This is the Report of an External Review Panel appointed to evaluate the programme and management of the International Centre for Research on Agroforestry (ICRAF). The membership of the Panel and their backgrounds are given in Appendix I. The Terms of Reference for this Second External Programme and Management Review (EPMR) of ICRAF are shown in Appendix II.
In conducting the Review, the Panel has been guided by its Terms of Reference and the Guidelines for the CGIAR review process. The EPMR Panel took an evolutionary approach to the Review of ICRAF. The First EPMR of ICRAF was conducted in 1993, two years after ICRAF joined the CGIAR System. The Centre's response to the recommendations of the 1993 External Review is recorded with Panel's comments in Appendix III, and the Panel assesses ICRAF's actions in the relevant sections of this Report. The Panel chose to approach the evaluation in the light of ICRAF's current programme (Appendix IV), focusing more on strategic and cross-cutting issues rather than the details of each separate programmes or project.
The Panel conducted its business in a frank, participatory and open manner. The information on which the Panel based its assessment and conclusions was gathered in a number of ways. The Panel interviewed most ICRAF senior staff at the headquarters and in the regional programmes, and one member met most Board members individually. The Panel also sought the views of ICRAF's partners through a survey letter to all CGIAR Centres and other institutions collaborating with ICRAF, and to all CGIAR Members and Regional Representatives. Three sub-Panels separately visited ICRAF's regional programmes and partner institutions and scientists in Africa, Latin America and Southeast Asia. Panel members also met with national programme representatives and government officials in Kenya, Malawi, Peru and Indonesia. The itinerary of the Panel is outlined in Appendix VII.
Finally, the Panel examined published and internal documents produced by ICRAF staff and by many collaborators; this material included paper and electronic reports, databases and computer software packages. A list of key documents used by the Panel is shown in Appendix VIII.
