Impact evaluation of development interventions

The 104 million tribal people who live in India are concentrated in ten incredible states. With 705 tribes, they comprise 8.6% of the nation's population. Schedule tribes their remote location and a variety of characteristics, including language, consumption patterns, and means of subsistence, autonomy, and so forth, Indian tribes have gained notoriety. Sugali are the largest tribe in Andhra Pradesh. The present study examine the socio-economic status, livelihood condition and food habits and problems of the sugali tribes in Sri Sathya Sai District of Andhra Pradesh. It is essential that tribal communities be empowered to fully enjoy their constitutional rights, which includes efforts to improve literacy rates and access to education. Addressing these issues will not only enhance their socio-economic conditions but also contribute to greater social equity and justice.

The health status of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) patients is observed to decrease simultaneously
along with the length of time. Despite the various treatment management offered in primary care, a
decrease in health status is also observed among patients in Indonesia as shown by the low self-care
ability. Therefore, this research aimed to analyze the relationship between self-efficacy and the health
status of patients in primary care in Indonesia to provide evidence for the development of care
management interventions for T2DM patients.
The research used a descriptive analytical method with a cross-sectional design, including 327 T2DM
patients in primary health care selected through cluster random sampling. Data collection used the
Indonesian version of the Diabetes Management Self-Efficacy Scale (DMSES) and Short Form 12 (SF-
12) questionnaires which had been tested for validity and reliability. The data obtained were analyzed
using the Pearson Product Moment test with a significance value of 0.01.
The results obtained an r-value of 0.485 with a p-value of 0.00, showing a significant relationship
between self-efficacy and health status in T2DM patients (0.00<0.01; CI 99%).
In conclusion, this study highlights a significant correlation between self-efficacy and the health status
of individuals diagnosed with T2DM. The findings emphasize the pivotal role of self-efficacy in
shaping the health outcomes of patients with T2DM.

As the development sector falls under increasing pressure to demonstrate the impact of its work, evaluability assessments are really gaining traction. Assessing evaluability can usually be done for a small cost of the total evaluation budget and can save you valuable time and resources in the long run. This guidance note gives an overview of what evaluability is and how assessing it can be used for impact evaluations. It then provides guidance for planning and doing evaluability assessments, including checklists, decision support and lessons from practice.

The nutritional status of Osun State's rural primary school students was evaluated in relation to the Osun Elementary School Feeding and Health Programme (O-MEALS). Two-thirds of the State's senatorial districts were used to choose a sample size of 188 respondents using a multi-stage sampling process. Anthropometric measurements, interview schedules, and structured questionnaires were used to collect data, which was then analyzed using PPMC and Chi-square. Findings revealed that rice (x̄=3.08), beef (x̄=2.51), egg (x̄=2.20), and bread (x̄=2.00) were mostly consumed in O-MEALS. Constraints faced by school children in the programme included diets void of fruits (x̄=1.40), a small quantity of food served (x̄=0.88), serving of spoilt fruits (x̄=0.35) and lack of drinkable water (x̄=0.16). The BMI-forage (weight-for-height) indicated that 3.7% of the respondents were severely wasted and 10.1% were wasted, while height-forage (an indicator of stunting) reveals that 16.5% were severely stunted and 30.9% were stunted. Frequency of food consumption in the programme (r = 0.185) had an influence on the pupils 'nutritional status. Their nutritional status decreased as their family size (r =-0.003) and the constraints faced (r =-0.027) increased. To ensure that students receive daily fruits and meals with the expected quality and quantity, food vendors should be under the supervision of the school. The administration should also put more effort into reducing the State's present rate of stunting and wasting.

Background: Childhood malnutrition is a public health problem in most developing countries and in Nigeria, to control it the school feeding programme was launched. This study sought to compare dietary practices and nutritional status of school children on the feeding programme with those not included in the programme, in Jos North Local Government Area, North-Central Nigeria.Methods: This school-based comparative cross-sectional study was carried out among 247 pupils selected using a two-staged sampling technique from four public primary schools; two of which were running the National School Feeding Programme. Data was collected and analysed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 21.0. A 95% confidence interval was used and a probability value of p ≤ 0.05 was considered statistically significant.Results: There was no statistically significant difference in the nutritional practices of the pupils in both groups (p = 0.3661) and majority of the pupils on the school feed...

The Link between the Pilot Project and this PhD proposal As part of my affiliation with the overall project, and the presumed access to knowledge, environment, and research within the roots and tubers value chain, I saw an opportunity and am very interested in undertaking specific research. In addition to my current position as a teacher at UCN, I believe the research can develop my competences further, and add value to my future role and career. The focus of the intended research will explore some of the challenges related to trust and mistrust as a potential obstacle to economic growth and poverty reduction in the value chain, since it is a huge problem within many sectors, and the agricultural sector being no exception. This PhD project proposal is hence focusing on the issue of trust between stakeholders of the yam and cassava value chains in Ghana. In the following the project proposal itself, will be elaborated upon.

