My contributions
The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed and/or exacerbated any pre-existing issues worldwide. For evaluators too, since March 2020, additional questions arise as to how to ensure that evaluations offer useful contributions to their intended users. Driven by the need to continue to support learning and accountability, evaluations have also adopted new ways of working, and turned virtual for a large part. Do we know how this has affected the utility of our work? While we acknowledge the new limitations posed by the pandemic situation, we may also need to address this question.
What has evaluation done until now to promote its
How are these applied by institutions concerned with agriculture, and are officials working in this sector equipped with adequate capacities and resources to carry out evaluation?
Knowledge seems to be scarce on these questions. Hence, the FAO Office of Evaluation and EvalForward started exploring the dynamics of evaluation within Ministries of Agriculture and their relations with other institutions who play a role.
While the study is ongoing, the Francophone International Forum on Evaluation - FIFE2019, held in Ouagadougou from 11 to 15 November, provided an opportunity to exchange ideas on these questions with Conference participants. In a Round Table with
The African Evaluation Association’s 9th International Conference will be held in Abidjan, Cote D’Ivoire from 11 to 15 March 2019. The Conference theme is Accelerating Africa’s Development: Strengthening National Evaluation Ecosystems. It aims at expanding the “Made in Africa” evaluation approaches, supporting knowledge sharing, capacity development and networking opportunities among a wide range of organisations and individuals working on evaluation.
EVAL-ForwARD will actively promote and support one of 12 work strands of the Conference, titled “Improving Agriculture and Food Security through Evaluation”.
Those interested in contributing to the conference may propose: papers, roundtables, posters, exhibitions and workshops
Developmental evaluation
Discussion
Aurelie Larmoyer
Evaluation officer WFPDear Malika,
Thank you for raising such an important question. I find it interesting in two respects:
First, because it raises the question of how we can capture the immediate (or medium term) effects of the COVID-19 situation on our realities. Many evaluators are grappling with this question. Some colleagues in the UN system have worked to draw some general directions in this respect. For instance, the recent publication from the ILO office of Evaluation (https://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/---ed_mas/---eval/documents/publication/wcms_757541.pdf) might be of inspiration, as it lists, in annex, typical evaluation questions that match the need for collecting specific information relevant to COVID-19.
I also find your question interesting because it asks about how to make rapid evaluations, which we also had many possible reasons to aim for even prior to the pandemic, and on which therefore there are past experience to build on. And, if our colleague Jennifer is right in underlining that evaluation does not easily lend itself to fast reaction, I think there are ways to expedite processes to cater for the urge of timeliness. I can share the following learning points in respect to what worked when I aimed for conducting evaluations rapidly. First, focus. It makes a difference when someone’s time is entirely to the task, while multitasking takes away the precious focus you need to get to where you want fast. Second, aim for a good enough plan. We often go round in circles to prepare our evaluations, and invest a lot of time in back and forth exchanges over it, a straighter line, it can help to start with a rough scoping and testing and refining your focus and approach as you go along. Third, compensate any cut corners with engaging few select stakeholders with strategic knowledge as sounding board along the way.
Of course, the COVID-19 situation complicates these rules of thumb, in particular when engagement needs to be virtual; and my last piece of advice is to get savvy with modern technologies for engaging by virtual means. As you report, this might last, so might be worth investing in such new competences.
Best, Aurelie