Assessing Impact

Positive project impacts reach beyond economic gains, encompassing human, social, physical, and natural livelihood assets.

To asses impacts, CIP researchers employ a range of methods and disciplines to evaluate what is working and where funding can best be put to use, providing essential feedback for donors and researchers.

Scientists use a number of techniques and tools to serve as a compass for projects. Research follows more than return on investment: it identifies a diverse set of impact indicators and develops the methodologies for effectively measuring and monitoring them.

Impact Indicators Include:

  • NPV (Net Present Value) research in US$
  • % of benefits which accrue to the poor directly
  • DALY (Disability Adjusted Life Years) measuring how many years of healthy life an intervention may bring (e.g., health impacts from biofortification)
  • Changes in social capital as a measure of the value added from participatory research

Doing a Better Job of Monitoring Impact

Effective monitoring leads to increased impact. CIP has developed improved methodologies for targeting impact and assessing needs and opportunities. These methods can be applied globally or to very specific technology.

A recent CIP study on release and adoption of CIP-related potato varieties across Asia, Africa, and Latin America was chosen by Independent Science and Partnership Council’s Standing Panel on Impact Assessment (SPIA) as an example of best practice in impact assessment research. The study was singled out as one of the few that addresses the relevant issue of what happens to rates of return over time.

For more information on CIP’s global reach, our impact briefs provide summaries of specific impact assessment studies presenting documented evidence of impacts for donors and researchers.

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