Working together to track the impact of livestock development projects
Projects will generate data and insights on progress and impacts
by Vanessa Meadu, Gareth Salmon, Louise Donnison and Karen Smyth
Across Low and Middle-Income Countries, organisations are working to improve livestock health and productivity so livestock keepers can find a pathway out of poverty. Ongoing monitoring, learning and evaluation (MLE) is critical to help project implementers and their funders understand how they are progressing towards desired impacts. But selecting the right indicators and collecting relevant data is an enormous challenge, requiring expertise, and staff time. Done poorly, MLE can lead to incomplete or incorrect conclusions, and be a waste of time. If done well, it can help project managers gain valuable insights for their business, and give funders a better sense of portfolio impact.
Supporting Evidence Based Interventions (SEBI) recently gathered staff from eleven livestock development projects funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF), to advance on developing a reporting system for MLE at the project and portfolio level. The workshop, which took place from 26-27 June 2019 in Edinburgh, allowed participants to consult on a common vision for MLE and develop a draft list of indicators suitable for measuring livestock production and health. The Foundation’s ambition is to use the indicators to tell a consolidated impact story at the grant, portfolio and sector level.
Read the full story: