Overview of Africa Research in Sustainable Intensification for the Next

Generation (Africa RISING) and its Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E)

Beliyou Haile, IFPRI

Africa RISING–CSISA Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Meeting, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 11-13 November 2013

Overview of Africa RISING Program

Africa RISING

A 5-year R4D program with 3 projects, an M&E and communications• Cereal-based farming systems in the Guinea Savannah Zone of WA• Cereal-based farming systems in ESA• Crop-livestock systems of the Ethiopian Highlands

Goal Create opportunities for smallholder farm households to move out of hunger and poverty through sustainable intensification(SI)

Objectives • Identify and evaluate demand-driven options for SI• Evaluate/document/share innovative approaches for delivering and

integrating innovations for SI• Create opportunities for program participants to move out of

poverty and improve their nutrition• Facilitate partner-led dissemination of integrated innovations for SI

Hypotheses • Integration, adoption, trade-off, scalability, sequencing

Overview of Africa RISING Program

Outputs • Situation analysis

• Integrated systems improvement

• Scaling and delivery of integrated innovation

• Integrated M&E system

Outcomes • Sustainably production and productivity

• understanding of ecosystem stability at a landscape level

• Dissemination of integrated innovations beyond AR action sites

• Improved livelihood through agricultural output, diversified income, vulnerability, and improved nutrition

• Innovative approaches feeding into new development programs

More info. http://africa-rising.net/http://africa-rising.wikispaces.com/

Support effective project management

Fulfill reporting requirements

Generate knowledge on what works

Data/analytical components of the M&E system

Delineation and characterization of target farming systems

Inventory of technologies

Ex ante evaluations

Attribution assessment

M&E of Africa RISING Program

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

Reporting on FtF indicators

Household and community surveys

Site visits and focus groups

Meetings (survey design, project review & planning)

M&E Activities

Sustainability and its dimensions: indicators and benchmarks

Compiling and verifying data on FtF indicators

Sequencing: selection of action sites before setting up of specific research activities

Engagement and communication (delays in recruitment of local M&E coordinators

Delays in baseline surveys

Some M&E Challenges

Evaluation questions

Did the program contribute to program goal/objectives?

Did it increase agricultural productivity?

Are the program’s approaches replicable/scalable?

Did farmers adopt new/improved technology(s)/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?

Impact Evaluation (IE)

IE Design (for Malawi)

Beneficiary HHs Non-beneficiary HHs Control HHs

Action Sites Control Sites

Spillover effects Program

impact

Babati district

Research questions

How does access to agricultural inputs impact adoption?

How does training impact adoption?

Is there complementarity between input and training?

Are there any distributional effects? What explains the variance?

Thus far: training, coupons, input distribution

Monitoring and household survey to follow

IE in Tanzania – RCT Design

Practicality of and approaches to attribution of cause and effect for an R4D program

Selection of action sites and/or subjects

Conflicting incentives

Attribution with small N (action sites, beneficiary households) – generalizability of results

Impact of a “bundle of interventions”

Some IE Challenges

Amesegnalehu!

Thank you!

Africa Research in Sustainable Intensification for the Next Generation

africa-rising.net