Skip to main content

RE: Evaluating Scaling Efforts: Measuring What Matters

Mireille TOTOBESOLA

France

Mireille TOTOBESOLA

Expert in Sustainable Agri-food Systems and value chains and Climate Smart Agriculture

Posted on 14/01/2025

Dear colleagues,

I am excited to join the EvalForward community to share my experience and lessons learned in sustainable agri-food systems and value chain development. My approach emphasizes participatory design and implementation, engaging smallholders and local communities throughout the project cycle, including evaluation and learning phases, to create inclusive, efficient, sustainable, and scalable interventions.

I prepared and led IFAD team for the development of the following publications that are meant to be used widely to share experiences and lessons:

The EU-IFAD funded PRUNSAR program, comprising 13 CGIAR-led projects, has produced valuable resources in 2023 and 2024 that highlight lessons, challenges, and recommendations for scaling and evaluating agricultural innovations.

PRUNSAR, a €39 million program running from 2015 to 2023, supported innovations that enhanced livelihoods, nutrition, and resilience for smallholder farmers across South-East Asia, Africa, and Latin America.The PRUNSAR publications and knowledge products are accessible on IFAD and the EU websites. They provide useful insights, including evaluation approaches, cross-cutting indicators for tracking and aggregating results, and project-specific metrics.  They reflect collaborative efforts involving CGIAR, IFAD, national partners, and beneficiaries throughout the project cycle, ensuring robust monitoring, evaluation, and learning to inform future, impactful interventions.

By what criteria should efforts to scale impact be judged successful? Unsuccessful?

  •  Various criteria can be considered, including adoption rates, which depend on numerous factors across different contexts and the type of innovation, as well as sustainability and scalability. Examples of these criteria are available in the previously mentioned PRUNSAR Knowledge Directory.

Are current monitoring and evaluation methods sufficient to judge the success of scaling efforts? Do we need new methods to meet this new evaluation challenge?

  • Once again, there is no one-size-fits-all set of methods or criteria. The appropriate methods should align with the objectives of both the evaluation and the scaling efforts (whether a program, project, or initiative) while considering their specific context. A SWOT analysis of existing methodologies that may be applicable should be conducted beforehand, and any necessary adjustments should be made to ensure they meet the intended purpos

How should we evaluate scaling when it starts or continues after a funded project?

  • For a newly funded or ongoing project, the development of a scalability or scaling evaluation methodology/framework—complete with indicators and targets—must take into account constraints such as budget limitations, availability of skilled human resources, and the project’s implementation timeframe.If necessary, these aspects can be negotiated with existing or potential financial and technical/implementation partners.Another approach to address such constraints and enhance efficiency is to adopt an integrated approach. This could involve embedding the scaling evaluation of the project within the evaluation frameworks of larger, umbrella projects or programs that cover the same target geographic areas, populations, and key actors. Such integration would also allow for the aggregation of relevant evaluation data and information. 
  • However, such umbrella approaches may have limitations in terms of the granularity required to inform specific scaling policies. For example, detailed data collection may be needed to address issues related to gender, inclusion of minorities, and populations with varying levels of poverty, literacy, knowledge, technical assistance, access to agricultural extension services, innovation, finance, ICT, AI, and other prerequisites for scaling

How do we consider the complexity of scaling in systems with multiple collaborators across diverse contexts?

  • A systemic approach is essential, along with a careful prioritization of the evaluation methodology—whether quantitative, qualitative, or a combination of both—and the selection of indicators that are most relevant and effective. This should align with the holistic approach required to address complexity and interlinkages, while ensuring the delivery of actionable recommendations on how best to navigate these challenges

How do we ensure that the people affected lead the effort to scale impact?

  • The previously mentioned PRUNSAR Knowledge Directory highlights various successful approaches and case studies of projects that ensured the people affected at different levels played a leading role in scaling impact. It also details the challenges they faced, how they managed them, and the trade-offs encountered in certain contexts.

References:

 

Best regards,

Mireille Totobesola
LinkedIn Profile: Mireille Totobesola, PhD

Back to the discussion