- Agriculture
- Biodiversity
- Climate change
- Environment
- Evaluation methods
- Evaluation process
- Evaluation results
- Food Security
- Humanitarian
- Knowledge management and communication
- Monitoring & Evaluation
- Participatory approaches
- Poverty
- Rural development
- SDGs
- Theories of Change
Context: Transforming agri-food systems to become more sustainable, resilient, and equitable is an urgent global priority.
Agrifood System Transformations and Their Significance
Agrifood system transformations are crucial for ensuring food security, sustainability, and economic growth in a rapidly changing world. As global populations rise and climate challenges intensify, modernizing food production, distribution, and consumption systems can enhance resilience, reduce environmental impact, and improve livelihoods. These transformations foster more efficient and equitable food systems, supporting both rural development and global market integration.
The Role of Policies and Regulations
Policies and regulations play a central role in shaping agrifood systems by setting standards, providing incentives, and ensuring sustainability. Well-designed policies can promote innovation, enhance food safety, and support smallholder farmers, while ineffective or misaligned regulations may hinder progress. Government interventions, trade policies, and investment frameworks significantly influence the pace and direction of agrifood transformations.
The Importance of Evaluation in Policy Impact
Evaluating agrifood policies is essential for assessing their effectiveness, identifying gaps, and refining strategies. Continuous assessment helps policymakers understand the real-world impact of interventions, ensuring that goals related to food security, sustainability, and economic inclusivity are met. Through evaluation, decision-makers can adapt policies to emerging challenges and align them with long-term development objectives.
Methodology for Policy Evaluation
Effective policy evaluation requires a combination of qualitative and quantitative approaches, including impact assessments, case studies, stakeholder consultations, and data-driven analysis. Methods such as cost-benefit analysis, econometric modeling, and monitoring frameworks help measure outcomes and guide evidence-based decision-making. Incorporating participatory approaches ensures that the voices of farmers, businesses, and consumers are considered in policy refinements.
The following two cases illustrate the above for the purpose of this online discussion:
- the European Deforestation Regulation (EUDR, 2023) play a critical role in steering these transitions. The EUDR aims to minimize the EU’s contribution to global deforestation and forest degradation by regulating imports of commodities linked to deforestation. Its evaluation offers valuable lessons about how policy coherence, enforcement mechanisms, stakeholder involvement, and measurable outcomes can drive sustainable practices in global supply chains.
- Similarly, the "Policy Coherence in the Ethiopian Food Systems Transformation Effort" highlights how policy coherence across sectors (agriculture, health, environment) impacts food security and sustainability outcomes. Both cases underscore the importance of robust monitoring and evaluation (M&E) frameworks to assess regulatory effectiveness, identify unintended consequences, and ensure alignment with broader sustainable development goals (SDGs).
Key Discussion Points:
1. Evaluation of Results and Impacts:
• How can we assess whether new policies and regulations achieve their intended outcomes in agri-food systems?
• What indicators and methodologies can capture short-term results and long-term impacts effectively?
• How can evaluation results be better utilized to inform policymaking and regulatory reforms?
2. Effectiveness of Regulatory Frameworks:
• What factors contribute to the success or failure of regulatory frameworks like the EUDR?
• How can evaluation ensure that these frameworks are adaptable, inclusive, and equitable?
3. Cross-Learning from Case Studies:
• How can we draw lessons from the evaluation of the EUDR and similar initiatives, such as Ethiopia’s food systems transformation policies?
• What role does stakeholder engagement play in the design and evaluation of policies?
• What challenges are encountered in evaluating policies and regulations?
Call for Participation:
The #EvalForward Community is invited to share:
• Evaluation experiences and challenges related to policies and regulations targeting agri-food systems transformation.
• Best practices and methodologies for evaluating complex, cross-sectoral policies.
• Case studies from diverse contexts to enrich the discussion.
Expected Outcomes:
This exchange will provide a platform for members to:
• Identify gaps and opportunities in evaluating agri-food systems transformation policies.
• Co-create practical recommendations for strengthening evaluation frameworks.
• Promote knowledge-sharing to support evidence-based policy development.
Your contributions to this important conversation will help advance our collective understanding of how to evaluate the effectiveness and impact of policies that shape the future of agri-food systems globally.
