CDA publishes new report on feedback mechanisms in international assistance agencies
ALINe newsletter 9th September 2011
A new report on the use of recipient Feedback Mechanisms in International Assistance Organizations has been published by CDA Collaborative Learning Projects, in Cambridge, MA.
Researching how recipient feedback is collected and used to inform decision making, in the context of increased efforts to improve the quality and accountablity of international assistance, the report finds that many organisations, from humanitarian to development agencies, recognise that it can improve the effectiveness of their projects. The report presents a range of recipient feedback mechanisms and how they have influenced projects and strategies, from Complaints and Response Mechanisms (CRMs) used in the humanitarian sector, new and emerging technological approaches like SMS using mobile phones to Commmunity-based assessments and Scorecards, such as the Care Malawi Community Scorecard, which ALINe has documented as part of its forthcoming Farmer Voice Awards case studies. CDA's research highlights the importance of management buy-in for effective feedback and reporting systems, particularly for learning and improvement at the organisational level; incentivising and supporting staff to competently gather and analyse feedback data; and the challenges of continuous feedback loops; human and finanacial resources; and including marginalised voices.
News
• SciDev.Net news item on a consortium of East African institutes researching new seed varieties better suited to dry areas, to combat the effects of climate change
• IRIN news item on WHO's launch of an e-Library of Evidence for Nutrition Actions (eLENA), which provides authoritative guidance to tackle malnutrition
• IDS launches the Bellagio Initiative, which is to explore the future of philanthropy and development in the pursuit of human wellbeing
• IPS news item on the DR Congo's Government's commitment to revive the coffee sector
• Nourishing The Planet news item on how organisations are helping subsistence farmers with 'business-like' approaches to agriculture
• European Commission Joint Research Centre publishes two special reports on the drought in the Horn of Africa
• ILRI news item on the publication of 'Risk and Social Change in an African Rural Economy: Livelihoods in Pastoralist Communities', in Kenya and Ethiopia by American researchers, which advocates for building on the foundation of the livestock economy rather than replacing it
• Nourishing The Planet news item on India's completed draft bill of the National Food Security Act, which aims to improve food access for the country's poorest communities
• SciDev.Net news item on the InfoClim project in Senegal, which is providing climate data to farmers to improve planting practices and yields
• IFPRI publication: The Political Economy of Agricultural Policy Reform in India: Fertiliizers and Electricity for Irrigation
• African Agriculture news item on a Kenyan agricultural programme which is using lime to neutralise acidic soils and improve maize harvests
• SciDev.Net news item on Nigeria's launch of the first African satellite, which will be used for resource management and food security through crop monitoring, urban planning and disaster management
• A United Nations-European Union investment to help poor farmers in Togo has produced returns that are almost double the cost
• The European Commission publishes the EU Donor Atlas 2011
• SciDev.Net news item on post harvest technologies for cowpeas, which are to yield US$295 million in benefits in West and Central Africa by 2020
• AlertNet news item on solar weather stations in Kenya, which alert farmers to drought
• African Agriculture news item on Niger's 10 billion CFA francs irrigation programme, to grow at least 1 million tonnes of food to avoid food shortages
• SciDev.Net news item on the launch of the Centre for Coordination of Agricultural Research and Development for Southern Africa, in Botswana
• The Donald Danforth Plant Science Center announces a total of $11.9 million of additional funding for its project to develop and deliver farmer-preferred cassava varieties, enhanced to resist plant virus diseases that are greatly reducing crop yield
• IIED and Sustainable Food Lab publication: Under what conditions are value chains effective tools for pro-poor development?
• ReSAKSS Annual Trends and Outlook Report 2010: Monitoring African Agricultural Development Processes and Performance: A comparative analysis
• African Union publication: Way Forward: African Union's perspective on a long-term strategy to addressing food and nutrition crises in Africa
• The Guardian news item on the new Food Security Risk Map 2011
• Guardian news item on Kenyan farmers who had signed up to a livestock insurance scheme may soon receive first payments, following the drought in the Horn of Africa
Events
• 10th African Crop Science Society Conference, 10-13 October 2011
• World Food Prize 25th Anniversary, 12-14 October 2011
• Agribusiness Forum 2011, 16-19 October 2011
• 2011 Africa Prize for Leadership for the Sustainable End of Hunger, 22 October 2011
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ALINe promotes people-centred performance measurement in agricultural development. This regular update keeps you informed about news and events, and highlights from the fields of agriculture and measurement.
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