The rigorous measurement of impact of interventions in development is critical for the development of effective policies and the advancement of scientific discovery. Assessing impacts accurately presents several challenges. This session will present innovations in assessment across different domains: plant breeding, food systems, and food environments and diets.
Plant Breeding & Seed Systems
Research in agricultural development, particularly genetic innovation, is often justified by high projected benefits, though these are typically based on modeling- or field trial-based methods that may overlook impacts beyond productivity and incomes, impacts mediated through behavioral mechanisms, and investments required in seed systems. Breeding for Tomorrow (B4T) aims to update these projections using empirical evidence to quantify impacts. We will present plans for a comprehensive rigorous impact assessment of genetic innovation and seed systems interventions that will generate and pool data from several randomized evaluations to refine existing projections with ground-level evidence, to increase visibility of this approach and invite participant feedback on the methodologies used.
Food systems
We will present practical methods for conducting food systems assessments at a sub-national level used by the Transforming Food Systems in South Asia (TAFSSA), the One CGIAR Regional Initiative project. These methods take into account the diverse roles and contributions of different demographic groups, such as women, men, children, and farming versus non-farming families. It will cover the key steps of such assessments, including selecting appropriate indicators, designing gender- and age-sensitive sampling strategies, developing efficient data collection tools, analyzing data for actionable insights, and engaging stakeholders. We will introduce new tools, highlight trade-offs in data collection, and share findings from countries like Bangladesh, India, and Nepal to showcase how local-level food systems analysis can inform policy.
Food environments and diets
Improving nutrition, health, and food security is one of the five impact areas of the CGIAR. Poor diets are the leading cause of all forms of malnutrition – undernutrition, micronutrient deficiencies, overweight/obesity) and diet-related non communicable diseases. The Better Diets and Nutrition program focuses on sustainable healthy diets and our work thus requires credible, affordable, and timely measurement of dietary intake to assess the impact of agricultural and food system interventions. Presentations will provide guidance on selecting appropriate indicators, showcase new tools, and share examples from studies to highlight how these indicators can enhance understanding of diets and their associations with other outcomes.
