STRATEGY

Definition

Compelling evidence of the impact of using participatory approaches is the only way that scientists and research managers can make a sound judgement on whether or not to incorporate these approaches into their research. In this context, impact assessment is a process that documents how a given project has contributed to 1) changes in the lives of rural people, as perceived by them and their partners at the time of evaluation, and 2) the sustainability-enhancing changes in their environment. These changes can be positive or negative, intended or unintended.

Key Lessons

While the impacts of participatory research have been frequently recorded, the differential effect of using participatory, in contrast to other approaches has rarely been systematically analysed and documented; neither has the effect of using varying types of participation during different stages in the research process. The PRGA Program has developed and applied tools for empirical impact studies in both participatory plant breeding and natural resource management research. The findings suggest that higher degrees of farmer involvement and control in the research process yield higher levels of empowerment, give voice to farmer's technology priorities-including women's priorities, speed technology adaptation, increase human capital, boost adoption and have positive impacts on farmer profits. There is also empirical evidence that participatory research reduces the research costs by early discarding of technologies that are not adopted by intended users.

Objectives

The goal of the PRGA Program's impact assessment work is to provide compelling evidence of impact of gender-sensitive participatory research and to enhance the usefulness of impact assessment as a tool for institutional learning and change.

Through action research, the Program and its collaborators will:

• Develop original impact assessment frameworks tailored to the particularities of assessing the impact of participatory methods, and develop tools that improve the information resulting from impact assessment in order to facilitate institutional learning and change processes.
• Conduct several collaborative empirical studies applying these frameworks and tools to measure the impact of participatory research, as well as to measure how well research and development organizations have been able to learn and change as a result of their experiences in participatory research and gender analysis.
• Build capacity through networking for mutual support and learning among the users of participatory methods.

Output Targets 2006–2009 | Research Highlights 2005

RESEARCH OPPORTUNITIES IN IMPACT ASSESSMENT

Description of collaborative impact assessment research

The PRGA Program considers its partnerships a powerful tool for knowledge-generation and capacity-building in impact assessment (IA) of participatory research and gender analysis. The Program's impact-assessment activities are typically conducted by establishing teams with one or more CG Centers in order to develop impact-assessment methods and tools, conduct empirical cases studies, and promote cross-Center learning through impact-assessment results. The scope of the Program's IA activities is defined by the Program's IA strategy and they contribute towards achieving the Program planned impact-assessment outputs. The specific IA activities are determined by guidance form the Program Advisory Board, and by input from periodic stakeholder consultations at workshops and international seminars (see Learning and Change), and via Program electronic discussion groups. Each year, the Program Advisory Board approves the proposed IA activities and partnerships to carry out the impact-assessment activities.

How to submit an Expression of Interest

The PRGA Program actively seeks opportunities to engage in research partnership in matters related to impact assessment of participatory research and gender analysis. Researchers can suggest collaborative research to the PRGA Program either individually or as part of a group. Researchers are encouraged to combine their efforts and submit their interest as a group. If you are interested in proposing a partnership for collaborative impact-assessment research, first submit an Expression of Interest. Program senior staff is responsible for reviewing all partnership proposals. There may also be input from external referees to ensure an appropriate review of all aspects of the proposed collaborative partnership, including appropriate disciplinary expertise. Partnership requests are judged according to the specific selection criteria.

How to submit an expression of interest | Collaborative IA research selection criteria

METHODS

The PRGA staff, together with its many collaborators, has developed, tested, applied and disseminated some frameworks and tools designed for assessment of the impact of participatory approaches. New frameworks and methods are needed because of dramatic changes over recent decades in the way research institutions design, implement and assess research outcomes. Gone are the days of core budgets, centralized research planning, and simple food-production-based indicators of success. Today's research must be client-driven, collaborative, participatory and respond to diverse objectives. These changes have significant implications for impact assessment. First, impact assessment practitioners must document a much broader range of project impacts, especially in the areas of poverty alleviation and environmental sustainability. Further, the number of stakeholders in impact assessment has grown dramatically and now includes management, researchers, donors, partner institutions, beneficiaries, and civil society organizations. Different stakeholders demand different types of information in different formats. Internal rates of return and cost benefits analyses may have been sufficient for the accountability functions of impact assessment in the past, but they will not satisfy those who are interested in knowing how and why a project affected people's lives. Further, a growing number of stakeholders seek information not about the impact of a project's products, but rather of its processes.

Impact Assessment Guides | Monitoring & Evaluation Guides

EMPIRICAL STUDIES

In collaboration with many institutions and individuals, the PRGA Program has systematically collected scientifically credible empirical evidence of the impacts and costs of participatory research in natural resource management research and plant breeding by 1) conducting impact case studies; 2) creating a small grants program; and 3) developing a project inventory;

The collaborative impact studies analyze both impacts and costs of participatory research and gender analysis. Both qualitative and quantitative data are used, including existing project documentation; open-ended interviews with project staff, farmer participants, and other key informants including community leaders and policy makers; and statistical and econometric analysis of survey data.

PRGA impact case studies | CGIAR Impact Studies on Participatory Research

With the goal of obtaining as comprehensive an inventory as possible of the projects using Participatory Research and Gender/Stakeholder Analysis in natural resource management and plant breeding research, nearly 800 questionnaires were sent out between October 1999 and June 2001. Open calls for submission of project information were also posted in various email listservers. By June 2001, 153 useable surveys were received. The inventory constitutes a self-designated, self-selected subset of 72 plant breeding and 81 natural resource management projects doing participatory research and gender analysis. While we attempted to get as representative a sample as possible, several possible sources of bias should be acknowledged. Given that a CGIAR program did the data collection, CGIAR-affiliated projects may be over-represented in the sample. Because the survey was done via email or fax and in English and Spanish, it is also likely that the results are biased towards projects with access to good telecommunications technology and English or Spanish-speaking staff. The inventory will be continuously updated, and is welcoming new submissions.

PRGA project inventory

Empirical evidence of gender-sensitive participatory approaches is also documented in many Program-supported small grant projects.

Small grant reports:

Participatory Natural Resource Management | Participatory Plant Breeding | Other recommended impact studies

LEARNING AND CHANGE

Reaching the PRGA Program goals of enabling scientists to capture the impact of products and innovation processes, and integrate learning from impact assessment into research planning and research priority-setting requires a multitude of activities and approaches. It requires developing frameworks for assessing the impacts of the participatory research and gender-analysis methods themselves as opposed to the impacts of technologies alone; developing and testing some specific tools and methodologies for such assessments; organizing workshops and international meetings to build the impact-assessment capacity in the CG System and to promote mutual leaning among the impact-assessors and keep them networked; and providing support and backstopping to the Centers and specific programs that conduct impact studies of participatory research.

Impact Assessment Related Workshops

PRESENTATIONS

The Program staff and our collaborators have had many opportunities to present empirical evidence for the impact of gender-sensitive participatory approaches at international meetings and various stakeholder workshops. Several of these PowerPoint presentations are available.

Presentations on Impact Assessment