Cirad is a research for development organization with a growing portfolio of about 750 active projects per year funded by more than 70 different funders. Monitoring and evaluation systems designed and used by these projects are adapted to respond to the needs of their teams, partners and stakeholders, including their funders.
A one-fits-all approach would not satisfy the diversity of the demands expressed by these projects, that’s why the ImpresS team suggests the principles presented below to design effective and adapted M&E systems.

PRINCIPLES 

Complexity-aware

Agricultural research for development interventions are implemented in complex settings where multiple interactions between actors and factors influence each other and the evolution of the systems themselves. Acknowledging this complexity and the emergent and unpredictable nature of some changes that can be stimulated by AR4D interventions is central to design M&E systems intended to support a dynamic response to those changes. 

Theory-based

Making explicit the logic of the intervention, contrasting it with middle-range theories of change (ToC) developed for similar interventions, describing the ways in which changes are expected to happen and to contribute to impact, as well as, stating the hypothesis underlying the ToC are practices increasingly used for project design and evaluation. Regularly questioning and testing the plausibility of the ToC and the underlying hypothesis as the intervention progresses is encouraged to strengthen the M&E system capacity to support the adaptation of strategic and operational planning. 

Utilization-focused

M&E activities are often perceived by project teams as externally-imposed and time-consuming activities. To make M&E systems used and useful, clearly define the purpose of the system, tailoring it to stakeholders’ needs and integrating it in the overall management strategy in a meaningful and efficient way is essential.

Actor-centred and outcome-oriented

As in the ImpresS ex-ante approach and in the ImpresS ex-post method, we propose to adopt these principles. Single individuals, their groups and organizations are the actors that influence and are influenced by factors (social, economic, environmental, etc.) that characterize the system where AR4D interventions are embedded. These time-bounded interventions may contribute towards long-term sustainable impacts only if the products and services they generate are used by system actors to change their practices and interactions. 

Participatory

As in all the other ImpresS approaches, associate partners ad stakeholders, as far as possible, is a guiding principle also for monitoring and evaluation processes. Participation in M&E processes is both a means and an end as it may enhance the credibility of M&E findings by allowing for triangulation of different perspectives and validation of results, it may promote ownership on the intervention by facilitating their active involvement in regular assessment and adjustment of intervention plans, it may contribute in strengthening evaluative thinking and management capacities. 

TOOLS 

Building on the principles above, the ImpresS approach for the operationalization of the project M&E systems will be to propose and adapt together with the project teams the appropriate tools by drawing on the rich set already available in the literature and to develop new tools when there is a need. 

Some of the key areas where M&E approaches and tools will be explored are: 

• Innovation processes  
• Partnership assessment
• Capacity development 
• Impact pathway review 
• Outcome indicators and progress markers