About us
People-centred performance measurement that is responsive to poor farmers and has the potential to re-incentivise and re-align the aid system
Why ALINe, why now?
Greater investments are now being made in agricultural development initiatives to improve poor farmers’ lives. But, are we sure these are responsive to farmers’ priorities? Have we seen improved agricultural productivity, food security and nutrition, poverty alleviation? To find this out, we have to measure our performance better.
A focus on people-centred performance measurement is seriously lacking. When done well, measurement can help improve delivery, refine strategy, contribute to long-term, sector-wide learning and build sustainability by developing social capital in communities. However, current incentives in the aid system do not encourage this. Accountability to beneficiaries is being sacrificed for donor accountability. This leads to a ‘broken feedback loop’.
At ALINe, we want to see measurement and responsiveness better aligned. We recognise that participation is not a panacea for all farmer problems. We want to see all stakeholders involved appropriately in measurement. But participation of women and men farmers can improve the relevance, efficiency and effectiveness of initiatives and build social capital in the communities that are meant to benefit. Farmers’ views in defining priorities and evaluating success will also strengthen the accountability feedback loop. Farmers should have a meaningful say in decisions affecting their lives.
New models to re-shape incentives and re-balance stakeholders’ influence are emerging. Theory-Based Evaluation, Participatory Impact Pathways, Outcome Mapping and so on, bring in farmers’ voices, alongside other stakeholders. Some have demonstrated at the micro-level that involving farmers in measurement processes can change incentives. At ALINe, we want to build on these efforts and tackle incentives at the macro-level. We are at a stage where reform is possible. New donors are entering the fray and these partners will demand more responsive efforts for accountability to end users and donors alike.
What we do
We are piloting approaches to farmer feedback that have the potential to do this. We use participatory approaches to collect quantified, real-time summaries of farmer satisfaction based on aspects that are most important to them. This puts farmers’ views at the centre of measurement, and creates real incentives for responsiveness.
Through our Farmer Voice Initiative we develop models that are replicable, scalable and sustainable. We work with other innovators in to share good practice and learn about what works. Other services we offer include an M&E helpdesk service and research and evaluations on wider agricultural measurement issues.
