Impact monitoring and evaluation system for farmer field schools in Kyrgyzstan: How to optimize resource allocation for higher impact

Abstract

With the collapse of the Soviet Union, Kyrgyz agriculture went through deep structural changes and the new small subsistence farmers were poorly prepared, lacking technical knowledge and entrepreneurship. Pilot activities demonstrated that integrated pest management (IPM) as a topic for Farmer Field Schools (FFS) could effectively fill the gap in extension services and enable farmers to become more efficient and self-reliant managers of their scarce agricultural resources. The objective of this study was to develop an impact monitoring and evaluation system (IMES) to measure the effectiveness of FFS in terms of resources allocation, participation, outcome and impact, for partnerorganisations and potential FFS-participants, taking into account the Kyrgyz context and the particular framework of IPM FFS. As farmers can best define indicators reflecting their livelihood situation and rating scales realistic to their specific condition, a participatory monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) within the FFS-group and a longitudinal (before/after) comparison was proposed. A spider diagram was used as a framework to visualize quantitative, rated core indicators, which were the basis of the qualitative questioning on reasons for changes, making it possible to attribute certain impacts to FFS-trainings. The generated feedback and self-reflection additionally motivates and empowers participants, an effect highly appreciated by the FFS approach.