BAMBOO SECTOR DEVELOPMENT PROJECT
HOUAPHANH PROVINCE
JEAN FRANÇOIS KIBLER
PROJECT COORDINATOR
020 546 429 66
EVALUATION OF THE PROJECT
“SUPPORT TO THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE
HOUAPHANH PROVINCIAL BAMBOO SECTOR DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY”
(BAMBOO PROJECT)
TERMS OF REFERENCE
THE BAMBOO PROJECT
The Bamboo Project has been designed to support to the implementation of the Huaphan Provincial
Bamboo Sector Development Strategy, defined and promulgated by the Province Governor in 2010.
The Project has a duration of four years (2011-2014) and is funded by EU, the French Agency for
Development (AFD) and the Fondation Ensemble (French foundation).
The Project is implemented by Gret in partnership with SNV, the Provincial Agriculture and
Forestry Office (PAFO), and the Department of Planning and Investment (DPI), in close
cooperation with other provincial departments (PONRE, DIC) and district departments and
authorities.
The total budget of the Project is 1 600 000 Euros.
The overall objective of the Project is that “the bamboo sector provides stable and sustainable incomes
and employment, contributing to poverty alleviation and conserving forest functions and upland
environment”
The three expected results from the Project are:

R1: Local authorities ensure land tenure rights for bamboo plantations and support market orientated
natural forest management with delegation of forest plots to individual farmers
R1 – Logical Framework Indicators
District regulation on forest management is approved by province and implemented at village level
60 village land Use Plans (including bamboo) are approved by district authorities by year 4
Allocation of forest land to villages is approved in 3 districts, for forest management
4 value chains are well channeled with appropriate trade procedures and resources allocations

R2: Bamboo producer groups are able to take up responsibilities in managing forest sustainably,
develop bamboo plantations, deliver extension services, initiate locally based handicraft and preprocessing units supplying markets and industry
R2 – Logical Framework Indicators
2400 households are members of bamboo producers' groups
60 villages are involved in the value chains
120 farmer leaders participate actively to bamboo sector development in 2014
30 farmers promoters develop and provide services to the bamboo sector
30 forest management plans (FMP) run by farmer groups are agreed by DAFO (1500 ha)
500 ha are allocated and planted with bamboo
30 producers groups are involved in the value chains
5 semi-industrial Pre-Processing Workshops are operating

R3: Effective coordination between state actors, producer groups and private sector supports the
implementation of the provincial bamboo strategy and create opportunities to involve Lao scientists
R3 – Logical Framework Indicators
6 multi-actors events are organized (seminars, outlook days…) by the Bamboo Task Force
PAFO, DPI and DoIC action plans are decided and implemented in coordination with others bamboo
sector stakeholders by year 2
A 5-years multi-stakeholder provincial strategy is developed by state actors, producer groups and
private actors by year 4 and means are secured
2 studies are implemented by Lao scientists
Status & by-law of a provincial Bamboo sector association are registered
In 2013, the support provided by the Project is organized in 5 complementary operational
components: Land management, Bamboo Forest Management, Bamboo Plantation, Business &
trade, Enabling environment and public policies.
Land
Management
Forest
Management
Plantation
Business
Enabling
environment
PLUP :
E&D :
Nurseries :
Markets:
Policies :
Identify
bamboo forest
plots which
will be
managed in
the villages
Experiment
bamboo forest
management
techniques
With FRC/NAFRI
Ensure local
supply of
seedlings or
culms for
planting (Mai
Luang)
Prospect
markets
Attract
investors
Land titling
Forest Managt
Taxes & quota
Incentives
Trade:
BB task force
Trust
Agreements
Contracts
BB strategy
Coordination
FM Plans:
Land tilting:
Secure the
rights of
villagers on the
bamboo forest
plots
(individual &
communal)
Technical &
social rules for
sustainable use
of bamboo
forests
Plantation:
Technical
support for
individual
plantations
Association
Organization:
Traders
Villagers
Huaphann
association to
develop sector
Monitoring:
Assess respect
of rules and
impact on
forest
Value added:
Processing
Marketing
Service
providers:
VBT, VV,
trainers…
The Project currently works on 6 value chains: fresh bamboo shoots (mai khom) for national
market, dried bamboo shoots (mai hok) for Vietnamese market, bamboo slats (mai khouane) for
Vietnamese market, bamboo culms (mai xang) for locally based paper pulp factory exporting to
Vietnam, bamboo handicraft for national market (mai Khouane and Hok), bamboo furniture (mai
khouane, mai luang, mai hok, mai cha) for national market.
Land
Management
Forest
Management
Plantation
Business
Enabling
environment
Mai xang: 6 villages  culms  Paper pulp factory  Vietnam
Mai khouane: 10 villages  culms  Stick factory  Vietnam
Mai hok : 9 villages  dried shoots  traders  Vietnam
Mai khom: 10 villages  fresh shoots  traders  Huaphan, Xiengkhouang
Mai Khouane, Hia..: 29 villages  handicraft  traders  national
Mai Luang, Khouane, Cha: 3 villages  furniture traders  national
The Project is implemented in three districts of Huaphan Province (Viengxay, Sobbao and Sam
Neua) and currently covers around 60 villages.
Main achievements and challenges of the Project are summarized in annex attached.
MID TERM EVALUATION
The Project requires an external mid-term evaluation in order to assess how the project is
contributing to develop a bamboo sector “that provides stable and sustainable incomes and employment,
contributing to poverty alleviation and conserving forest functions and upland environment”.
SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES OF THE EVALUATION
The mid-term evaluation has three specific objectives:

Progress: to assess the progress, achievement and results of the project, compared to the
overall objectives, expected results and logical framework;

Key lessons: to draw key lessons from the first two years implementation of the Project;

Recommendations: to give inputs for improving the implementation of the second phase of
the Project (2013-2014) and for the formulation of a next phase project proposal (20152018).
MAIN QUESTION S TO BE ADRESSED
The consultants will include in their analyses and recommendations the following questions:
Relevance of the Project
Relevance and effectiveness of strategies adopted by the project team:
 Strategies adopted and / or proposed by the Project team to combine a territorial (land
management, forest management and plantation) and a market (business and trade)
approach
 Strategies adopted and / or proposed by the Project team to :
o involve the value chain’s stakeholders in the development of a sustainable bamboo
sector, particularly the sustainable use of the bamboo forests and the plantations.
o create the conditions for involving the Province and District authorities and
technicians in the implementation of the Project, and the improvement of Provincial
and District sector policies enabling the development of the bamboo sector;
o create the conditions for promoting the organization of the bamboo sector
stakeholders in order to develop and strengthen a sustainable bamboo sector
 Strategies adopted and / or proposed by the Project team to overcome main unexpected
difficulties such faced as: project team staffs’ turn over; District technicians’ turnover;
bamboo task force members’ turn over; starting of new projects in the Province…
These analyses should particularly analyze how the strategies adopted by the Project team aim at
and succeed to create the conditions for a multi-stakeholders’ learning process.
Environment, economic and social impact of the Project on the bamboo sector:

Achieved and potential impact of the Project on the attitude and perception of the villagers,
traders and government towards the bamboo forests and the bamboos sector;

Achieved and potential impact of the Project on the GDP, the incomes of villagers and
traders, and the revenues of the government (taxes).

Achieved and potential impact of the Project on the protection of the bamboo forests.

Achieved and potential impact of the Project on the provincial bamboo sector policy ?
Recommendations for the next phase Project:

Should the next phase Project extend its geographic coverage (new districts, new
villages…)?

Should the next phase Project widen the bamboo scope to other farmers’ activities and/or
value chains (coffee, livestock…) ?

Which components / supports should be maintained and strengthened during the next phase
Project ?
METHODOLOGY
The methodology will include the following orientations:

Desk review of Project documents made available by the Project

Meeting with Project partner in Huaphan: FRC/NAFRI

Meeting with the Project team in Sam Neua

Meeting with Project partners in Huaphanh, including: SNV, PAFO, DPI, DONRE, DIC,
districts (Viengxay, Sobbao, Sam Neua)

Field interview / meeting with key beneficiaries of the Project for the main value chains,
including villagers, traders and factories.

Debriefing with the Project team in Sam Neua

Validation workshop with the bamboo Task Force, in Sam Neua. Public research institutes
will be invited in the validation workshop, in order to learn lessons and to increase their
implication in the development of the bamboo sector for the whole country.
DELIVERABLES
The deliverables are:

A presentation PPT in English and in Lao of maximum 30 slides summarizing the main
findings, which will be presented during the validation workshop

A document written in English, with the main findings addressing the topics and questions
to be answered: progress, key lessons, recommendation. the document will include:
o a summary in English
o the full report (30 pages)
o annexes: methodology used, timetable, minutes of the validation workshop with the
bamboo task force
TIME TABLE
The time table is as follows:

reception of applications : 12 June 2013

selection of the consultant: 15 June 2013

field work: 8 to 10 days presence in Huaphan, to be done before the validation workshop

validation workshop: second week of July 2013

full report: 15 August 2013
BUDGET AVAILABLE
Total budget available for the consultancy is 6 500 USD.
This budget includes:

workdays of the consultant

perdiem and accommodation

transportation VTE Sam Neua VTE

translation in Lao / English of the report

interpreter in Lao if required
The project car will be made available for the evaluation team.
APPLICATIONS
SKILLS AND QUALIFICATIONS OF CONSULTANT
Consultant should have:

Advanced academic background and experience in rural development Project

Experience in conducting evaluations

Lao speaking (or must include translator in his proposal)

Excellent English writing skills

Experience in forestry or bamboo would obviously be a plus

Being part of Lao Research Institute would be a plus.
HOW TO SEND PROPOSALS
Consultants interested should send:

team composition (1 or 2 persons) and CV

A technical proposal (particularly for the field work)

A financial proposal (total budget including all expenses)

Proposal of workplan
Not later than: 12 June 2013
To: Jean-François Kibler – [email protected]