Malnutrition of children is at rise in Zimbabwe. Malnourished and hungry children usually face challenges to grasp concepts during teaching and learning. This prompted the researcher to carry out this study on opportunities and challenges of feeding programmes in ECD centres. In trying to reduce the number of undernourished children, the Ministry of primary and secondary education introduced the feeding programme in schools. The researcher used qualitative research method in order to explore the opportunities and challenges of feeding programme. Data was collected using two ECD centres in Bulawayo Central District. The study found out that, low income families fairly appreciate the benefits of the feeding programme while those from high income families perceive the programme as a learning barrier due to loss of learning time during feeding. High enrolment promoted by the feeding programme demands improved resources at the centre in order to maintain high quality education. Socioeconomic background of learners' families have an effect on the sustainability of the feeding programme. Positive effects of the programme could be fully realised when adequate personnel are in place for example cooks to ensure timely preparation and serving of food and non-interference with teaching and learning. Different stakeholders hold different opinions about this programme due to lack of awareness programmes. Continuity of voluntary services from parents maybe guaranteed through a small token.

Productivity gains in agriculture, considering both water and land resources, have witnessed impressive increases over the past decades. Countries like India have emerged from food insecurity to a position of food self-sufficiency. Yet with growth in population and changes in dietary habits (both through increased purchasing power and also a perceptible shift towards fewer cereal grains), the national and regional agricultural production challenges remain formidable. The Green Revolution provided a significant boost to total output through sustained yield increases in primarily irrigated cereal crops of rice and wheat. Yield increases among the coarse grains (specifically millet and sorghum) have been less impressive, in part due to unfavorable production environments, lack of investment capacity of marginal farmers, forward and backward market linkages, and very importantly, food procurement and distribution policy centered on rice and wheat. Yet, productivity increases have been shown to be possible through appropriate land and water management, and critically, soil fertility and erosion control as well as marketing channels. Additionally, interregional disparities in agricultural investment-whether by government or by farmers-have led to certain economic growth inequities. The Government of India has targeted 150 of the country's most backward districts for priority investment, including particularly land and water management under the watershed development and management model that has emerged and been refined over the decades since Independence. Watershed programs and schemes sponsored by Central and State Governments are complemented by activities taken up by farmers groups, Panchayati Raj institutions, and non-governmental organizations. Yet to date, the results of these investments and efforts have not generated the desired or expected results. Further strengthening of watershed programs will be required, not simply through technological and biophysical interventions, but increasingly through integration of institutional, social and economic considerations. Several countries in Sub-Saharan Africa and southeast Asia and China, facing similar problems of resource degradation, have evinced keen interest in learning from people-centric watershed development programs of India. The three institutions we head as Directors General of the International Water Management Institute (IWMI), the Indian Council for Agricultural Research (ICAR), and the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), are committed to improving the outcomes of water and land management, particularly under the guise of watershed management and development in fragile, drought-prone, and resource-poor regions of the country, and indeed, the world. xii The present volume addresses these issues head-on by shedding light on watershed development and management in developing countries, with a particular focus on India. Through a series of introduction and overview chapters and case studies that aim to better understand watershed management for improved agricultural and livestock productivity, natural resource management, and livelihood improvement, the editors and contributing authors provide detailed documentation of what works and what does not. The book is part of ongoing collaboration between the Indian Council for Agricultural Research and two centers of the Consultative Group for International Agricultural Research. While each institution may approach the subject of watershed management from a diverse perspective, we unanimously concur that watersheds as resource use units coupled with the management decisions of human users offer immense potential to transform rural livelihoods in marginal and resource-poor regions of the developing world. To this end, our three institutions jointly collaborated on an international workshop "Watershed Management Challenges: Improving Productivity, Resources and Livelihoods" held 3-4 November 2004 in New Delhi. This volume; sponsored by Department of Agriculture & Cooperation, Ministry of Agriculture, Government of India; brings together the best of the papers presented and deliberated during the workshop, and peer-reviewed and revised through the efforts of the editorial team and subject matter experts. The editors and contributing authors represent a wide spectrum of experience and perspectives on watershed management, and collectively form a growing 'community of practice' that will generate, exchange and broker knowledge. The volume should serve to change thinking on the part of decision makers in such international bodies as the Food and Agriculture Organization, the Global Environment Facility, national and state governments, researchers and practitioners. IWMI, ICAR, and ICRISAT see this as an important boost to promoting sustainable use of watersheds for improving livelihoods using water management as an entry point.

