Monitoring and evaluation practices, management support and performance of dairy processing projects in Kiambu County, Kenya

Abstract

Projects involving dairy processing are essential to the growth of the dairy sector because they link producers and consumers and enhance the quality of the final products. Dairy farmers, however, have persisted in complaining about the performance of dairy processing plants, claiming that they lose their investment, generate little revenue, and have inconsistent dependability. Despite the existence of cooperatives that direct milk to dairy processing projects on behalf of farmers, a large portion of the milk produced by dairy farmers is sold at low and variable rates throughout the seasons. The study's primary goal was to investigate the relationship between the performance of dairy processing projects in Kiambu County, the moderating effect of managerial support, and monitoring and evaluation practices. Its specific goals were to evaluate the impact of M&E planning on project performance, ascertain the impact of M&E training on project performance, and investigate the impact of M&E reporting on project performance. Furthermore, the study aimed to determine the moderating influence of managerial support on M&E planning and project performance, as well as the relationships between M&E training and project performance and M&E reporting. This study was informed by three theories: program theory, resource-based view theory, and stakeholder engagement theory. The researcher used a stratified random sample strategy to examine a target group of 272 respondents as part of an explanatory research design. The Yamane formula yielded a sample size of 162 responders. The instrument's reliability test yielded reliability coefficients for each construct that were higher than the suggested cutoff of 0.7. Data from the respondents was gathered using questionnaires, and descriptive and inferential statistics were employed for analysis. To examine the effects of the research variables, a hierarchical multiple linear regression model was employed. The study's conclusions showed that the performance of the dairy processing project was significantly impacted by monitoring and evaluation planning (β = 0.975, p = 0.013, <0.05), monitoring and evaluation training (β = -0.753, p = 0.014, <0.05), and monitoring and evaluation reporting (β = 0.949, p = 0.001, <0.05). As demonstrated by the interaction between monitoring and evaluation planning and performance of dairy processing projects (β = 5.478, p = 0.004, <0.05) and the relationship between monitoring and evaluation training and performance of dairy processing projects (β = 3.86, p = 0.007, <0.05), managerial support was found to significantly moderate the relationship between M&E practices. However, the study found no significant moderating influence of managerial support on the link between the performance of dairy processing projects and monitoring and evaluation reporting (β = -1.539, p = 0. 193>0.05). Thus, the study comes to the conclusion that the success of dairy processing projects is significantly impacted by monitoring and evaluation planning, monitoring and evaluation training, and monitoring and evaluation reporting. Once more, the study finds that managerial support had a negligible moderating influence on monitoring and evaluation reporting and further tempered the link between monitoring and evaluation planning, monitoring and evaluation training, and the performance of dairy processing projects. In order to improve the performance of dairy processing projects, the study advises project managers to make an effort to implement suitable monitoring and assessment procedures. As a result, this work will act as a launching pad for future researchers who are interested in this field. Further research should expand the study by investigating key activities and exploring monitoring and assessment methods to identify gaps and solutions to performance issues.