IMARA - Sustainable Natural Resource Management for Climate Resilience

The IMARA Program, has according to the annual report of 2024, continued to deliver transformative results across its four key outcomes, fostering resilience, sustainability, and equitable resource management. The annual report highlights the program's achievements in 2024, demonstrating its impact on livelihoods, natural resource management, governance, and renewable energy adoption, while emphasizing community led solutions and sustainability. The IMARA program has significantly improved livelihoods through diversified incomegenerating activities and enhanced market systems. Women and youth have benefitted from naturebased livelihoods such as poultry farming, honey production, moringa value chains, and beadwork, which have provided economic empowerment and improved household incomes. The construction of aggregation centers for commodities like mangoes and coffee has strengthened producer groups bargaining power, enabling fair market prices and reducing exploitation. Financial inclusion through Savings for Transformation (S4T) groups and Village Savings and Lending Associations (VSLAs) has empowered 1,441 members, with total savings exceeding USD 63,000, creating financial resilience among vulnerable households. The program has achieved remarkable progress in restoring degraded rangelands, forests, and critical wildlife areas. Initiatives such as gully rehabilitation, tree planting, and reseeding have revitalized over 810 hectares of degraded land, improving biodiversity and reducing soil erosion. Conservation efforts in critical habitats like Nyekweri Forest have secured 10,000 acres for endangered species through communitydriven agreements. Renewable energy adoption has reduced deforestation and indoor air pollution, enhancing the environmental and health outcomes for women and children while creating new economic opportunities for communities. IMARA has strengthened governance systems for natural resource management (NRM) and climate adaptation at community, county, and national levels. Social accountability mechanisms such as Citizen Voice and Action (CVA) forums have increased community participation, resulting in county governments allocating 23% of development budgets to locally led climate adaptation initiatives. The program facilitated the development of critical policies, including peace and disaster risk management frameworks, in West Pokot County and supported climate action plans in Elgeyo Marakwet County, ensuring inclusivity and grassroots engagement. Crossborder peace dialogues and cultural reconciliations have reduced natural resourcebased conflicts, enabling displaced families to return home and fostering peaceful coexistence. According to the consortium's members, The IMARA program has demonstrated substantial progress toward building resilient, sustainable, and equitable communities in ASAL regions. By integrating communitydriven solutions, fostering inclusive governance, and emphasizing sustainability, the program continues to address the complex challenges of climate change, resource conflicts, and economic vulnerabilities. These outcomes position IMARA as a model for transformative development, ensuring longlasting impacts for communities and ecosystems alike. However, the midterm review (2024 midterm of phase 2) summariesed that the program reveals a mixed performance of the outcome indicators with about a half of the indicators recording positive progress. The evaluation indicates varied progress across the three key outcomes. Outcome 1 focused on securing livelihoods and strengthening inclusive market systems, Outcome 2 aimed to sustain and restore socialecological landscapes for enhanced biodiversity and ecosystem services, and Outcome 3 targeted strengthening governance systems and structures for sustainable natural resource management (NRM) at community, county, and ASAL region levels. For Outcome 1, the evaluation shows that three out of the four indicators were offtrack, with one indicator ontrack. Outcome 2 demonstrates a more balanced performance, with half of its indicators achieving early success ahead of schedule and the other half offtrack. Similarly, Outcome 3 has half of its indicators recording early achievements, while the other half remain offtrack. Overall, 33% of the outcome indicators were early achievers, 58% were offtrack and 8% were ontrack. This distribution indicates the need for enhanced efforts and strategic adjustments to achieve the set outcomes within the stipulated timeframe. The program's financial, human and time resources were managed with varying levels of efficiency. Financial utilisation decrease influenced by external factors and delayed activities, while human resources showed unevenness in role funding. In addition, despite initial delays due to governmental and environmental challenges, the program remained on track with risk mitigation strategies in place. Efficiency of Outcome 1 Outputs: The evaluation of the program outputs reveals varied progress across key indicators highlighting areas of success and those needing improvement. Outcome 1 outputs focused on diversifying livelihood opportunities through natural resource management shows 50% of indicators achieving their midterm targets, while the other 50% are offtrack due to varying adoption rates and other traditional priority practices. Output 1.2 aimed at improving markets, market linkages, and innovations for sustainable natural resourcebased products, also presents mixed results, with 50% of indicators as early achievers and 50% offtrack. This was attributed to challenges to do with market accessibility and the adoption of innovative practices contributed to these results. Output 1.3, targeting increased access to financial products and services, demonstrates significant progress, with 75% of indicators as early achievers and 25% ontrack. This success was attributed to effective financial outreach programs and partnerships with financial institutions. Overall, Output 1 has 58% early achievers, 8% ontrack, and 33% offtrack, indicating the need to address challenges in community participation in NRMrelated livelihoods, market access and innovation adoption to achieve the program's objectives. Efficiency of Outcome 2 Outputs: The evaluation reveals a mix of significant achievements and areas needing improvement for the outputs. Output 2.1 aimed at enhancing the management of rangelands, forests and wildlife areas and showed a combination of significant achievements and areas needing improvement. Specifically, 25% of the indicators were early achievers, 25% were ontrack, and 50% were offtrack. Factors contributing to this mixed progress included training and support provided, community engagement and the strategic inclusion of educational institutions. Output 2.2, which focused on enhancing integrated water resources management, revealed significant progress in several areas. However, challenges remained in establishing functional Water Management Committees (WMCs). The progress status showed 80% of the indicators as early achievers and 20% offtrack, highlighting effective interventions such as participatory mapping, equitable allocation of resources, alongside