Aim This study aimed to assess the nutritional status of school children in eight elementary schools in Eastern Ethiopia. Subjects and methods A cross-sectional study was carried out among 1523 schoolchildren. The study subjects' height and weight were measured via anthropometric measurements, and their nutritional status was assessed using anthropometric indicators of the body mass index for age and height-forage. The data were analyzed by AnthroPlus software and SPSS version 16. Results One thousand five hundred twenty-three schoolchildren whose age ranged from 6 to 18 years participated in the study. The prevalence of stunting was 17.1%, thinness 17.9%, and over-nutrition 5.6% (overweight accounted for 4.4% and obesity 1.2%). Children aged 15-18 years were found to be more stunted than the children aged 6-9 years (AOR = 0.04, 95% CI = 0.02, 0.08) and 10-14 (AOR = 0.25, 95% CI = 0.14, 0.45). Children aged 15-18 years were also significantly thin for age compared with those aged 6-9 years (AOR = 0.31, 95% CI = 0.18, 0.56) and 10-14 (AOR = 0.34, 95% CI = 0.19, 0.59). Children from rural residences were significantly stunted (AOR = 0.37, 95% CI = 0.26, 0.51) and overnurished (AOR = 0.42, 95% CI = 0.25, 0.71) compared with the children from urban areas. Children who lived in urban areas were also significantly thin for age compared with those who lived in rural areas (AOR = 1.42, 95% CI = 1.08, 1.87). Conclusion Undernutrition was an important problem among the school children in the study area. Stunting and thinness were significantly increased in the higher age group. Therefore, more effort should be made to improve the nutritional status of children aged 15-18 years in both the rural and urban study areas.

Poor socio-economic status contributes to undernutrition which, in turn, can increase the risk of academic underachievement. This study wants to determine if stunting, being underweight, and thinness show long term relations with academic performance in primary school girls aged 6 to 13 in the North West province of South Africa. A randomized and stratified longitudinal research design including a baseline and two time-point measurements over seven school years was used. The sample included girls aged 6 to 13 years (N = 198) in the North West province of South Africa. Academic performance in the June school assessments and national and provincial assessments in grades 1, 4, and 7 were used to determine academic performance. Independent t-testing was used to determine differences between thinness, underweight and stunted girls as opposed to a reference group with no undernutrition indices. A repeated measures ANOVA and post hoc Bonferroni adjustment analyzed relations over time. Norm...

Background: Childhood malnutrition is a public health problem in most developing countries and in Nigeria, to control it the school feeding programme was launched. This study sought to compare dietary practices and nutritional status of school children on the feeding programme with those not included in the programme, in Jos North Local Government Area, North-Central Nigeria.Methods: This school-based comparative cross-sectional study was carried out among 247 pupils selected using a two-staged sampling technique from four public primary schools; two of which were running the National School Feeding Programme. Data was collected and analysed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 21.0. A 95% confidence interval was used and a probability value of p ≤ 0.05 was considered statistically significant.Results: There was no statistically significant difference in the nutritional practices of the pupils in both groups (p = 0.3661) and majority of the pupils on the school feed...

This study examines the governance, accountability and networking of non-state actors NSAs. The study profiled 635 NSAs that are delivering social protection services in 217 communities across five districts of the Wassa enclave, Western Region of Ghana. While NSAs contributions to service delivery are well known, very little attention has been paid to NSAs by researchers, which reduces insight into their strengths and weaknesses as development partners. This study was designed as a mixed method research using both quantitative and qualitative approaches. Both primary and secondary data were collected focusing on NSAs that provided livelihood and child protection services. Descriptive statistical analysis was used to describe the structure of NSAs and other governance-related variables, and thematic analysis was conducted on the qualitative data. A significant proportion of NSAs operating in the Wassa area are highly informal, small, community-based mutual aid groups. Notwithstanding the generally weak reporting structures affecting the overall accountability of NSAs, beneficiaries rate their cash and in-kind service delivery quite high. Recognising these NSAs' role in reducing the vulnerability of community members, the need is urgent for the Money Market Deposit Accounts to support NSAs to strengthen their delivery of social protection services to become more sensitive to the needs of beneficiaries. Failure to do this will gradually weaken these NSAs because of the growing needs of beneficiaries. The State should encourage NSAs to register at both national and district levels and provide standardised structures to promote their accountability and therefore improve service delivery for the overall development of individuals, communities and districts.

This paper by Adinda Van Hemelrijck and Irene Guijt explores how impact evaluation can live up to standards broader than statistical rigour in ways that address challenges of complexity and enable stakeholders to engage meaningfully. A Participatory Impact Assessment and Learning Approach (PIALA) was piloted to assess and debate the impacts on rural poverty of two government programmes in Vietnam and Ghana funded by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD). We discuss the trade-offs between rigour, inclusiveness and feasibility encountered in these two pilots. Trade-offs occur in every impact evaluation aiming for more than reductionist rigour, but the pilots suggest that they can be reduced by building sufficient research and learning capacity.

In most evaluations of projects, including programs for child care and protection, the focus is most likely to be on assessing the organisation's outputs as proposed by the donor rather than on what it means to the child. This undermines the very purpose of making a significant difference to the children, the recipients of the program, due to misplaced priorities. A standards and competencies in care framework were used to assess the impact the program had on children in nine child care and protection homes in three cities. The evaluation used a qualitative inquiry that appreciated the strengths and the shortcomings from the prism of the child. Participatory processes that had a strong grounding on elucidating the strengths and competencies through the eyes of the service provider and the children were used. The evaluation findings explored spaces, and provided suggestions, for improvising child care and protection across the chain of homes in existence and those planned to be set in the future. Having carried out the evaluation within the early years of the establishment of the services, the findings provided the impetus for the organisation to revisit their strategies.

