Monitoring and Evaluating Rural Advisory Services Global Forum for Rural Advisory Services (GFRAS)

1│Introduction to RAS RAS encompasses different services, providers and organisations Provide rural people with skills to improve livelihoods and arrive at best farming practices Gives out info on technologies, markets, inputs and financial matters Help farmers develop agricultural, management and marketing skills Promote interaction among farmers and other rural actors, private sector, research institutes, education institutions and government

1│Introduction to RAS RAS includes services in four main areas: Knowledge, technology and information sharing Advice related to management of farms, organisations and agri-business Strengthening of farmer-based organisations Facilitation and brokerage in rural areas and value chains

1│Introduction to RAS Stakeholders in RAS are: Policy and decision-makers RAS managers M&E personnel, experts and evaluations of RAS Famer organisations End users of RAS: producers, rural households, etc.

1.1│RAS in innovation system Innovation vital to agricultural development: producers must adapt to changing conditions Innovation involves network or organisations bringing new products, systems and processes Innovation requires collaboration, needs capacity by all stakeholders Path: identification > technology/solution > testing > assessment > adoption

Important RAS contributions in agricultural innovation process

1.1│RAS in innovation system RAS provides recommendations, knowledge and business development services to enable farmers to adapt Innovation improves: RAS policies, practices and performance Extension systems and make policy and investment decisions

Generic agricultural innovation system

1.2│Principles of modern RAS & interventions Five principles of RAS: Focusing on best-fit approaches Embracing pluralism Increasing accountability to rural clients Developing human resources Ensuring sustainability

1.2.1│Best-fit approaches Making design based on good analyses of intervention conditions and learned experience Challenges to achieve sustainable change involves addressing structural inequalities, gender bias Changes this approach tackles are: Strengthening women ownership and control Increasing number of women in RAS Using gender-sensitive approaches, practices in service delivery

1.2.2│ Embracing pluralism Pluralism means there is more than one service provider: Public RAS institutions Civil society organisations Farmer-based organisations Private RAS providers Private agri-business enterprise Challenges of pluralism are: Ensuring coordination of providers Ensuring all clients have access to relevant and effective RAS

Various stakeholders in RAS

1.2.3│Accountability to rural clients Services must respond to users and service provides accountable to users Number of ways to increase accountability: Involvement and empowerment of farmers through farmer organisations Decentralising responsibility and decision-making regarding services to entities farmers have influence over Financing mechanisms can empower farmers in decision-making regarding content

1.2.4│Human resource development Crucial to addressing challenges and rapid changes in rural development Required at farmer level, RAS agents and education/training institutions Continuous human resource development necessary to maintain ownership

1.2.5│Sustainability Depends on three factors: Adaptability to local conditions like weather, institutions, policies, markets, which requires capacity Clear and strong ownership at level of users, RAS providers, decision-makers, who take responsibility for development of institutions and adoption of integration of approaches and results Sustainable and reliable financing via financial participation by users (direct payment, membership or production levies or taxes), public funds or service provision in producer-own organisations

2.1│Basic principles of RAS Way to check that RAS interventions effecting intended changes Planning, monitoring and implementation allows organisation to apply best practices consistently and systemically Results-based management (RMB) provides: Tool for learning and improving organisation or programme performance Reliable tool for accountability to stakeholders

2.1│Basic principles of RAS RMB involves: Planning: Designing intervention nand defining intended results Monitoring: After implementing, continuously tracking results, reflecting on them and making adjustments Evaluation: Provides evidence of intervention performance and captures lessons learned

RMB process

2.1│Basic principles of RAS Goals must be defined to be measured against results Three types of results: Outputs: Immediate results of intervention, e.g. courses, conferences, workshops, meetings Outcomes: Medium-term changes in knowledge, behaviour and relations leading to increased knowledge of agricultural markets, improved management and access to market stakeholders Impact: Lasting economic or social changes in conditions of end-user, e.g. empowering women

2.1│Basic principles of RAS Point of results-based intervention design is to develop programme theory of change (ToC) ToC is a description of how and why a desired change is expected in a certain context ToC describes casual connection between inputs, activities and desires results Inputs > processes > outputs > outcomes > impacts

Programme ToC for RAS intervention

2.1│Basic principles of RAS After intended results defined, determine how to view and measure results Use SMART indicators: Specific Measurable Attainable Relevant Time-bound Then establish baseline comparing current situation with intended changes to monitor and evaluate (M&E) changes

Monitoring and evaluation in results frameworks

2.1│Basic principles of RAS Monitoring involves collecting and analysing data and to take action Evaluation is systematic assessment of an intervention during or after intervention Evaluation assesses intervention’s relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, impact, sustainability Three types of evaluation: Mid-term: Assessment of ongoing intervention to improve practices End-of-project evaluation: Assessment of completed intervention with recommendations for future interventions Impact studies: Measurements of long-term effects on income, poverty, food security, etc. Has knowledge, behaviour and attitudes changed?

Evaluation process

2.1│Basic principles of RAS Good planning in results-based framework and M&E can enhance RAS intervention performance: Proper planning > it is clear what to monitor Results-based planning > know what to look for Monitoring > necessary data for evaluation is collected M&E > changes to programme planning > further changing intended results and data collection for monitoring

2.2│Role of M&E in RAS Stakeholders in and using M&E in RAS: RAS agencies and other service providers Ministries of agriculture Farmer organisations Other civil society groups Private agri-business companies Aid agencies Farmers/users All have different roles. Three types: Provide accountability Support policymakers and RAS managers on how best to structure and invest in RAS Support learning on how to improve performance of RAS

2.2│Role of M&E in RAS Accountability RAS providers accountable to funders for results Accountability increases relevance, effectiveness and probability of creating impact at farmer level Tools include participatory RAS methods, decentralisation, control of funding and competition Must develop M&E of accountability where users are involved

Accountability in RAS

2.2│Role of M&E in RAS Evidence to structure and invest in RAS: RMB M&E data can be used by policymakers and to inform decision-making through documentation Supporting learning on improving RAS performance: Implementation must lead to continuous learning This provides adjustments and decision-making through feedback mechanisms Monitoring information informs planning of new interventions

RAS feedback loop

2.2│Role of M&E in RAS Mechanisms for learning can include: Participative approaches for data collection Regular meetings for reflections of monitoring data Meetings with stakeholders to review performance of intervention Electronic system to facilitate knowledge exchange and sharing mistakes and failures Participation in RAS networks to share experiences and advice from peers and experts

2.3│Importance of M&E in RAS RAS must establish, strengthen and maintain institutional relationships with all stakeholders Different RAS organisations face different challenges Challenges affect M&E methods and approaches: No. of actors in RAS and agricultural innovation system overlap or have conflicting roles and interests Nonlinear impact affects knowledge and capacity building Open systems makes discerning reasons for reuslts challenging