Indo-Gangetic Basin Impact Pathways Workshop

30 June - 2 July, 2006 Himalaya Hotel, Kathmandu, Nepal

Boru Douthwaite and Cristina de Leon CPWF-BFP Impact Assessment Project

CPWF-BFP Impact Assessment Project

• Goal – To contribute to the CPWF fulfilling its impact potential – To contribute to the CPWF being perceived as a “coherent, problem focused research program” • Purpose – CPWF scientists and management are using IA products and methods • Intervention – Carry out “exemplary” impact analysis • Impact pathways; impact narratives; impact pathway evaluation; scenario analysis; extrapolation domain analysis – Develop methodology

Impact Pathways

1. A visual description of the causal chain of events and outcomes that link outputs to the goal (

logic model

);

and

2. Network maps that show the evolving • relationships necessary to achieve the goal Implementing organizations; boundary partners; beneficiaries Shows the project rationale; its logic Shows multiple pathways

Impact pathways – a more complete picture….

<-----the full picture---->

Network models

>---------------ACTORS----------------.

Impact Narrative

• Text description of the project impact pathway • Describes the project or program’s rationale • Quantified and substantiated by literature and subject to peer review • May take several forms – Short brochure (200 words, 4-pager??) – Web-based

Why develop impact pathways and impact narratives?

• Show the project’s rationale – Help communicate what the project is doing • More fundable – Help with planning – Provide a basis for evaluation • Starting point for evaluation is a good model of what you think will happen • Help to write better project proposals

Foundations

• Impact Pathways; Impact Narratives – Adaptation of concepts from Program Evaluation • Renger and Titcomb (2002) – problem trees • Chen (2005) – program theory • Mayne (2004) - performance stories – Innovation histories • Douthwaite and Ashby, 2005 – Social network analysis • Cross and Parker, 2004

Workshop Road Map (Draft produced before workshop) Project Problem Tree Project Objective Tree Helps understand project rationale What needs to change What the project will produce How project goes from outputs to goals Outputs Necessary relationships and how they evolve Vision Where project is going- Goal Project Timeline Network maps (Produced after workshop) Impact Pathways Model (= adoption theory model integrated with network maps) Impact Narrative (= impact pathways model + text description) (Produced after workshop)

Introductions and Expectations

Workshop Road Map (Draft produced before workshop) Project Problem Tree Project Objective Tree Helps understand project rationale What needs to change What the project will produce How project goes from outputs to goals Outputs Necessary relationships and how they evolve Vision Where project is going- Goal Project Timeline Network maps (Produced after workshop) Impact Pathways Model (= adoption theory model integrated with network maps) Impact Narrative (= impact pathways model + text description) (Produced after workshop)

PN 34 Improved fisheries productivity Problem Tree

Why?

Why?

4th LEVEL Uncooperative attitudes of fishers with respect to management of fisheries resources Lack of knowledge of options of enhancement technologies Lack of financial resources capacity to implement scenarios for improved fisheries production

Determinants

3rd LEVEL Bad Harvesting Strategies Processing limitations Lack of aquaculture activities 2nd LEVEL Underused Fisheries Production Capacity

Why?

Why is this problem happening?

1st LEVEL

Problem Start Here

Limited Reservoir Productivity

Depressed Livelihoods

Exercise 1: Refining and presenting your Problem Trees

• Split into project groups • Reconstruct the problem tree, writing one problem per card – Use one colour for problems the project will address – Use another for other problems • Modify, and add as you see fit – But don’t go into too much detail • Present the problem tree to plenary

Example of a Problem Tree

Turning a problem tree into an objective tree

PN 34 Improved fisheries productivity Problem Tree

Why?

Why?

4th LEVEL Uncooperative attitudes of fishers with respect to management of fisheries resources Lack of knowledge of options of enhancement technologies 3rd LEVEL Bad Harvesting Strategies Processing limitations 2nd LEVEL Underused Fisheries Production Capacity

Why?