The gari enterprise is a catalyst for economic progress and a route out of poverty as it is a major staple food for many Ghanaians. Despite the problems confronting gari enterprises, it has attracted less attention. As such, this study aims to explore the problems facing gari enterprises in the West Gonja Municipality of Ghana. The case study design was adopted for the study. The sample size comprised 30 participants who were engaged in gari enterprises. Interview and observation guides were used to collect data, whereas thematic analysis and pairwise ranking were used to analyse the data. The results showed that gari enterprises faced internal problems covering, technology adoption, and marketing problems, while external problems encountered included funding and poor infrastructure. However, production problems emerged as the most predominant. In general, both internal and external problems undoubtedly influenced the operation of the gari enterprise. To overcome these problems, gar...

Background: Poor feeding practices with its consequence of malnutrition is a serious impediment to child health, growth and development. Thus, periodic assessment of the nutritional status and factors affecting it among this often neglected group remains imperative. Objective: To assess the feeding practices and determinants of the nutritional status of pupils in a public primary school in Aladinma Owerri, Nigeria. Materials and methods: This was a descriptive cross sectional study of 300 pupils of a selected public primary school in Aladinma Owerri, Nigeria. The sampling was done in two stages. Data was collected using a pre-tested semi-structured questionnaire and analysed using statistical package for social sciences version 22.0. Nutritional assessment was done using anthropometric parameters, while Chi-square test was used to identify statistically significant associations between variables. A p value of ≤ 0.05 was considered significant. Results: There were more females 158(52...

As Argentina presents problems of malnutrition, the federal in-school feeding program has become a key policy because it provides an important nutritional intervention during a relevant growth period.  This paper estimates the effect of the program on academic performance -measured by standardized test scores- with a difference in difference model which exploits the change over time in the supply of the in-school feeding program during the end of the nineties. We build an original panel using the ONEE corresponding to the years 1997, 1999 and 2000. Our findings suggest that the program has successfully targeted the most disadvantaged schools. However, only partial improvement in school performance has been found. Language test scores were the only ones to show a statistically significant improvement, with no noticeable effects reported in math scores. These results are consistent with the characteristics of the federal in-school feeding program in Argentina, which do not compensate ...

Both gave me support, advice, encouragement and constructive criticism. Prof. Gerhard Mare head of the Sociology Department, together with Mr Geoff Waters, kindly agreed to play the role of supervisor till I successfully submit the dissertation. The manager of the shelter where I did a pilot study, and all the managers or directors, staff, children of the four shelters. Without their participation in the focus group interviews the whole endeavour would have not been possible. Their support was of great value and remains appreciated. Prof. Anshu Padayachee and Jenny Hollander of SANPAD are thanked for supporting my project proposal which I look forward to starting soon, coupled with facilitating my taking part in several Research Capacity Initiative workshops. The insight and knowledge gained has gone a long way towards improving the end product of the dissertation. The family of Joe Mazibuko, particularly Siphumelele, became good and reliable friends. They welcomed me into their home and exposed me to some aspects of Zulu traditional culture. The staff of E.G. Malherbe Library, particularly in the issue desk, the short loan and the inter-library section, for their valuable assistance. Mrs Catherine Dubbeld helped with proof reading the dissertation. Last of all but not the least my family in Kenya for their unfaltering support and prayers.

Gender disparity has a severe and long-term consequence on women especially in developing African countries such as Ghana. The socioeconomic effect of gender inequality is harsher on rural women dwellers in Ghana due to lack of access to business and livelihood empowering opportunities. One way to deal with the above and improve the economic wellbeing of rural women dwellers is to create economic opportunities from which they can earn a good income. In Ghana, rural women could participate in the entire value chain of food crops such as cassava as they already participate in its cultivation (upstream activities of the supply chain). The current study adopts the approach of literature review on cassava and gari production in Ghana; and conducts interviews and observations on gari processing in Ghana to share useful lessons on how to deal with socioeconomic effect of gender disparity among rural women dwellers. This study interviewed women in two gari processing enclaves in the country to provide useful insight on how women wellbeing could be enhanced. A total of 17 women entrepreneurs, 33 female workers and 7 farmers from 10 communities were interviewed and observed. Firstly, this study provides an understanding of the cassava-gari (roasted fermented cassava in a form of tiny grains) value chain, and the role rural women entrepreneurs can play to enrich their livelihood. Secondly, the study highlights the key activities of gari processing by women in rural Ghana, the challenges faced, and provides valuable conclusions on how to bridge the gender gap through women's participation in an enhanced cassava-gari value chain. Lastly, two important issues are highlighted with respect to rural women's participation in an enhanced gari value chain: (1) the opportunity for affordable nutrition through a common local farm produce, and (2) the economic livelihood of rural women. While rural women possess enough capacity to participate meaningfully in the value chain, there are still constraints that can be dealt with by any enterprise that seeks to venture into large-scale commercial fortified gari production. Such ventures, be it a social (businesses for social good) or commercial (profit centered businesses) enterprise, will enhance access to affordable nutrition as well as economic empowerment.

This paper describes the Participatory Impact Assessment and Learning Approach (PIALA) which was developed and piloted with IFAD. The approach aims to produce rigorous qualitative and quantitative evidence that can be used not only to identify and assess the impacts of development projects, but also to promote learning and improved understanding of the associated processes and pathways of socio-economic change. Illustrated with cases from Viet Nam and Ghana, the paper assesses the value of the approach for collaborative learning and reporting for IFAD's country programming and global policy engagement, as well as for the wider development community.

The gari enterprise is a catalyst for economic progress and a route out of poverty as it is a major staple food for many Ghanaians. Despite the problems confronting gari enterprises, it has attracted less attention. As such, this study aims to explore the problems facing gari enterprises in the West Gonja Municipality of Ghana. The case study design was adopted for the study. The sample size comprised 30 participants who were engaged in gari enterprises. Interview and observation guides were used to collect data, whereas thematic analysis and pairwise ranking were used to analyse the data. The results showed that gari enterprises faced internal problems covering, technology adoption, and marketing problems, while external problems encountered included funding and poor infrastructure. However, production problems emerged as the most predominant. In general, both internal and external problems undoubtedly influenced the operation of the gari enterprise. To overcome these problems, gar...

The potential impact of electricity use on enterprise performance has a gender dimension that has been overlooked by the energy and development literature. This omission disregards the evidence of a gendered division of labour and the different energy consumption patterns of different productive activities. To address the gaps in the literature, this paper analyses an enterprise development programme that jointly provides improved electricity supply, business services and enterprise clustering in Ghana. The paper aims to understand: the gender awareness of the intervention; the different energy use patterns in men and women's enterprises; the different benefits men and women obtain from the productive use of energy; and the reasons behind the differences observed. We adopt a multi-methods approach combining gender differentiated firm level data from 400 microenterprises, with in-depth semi-structured interviews to enterprise owners and employees, key informant interviews, and focus group discussions. The results, which are specific to the research region, show clearly differentiated energy use patterns in enterprises owned by men and women. Men's enterprises display higher electricity consumption, while women dominate the use of cooking fuels, mainly charcoal. The use of electricity shows a positive correlation with business profits, regardless of the owner's gender, which is higher for enterprises owned by women. The main reasons for women's lower electricity consumption are: the gendered division of labour, which limits women's economic activity to a narrow number of sectors and to smaller scale operations; the lower value of women's work which creates disincentives to mechanisation; social norms determining the types of jobs men and women can do; and women's lower access to starting capital. We conclude that, in the absence of gender considerations, interventions for the promotion of productive uses of energy are likely to target electricity intensive activities dominated by men. We finalise by offering policy suggestions to improve the gender equity of these interventions.

Providing food to the school children is an important means of compacting malnutrition especially in high food insecure areas. Our study was conducted to evaluate the association between school feeding and nutritional status among students in primary schools of Dubti district in Afar region. Methods: A comparative cross-sectional study was employed on 936 primary school students from March 15-31/2021. For data collection, structured questionnaire was administered by the interviewer. Descriptive statistics as well as logistic regression was conducted. WHO Anthro-plus software was used to compute anthropometric data. Adjusted odds ratio with 95% CI was calculated to identify the level of association. Variables with p-value <0.05 were taken as statistical level of significance. Results: A total of 936 primary school students, with 100% response rate, were included in the current study. The prevalence of stunting in school fed and non-school fed students was 13.7% 95% CI (11, 17) and 21.6% 95% CI (18, 25), respectively. The prevalence of thinness in school fed and non-school fed students was 4.9% 95% CI (3, 7) and 13.9% 95% CI (11, 17), respectively. Even though no record of overweight and obesity were found in non-school fed students, 5.4% 95% CI (3, 7) among school fed students was overweight/obese. Grade level, diet information source, media source availability, maternal age, the critical time for hand washing, and nutrition education were found to be predictors of malnutrition in both groups of students. Conclusion: The magnitude of stunting and thinness in school fed students is found to be lower, but overnutrition is higher than nonschool fed. Grade level of students and diet selection information were determinants that affected the nutritional status of students. Coordinated education regarding good feeding practice, and personal as well as environmental hygiene should be given to the students and their families.

This paper describes the Participatory Impact Assessment and Learning Approach (PIALA) which was developed and piloted by IFAD. The approach aims to produce rigorous qualitative and quantitative evidence that can be used not only to identify and assess the impacts of development projects, but also to promote learning and improved understanding of the associated processes and pathways of socio-economic change. Illustrated with cases from Viet Nam and Ghana, the paper assesses the value of the approach for collaborative learning and reporting for IFAD&#39;s country programming and global policy engagement, as well as for the wider development community.

