Two WII professionals were part of a three member team formed to carry out the ex- post evaluation of the SIDA-funded National Tree Growers Cooperative Federation (NTGCF) project and the Participatory Approach to Human and Land Resource Development (PAHAL) project in Rajasthan. PAHAL and NTGCF were long-term projects (initiated in 1991) supported by SIDA primarily for improving rural livelihoods through community-based development and management of private and revenue wastelands and village commons, and the forest lands adjacent to villages after the introduction of policies of forest lands.

The main objective of this ex-post-evaluation was to draw lessons on sustainability and the type and nature of value addition of village institutions created through donor funded watershed projects - in this case SIDA. For the ex-post evaluation of PAHAL, meetings and discussions were held with the villagers and members of four best village institutions (as rated in project reports) in Dungarpur district. While in the case of NTGCF, majority of the evaluation was based on the meetings with key ex-project team members.