References
EUDR Information System
The Information System as set out in Art. 33 of the Regulation was launched on 4 December 2024. Registration for users of the system was opened on November 2024.
Publications
- Regulation on Deforestation-free products - European Commission
- Briefing notes on sourcing of deforestation-free commodities
- Factsheet on the Commission proposal for a Regulation
- EU Deforestation Regulation: an opportunity for smallholders
- Proposal for a Regulation amending Deforestation Regulation as regards the date of application
- Communication from the Commission on a Strategic Framework for International Cooperation Engagement on Deforestation
- Règlement européen contre la déforestation et la dégradation des forêts - Stratégie nationale de lutte contre la déforestation importée
Impact Assessment ‘Minimising the risk of deforestation and forest degradation associated with products placed on the EU market’:
- Executive Summary of the Staff Working Document on the Impact Assessment
- Staff Working Document on the Impact Assessment
- Public consultation on “Deforestation and forest degradation – reducing the impact of products placed on the EU market”
- Synopsis report of stakeholder consultation as part of the impact assessment on demand-side measures to address deforestation
- Consultancy Report on Impact assessment on demand-side measures to address deforestation
Reference for the Ethiopian case:
"Policy Coherence in the Ethiopian Food Systems Transformation Effort"
This discussion is now closed. Please contact info@evalforearth.org for any further information.
France
Mireille TOTOBESOLA
Expert in Sustainable Agri-food Systems and value chains and Climate Smart Agriculture
Posted on 03/02/2025
Hello EvalForward Community!
Welcome to this exciting discussion on evaluating agri-food systems transformation policies and regulations! We’re thrilled to have you join us.
During this first week, we invite you to contribute your insights and resources on the following topics:
Please feel free to share your thoughts, experiences, or any useful resources that can deepen the conversation.
Looking forward to your contributions!
Best regards,
Mireille Totobesola
Italy
Serdar Bayryyev
Senior Evaluation Officer
FAO
Posted on 05/02/2025
Dear Mireille,
Thank you for raising this important topic and calling for a further discussion in this forum. To facilitate this discussion, I would like to share some reflections on the two questions that you have posted.
Question 1. What challenges are encountered in evaluating policies and regulations, such as regulatory frameworks like the EUDR, particularly in the context of cocoa and other food products under these new regulations?
Evaluating policies and regulations, such as the European Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), presents several challenges, particularly in the context of cocoa and other food products.
The complexity of supply chains and their globalized nature makes it difficult to trace the origins of products and determine compliance with regulations. This complexity complicates evaluation analysis, particularly for products like cocoa that may be sourced from multiple regions with varying levels of compliance with regulations and governance arrangements.
Another complexity relates to the engagement of a very diverse groups of stakeholders, (such as smallholder farmers, businesses, consumers, etc.) who have varying interests and capabilities. Engaging all relevant parties effectively in the evaluation process can be challenging and may affect the quality of data collected and the applicability of findings.
Lack of comprehensive and accessible data can also hinder effective evaluation of policies, as reliable data may not be uniformly available across regions or sectors. Establishing clear, measurable indicators that appropriately capture both the direct and indirect impacts of regulations is challenging. To measure such impact, evaluation should rely on the long-term data to assess the sustainability and effectiveness of regulatory frameworks, yet such data is often not available.
Question 2. What indicators and methodologies can effectively capture both short-term results and long-term impacts?
To effectively capture both short-term results and long-term impacts in policy evaluation, a combination of diverse indicators and methodologies is essential. Mixed-methods approaches, combining quantitative data analysis with qualitative assessments can facilitate review of policy impacts. Quantitative indicators could be obtained through national datasets, focusing on deforestation rates, carbon emissions, agricultural productivity, and economic metrics (e.g., income changes among smallholder farmers). These should be verified and complemented by qualitative methods, including surveys and interviews with relevant stakeholders and data providers. Analyzing specific instances of policy implementation can facilitate a deeper understanding of context, challenges, and successes that inform broader evaluations.
Looking forward to further ideas and reflections.
