Results-based monitoring and evaluation for the Africa climate smart agriculture alliance

Abstract

Little is known about Climate Smart Agriculture Results Based Monitoring and Evaluation (CSA RBM&E) frameworks that are essential for measuring the outcomes and impacts of interventions like Climate Smart Agriculture. FAO (2013) and Sanahuja (2011) outline that measuring climate change related initiatives like CSA is a highly complex and contended issue. There is no single approach in assessment, monitoring and evaluation of climate change interventions like Climate Smart Agriculture. The purpose of the research was therefore to analyse different types of climate change related monitoring and evaluation frameworks and recommend a Climate Smart Agriculture results-based monitoring and evaluation framework for the NEPAD International Non-Governmental Organisations (iNGO) Africa Climate Smart Agriculture Alliance. A qualitative research approach within a case study design was utilised for the study. Fifteen key informants who are experts in development work, climate change, climate smart agriculture, agriculture and monitoring and evaluation were interviewed. The data generated from the respondents show that CSA impacts, outcomes and outputs are anchoring on five distinct key result areas that may be measured by use of proxy indicators. The key results areas are the concepts underlying the development of CSA results-based monitoring and evaluation framework and are proxies for adaptation or resilience and mitigation hence the need to measure them through proxy indicators. The concepts are agriculture productivity, environmental health, economic stability, policy integration and social stability.