Monitoring, evaluation and learning in the SRI Lower Mekong Basin project

Michael Loevinsohn

Institute of Development Studies, U.K.

SRI Regional Project Inception Workshop, Bangkok, 10 April 2013

What should responsive monitoring and evaluation look like?

• Clear, accurate pictures: what is happening? • Information on questions of local concern • Feeding decisions:

– Revising the content of FFS and its research – Community deliberations e.g. field days – Policy deliberations national, regional, global

• Information in a form that is meaningful and available in a timely fashion

• Early indications of unintended consequences – Social and environmental

Major questions

• What are farmers doing with what they learn about SRI in their fields and what do they achieve? – What directions does innovation take? – Among which farmers is innovation proceeding? – Where is it stagnating? – What are the exceptional innovations? – What are the production, income and other benefits? – Do other farmers learn and adapt new practices?

• How do the new cropping practices respond to extreme weather events?

• What are the responses to and impacts on the landless and other marginalized groups?

How will it be done?

• Trained monitors/evaluators visit FFS graduates and non-graduates 2 times per season – Continuing over life of project ¼ of FFS – Inquire about practices in different fields – What outcomes achieved? – Observations, obstacles, opportunities – Do other farmers learn and adapt new practices?

How will it be done?

• How do the new cropping practices respond to extreme weather events?

• Flooding, drought, high winds can be expected to hit at least one of the sites across 10 provinces each year

• Teams (researchers, monitors, trainers) prepared to respond: assess degree of exposure and outcomes in the fields of graduates/non graduates

Clearer understanding of resistance of SRI-like crops to extreme events

Understand how livelihoods are benefited

How will it be done?

• What are the responses to and impacts on the landless and other marginalized group

• Visit sample of landless households • Follow their responses to new opportunities • Extent to which their earnings are impacted