The Livestock and Fish CGIAR Research Program (CRP) will hold its first CRP-Commissioned External Evaluation (CCEE) this year.
To be held in the second quarter of 2014, its focus will be on the program’s value chain approach and whether it is being implemented effectively, efficiently and in a manner that contributes to the overall quality of its science outputs.
As the evaluation manager, I will take overall responsibility for ensuring that the CCEE is conducted in a manner consistent with the guidelines of the CGIAR Independent Evaluation Arrangement (IEA).
The table below indicates the program’s value chains targeted by the evaluation; value chain selection criteria were limited to geographic proximity (they are all located in Africa) and their level of progress. While only 4 value chains are the target of the evaluation, a broader understanding of other value chains is required for the sake of comparison and completeness (as part of a desk review).
| Country | Value chain | Key contact |
| Egypt | Small and medium-scale aquaculture | Malcolm Dickson, WorldFish |
| Ethiopia | Small ruminants | Barbara Rischkowsky, ICARDA |
| Tanzania | Smallholder dairy | Amos Omore, ILRI |
| Uganda | Smallholder pigs | Danilo Pezo, ILRI |
According to the guidelines published by the IEA, the program is required to assemble an Evaluation Reference Group (ERG) composed of a broad range of stakeholders. The purpose of the ERG is to provide guidance to the program at key stages throughout the evaluation process. The ERG is chaired by ILRI’s Shirley Tarawali and is composed of the following people:
| ERG members | Position |
| An Notenbaert | Targeting theme leader and CIAT representative |
| Antonio Rota | IFAD, senior technical adviser, livestock and farming systems |
| Barbara Rischkowsky | ICARDA representative to the program and value chain coordinator |
| Charlie Crissman | Discipline director, policy, economics and social science, WorldFish |
| Cheikh Ly | FAO, and member of the ILRI board of trustees |
| Laté Lawson-Lartego | Director, economic development at CARE |
| Martin Webber | SPAC representative with value chain expertise |
| Shirley Tarawali | ILRI, director of institutional planning and partnerships |
| Suzanne Bertrand | ILRI, deputy director general – biosciences |
Progress is going well, though we are still at a very early stage in process. Currently, the ERG is reviewing the evaluation ToR (and evaluation questions) and will make a recommendation to me for the selection of the lead evaluator. I hope to be able to confirm the lead evaluator by April 25 and will publish the finalized ToR at that time. Immediately following confirmation of the lead evaluator, I will work with the him or her to recruit two additional support evaluators. The timing of the field work for the evaluation is contingent on the availability of the evaluation team.
Fortunately, I am not alone in this effort. Esther Ndungu, Livestock and Fish program assistant has been appointed my assistant, and has already compiled all relevant CRP documentation for the evaluation that will be required. I am also working with a small group of senior ILRI managers who will be guiding us on the process at critical junctions. This group is called the evaluation commissioning body, and is composed of the following people:
| Name | Position |
| Tom Randolph | Director, CGIAR Research Program on Livestock and Fish |
| Suzanne Bertrand | ILRI, deputy director general – biosciences |
| John McIntire | ILRI, deputy director general – integrated sciences |
| Shirley Tarawali | ILRI, director, institutional planning and partnerships |
| Acho Okike | Livestock and Fish value chain development theme leader |
| Pat Rainey | Livestock and Fish program support coordinator |
The primary audiences for the evaluation include:
- The program management team, who will use the evaluation to inform strategic decision making;
- The ILRI Institutional Management Committee and Board of Trustees, who will use the evaluation as an input to the program oversight responsibility;
- The Independent Evaluation Arrangement (IEA) of the CGIAR, who will use it to inform the CRP-wide Independent External Evaluation (IEE) of this CRP, which is scheduled to take place in 2015.
The final evaluation report will be posted on the Livestock and Fish and IEA websites as publicly accessible documents and so will become an international public good, potentially of interest to a much broader audience.
All key documents related to the CCEE can be downloaded here: http://livestock-fish.wikispaces.com/external_evaluation.
I will also post regular updates on this site to keep stakeholders up to date on our progress.
Keith Child, Evaluation manager, CRP-Commissioned External Evaluation (CCEE), Livestock and Fish program