Best regards,
Serdar Bayryyev
Senior Evaluation Officer, FAO
France
Mireille TOTOBESOLA
Expert in Sustainable Agri-food Systems and value chains and Climate Smart Agriculture
Posted on 05/02/2025
Dear Serdar,
Thank you for your valuable insights. I agree that assessing policy effectiveness requires a comprehensive view - evaluating economic impacts (which drive incentives, especially for smallholder producers and their organizations), social impacts (which are essential for long-term success), and ultimately, environmental impacts.
I would like to invite further contributions from participants, especially those directly involved in implementing and evaluating the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), such as representatives from the World Cocoa Foundation. Please share the approaches you are using, the indicators you consider (and the rationale behind them), the challenges you face, and how you plan to address these issues with stakeholders across the commodity value chains and systems.
For those needing additional background, I recommend reviewing the IMPACT ASSESSMENT in the Commission Staff Working Document available in our resource list. This document explains efforts to minimize deforestation and forest degradation risks associated with products on the EU market. It accompanies the proposal for a Regulation on making certain deforestation-linked commodities available on the EU market (and for export), and for repealing Regulation (EU) No 995/2010. You can access it here:
https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A52021SC0326&qid=1727163336725
The document outlines several policy options. The section 6 develops on the impacts of the relevant for Policy Options: the environmental, the economic, and the social impacts.
I look forward to further contributions that will help us develop effective, feasible, and efficient frameworks for policy and regulatory evaluation.
Best regards,
Mireille Totobesola
Sustainable Agricultural and Food Systems Expert
France
Mireille TOTOBESOLA
Expert in Sustainable Agri-food Systems and value chains and Climate Smart Agriculture
Posted on 10/02/2025
Dear all,
Many thanks again to Serdar for his thoughts provoking and insightful contribution last week.
This week, let us focus on the second point on the Effectiveness of Regulatory Frameworks, particularly by responding to the following guiding questions :
• What factors contribute to the success or failure of regulatory frameworks like the EUDR?
• How can evaluation ensure that these frameworks are adaptable, inclusive, and equitable?
We look forward to your insights and contributions, and any useful resources illustrating your thoughts, including on approaches that can be used as a reference or for adoption, or adaptation as may be needed.
Best regards,
Mireille Totobesola
Zambia
Mike Mwale
M&E Specialist
EvalHarvest Solutions
Posted on 17/02/2025
I love the discussion as it effectively highlights the importance of evaluating agri-food systems transformation policies, emphasizing sustainability, resilience, and equity.
However, there is a need to explicitly address the social and economic welfare of farmers, particularly smallholders, who are central to these systems. While inclusive and equitable frameworks are mentioned, the discussion lacks depth on how policies like the EUDR or Ethiopia’s food systems transformation directly impact farmers' livelihoods, income stability, or market access.
For example, when we look at the EUDR’s deforestation regulations, they may impose compliance burdens on small-scale farmers in developing countries, potentially excluding them from global supply chains due to high costs or lack of resources. Similarly, Ethiopia’s efforts must ensure that agricultural policies do not disproportionately affect smallholders, who are critical to food security but often lack the capacity to adapt.
A stronger focus on farmer-centric metrics such as income levels, access to technology, and social protections and participatory evaluation involving farmers would ensure their needs are prioritized, avoiding further marginalization.
France
Mireille TOTOBESOLA
Expert in Sustainable Agri-food Systems and value chains and Climate Smart Agriculture
Posted on 17/02/2025
Dear Mike,
I wanted to take a moment to express my appreciation for your insightful contribution to the ongoing discussion on agri-food systems transformation policies. Your emphasis on evaluating sustainability, resilience, and equity within these systems is crucial and aligns well with the broader goals of fostering long-term improvements in agriculture.
Your point about the social and economic welfare of farmers, particularly smallholders, resonates deeply. You’ve rightly highlighted that while frameworks like the EUDR and Ethiopia’s food systems transformation policies aim to promote sustainability, they must also explicitly address the livelihoods, income stability, and market access of small-scale farmers. This nuanced consideration is essential to avoid unintended consequences that may further marginalize these communities.
Could you provide concrete examples of case studies and methodologies that have successfully illustrated the impact of such policies on farmers’ livelihoods, particularly smallholders? It would be interesting to learn more about other existing frameworks that have effectively measured and integrated these social, economic and environmental aspects into policy assessments.
