AN EXPERIENCE IN EX POST EVALUATION VILLAGE WOODLOT PROJECT IN THE POVERTY AREAS OF THAILAND

Abstract

Village Woodlot project is one among the projects incorporated in the Rural Poverty Area Development Program. It was implemented and operated under the coordination of the Royal Forest Department and Land Development Department during 1984-86. Its scope covered the poverty areas in the North and Northeast. The main objectives of the project were to help rural people understand more about benefit and technique of growing village woodlot and conserving natural resources, to provide woodlot to people and to prevent forest destruction, and to keep nature in balance. The expost evaluation indicated that the project achieved the physical target of activities, the average investment per household was reasonable while the financial and economic return were high. However, the experience from the evaluation revealed that the choice of evaluation technique and of the definition of operating cost and benefit of the project were crucial in evaluating such a development project.