Why is this problem happening?

1st LEVEL

Problem Start Here

Limited Reservoir Productivity

Depressed Livelihoods

Lack of financial resources capacity to implement scenarios for improved fisheries production Lack of aquaculture activities

Determinants PN 34 (Improved Fisheries Production) Objectives Tree

4th LEVEL 3rd LEVEL

Fishers cooperate in fisheries management Aquaculture activities implemented

2nd LEVEL 1st LEVEL

Goal Knowledge of options in enhancement technologies transferred Responsible harvesting strategies Optimized use of fisheries production capacity Increased reservoir productivity and management Enhanced livelihoods Financial resources for improved fisheries productivity and management obtained Improved processing methods

Workshop Road Map (Draft produced before workshop) Project Problem Tree Project Objective Tree Helps understand project rationale What needs to change What the project will produce How project goes from outputs to goals Outputs Necessary relationships and how they evolve Vision Where project is going- Goal Project Timeline Network maps (Produced after workshop) Impact Pathways Model (= adoption theory model integrated with network maps) Impact Narrative (= impact pathways model + text description) (Produced after workshop)

Some definitions

• Activity – what we’re doing inside the project – Plan improvements to water supply • Outputs – our activities that other people make use of – Improved availability of clean drinking water • Outcome – the result of the use of the output by the target group – Reduced child mortality rates in families with access to clean water

Level of influence of Project

C O N T R O L High Low Research activity Output target Output Outcome Impact

Scaling Out and Scaling Up

• Scaling up - an institutional expansion, from adopters and their grassroots organizations to policy makers, donors, development institutions • Scaling out - spread of a project outputs (i.e., a new technology, a new strategy, etc.) from farmer to farmer, community to community, within the same stakeholder groups

Develop a vision of project success two years after the project ends

• Work in project groups • Take 5 minutes to individually answer the question – You wake up 2 years after your project has ended. Your project has been a success and is well on its way to achieving its goal. Describe what this success looks like to a journalist: • What is happening differently now?

Keep it realistic

• Who is doing what differently? • What have been the changes in the lives of the people using the project outputs, and who they interact with?

• How are project outputs disseminating? • What political support is nurturing this spread? How did that happen?

• Discuss and develop a common vision

Example of a Vision

Develop a project timeline from when your project started until 2 years after it will end • • Build a timeline of activities, outputs and outcomes that you from the beginning of the project to achieving the vision

It is a story of adoption of project outputs (scaling-out) and the political support that helps it along (scaling-up)

• Write activities, outputs and outcomes on separate cards, using colour-coding – Activities = yellow – Outputs = blue – Outcomes = green or grey • Write the names of the actors responsible on each card • Stick the cards on a timeline made from flip-chart paper stuck together, or enter on your computer.

Example of a Timeline

Example of a Timeline II

Timeline example III – Companion Modeling PN25 Now

Literature review on participatory catchment modelling Lessons from past experiments at key sites Design and implementation of models Synthesis on models Data synthesis, institutional analysis and monitoring at study sites

2008 Teaching modules New methodologies for better communication and coordination mechanisms -Manuals, papers -PhD dissertations A knowledge base, based on indigenous and scientific knowledge, at each site Training courses Locally organized 2010 Less free-riders, Less conflicts Some extentionists act more as facilitators rather than experts

On-the-job training of local resource managers Participatory workshops at key sites

Setup of local institutions

Degree training

Workshop Road Map (Draft produced before workshop) Project Problem Tree Project Objective Tree Helps understand project rationale What needs to change What the project will produce How project goes from outputs to goals Outputs Necessary relationships and how they evolve Vision Where project is going- Goal Project Timeline Network maps (Produced after workshop) Impact Pathways Model (= adoption theory model integrated with network maps) Impact Narrative (= impact pathways model + text description) (Produced after workshop)