms of heightened awareness of
IDE’s program mission or greater institutional cooperation in addressing water
resource needs.
Goal 5: Technology Dissemination
(Note: Goal # 5 substantially overlaps Goal # 2, so these two Goals have been
combined under Goal #2.)
Goal 6: Documentation of organization-Wide Policies and Procedures
Evaluation of Measurable Objectives:
1. Regular presentation of strategic and business plans to the Board

 Review and evaluate documentation on strategic planning and program reporting to
the IDE Board of Directors. Assess the impact of such procedures on Board
engagement in policy, goal setting, and the overall vision and direction of IDE. Also
assess the extent to which country programs (India, Bangladesh) have been integrated
into strategic planning and program reporting to the Board.

 Conduct interviews with IDE headquarters, IDE India, and IDE Bangladesh to assess
the extent of staff participation in strategic planning and reporting to the Board.
2. Use of M&E/MIS guidelines

 Review and evaluate documentation on M&E/MIS guidelines. Assess how such
guidelines have shaped organization-wide policies and procedures within IDE at both
headquarter and country program levels.
3. Updated Personnel Manual

 Review and evaluate documentation on personnel policy and procedures at IDE
headquarters, IDE India, and IDE Bangladesh. Assess how such documentation has
influenced the efficiency of operation of headquarters and each country program.
4. Operations Manual

 Review and evaluate documentation on operational procedures within IDE
headquarters, IDE India, and IDE Bangladesh. Assess how such documentation has
influenced the efficiency of operation of headquarters and each country program.
Goal 7: Assessment of Success of the Project
Evaluation of Measurable Objectives:
1. Assessment of Project Success

 Review and evaluate global indicators of project success based upon achievement of
the following outputs:

 M&E Guidelines/MIS System in place

 Monthly reporting from Country Directors

 Semi-annual presentation of accomplishments to Board of Directors

 Measure progress toward project objectives on an on-going basis
IV. SUSTAINABILITY PLAN (10% effort):
The IDE MG project strategy for ensuring long-term sustainability of impacts is
essentially to develop the market forces of supply and demand for micro-irrigation to the
point that IDE’s support for various actors in the supply-demand continuum is no longer
required. The premise regarding the sustainability of demand is that an underlying need
for irrigation technologies can be galvanized by creating large-scale awareness about
affordable, quality products among potential buyers. The sustainability of production and
supply can be ensured, the reasoning goes, through IDE’s support for private sector
manufacturers, distributors, dealers, fitters and NGOs. This support would take the form
of training in various operational and technical areas. IDE’s project planning assumes
that the supply network which emerges will be a major step toward a sustainable,
functioning market for irrigation technologies. The project planned to further enhance
prospects for sustainability by familiarizing potential donors with the success of IDE’s
approach. This would result in successful leveraging of donor investments in the private
sector.
IDE recognized that the precursors for this vision of sustainability lie not only in
market signals, but in effective organization and planning. The following Measurable
Objectives and Indicators were presented in the DIP as a framework for these
organizational precursors. Many of these objectives and indicators will have been
assessed elsewhere in this evaluation, and so should not present additional data-gathering
tasks. The evaluator’s assessment of prospects for sustainability should, however, be
formulated and presented separately from performance assessment of these indicators in
other program areas.
SUSTAINABILITY OBJECTIVES AND INDICATORS IN THE DIP
MEASURABLE OBJECTIVES INDICATORS
To build a strong team Team complete, committed and competent
To modify IDE’s micro-irrigation products
(if required) to suit the specific needs of
small and marginal farmers in the proposed
program areas.
Final product drawings are ready
To build a strong, sustainable supply chain
for the above products
Some manufacturers ready to produce the
systems
To generate interest among donors to
provide resources for this cause
Major donors are convinced about the
utility of micro-irrigation
To build an MIS system to provide timely,
usable information
MIS package field-tested
The evaluator’s task in terms of assessing IDE’s success in establishing the
preconditions for sustainability is:

 To analyze the supply-demand balance for irrigation systems in light of IDE’s sales
figures and projections. The evaluator should assess the prospects for program
impacts beyond the life of the project based on the balance of these forces.

 To assess IDE’s success in establishing an interdependent supply, distribution and
sales chain, and in establishing a product niche that will endure beyond the life of the
project.

