Factors influencing sustainability of donor funded projects in arid and semi-arid lands: a case of food security projects in Garbatulla District, Isiolo County, Kenya

Abstract

In recent years, project sustainability has been an issue of growing concern among donor agencies and stakeholders of aid. The purpose of this study was to establish factors influencing sustainability of donor funded projects in the Arid and Semi Arid lands (ASALs) by looking at donor funded food security projects in Garbatulla district in Isiolo county, Kenya.

The study sought to investigate how project financing, duration, monitoring and evaluation, training and community participation influenced project sustainability.Eight food security projects and eighty two respondents were included in the study. A questionnaire and Personal interviews methods were used in the study. Interviews were necessary to clarify as well as compare data collected using the questionnaire. Results of this study showed that far too many of the projects lacked the ingredients for sustainability due to non adherence to the critical factors of project sustainability.

Many projects studied have been partially successful, sufficiently so to provide important benefits stream, but none had maximized the full potential of the different stakeholders who include the recipient government, the private sector and local communities. This study results emphasize the critical part played by project funding, Community participation, Training, Monitoring and Evaluation and project duration on sustainability of donor funded projects.

The study recommends: understanding of the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of the target population to avoid conflict of interest or community rejection, capacity building to strengthen institutions at all levels, involvement of local stakeholders ,maintenance of open and extensive communication which is the link among all stakeholders.I develop an acceptable cost-sharing formula, project risk identification, allocation and management and wide publicity of project accomplishments to build support from key stakeholders such as the government and private sector.