Monitoring and Evaluating the Food Security and Nutrition Effects of Agricultural Projects
F. James Levinson, Anna Herforth
The monitoring and evaluation of agricultural projects for their impact on household food insecurity and nutrition is important given the paucity of data documenting successes and failures in such projects, and because possible adverse effects in such projects need to be identified and addressed rapidly. Recognizing, however, the lack of capacity and/or reluctance of some agriculture project managers and planners to incorporate nutrition considerations in their project planning or their management information systems, a feasible alternative approach is needed – one capable of meeting agriculture-nutrition M&E objectives without encumbering project managers. There may be a role for external M&E teams comprised of staff skilled in agriculture-nutrition linkages (Ag2Nut teams). These teams could identify sensible indicators to measure nutrition-relevant impact based on the type of activities in the program, carry out the key M&E necessary for tracking progress, and feed back to the program management; they also could support nutrition-sensitive program design or adjustment...