Indicating the exit: towards an holistic framework for monitoring agricultural research

In another paper at this workshop, Diana Carney discusses the new, holistic approaches to poverty reduction, and the role of agricultural research. This paper draws directly on her conclusions to examine implications for monitoring and impact assessment activities in agricultural research programmes. Although ‘traditional’ impact assessment techniques based on economic efficiency are necessary for examining the effect of agricultural research on poverty, they are by no means sufficient – particularly as our understanding of poverty broadens to incorporate intersectoral issues, micro-meso-macro links, the effects of institutional failure and the need to negotiate indicators of impact. Economic efficiency can tell us where to invest, but does not help us decide how to invest in agricultural research. Adopting a livelihoods approach to poverty means changing the way in which agricultural research is implemented and monitored, and this paper suggests how this can be achieved. Running title: Indicating the exit.