Additionally, how can methodologies like participatory evaluations or farmer-centric metrics be better leveraged to ensure that smallholders are not excluded from such policies?
Your expertise in this area is invaluable, and I look forward to furthering the conversation with these additional insights.
Best regards,
Mireille Totobesola
France
Mireille TOTOBESOLA
Expert in Sustainable Agri-food Systems and value chains and Climate Smart Agriculture
Posted on 17/02/2025
Dear EvalForward members,
As we approach the final week of our online discussion on the evaluation of policies targeting agri-food systems transformation, we want to remind you that your valuable insights are essential for shaping the recommendations. To make the most of this opportunity, we invite you to contribute to the following key areas before the discussion closes (please do provide the files and the links to the resources that you would like share if available ):
This is the last week to contribute, and we want to ensure that all your thoughts are captured before the discussion closes. Your input is key to enhancing the recommendations that will guide future policy evaluation in this crucial field.
We look forward to hearing from you and greatly appreciate your continued engagement!
Best regards,
Mireille Totobesola
Norway
Lal - Manavado
Consultant
Independent analyst/synthesist
Posted on 18/02/2025
Greetings!
First of all, we would like to make this contribution understandable to everybody whether it is an evaluation professional or an actual food producer or an ordinary consumer of food. Otherwise, it would run the risk of being an academic post inaccessible to people who are really concerned
with policies and regulations affecting food systems.
It is easy and simple to outline what such policies and regulations ought to enable food systems to achieve, but unfortunately, theorists often forget what the end-users of food systems wish and require from the one they use vary widely. Their wishes and requirements are for the most part, governed by their food culture, which has both a physiological and an environmental relevance that should not be overlooked.
Briefly then, successful policies and regulations concerned here should guide food systems adequately to meet the following objectives:
However, they are useful in reducing them from the trade, storage and transport sub-systems in food systems.
We need not emphasise that unless the above criteria are met, no technical improvement of food systems or how they are financed would enable one to deal with the problems of hunger, malnutrition and inappropriate nutrition rampant in the world today. Whether a given food system meets those criteria would have to be ascertained by local inspection, and then one would be able
to formulate relevant generic regulations.
But let it be remembered that the value of such formulations will be nugatory, unless a mechanism exists to enforce them with sufficient vigour.
It is often tempting to direct both policies and regulations to the exclusive benefit of a particular group of foodf producers, harvesters (eg. fishermen) or the end-users. However, a careful look at any food system would show that farmer poverty as well as malnutrition and inappropriate
nutrition often stem from inequities in the trade sub-system of a fiven food system.
All things being equal, inadequacies in other sub-systems in a food system would have the same effect owing either to inadequate food production of the yielder sub-system or its wastage in transport and storage sub-systems.
The goal of a food and agriculture policy is to enable the people of a country to procure on a regular basis what they require to obtain a wholesome, varied and balanced diet at an affordable cost.
Achievement of this goal requires a number of strategies whose specific nature depends on a
country's current food culture.
Success of this policy depends on meeting two critical requirements. First,the strategies it employs should be in accord, i. e., intra-policy harmony.
For instance, in a country where adequate nutrition for the majority does not obtain, a food and agriculture policy that embodies the strategy of investing in cash crops is not in harmony with its goal as described above. Sometimes, international organisations are guilty of this harmful activity
as illustrated by World Bank compelling certain West African regimes to export their peanut crop resulting in protein malnutrition among children.
Secondly, as a food system consists of several sub-systems that come under the jurisdiction of different ministries, their policies may conflict with the main objective of a country's food and agriculture policy. This inter-policy disharmony with respect to latter's goal could have very
undesirable consequences for the people concerned.
Consider now, the trade policy of a country that allows import of new food stuffs, establishment of
large foreign monoculture factory farms etc., which would have disastrous consequences for small holders, independent retailers and the general state of nutrition in the land involved.
Achievement of the requisite inter-policy harmony is difficult for three reasons.
order to preserve status quo
competence to apprehend it necessity in every field should the authorities
deliver what they so glibly promise.
