The Africa RISING Monitoring and Evaluation activities in West Africa aim to transform agricultural systems through sustainable intensification. Key activities include on-farm trials of new technology combinations and institutional improvements. The project focuses on cereal farming systems in West Africa. Expected results include higher productivity, reduced environmental impacts, and improved natural resources. Current monitoring efforts include field visits in Mali and Ghana. Key performance indicators track hectares under improved practices, farmers applying new technologies, and individuals receiving training. Additional customized indicators track early warning signs like rainfall and food prices. Ensuring high quality data is important for evaluating and improving the project over time.

1. Africa RISING Monitoring and Evaluation activities
in West Africa
Justice Ajaari, IFPRI
Africa RISING–CSISA Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Meeting, Addis Ababa,
Ethiopia, 11-13 November 2013

2. Outline of Presentation
o AR-WA Objectives
o AR-WA Activities
o AR Systems & Sites
o Expected Results
o M&E Focus
o Performance Indicators
o Customized Indicators
o Data Quality
o M&E Reflections

3. AR-WA Objectives
oTransform agricultural systems through sustainable
intensification (SI)
oSI:- producing more (agricultural) output from same area
of land, while:
• reducing negative environmental impacts
• increasing contributions to natural capital and flow of
environmental services

4. Activities
o
o
o
Diagnosis & design of technology combinations
On-farm & on-station trials of new combinations of existing
technologies
Institutional and/or value chain improvements
Systems & Sites
o Cereal-based farming systems - Sudano-Sahelian zone of
West Africa (WA -AR)
o Crop-livestock systems - Ethiopian highlands
o Maize-legume-livestock systems - Eastern & Southern Africa

5. Expected Results
oSustainable higher productivity
oReduced negative environmental impacts
oIncreased contributions to natural capital & flow of
environmental services
oImproved Value chain conduct and performance??
oImproved market efficiency??
oImproved Agric. Extension Effectiveness??

6. oMonitoring
Current M&E Focus
• Field Visits (Mali & Ghana Field Visits)
• USAID Feed the Future Indicators
• Customized Indicators
o Capacity Building
• Mali Partners M&E Workshop (September, 2013)
• Ghana Partners M&E Workshop (November, 2013)
• Partner Driven Studies-Qualitative Research
o Evaluation
• Baseline Evaluation-Household/ Community Survey
 Ghana-November/December, 2013 & Mali-January/February,2014
• Endline Impact Evaluation (2016)

7. Performance Indicators-FTF/AR
o Number of Hectares under improved technologies or management practices as
result of USG assistance
o Number of Farmers and others who have applied new technologies or
management practices as a result of USG assistance
o Number of individuals who have received USG Supported short-term agricultural
sector or food security training
o Number of food security private enterprises (for profit), producer organizations,
water users associations, women’s group, trade and business associations and
Community-based organization (CBO) receiving USG assistance.

8. AR-WA FTF Indicators-Cont.
o Number of Public-Private Partnership Formed as a result of FTF assistance
o Number of members of Producer Organizations and Community based
Organizations receiving USG assistance
o Number of private enterprises (for profit), producers organizations, water users
associations, women's groups, trade and business associations, and communitybased organizations (CBOs) that applied new technologies or management
practices as a result of USG assistance

9. AR-WA FTF Indicators-Cont.
o Number of new technologies or management practices in one of the following
phases:
• Phase 1: Number of new technologies or management practices under
research as a result of USG assistance
• Phase 2: Number of new technologies or management practices under field
testing as a result of USG assistance
• Phase 3 Number of new technologies or management practices made
available for transfer as a result of USG assistance

10. Proposed additional FTF indicators for in House Use
oNumber of Vulnerable Households Benefiting directly
form USG
oNumber of individuals who have received USG Supported
long-term agricultural sector or food security training

11. Customized indicators
oEarly Warning Indicators:
• Rainfall
• Fuel
• Food Prices
• Input Costs
oAgronomic indicators:
• Yield
• Pest and disease resistance

12. What Next?
What should occur in
the next two years to
improve M&E

13.  USAID:
Data Quality
• ADS 203.3.5.1: “To be useful in managing for results and credible for reporting,
data need to meet quality standards”
• ADS 203.3.5.2: “Purpose of DQA: aware of the extent to which the data
integrity can be trusted to influence management decisions”
 MCC:
• Section 5.4.1- M&E policy: ‘’Good data quality is essential to maintain a high
level of confidence in the decisions that are made using the data’’
 World Bank:
• Data Quality Assessment Framework (DQAF):..” assessing data quality that
brings together best practices and internationally accepted concepts and
definitions”

14. DATA QUALITY
Accuracy, Reliability, Completeness,
Precision, Timeliness, Integrity
M&E SYSTEM
M&E unit
• Appropriate data
management
systems are in
place (from lowest
to the highest
level)
• Data Verification
to Verify the
accuracy of
reported data for
key indicators
• M&E Tools
(aggregation at the highest
level of a program -PMP)
Intermediate aggregation
level (District, Region)
Implementing Partner
Level (Primary Data Source)
M&E System

15. Data Quality
AR-WA Field Data
1. Accuracy
2. Reliability
3. Completeness
4. Precision
5. Timeliness
6. Integrity
M&E System
Data should clearly and adequately represent the intended results.
Accuracy
AR-WA requires that each level of data is aggregated correctly is documented through source data
The data are measured and collected consistently.
Reliability
Completeness
AR-WA requires the use of consistent and standardized data collection tools to collect data
Completely inclusive: an information system represents the complete list of eligible names and not a fraction
of the list.
AR-WA requires comprehensive beneficiaries’ level information
The data have sufficient detail.
Precision
AR-WA requires that indicators have standardized definitions and are disaggregated by gender, location
and other key variables
Data are up-to-date (current), and information is available on time.
Timeliness
AR-WA requires timely reporting
The data are protected from deliberate bias or manipulation for political or personal reasons.
Integrity
AR-WA requires all datasets to be of the highest integrity and quality

16. M&E Reflections
 If you do not measure results, you cannot tell success
from failure
 If you can not see success, you can not reward it
 If you can not reward success, you are probably rewarding
failure
 If you can not see success, you can not learn from it
 If you can not recognize failure, you can not correct it
 If you can demonstrate results, you can win public
support