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M&E of Africa RISING. Carlo Azzarri, Beliyou Haile, Cleophelia Roberts, Melanie Bacou IFPRI/ HarvestChoice London, July 17, 2014. Agenda. Africa RISING M&E Objectives and Challenges ARBES Project Mapping and Monitoring Tool (PMMT) Purpose and scope Major components Next Steps.
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M&E of Africa RISING Carlo Azzarri, Beliyou Haile, Cleophelia Roberts, Melanie Bacou IFPRI/HarvestChoice London, July 17, 2014
Agenda • Africa RISING M&E Objectives and Challenges • ARBES • Project Mapping and Monitoring Tool (PMMT) • Purpose and scope • Major components • Next Steps
Learning about climbing beans in Linthipe, Dedza 2014. M&E of Africa RISING • Support effective project management • Fulfill FtF reporting requirements • Generate knowledge on what works and what doesn’t work • Data/analytical components of the M&E system: • Delineation and characterization of target farming systems • Inventory of technologies • Ex-ante evaluation* • Attribution assessment*
M&E Activities Closely watching the fava beans, Sinana, Oct. 2013. • Mega-site stratification by drivers of SI and creation of “development domains” • Identification of representative action research and control sites • Open access M&E data management platform (PMMT) • FtF indicators reporting • Household and community surveys (ARBES) • Site visits and focus groups • Meetings (survey design, project review & planning, annual M&E)
A few M&E Challenges… • Compiling and verifying data on FtFindicators (suitable level of detail?) • Compiling and verifying data on AR beneficiaries • Sequencing: selection of action sites before setting up specific research activities • Engagement and communication (e.g. lengthy recruitment of local M&E coordinators) • Delays in baseline surveys • Sustainability and its dimensions: indicators and benchmarks?
Impact Evaluation (IE) Evaluation questions: • Did the program contribute to program goal and objectives? • Did it increase agricultural productivity? • Are the program’s approaches replicable/scalable? • Did farmers adopt new/improved technology(s) and practices? • What are the tradeoffs among different impacts? • How does impact vary across different domains, geographies, household types, and gender? • Are the program-induced improvements sustainable? • Did the program demonstrate implementation methods that other projects can use?
A few E Challenges… • Practicality of / approaches to attribution of cause and effect for an AR4D program • (Random) selection of action sites and/or subjects • Conflicting incentives among actors • Attribution with small N (action sites, beneficiary households) – generalizability of results • Impact of a “bundle of interventions” • Confounding factors • Moving targets
Data and Analysis • Malawi 2013; Tanzania, Ghana, Mali, and Ethiopia 2014 ARBES. In 2013 we started an ambitious workplanon conducting household and community surveys in five of the six AR countries in less than a year time (mega-site representative; N=700-1300; 50-page Qx). • AR Evaluation. We would like to assess the overall impact of the program on different outcomes (poverty, nutrition, health,…) using this approach. • Babati (Tanzania) impact evaluation. The team will continue and refine the impact assessment research project in Babati. Comments welcome!
Tanzania IE timeline and design • 206 Babati farmers non-beneficiaries
Project Mapping and Monitoring Tool Scope and Purpose Major Components http://dev.harvestchoice.org/africarising/
Aligning project goals, 2012. Evaluation is hard.Monitoring is painful… Need for a simple, flexibleand engagingtool to report on program performance and capture decisions/adjustments made over 5-year program lifecycle: • Baseline site characteristics • Site stratification and selection • Intervention details • Bi-annual FtF (and other project-specific) indicators • Surveys and evaluation results • Links to intermediary and final output (incl. primary data)
PMMT Design Principles Interviewing a farmer, 2013. • MSExcel revisions no more! • Grow organically based on evolving M&E needs and partners’ feedback and capacity – do not overbuild • Flexible, adapted to most M&E designs • Simple to deploy in the field, no strong dependence on high-speed Internet connectivity • Leverage existing CGIAR tools and repositories • Openness (to and from 3rd party applications and databases)
Powerful Spatial Visualization M&E site stratification & selection. Powerful spatial visualization features to provide rich contextual information, and overlays of local biophysical characteristics with socio-economic data in support of action/control site selection process.
Simplified Project Performance Monitoring Streamlined indicator data entry and reporting. Familiar, secure interface for data entry with pre-set list of indicators help clarify reporting requirements. Data import/export tools for multiple end-uses.
Additional Training Resources Interviewing a farmer, 2013. • Series of in-country M&E and PMMT training planned through October 2014. • On-line PMMT User Guide • Video tutorial
M&E Roadmap • Analysis of ARBES and support to research teams • Add new spatial layers using results from recentLSMS-ISA and ARBES surveys • Provide vertical roll-ups of indicators across megasites, and mini program dashboard • Tighter integration between PMMT and CGIAR report and data catalogs (CGSpace, AgTrials, and ILRI CKAN) • Allow 3rd-party spatial data sources to be read into and visualized alongside Africa RISING layers • Build support for off-line data entry (possibly using mobile devices) • Embed HarvestChoice MAPPR tools (point/polygon/domain summaries) for advanced spatial analyses • New hiring (Data Manager, ARF in ESA, SRA in WA and ETH?) • Plan for AREES/ARMES in 2016
ARBES Qx household summary contents Individual Best Informed • Location info, GPS • Roster • Education • Labor • Health • Women and child anthropometrics • Agriculture -general- • Crop inputs (Conservation Agr.) • Crop production • Crop inputs (costs) • Crop inputs (labor time use) • Crop inputs (seeds) • Crop sales • Crop storage • Livestock ownership and income • Livestock feed SECOND VISIT • Problems and coping strategies • Agricultural extension and AR program • Other income • Credit • Housing, utilities, assets, distance to services • Subject welfare and food security • Food Expenditures / Consumption • Non-Food Expenditures • Shocks • Re-contact info Head FIRST VISIT
ARBES Qx community summary contents(5 to 8 informants) • Location info, GPS • Informants’ roster • Access to basic services • Agricultural labor, extension services, agricultural problems • Land use • Demographics, cooperatives, migration • Water access, shocks, food consumption • Market prices • Conversion of non-standard units
Control Sites Action Sites • IE Design Non-beneficiary HHs Control HHs Beneficiary HHs Spillover effects Program impact