Monitoring and evaluation system : towards improving agricultural development projects in Nigeria

In the past, the Monitoring and Evaluation (M & E) System was not given the attention it deserved in agricultural projects, like the World Bank funded agricultural development projects of the eighties. Of recent in Nigeria, many agricultural projects have incorporated monitoring and evaluation as a key component of the implementation framework. In this study we employed secondary data to review the impact of monitoring and evaluation in agricultural programmes in Nigeria; Using secondary data, projects incorporating the Monitoring and Evaluation components were reviewed. Questions addressed included what should be monitored or evaluated, when and how should Monitoring and Evaluation be undertaken and by who; what are the physical and material resources necessary for achieving a robust M & E system. The study concluded that planning a good agricultural project is not the problem in Nigeria but implementation as a result of poor monitoring and evaluation system.