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This book is the result of a collaborative effort involving many individuals in research and development organizations in Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Americas. First and foremost, it reflects the experience and views of those individuals who carried out six evaluation studies under the umbrella of the ‘Evaluating Capacity Development’ (ECD) Project. This book is based in large part on these studies, authored by the following individuals.

In each of the six evaluation studies, many other people made essential contributions to the work. They are acknowledged in the individual evaluation reports, which have been issued separately by the organizations that carried them out.

The authors would like to thank the following individuals and organizations for contributing their ideas and support for preparing the book. Thanks to Michael Quinn Patton for writing the Foreword and for providing suggestions for improving the book. Anne La Fond, Byron Mook, Willem Janssen, Marise B. Espineli, two anonymous reviewers, and Peter Meier provided many useful suggestions for improving the book. Thanks also to Zenete França for organizing and facilitating the ECD Project’s mid-term workshop and to Geert Balzer for facilitating the final writing workshop. Their facilitation skills greatly helped us draw lessons from our experiences and get them down on paper.

We would like to acknowledge our indebtedness to Julian Gonsalves, who contributed substantially to the conceptualization, formulation, and early stages of the ECD Project. Peter Morgan and Ronald Mackay, specialists in capacity development and evaluation, also made many important contributions to the design and implementation of the project and provided technical support to the study teams. Charles Lusthaus of Universalia Management Group contributed many useful ideas in the early stages of the project. Thanks to the staff of the International Institute of Rural Reconstruction (IIRR) for hosting and facilitating the ECD Project’s planning workshop, which laid the groundwork for our evaluation studies.

The Bangladesh study team would like to thank the management and staff of IIRR and the Rangpur Dinajpur Rural Service who contributed to and facilitated the study.

The Cuban study team would like to thank the Cuban Ministry of Agriculture’s authorities and staff for their support, the Swine Research Institute staff and stakeholders for their enthusiastic participation in the study, ISNAR for the opportunity to participate in the ECD Project, and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation for its financial support.

The authors of the Ghana study would like to thank the Ghanaian Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, the Ministry of Environment, Science, and Technology, and the Plant Genetic Resources Center staff and stakeholders who participated in the workshops. They would also like to thank the Genetic Resources Network for West and Central Africa steering committee members. Within the International Plant Genetic Resources Institute (IPGRI), thanks go to the sub-Saharan Africa Regional Office, the Assistant Director General, the Documentation, Information and Training Group, and the Director of the Genetic Resources Science and Technology Group. The authors also wish to thank the staff of IPGRI who participated in interviews and completed surveys.

The authors of the Nicaragua study would like to thank all the staff of the Faculty of Natural Resources and the Environment for their interest, input, and participation, to colleagues of other participating organizations, and to the ISNAR ECD Project team.

The Philippines study team would like to thank Gelia Castillo for her encouragement and critical inputs, the staff of the Northern Philippines Root Crops Research and Training Center, and Benguet State University for their active support in the conduct of the study, and the Users’ Perspectives with Agricultural Research and Development network’s Coordinating Office staff for assistance in data collection and general logistical support.

The Viet Nam study team would like to thank Dr Vo Tong Xuan, Director, and all other staff of the Mekong Delta Farming Systems Research and Development Institute, staff of the Institute of Agricultural Sciences of Southern Viet Nam, government officials and the farmers of Duc Hoa District, Long An Province, and John Graham and Stephen Tyler of the International Development Research Centre’s Community-based Natural Resource Management program initiative.

We are grateful to five development agencies who have provided financial support and technical inputs for the work on which this book is based: the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR), the Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation ACP-EU (CTA), the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ), the International Development Research Centre (IDRC), and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC). During the implementation of the ECD Project and the preparation of the book, Peter Meier (SDC) and Thomas Kuby (GTZ) made numerous useful suggestions for improving our work.

Thanks to Jan van Dongen (ISNAR), Bill Carman (IDRC), and Chantal Guiot (CTA) who guided us through the complex and fascinating process of converting a rough manuscript into a published book.

Claudia Forero competently organized project meetings and coordinated many aspects of the ECD Project, including the preparation and review of this book and the compilation of the book’s reference list. She also had the dubious pleasure of checking and correcting the text numerous times. Anna Wuyts compiled the book’s glossary with diligence and good humor. Christina Price prepared the exhibits.

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