The Root and Tuber crop value chain is an important avenue for ending persistent poverty and food insecurity among farm households in most developing countries. Accordingly, several African countries, including Ghana has developed and implemented Root and Tuber crops improvement programme to promote the expansive production, processing and consumption of Root and Tuber crops. Given the huge investment requirement for such poverty and food insecurity reduction programmes, it becomes necessary to first establish the sustainability dimensions of the programme interventions. Programme sustainability is important to ensure that gains made during programme implementation continue to persist long after funding and assistance has been withdrawn by donors and implementers. Accordingly, we analysed the sustainability of RTIMP programme interventions among cassava farmers. 150 RTIMP beneficiary cassava farmers were sampled and data was collected and analysed using a multistage sampling approach. The results show that the RTIMP programme sustainability hinges on three sustainability dimensions (i.e., economic, social, and environmental). Farmers asserted that the interventions and services received contributed moderately to the sustainability of the RTIMP programme along the three identified sustainability dimensions. Accordingly, every intervention activity must impact beneficiaries across these dimensions. Another important outcome from our study was the significant locational variation on the sustainability impact of the intervention along the three sustainability dimensions, hence the needs to frame subsequent policy interventions in such a way that it takes into consideration the effect of location difference on the potential sustainability of the programme.

Se expone la metodología y contenidos de un indicador sintético, ISETNOR, para la reducción del trabajo no remunerado y un reparto equilibrado entre mujeres y hombres. El indicador contiene dos subindicadores, el primero de causas o determinantes, el segundo de políticas. El indicador cuantifica los objetivos cuantitativos y cualitativos y finalmente expresa la distancia del país analizado frente a un benchmark normativo (un valor óptimo entre 0 y 100) o positivo (los valores de los "mejores" países/sociedades respecto a los objetivos).

Yam is an extremely important crop for at least 60 million rural poor producers, processors and consumers in West Africa providing multiple opportunities for poverty reduction and nourishment of poor people in the sub-region. Despite the importance of this crop, its production is stagnating, thus threatening rural livelihoods and urban food security. Input supply dealers to the yam sub-sector are quite scanty and rather focused on general agro inputs. Literature on the structure of yam input supply systems is  scanty and non-existing. This creates inefficiencies in supplying the necessary inputs for production affecting productivity of the production process. The objective of this paper is therefore to provide a structural analysis of the input supply system and the role input dealers play in providing products and services to the  production process. Through the use of stakeholder analysis and structured interviews, results revealed that 50% of agro input dealers interviewed provid...

This evaluation is presented as part of the Effectiveness Review Series 2015/16, randomly selected for review under the governance thematic area. This report documents the findings of a qualitative impact evaluation, carried out in March 2016.  The evaluation used PIALA (Participatory Impact Assessment and Learning Approach) to assess the effectiveness of the &#39;Building equitable and resilient livelihoods in the Dry Zone&#39; in Myanmar. The project aimed to build strong and viable Membership Organisations (MOs) capable of organising community members, lobbying township departments and parliament, establishing business relationships with traders and suppliers, and developing civil society networks with local NGOs and MOs of other villages, in order to create sustainable livelihood opportunities and build resilience against climate-related hazards (e.g. drought and flooding). The underlying assumption was that, by building the capacity of these MOs, behavioural changes would be tr...

This paper by Adinda Van Hemelrijck and Irene Guijt explores how impact evaluation can live up to standards broader than statistical rigour in ways that address challenges of complexity and enable stakeholders to engage meaningfully. A Participatory Impact Assessment and Learning Approach (PIALA) was piloted to assess and debate the impacts on rural poverty of two government programmes in Vietnam and Ghana funded by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD). We discuss the trade-offs between rigour, inclusiveness and feasibility encountered in these two pilots. Trade-offs occur in every impact evaluation aiming for more than reductionist rigour, but the pilots suggest that they can be reduced by building sufficient research and learning capacity.

Four of Guyana's ten administrative regions are inhabited largely by its indigenous peoples, the Amerindians, often in remote communities where poverty and food insecurity are common and access to basic services is limited. Food supplies come from subsistence agriculture, hunting, fishing and costly imports from coastal regions. The diet lacks diversity, chronic undernutrition levels are high and school attendance is poor. In 2006, the Ministry of Education established the Hinterland Community-based School Feeding Program (SFP), whose objectives include raising community participation in schools, increasing student attendance and academic performance, and improving the nutrition of primary schoolchildren. The impact evaluation of the SFP (2007-2009) covered 20 intervention schools and 44 control schools. Stunting rose by 3% in the control group but fell by 3% in the intervention group. The SFP increased attendance by 4.3%. Participation in learning activities improved in interve...

