2026-06-27http://hdl.handle.net/123456789/192485Effective monitoring and evaluation (M&E), vital for tracking and measuring results of development interventions, remains challenging. Although much literature exists on M&E as a tool in project management work, weaknesses of M&E in investment lending persist. This publication by the FAO Investment Centre Division provides a critical review of the use of M&E in the implementation of agricultural and rural development (ARD) projects. It assesses how M&E systems have been designed and implemented in some 70 World Bank-assisted ARD projects over the last 15 years in the South and East Asia regions. Its findings and conclusions are based on a review of the corresponding project Implementation Completion and Results Reports, prepared with the assistance of the Centre. Its aim is to draw attention to the problems related to putting M&E systems into practice, and draw lessons for learning. Guiding principles for result-oriented M&E systems that emerged from the review are summarized, and prop osals are made for an enhanced use of M&E in ARD projects, both during project design and implementation.60application/pdfFAOBook (stand-alone)