The perceptive reader would have noticed that while the regulations needed call for on-the-spot investigation, ascertaining whether an acceptable degree of intra-policy and inter-policy harmony obtains would have to be undertaken before the strategies they employ are implemented. This may run into a wide variety of difficulties, but unless it is done, at least a partial failure of a given food and agriculture policy is inevitable. Inertiaof the bureaucratic tradition and infatuation with the peculiar terminology of tradesmen seem to be the greatest obstacles to progress in this field.
Best wishes!
Lal Manavado.
France
Mireille TOTOBESOLA
Expert in Sustainable Agri-food Systems and value chains and Climate Smart Agriculture
Posted on 19/02/2025
Dear Lal and EvalForward members,
Dear Lal and EvalForward members,
Many thanks to Lal for your comprehensive analysis and for shedding light on the essential prerequisites that policymakers and professionals need to consider when transforming the agri-food sector. I appreciate the clarity with which you emphasized that agricultural and food policies should be developed with the end users in mind—namely, the consumers—and that the focus should go beyond just economic outcomes to consider social and environmental perspectives as well.
As an expert in sustainable agricultural food systems and policy and strategy formulation, I would add that your observations are indeed valid, particularly regarding the challenges policymakers often face when dealing with existing systems that rely heavily on cash crops and unsustainable practices. Such systems often fall short when addressing food security, which involves access to nutritious food for all at all times. This must include not only economic factors but also environmental sustainability and social equity.
Various effective systems approaches and tools have been developed, which can be adapted to specific contexts and transformative goals. These approaches, grounded in comprehensive analysis, support the formulation of efficient policy and regulatory frameworks, as well as the design of evaluation and implementation strategies. Relevant resources include :
- International Food Policy Research Institute. 2021. 2021 Global Food Policy Report: Transforming Food Systems after COVID-19. Washington, DC: International Food Policy Research Institute. https://doi.org/10.2499/9780896293991
- van Berkum, S., Dengerink, J., and Ruben, R. (2018). The Food Systems Approach: Sustainable Solutions for a Sufficient Supply of Healthy Food Sufficient Supply of Healthy Food. No. 2018–084. Economic Research Memorandum. The Hague: Wageningen Economic Research. doi:10.18174/451505
This report can be downloaded for free at https://doi.org/10.18174/451505 or at www.wur.eu/economic-research (under Wageningen Economic Research publications).
- The attached presentation that I have developed with the FAO Gender team on ‘Advancing gender equality and empowerment of women in food systems’ presented at the Cultivating Gender Equality Conference12-15 October 2021 (Cultivating Equality: Advancing Gender Research in Agriculture and Food Systems - CGIAR) CGIAR GENDER Platform. 2021. Cultivating Equality: Advancing Gender Research in Agriculture and Food Systems−Daily Update, Friday, 15 October 2021. Nairobi, Kenya: CGIAR GENDER Platform. https://hdl.handle.net/10568/116960
I also wanted to highlight the importance of a common understanding of key leverage points in food systems transformation. To make meaningful progress, we must be able to act on these leverage points and measure the impact of our policies through agreed-upon indicators. This is crucial at both regional and global levels, where the complexity of the interlinked systems, such as trade, infrastructure, energy, and governance, must be considered.
On your point on food losses, the distinction between "food losses" and "food waste," as defined by the FAO under SDG 12.3, is another vital aspect. Food losses and food waste are driven by a wide range of causes that can vary from one region or country to another, depending on factors like the structure of food value chains and access to finance, infrastructure, and technology. These factors must be considered, especially as they relate to cross-cutting issues such as gender inequalities, education, climate change, and good governance, which all influence the efficiency and sustainability of food systems.
Moreover, policies and regulatory frameworks must address these interlinkages and trade-offs to ensure that they are efficient, transformative, and context specific. Effective monitoring and evaluation frameworks must be developed to track progress in each country, accounting for the unique regional and global factors that impact food system transformation.
Thank you once again for sharing your valuable insights. They will no doubt contribute to furthering the dialogue and shaping more informed, integrated strategies in our shared pursuit of sustainable, inclusive, and resilient food systems.
