College of Agriculture & Natural Resources Department of Agricultural, Food, and Resource Economics

Overview

Strengthening Impact Assessment in CGIAR’ - SIAC - is an initiative of the Standing Panel on Impact Assessment (SPIA) of the CGIAR Independent Science and Partnership Council, Rome, Italy.  The three year SIAC program is funded through a multi-donor trust fund to bridge the gap in the generation of quality data on the uptake and diffusion of CGIAR research outputs and to assess their impact on CGIAR goals.. Michigan State University-AFRE Department serves as the lead entity for implementing two of the project objectives related to advancing methods and institutionalizing the collection of technology diffusion data needed to conduct critical CGIAR impact evaluations.  

Objectives

Scope of activities under the two objectives led by AFRE includes:

• Objective 1 (Methods): Develop, pilot and verify innovative methods for collection and assembly of diffusion data
  • Activity 1.1: Advancing methodologies for tracking the uptake and adoption by end users (i.e. farmers) of crop genetic improvement technologies (i.e., improved varieties)
  • Activity 1.2: Advancing methodologies for tracking the uptake and adoption of management technologies in the areas of crops, livestock, aquatic systems and natural resources
  • Activity 1.3: Explore new institutional approaches to collecting technology diffusion data
  • Activity 1.4: Develop and disseminate best practices for collecting diffusion data
•  Objective 2 (Outcomes): Institutionalize the collection of the diffusion data needed to conduct critical CGIAR impact evaluations.
  • Activity 2.1: Organize the collection of crop germplasm improvement research related direct outcomes
  • Activity 2.2: Organize the collection of natural resource management (NRM) research outcomes
  • Activity 2.3: Organize the collection of policy oriented research outcomes
  • Activity 2.4: Long-term Institutionalization of collection of adoption data

Current research and outreach activities:

• Activity 1.1: Pilot Studies to Test the Effectiveness of Methodologies for Tracking the Uptake and Adoption of Improved Varieties against the benchmark of DNA fingerprinting:
• Common Beans in Zambia (in collaboration with ZARI and CIAT)
• Cassava in Ghana (in collaboration with IITA, CRI and AIC)
• Maize in Uganda (partners to be identified)

Information Links

• Activity 1.2: View the Request for Concept Note
• Activity 2.1: Document the diffusion of adoption of improved varieties of major CGIAR mandated crops in South, Southeast and East Asia using expert elicitation method and available data. View the list of crop-country-combinations (CCCs) to be covered under this activity.

Implementation: Sept. 2013 - Sept 30. 2016.

• Website -Original Online Version - Strengthening Impact Assessment in the CGIAR (SIAC Program)
  
• Legacy Website - Strengthening Impact Assessment in the CGIAR (SIAC program)  (Legacy version of the CGIAR site that communicated evidence about the impact of agricultural research.
• Website - Mapping all ex post impact assessments conducted by CGIAR Centers, CRPs and SPIA

Project Documents: ( These links may not function in the future.  If so, check the original or legacy version of the SIAC website.)

• SIAC Activity 1.1: Testing the Effectiveness of Methodologies for Tracking the Uptake and Adoption of Improved Varieties:  Pilot Study: Common Beans in Zambia (in collaboration with ZARI and CIAT) Research design and survey instruments. MSU, version: July 28, 2013.
• Cassava_Case_Study_in_Ghana_--_Study_design_for_webpage.docx
• SIAC_Activity_1_2-Request_for_Concept_note_v4_July_291.docx