 To evaluate the validity of the assumptions underlying the definition of sustainability
in the DIP. Of particular interest will be assumptions about the responsiveness of the
markets in India and Bangladesh to supply and demand forces.

 To consider whether imperfections in the agricultural inputs market – primarily
government subsidy for certain inputs – has significantly affected a sustainability
plan premised on the operation of a ‘free’ market.

 To differentiate the apparent prospects for sustainability in terms of program
elements that are within IDE’s operational control versus those that are external to it
-- primarily the policy elements affecting demand for irrigation technologies (i.e.
government subsidies, water supply or other market interventions/distortions).

 To investigate and assess the effectiveness of IDE’s sustainability strategy in
strengthening and leveraging other donor investments in the private sector. The
evaluator should attempt to determine if evidence exists that market forces are
becoming sufficiently strong and clear as to diminish the need for additional donor
support of the sort provided in the Matching Grant.
V. TEAM COMPOSITION AND PARTICIPATION
The evaluation will be headed by a PVC-designated evaluator in collaboration with IDE.
IDE may appoint staff to participate in the evaluation. The relative roles and
responsibilities of other team members in terms of logistics, report participation, and
other considerations will be refined during the TPM, to be held well in advance of the
start of the evaluation. AMATech, the support contractor to PVC, will contract this
evaluator. She/he will have all or most of the skills itemized below:
• a background in strategic planning and organizational development;
• technical expertise and professional experience pertaining to microenterprise
development initiatives;
• familiarity with waters systems
• solid skills in data collection and analysis and M&E;
• specific experience in the evaluation of PVO programs;
• long-term field, research, consulting, and evaluation experience.
VI. LEVEL OF EFFORT
A maximum number of 40 days may be used for this consultancy. A level of effort is
attached as part of the schedule (see below). A six-day work-week is allowed for this
consultancy.
Total Time: 40 days
1. Denver = 8
 Travel to/from Denver = 2
3. India = 10
 Travel to India = 2
4. Bangladesh = 10
 Travel to Bangladesh = 1
5. Return travel to US = 2
6. Report write up = 12
 TOTAL 47 days
VII. SCHEDULE
The schedule presents a working schedule and LOE for the evaluator.
July 30: Depart Washington for New Delhi
July 31: Arrive New Delhi
August 13: Depart New Delhi for Dhaka
August 25: Depart Dhaka for Washington, DC
August 26: Arrive Washington, DC
August 31: Depart Washington, DC for Denver
September 9: Depart Denver
September 25: Draft evaluation report due at PVC
O/a September 29: Evaluation debriefing for BHR/PVC
October 6: Final evaluation report due PVC
VIII. REPORTING AND DISSEMINATION REQUIREMENTS
This SOW will serve as a general guide for the outline and content of the evaluation
report. The final report will be submitted both to PVC and IDE at a mutually agreed up
date (normally agreed to at the TPM). The evaluator will complete the draft report for
review and comment well within the evaluation period stipulated, and distribute it
simultaneously to AMATech, the PVC Project Backstop, and the designated contact
person in IDE’s US Office. These parties will review the draft report and provide any
comments and changes for incorporation in the final report. A debriefing forum may be
held and used for commenting on the evaluation report. All such comments and
suggested changes must be sent to the evaluator and the PVC backstop. The authority for
