Ex-Ante Impact Study of MENARID Economic and Environmental Policy (Case Study: An Irrigation Water Supply Project in Iran)

The purpose of the Integrated Natural Resource Management (INRM) Program in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) Region (MENARID) is to bring national investment projects in the field of INRM. Within the scope of MENARID, International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA) planned to support a full and details impact study that captures the adoption of all INRM technologies implemented by the Iran’s MENARID project titled Institutional Strengthening and Coherence for Integrated Natural Resources Management, and further assess a few high potential technologies selected in close collaboration with the local project team, and for which primary and secondary data are available. Such a study should also explore the gender aspect of the technologies analyzed. The impact evaluation study tests whether the selected technology has significantly contributed to restore and maintain of the ecosystem functions and productivity, and whether has improved the economic and social well-being of the targeted communities. We chose Kamkooyeh Village in the Behabad Site (in Yazd Province) where a Village Development Group (VDG) has been established by following participatory and capacity building approaches such as social mobilization and micro credit mechanism. A set of complementary activities and interventions were recommended and implemented in this site by consultation and active participation of the local communities and beneficiaries. One of the proposed interventions is the implementation of an Irrigation Water Supply Project (IWSP). The expected benefits and costs of the IWSP were predicted through financial valuation and an ex-ante evaluation of socioeconomic impacts. The financial and social (Economic and Environmental) benefit-cost ratio of IWSP was estimated to be about 0.83 and 2.32, respectively.