Impact evaluation of agricultural interventions

Abstract

The purpose of this guide is to provide suggestions on designing impact evaluation of agricultural interventions. The guide provides an overview of standard impact evaluation methods and highlights more recent techniques that can help address some methodological challenges, including the integration of spatial data in the agricultural context. The guide discussed the complexity of evaluating agricultural interventions, and the methodological and practical challenges posed by agricultural interventions. The guide also presented case studies for the different impact evaluation methods, including a case study that uses spatial data to evaluate agricultural outcomes. Specific issues that need to be considered in designing surveys in agricultural context and collecting agricultural data are also presented. Key aspects related to sampling and power calculations, as well as the integration of gender analysis in evaluation, are also highlighted in the last sections of the guide. While its content will need to be complemented with further existing resources on impact evaluation, this guide can be used as a starting point for understanding the fundamental issues in impact evaluation posed by agricultural interventions, and for locating some of the available relevant resources.