final clearance on the report rests in the hands of the PVC Project Backstop.
ANNEX 2: Itinerary/Schedule
July 30: Depart Washington for New Delhi
August 1: Arrive New Delhi (plane delayed)
August 13: Depart New Delhi for Dhaka
August 25: Depart Dhaka for Washington, DC
August 26: Arrive Washington, DC
September 3: Depart Washington, DC for Denver
September 14: Depart Denver for Washington, DC
October 6: Draft evaluation report due at PVC
October 17: Evaluation debriefing for BHR/PVC
ANNEX 3: References
1. “Detailed Implementation Plan, IDE March 31, 1998.”
2. “Increasing the Productivity of the World’s Micro Farmers in Developing Countries,”
by Paul Polak and Jeff Saussier, in Sustainable Agriculture Solutions, Novello Press,
U.K. 1999.
3. “The IDE Low Cost Drip Irrigation System,” by Paul Polak, Bob Nanes, and Deepak
Adhikai, in Zeitschrift fuer Bewaesserungswirtschaft, Vol. 32, No. 1, 1997, pp. 105-
112.
4. “The Potential Contribution of Low Cost Drip Irrigation Productivity in India,” by
Paul Polak and R.K. Sivinappan, in Water Resources Management Sector Review,
Report on the Irrigation Sector, The World Bank in cooperation with the Ministry of
Water Resources, Government of India, 1998, pp. 121-123 (box A4.1)
Denver
1. “1998 Strategic Plan,” IDE document.
2. “Campaign Summary Analysis,” by Michelle Learned, IDE, 1999.
3. “Hand Over Report,” by Jeff Saussier, September 30, 1999.
4. IDE Board Meeting Books (1997 – 2000)
5. IDE Board Meeting Book, December 1998.
6. “IDE Consulting Income 1997-2000,” prepared by Melanie Formanek, September
2000.
7. “IDE Consulting Strategy,” December 1997
8. “IDE Corporate Performance and Evaluation (COPE) Monitoring, Reporting and
Evaluation (MRE) Guidelines”
9. “IDE Field Accounting/Finance Questionnaire,” prepared by Melanie Formanek,
August 14, 1998.
10. “IDE Finance Manual,” September 1999.
11. “IDE Headquarters Role, Responsibilities, and Activities,” November 1999.
12. “IDE Institutional Capability Statement”
13. “IDE MRE System: Three-Year Impact Evaluation”
14. “IDE Marketing Appropriate Technology: Marketing Manual,” prepared by Mrinal
Sircar (First Draft).
15. “IDE Personnel Policies for Headquarter Staff and Country Directors.”
16. “IDE Public Education Plan,” March 16, 1999.
17. “IDE Operations Manual,” September 1999.
18. “IDE Outline for Internal Audit,” prepared by Melanie Formanek, August 31, 1998.
19. Financial Report, Board Meeting Minutes: January 1998; June 1998; December 1998;
June 1999; December 1999; and June 2000
20. IDE Strategic Action Plan,” June 2000.
21. “IDE Strategic Plan – 1998 Objectives and Achievements,” December 1998 Board of
Directors Meeting
22. “IDE Strategic Plan: Status Report on Accomplishments, January – May 1999.”
23. IDE website: www.ideorg.org
24. “Job Description: Director of Monitoring and Evaluation”
25. John Magistro’s Trip Report, September 2000
26. “Minutes from 1998 Country Director’s Conference, Koh Samui, Thailand,
September 1998.”
27. “Minutes from Country Director’s Conference, Koh Samui, Thailand, September
1999.”
28. Monday Developments, January and March 2000.
29. “Pedal Pump and the Poor: Social Impact of A Manual Irrigation Technology in
South Asia,” by T. Shah, M. Alam, M.D. Kumar, R.R. Nagar, and M. Singh. 1999.
30. “Pillar of Sand: Can the Irrigation Miracle Last?,” by Sandra Postel, W.W. Norton &
Company, 1999.
31. “Running Dry: What happens when the world no longer has enough fresh water?,” by
Jacques Leslie, Harper’s Magazine (July 2000).
32. September 12, 1996 memo to IDE Country Directors from Keith Frausto
33. “Smallholder Irrigation Market Initiative: Business Plan Development,” submitted to
the World Bank Group by Winrock Internatinal and IDE, July 2000.
34. “The Development and Commercialization of the Treadle Pump in Bangladesh: A
