Abstract

The 'Shea Project for Local Conservation and Development' (the Shea Project) is administered by the Cooperative Office for Voluntary Organizations of Uganda (COVOL), a nonprofit development agency based in the United States. It is an example of an environmentally based sustainable development project which has been operating in northern Uganda since July of 1995. I was personally involved in the feasibility study for the project in 1993. The development community could learn about choosing, designing and administering a sustainable development project from a close examination of this project.

I look at development issues from the point of view of a Conservation Biologist. In other words, I am a strong supporter of the concepts of "Bioregionalism"--the utilization of local resources for local consumption--and ecological limits for development and growth.

The two-fold purpose of this thesis is to examine the question, "What is Sustainable Participatory Development (SPD)?" and then examine how can SPD be evaluated effectively?" I was part of a Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) process of the one year old USAID-funded Shea project. We collected data for a Midterm M&E Report through surveys, interviews and direct participation in the project's activities. I will critique the methods and the conclusions of the resulting M&E report using current academic literature on Sustainable Participatory Development as support.

Disciplines

Natural Resources Management and Policy

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