The purpose of this research is to assess the effects of road transport network on the marketing of cassava in Upper West Akim District. In order to effectively achieve this, the study used both quantitative and qualitative research methods. A simple and systematic random sampling were employed to sample 146 respondents in the study area to achieve the formulated objectives.  A combination of self-structured questionnaires and in-depth interviews were used for data collection. The result of the study revealed that majority of the farmers in the study area (about 72%) were connected to the nearest urban market by unpaved road. It was also discovered that road maintenance work at the district was not done on regular bases. However, the most common means of transporting farm produce was by tricycle (33%). It is therefore recommended that, the Department of Feeder Roads should create access roads to link the cluster of farms in the communities. This is to help in facilitating easy transportation of cassava produce to the market

This study was conducted to determine the nutritional status of primary school children with the mid-day meal program. A cross-sectional study was conducted in 05 primary schools with the mid-day meal program of Sundarganj Upazila of Gaibandha district from January 01 to December 31, 2017. A total of 357 primary school children of class IV and class V were selected using a systematic sampling technique. A semi-structured questionnaire was used to collect data from the school children of mid-day meal program schools. The anthropometric measurements such as weight, height and MUAC were measured for each child individually. Then weight and height were used to calculate the Z score to interpret nutritional status. The mean age of children was 10.83±1.03 years. The mean weight and mean height of children were 32.40±7.21 kg and 141.22±8.52 cm respectively, and the mean MUAC was 19.65±2.31 cm. It was revealed that 91.3% of children were normal by Height for Age (HAZ) and 89.1% were normal ...

This study was conducted to determine the nutritional status of primary school children with the mid-day meal program. A cross-sectional study was conducted in 05 primary schools with the mid-day meal program of Sundarganj Upazila of Gaibandha district from January 01 to December 31, 2017. A total of 357 primary school children of class IV and class V were selected using a systematic sampling technique. A semi-structured questionnaire was used to collect data from the school children of mid-day meal program schools. The anthropometric measurements such as weight, height and MUAC were measured for each child individually. Then weight and height were used to calculate the Z score to interpret nutritional status. The mean age of children was 10.83±1.03 years. The mean weight and mean height of children were 32.40±7.21 kg and 141.22±8.52 cm respectively, and the mean MUAC was 19.65±2.31 cm. It was revealed that 91.3% of children were normal by Height for Age (HAZ) and 89.1% were normal ...

The study examined the adoption of improved cassava varieties among 350 cassava farmers in the Sekyere South District of Ashanti Region of Ghana. The improved cassava varieties introduced into the district were ‘Bankye Hemaa’, ‘Bankye Esam’ and ‘Bankye Afisiafi’. Among the respondents, 15 per cent have adopted at least one of the improved cassava varieties and 85 per cent were non adopters. The determinants of adoption and number of improved cassava varieties adopted by the farmers were analysed with the Probit and Tobit model. The results of the Probit model showed that extension services, access to credit, education, marital status, farmer based organization, and household size have significant positive effect on the probability of farmers to adopt improved cassava varieties. The Tobit estimates indicated that farmer based organization, household size, farm size, and extension contact positively influence the number of improved cassava varieties that farmers adopt. Age had negativ...

The gari enterprise is a catalyst for economic progress and a route out of poverty as it is a major staple food for many Ghanaians. Despite the problems confronting gari enterprises, it has attracted less attention. As such, this study aims to explore the problems facing gari enterprises in the West Gonja Municipality of Ghana. The case study design was adopted for the study. The sample size comprised 30 participants who were engaged in gari enterprises. Interview and observation guides were used to collect data, whereas thematic analysis and pairwise ranking were used to analyse the data. The results showed that gari enterprises faced internal problems covering, technology adoption, and marketing problems, while external problems encountered included funding and poor infrastructure. However, production problems emerged as the most predominant. In general, both internal and external problems undoubtedly influenced the operation of the gari enterprise. To overcome these problems, gar...

This study sought to ascertain the economic viability of gari processing enterprises in the Mampong District of the Ashanti Region under the R Improvement and Marketing Program (RTIMP) determine the socio-economic characteristics, profitability and the factors influencing net margins accruing to processors, a multistage sampling technique was employed to gather data on 110 processors from across three communities in the district. Descriptive statistics, budgetary technique, and a multiple regression model were used to analyze data collected. The study revealed that gari processing was a female-dominated (84.5%) activity, with aged between 31-50 years and a mean age of 46 years. Most of processors were married (86%), were either breadwinners or co-breadwinner (99%); and with an size of 7.3 persons. Most processors (71%) had only basic level education; had an average of 7.3 years of processing experience and 72% depended on personal savings as source of finance for business. The study...

All evaluation approaches have to address questions about their legitimacy, validity, relevance and usefulness. As the complexity of interventions is more widely acknowledged, impact evaluation appears to be especially vulnerable to these challenges. This article explores the potential of the systems field to address these vulnerabilities. The systems field is conceptualised as understanding interrelationships, engaging with multiple perspectives and reflecting on where boundaries are drawn in terms of those interrelationships and perspectives. This article argues that achieving a balance between these three elements is critical. An emphasis on interrelationships is likely to bring only limited (prosaic) benefits to impact evaluation as a whole. On the other hand, a strong emphasis on perspectives and boundaries could result in profound changes to the way in which impact evaluation is conceived and delivered. In particular, it could change the nature of the relationship between the evaluator and key stakeholders, especially funders and managers of interventions.

