Evaluation of sustainable development projects: participatory approach

This paper analyses the strength and constraints of various evaluation methods in sustainable development projects with emphasis on participatory evaluation. An international literature review is used to analyse the application of traditional and participatory approaches. In addition, some of the projects refer to the author's own projects. The paper endeavours to be productively provocative as a catalyst for choosing the right evaluation methods. The results also shed light on important impediments to the performance of evaluations and on the role played by various stakeholders in the evaluation process. This paper is therefore a useful source for evaluators in sustainable development projects to determine the right evaluation methods. It helps the community and the sustainable development agent to direct funding to support sustainable development programmes that could work. It was recommended that the participatory evaluation should be used in a complementary way with traditional evaluation.