Best regards,
Mireille Totobesola
Additional useful resources:
· Resources on systems approaches and tools for identifying the root causes of inefficiencies and sustainability challenges in agricultural and food systems—considering trade-offs and interconnections with sectors such as trade, finance (particularly rural and microfinance), infrastructure, energy, governance, peace, justice, gender equality, inclusion, nutrition, education, and health. These resources aid in developing effective policies, strategies, and interventions for transforming agricultural and food systems:
CFS, 2021. Voluntary guidelines on food systems and nutrition. FAO. Rome. CFS_VGs_Food_Systems_and_Nutrition_Strategy_EN.pdf (fao.org)
Cruz Zuniga, M., Lynn, M.L., Kaganzi Mwesigwa, E., Norell, D., Sriram, V., Tumusiime, E., 2019. Better together: improving food security and nutrition by linking market and food system. Research article: Food security through market and food systems. September 2019. Enterprise Development and Microfinance, 30:3, 189–205. http://dx.doi.org/10.3362/1755-1986.19-00008
De Brauw, A., M. van den Berg, I. Brouwer, H. Snoek, R. Vignola, M. Melesse, G. Lochetti, C. van Wagenberg, M. Lundy, E. d’Hotel, and R. Ruben. 2019. “Food System Innovations for Healthier Diets in Low and Middle-Income Countries.” IFPRI Discussion Paper 01816, International Food Policy Research Institute, Washington, DC.
Dekeyser, K., Rampa, F., D’Alessandro, C., & Bizzotto Molina, P. (2020). The food systems approach in practice: Our guide for sustainable transformation. Maastricht: European Centre for Development Policy Management. The food systems approach in practice: Our guide for sustainable transformation - ECDPM Discussion Paper 278
FAO. 2019. The State of Food and Agriculture 2019. Moving forward on food loss and waste reduction. Rome. Licence: CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO. The State of Food and Agriculture 2019 (fao.org)
FAO, EC, CIRAD. 2020. A methodological framework for the rapid assessment of national and sub-national food systems in low income and lower medium income countries
FAO, IFAD, UNICEF, WFP and WHO. 2020. The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2020. Transforming food systems for affordable healthy diets. Rome, FAO. https://doi.org/10.4060/ca9692en
HLPE. 2019. Agroecological and other innovative approaches for sustainable agriculture and food systems that enhance food security and nutrition. A report by the High Level Panel of Experts on Food Security and Nutrition of the Committee on World Food Security, Rome HLPE Report #14 - Agroecological and other innovative approaches for sustainable agriculture and food systems that enhance food security and nutrition (fao.org)
International Food Policy Research Institute. 2021. Food System Innovations and Digital Technologies to Foster Productivity Growth and Rural Transformation. Food Systems Summit Brief Prepared by Research Partners of the Scientific Group for the Food Systems Summit, May 2021.
International Food Policy Research Institute. 2021. 2021 Global Food Policy Report: Transforming Food Systems after COVID-19. Washington, DC: International Food Policy Research Institute. https://doi.org/10.2499/9780896293991
Njuki, Jemimah; Eissler, Sarah; Malapit, Hazel J.; Meinzen-Dick, Ruth Suseela; Bryan, Elizabeth; and Quisumbing, Agnes R. 2021. A review of evidence on gender equality, women’s empowerment, and food systems. IFPRI Discussion Paper 2034. Washington, DC: International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI). https://doi.org/10.2499/p15738coll2.134469
van Berkum, S., Dengerink, J., and Ruben, R. (2018). The Food Systems Approach: Sustainable Solutions for a Sufficient Supply of Healthy Food. No. 2018–084. Economic Research Memorandum. The Hague: Wageningen Economic Research. doi:10.18174/451505
· FAO, 2020. SDG 12.3.1.a Food Loss Index - Guiding questions on the steps of
the data collection strategy https://openknowledge.fao.org/server/api/core/bitstreams/a9799ec1-22b5-4942-80b3-a3f5626cce26/content
· Agenda 2030 and FAO methodology for SDG indicator 12.3.1a Food Loss Index
Food loss measurement | Technical Platform on the Measurement and Reduction of Food Loss and Waste | Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
France
Mireille TOTOBESOLA
Expert in Sustainable Agri-food Systems and value chains and Climate Smart Agriculture
Posted on 27/03/2025