Internationally, Population Health Intervention Research (PHIR) is increasingly regarded as a field of research that bridges the gap between public health research and practice and as one of the important instruments to move from description of health problems to the identification of effective solutions relevant to various contexts. Capitalizing on some of the experiences and outputs from previous conferences on the subject held in the United States and in Canada, an international conference entitled “Intervention Research against Cancer: bringing together researchers, policy makers and practitioners” was held in Paris, France, on November 17-18, 2014. This conference, convened over 200 researchers, decision- and policy-makers, community representatives and local organizations, with the goal to demonstrate and discuss how PHIR can enhance evidenced-base decisions and interventions across the full continuum of cancer control. This commentary presents the main conclusions of the conf...

The gari enterprise is a catalyst for economic progress and a route out of poverty as it is a major staple food for many Ghanaians. Despite the problems confronting gari enterprises, it has attracted less attention. As such, this study aims to explore the problems facing gari enterprises in the West Gonja Municipality of Ghana. The case study design was adopted for the study. The sample size comprised  participants who were engaged in gari enterprises. Interview and observation guides were used to collect data, whereas thematic analysis and pairwise ranking were used to analyse the data. The results showed that gari enterprises faced internal problems covering, technology adoption, and marketing problems, while external problems encountered included funding and poor infrastructure. However, production problems emerged as the most predominant. In general, both internal and external problems undoubtedly influenced the operation of the gari enterprise. To overcome these problems, gari enterprises should acquire and use modern equipment for production, develop their human capital, and secure affordable loans.

This paper describes the Participatory Impact Assessment and Learning Approach (PIALA) which was developed and piloted by IFAD. The approach aims to produce rigorous qualitative and quantitative evidence that can be used not only to identify and assess the impacts of development projects, but also to promote learning and improved understanding of the associated processes and pathways of socio-economic change. Illustrated with cases from Viet Nam and Ghana, the paper assesses the value of the approach for collaborative learning and reporting for IFAD&#39;s country programming and global policy engagement, as well as for the wider development community.

Background: Children&#39;s health is very important for their better learning and timely nourishment everywhere in the world. Malnutrition among school going children has remained a big challenge in under developed countries. Methods: Cross-sectional study was conducted among 422 children of four Government Primary schools of Qasimabad, district Hyderabad after taking the proper consent and administration approval from the head of school. Multi stage simple random sampling technique was adopted. Study was approved from Institutional review board of Health Services Academy Islamabad. Results: Out of total, 217 (51.4%) were boys and 205 (48.6%) were girls. Mean Height of boys and girls were 128.09 cm (±SD 12.90) and 130.36 cm (±SD 12.50) respectively. Mean Weight of boys was 25.27 Kgs (±SD 6.17) while in girls mean Weight was 26.83 Kgs (±SD 7.03). 17.57 cm (±SD 2.34) was mean MUAC for all participants and mean BMI was 15.42 (±SD 2.02). Prevalent of stunting and wasting were 24.4...

This study was conducted to determine the nutritional status of primary school children with the mid-day meal program. A cross-sectional study was conducted in 05 primary schools with the mid-day meal program of Sundarganj Upazila of Gaibandha district from January 01 to December 31, 2017. A total of 357 primary school children of class IV and class V were selected using a systematic sampling technique. A semi-structured questionnaire was used to collect data from the school children of mid-day meal program schools. The anthropometric measurements such as weight, height and MUAC were measured for each child individually. Then weight and height were used to calculate the Z score to interpret nutritional status. The mean age of children was 10.83±1.03 years. The mean weight and mean height of children were 32.40±7.21 kg and 141.22±8.52 cm respectively, and the mean MUAC was 19.65±2.31 cm. It was revealed that 91.3% of children were normal by Height for Age (HAZ) and 89.1% were normal ...

This study examines the governance, accountability and networking of non-state actors NSAs. The study profiled 635 NSAs that are delivering social protection services in 217 communities across five districts of the Wassa enclave, Western Region of Ghana. While NSAs contributions to service delivery are well known, very little attention has been paid to NSAs by researchers, which reduces insight into their strengths and weaknesses as development partners. This study was designed as a mixed method research using both quantitative and qualitative approaches. Both primary and secondary data were collected focusing on NSAs that provided livelihood and child protection services. Descriptive statistical analysis was used to describe the structure of NSAs and other governance-related variables, and thematic analysis was conducted on the qualitative data. A significant proportion of NSAs operating in the Wassa area are highly informal, small, community-based mutual aid groups. Notwithstanding the generally weak reporting structures affecting the overall accountability of NSAs, beneficiaries rate their cash and in-kind service delivery quite high. Recognising these NSAs' role in reducing the vulnerability of community members, the need is urgent for the Money Market Deposit Accounts to support NSAs to strengthen their delivery of social protection services to become more sensitive to the needs of beneficiaries. Failure to do this will gradually weaken these NSAs because of the growing needs of beneficiaries. The State should encourage NSAs to register at both national and district levels and provide standardised structures to promote their accountability and therefore improve service delivery for the overall development of individuals, communities and districts.