Case of Product Marketing on a Mass Scale,” by Jeanne Downing and Paul Polak,
April 2000.
35. “Year 1 Annual Report to USAID.”
36. “Year 2 Annual Report to USAID”
India
1. “A Low Cost Drip Irrigation System for Small Farmers in Developing Countries,”
Journal of the American Water Resources Association, Vol. 33, No. 1, 1997,
February 1997, pp. 119-124, Paper Number 96064.
2. “A Market Development Approach Study of Affordable Micro Irrigation Technology
(AMIT) Program of IDE,” by Guru Naik, Dr. V.K. Dixit with contributions from
Sobhan Sinha, for Intermediate Technology Consulting (ITC). 2000.
3. AMIT Monthly Regional Reports (from Shimla, Nagpur, and Ahmedabad): Sept 98
thru July 00.
4. “Baseline Information: Micro Irrigation Program,” IDE India 1998.
5. “Baseline Study on Micro Irrigation in Rajasthan,” by Sudrak, submitted to IDE
6. “Combined Monthly Reports of Treadle Pump and Micro Irrigation Programmes,”
Oct 98, Dec 98, Feb 99, May 99, June 99, Sept 99, Oct 99, Jan 00, Feb 00, April 00,
May 00
7. “Dainet NGO Directory: A Directory of NGOs in India”
8. Dr. K.A.S. Mani, “Identification of Potential Areas for Introducing IDE’s Low Cost
Drip Irrigation System in India.” Final Report, March 1996.
9. “Final Report on Feasibility of Affordable Micro-Irrigation (Extension Phase)”
10. “Finance and Administration Manual (FAM)”
11. IDE India Business Plan: April 2000 to March 2005. First draft, 31 May 1999.
12. IDE India’s COPE/MRE “Combined Monthly Reports:” Oct. 98; Dec. 98, May 99,
June 99, Sept 99, Oct 99, Nov 99, Jan 00, Feb 00, April 00, and May 00.
13. “Identification of Potential Areas for Introducing IDE’s Low Cost Drip Irrigation
System in India,” by Dr. K.A.S. Mani.
14. International Conference on Micro and Sprinkler Irrigation, 8-10 February 2000,
Maharashtra, INDIA. IDE paper presented, “Low Cost Drip Irrigation for Micro
Plots in India,” by Guru Naik, Associate Director (MG Program)
15. “Low Cost Drip Irrigation for Micro Plots in India,” by Guru Naik, Associate
Director (MG Program), IDE India paper presented at International Conference on
Micro and Sprinkler Irrigation, 8-10 February 2000, Maharashtra, INDIA.
16. “Micro Irrigation Prospects and Potential in India,” June 18, 1999. Hyderabad, A.P.
IDE paper presented, “Tapping a Huge Micro Irrigation Potential for Small and
Marginal Farmers in India: The IDE Experience” Shri A.M. DE
17. “Monthly Regional Progress Report,” from Regional Offices
18. “National Marketing Plan for Affordable Micro Irrigation Kits,” IDE India, July
2000.
19. “NGOS Involved in Promoting Micro Irrigation”
20. “NGOs (that have) Shown Interest in Micro Irrigation in HP”
21. “NGOs (that have) Shown Interest in Micro Irrigation in Maharasthra”
22. “NGOs (that have) Shown Interest in Micro Irrigation in Rajasthan”
23. “NGOs (that have) Shown Interest in Micro Irrigation in Madhya Pradesh”
24. “NGOs (that have) Shown Interest in Micro Irrigation in Gujarat”
25. “Personnel Policies and Procedures Manual” dated 11/15/98 Version 7
26. “Report on Feasibility of IDE’s Affordable Micro Irrigation Systems in SDC’s
Watershed Project Areas: Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh,
Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh,” 1998.
27. “Roundtable on Rural Marketing: Strategies for Success.”
28. “Small and Marginal Farmers: A Huge Market for Micro Irrigation in India – IDE’s
Experience.” Prepared for Workshop: Micro Irrigation & Sprinkler Irrigation
Systems, 28-30 April 1998, Dehli, INDIA.
29. “Socio-Economic Impact Study,” by R.S. Nijjar. June 15, 1998.
30. “Socio-Economic Study of the IDE Promoted Micro Irrigation Systems in
Aurangabad and Bijapur.” Report by Meena Bilgi, Gender and Community
Development Consultant (research Jan – Mar 1999)
