In a context where evidence was increasingly available but often underused, evaluation faced a familiar challenge: how to ensure that findings were not only produced, but understood, engaged with, and acted upon. Too often, communication remained an afterthought, limiting the reach, relevance, and influence of evaluation, when in fact it had the potential to make a real difference. Building on previous blogs and online discussions, EvalforEarth convened a cross-agency learning exchange to reflect on this gap and explored how communication could move beyond dissemination to become a driver of learning and use. Bringing together practitioners from FAO, IFAD, GEF, CGIAR and WFP, the session not only showcased practical experiences, but also critically examined why communication efforts often fell short and what needed to change for evaluation to truly inform decisions and action.
Objectives
• Reflected on what was missing in current practices, from planning to follow-up.
• Shared experiences that illustrated not only what worked, but what had to change to make it work.
• Explored how early engagement, stakeholder participation, and collaboration with local actors could strengthen ownership and uptake.
• Identified practical, low-cost and innovative approaches, including emerging technologies, that could enhance accessibility and engagement.
• Discussed how participants could better understand and assess whether communication was influencing learning, decisions, and action.