challenges such as inadequate awareness and resource constraints on formation of committees. Output 2.3, concerning climate change adaptation and mitigation measures within had 33% of the indicators early achievers, 33% ontrack and 33% offtrack. This variability was attributed to effective dissemination and adoption of climate resilience practices and differing levels of community adoption. Output 2.4, on improved capacity for climate and disaster resilience, showed 50% early achievers and 50% ontrack, as a result of successful capacitybuilding and regular meetings with few operational hurdles. Output 2.5 focused on increasing access to modern, clean and efficient energy options indicated that 50% of the indicators were early achievers while the other 50% were offtrack, attributed to consistent training and adoption of efficient energy technologies, with challenges in forming linkages with private partnerships. Overall, Output 2 had 50% early achievers indicators, 19% ontrack, and 31% offtrack, underscoring the need to address resource allocation, stakeholder engagement, institutional development, community adoption of climate measures and logistical issues to achieve the output. Efficiency of Outcome 3 Outputs: The evaluation of outcome 3 outputs reveals varied progress across different indicators. Output 3.1, focused on improving social accountability and governance of natural resources at the local level, had 33% early achievers and 67% offtrack due to differing levels of community engagement and delays in local governance capacity building. Output 3.2, aimed at strengthening engagement in NRM policy development, showed 50% early achievers and 50% offtrack with challenges in complex policy environments and stakeholder involvement. Output 3.3, targeting increased budget allocation and technical support for NRM initiatives, also had 50% early achievers and 50% offtrack due to both successes in securing support and challenges in maintaining consistent engagement. Output 3.4, focused on reducing natural resource-based conflicts, showed 75% early achievers and 25% offtrack, with significant achievements in conflict resolution but some areas still faced with persistent disputes. Overall, Output 3 had 54% early achievers and 46% offtrack, indicating substantial achievements but also areas needing enhanced efforts. Key challenges included community engagement, local governance capacity, complex policy environments and sustaining stakeholder involvement. Addressing these challenges is crucial for the successful implementation of the program's objectives On the other hand, the evaluation concluded that the Program at mid-implementation has demonstrated positive impacts on the target beneficiaries both directly and indirectly by addressing various aspects of resilience, economic empowerment, social inclusion and environmental sustainability. The program has enhanced the resilience of vulnerable households to climate change related shocks by diversifying income sources through NRM and agriculture related value chains. Beneficiaries had adopted multiple livelihood activities that have collectively contributed to improved household incomes and standards of living. This economic stability had further enabled households to invest in essential needs such as food, clothing, shelter, and education, thereby elevating their quality of life. The program cultivated a strong saving culture among beneficiaries and groups by providing financial literacy and savings mobilisation training. This empowered households to better manage their finances and plan for the future. The involvement of youths in productive activities significantly reduced crime rates, particularly cattle rustling, making the community safer. Technical and vocational education and training (TVET) equipped youths with valuable skills, improving their employability and enabling them to start their own businesses. Increased school enrolment rates were reported as a result of diversified livelihoods that allow parents to allocate funds towards their childrens education. Also, women were empowered through diverse economic activities thus enhancing their financial independence and strengthening their roles within the family and community promoting gender equality and more harmonious household dynamics.The environmental conservation efforts such as rehabilitating degraded rangelands, establishing tree nurseries and protecting water resources had enhanced biodiversity, improved grazing conditions and ensured sustainable water access for domestic, agricultural and livestock use. Additionally, the incidences of resource-based conflicts reduced as a result of flourishing resources. The programs peacebuilding and conflict resolution efforts ensured strengthened governance systems and promoted conflictsensitive approaches within the communities. Training in peacebuilding mechanisms enabled communities to resolve conflicts through dialogue and legal means, fostering a more peaceful and cohesive environment. Finally, the program has made significant strides in ensuring the sustainability of outcomes through effective community engagement, robust institutional partnerships, and comprehensive capacitybuilding initiatives. Evaluation findings underscore the success in enhancing ownership among community members, evidenced by the high percentage of households reporting consultation and participation in decisionmaking processes. This involvement has been crucial in promoting acceptance and relevance, thus laying a solid foundation for the continuity of benefits post-program exit.

The first phase of the program had the goal of increased resilience of marginalized households to climate-change-related shocks through diversified livelihoods and improved natural resource management and use in ASAL counties of Isiolo, Laikipia, Marsabit and Samburu by 2021. The program had four outcomes: 1. Secure livelihoods and strengthened market systems (including for women and youth) that support sustained management of natural resources 2. Sustainable management and rehabilitation of land, forest and water sources for strengthened ecosystem services 3. Strengthened governance systems and structures for sustainable NRM at community, county and national levels4. Project monitoring, evaluation, accountability and learning effectively. The second phase of the programme that started in 2022 has a similar goal but changes of counties: to increase resilience of vulnerable households to climate change-related shocks through diversified livelihoods and improved natural resource management in the ASAL Counties of Elgeyo Marakwet, Narok, Turkana and West Pokot by end 2025. The second phase has also four outcomes: 1. Secure Livelihoods and Strengthened inclusive market systems that support Sustainable Natural Resources Management, 2. Sustainable and restored social-ecological landscapes for enhanced biodiversity and ecosystems services, 3. Strengthened governance systems and structures for conflict-sensitive and sustainable Natural Resource Management (NRM) and climate change adaptation at community, county and national levels, 4. Program Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability, Research and Learning effectively coordinated.