31. “Tapping a Huge Micro Irrigation Potential for Small and Marginal Farmers in India:
The IDE Experience” Shri A.M. DE. Prepared for conference on “Micro Irrigation
Prospects and Potential in India,” June 18, 1999. Hyderabad, A.P. INDIA
32. “Three Year Action Plan,” prepared by IDE India. June 1999.
33. Workshop: Micro Irrigation & Sprinkler Irrigation Systems, 28-30 April 1998, Dehli,
“Small and Marginal Farmers: A Huge Market for Micro Irrigation in India – IDE’s
Experience.”
34. “Workshop on IDE’s Scaling-Up Strategy for Affordable Micro Irrigation
Technology (AMIT) Program. January 18 –19, 1999.
Bangladesh
1. “3810 IDE field Test Emark Kit Analysis, July 2000.”
2. “A Technical Proposal for Evaluation of the Capacity Building, Development and
Marketing of Low Cost Hand Pump Project”
3. “Annual Report: October 1998 – September 1999.”
4. “Annual Staff Conference,” August/September 1999.
5. “Arsenic Test Results within the CDM Program Area”
6. “Baseline Survey,” (highlighting weight, market price, and profit margins of existing
pumps), May 1999.
7. “CDM Annual Report, October 1997 – September 1998”
8. “CDM Fact Sheet 1,” IDE-B, July 2000
9. “CDM Monthly Regional Progress Report (October 1999 to September 2000)”
10. “CDM Project’s Staff Development Training, 1999 and 2000”
11. “CDM Work Plan: May 1999 – September 2000.” (includes training schedule for all
supply chain members)
12. “Completion Report on Training of Trainers of IDE on Arsenic Issues,” February
2000.
13. Field Tests – Data Collection Forms
14. “Cross-Checking Status in July 2000”
15. “Educational Outreach Material/Promotional Material Distributed up to July 2000.”
16. “Human Resources Development Plan for the Year 1999,” Internal Training.
17. “IDE Monitoring Report of JANANI Hand Tubewell based on a Sample of 204,”
Monitoring & Evaluation Department
18. “IDE Training Calendar 1999”
19. “IDE-B CDM Project, JANANI Pump Monthly Monitoring Sheet”
20. IDE Bangladesh’s COPE/MRE: Monthly Reports: Oct. 99, Nov. 99, Jan 00, Feb 00,
March 00, Apr 00.
21. IDE Bangladesh, “List of Data Collection Formats and Tools,” M&E Department.
22. “IDE Monthly Regional Progress Report (October 1999 to September 2000)”
23. “IDE Network Partners JANANI Hand Pump During 1999 – 2000”
24. “IDE Progress Report,” submitted by HR&Training Department, January-June 2000
25. “JANANI Drinking Water Pump Test Marketing Phase.”
26. “JANANI Hand Pump Production Monitoring Format”
27. “JANANI Hand Tubewell Performance Report: Discharge Performance and
Operations Condition.”
28. “Memorandum of Understanding” (MOU with NGOs)
29. “Product Launching Ceremony: JANANI Hand Pump”
30. “Production Drawings on JANANI Hand Pump,”
31. “Product Monitoring Format: JANANI Hand Pump”
32. “Quality Control Procedure” (for the JANANI pump)
33. “Quality Control Check Points”
34. “Quality Installation Steps”
35. “Report on CDM Project Orientation Training, 23 June 1999.”
36. “Report on Dealers Training, 1999”
37. “Report on NGO Workshop”
38. “Report on PLA Sessions in Chuadanda.”
39. “Training Calendar 1999”
40. “Training Manual: Training on Field-Level Arsenic Testing.”
ANNEX 4: Persons Interviewed
Board
Paul Myers
Michael Edesess
Denver
Paul Polak
Fritz Kramer
John Magistro
Jeff Saussier
Anke Herrmann
Keith Frausto
Tim Gibb
Melanie Formanek
IDE India
Tom Hemphill
Amitabha Sadangi
Guru Naik
Dr. V.K. Dixit
Govinda Raju
Suresh Subramaniam
Sudarshan Suryawanshi
Aparna Pradhan
Ajay Dhalpawar
V.T. Sunil
Sachin S. Chepe
USAID India
Ram Berry
Bangladesh
David Nunley
Mrinal Sircar
Fahmida Mariam
Abul Ashraf
Mrinal Saha
Mominul Islam
Shoaib Chowdhury
Badrul Alam
Md Saifuddin Khaled
Sad Ahmed
Ranadhir Kumar Das
Narayan Ch. Chakaraborty
Anup Kumar Roy
Abdus Sobhan
Hand Pump Manufacturer
Moshiur Rahman Rana
USAID Bangladesh
Charles Uphaus