Tools and Best Practices - ASK ME
E = Evaluation
Step 5. What worked, what didn't, and what should we improve?
Evaluation is about learning and improving.
Listen to farmers, extension workers, partners, and others to understand what happened, why, and what should change.
Use what you learn to improve every part of ASK ME.
Throughout the program, seek to understand:
Evaluate throughout the program, not just at the end.
Listen. Learn. Adapt. Improve.
Try the Evaluation tool: What Changed, and Why?
1. Evaluate the results
What changed? Did the approach make a difference?
Look beyond activities such as numbers trained or materials distributed. Ask:
2. Understand why
What helped or prevented success?
Listen and learn from experience:
3. Learn, adapt and improve
What did we learn and what should we do differently?
Use the findings to strengthen the current program and the next ASK ME cycle.
Based on what you learn:
Evaluation completes the ASK ME cycle and starts the next one.
Tools to help
Evaluate solutions
Evaluation is about learning and improving.
Listen to farmers, extension workers, partners, and others to understand what happened, why, and what should change.
Use what you learn to improve every part of ASK ME.
Throughout the program, seek to understand:
- What changed?
- Why?
- What did we learn?
- What should we do differently?
Evaluate throughout the program, not just at the end.
Listen. Learn. Adapt. Improve.
Try the Evaluation tool: What Changed, and Why?
1. Evaluate the results
What changed? Did the approach make a difference?
Look beyond activities such as numbers trained or materials distributed. Ask:
- Did people receive and understand the message?
- Did they try the solution?
- Did they continue using it?
- What benefits or problems did they experience?
- Who benefited and who did not?
- Were the results worth the resources and effort involved?
2. Understand why
What helped or prevented success?
Listen and learn from experience:
- Did you identify the right audiences and needs?
- Were the solutions relevant, beneficial, and easy to try?
- Did the key message provide what people needed to know?
- Was the message form and delivery appropriate and trusted?
- What unexpected barriers, benefits, or opportunities emerged?
3. Learn, adapt and improve
What did we learn and what should we do differently?
Use the findings to strengthen the current program and the next ASK ME cycle.
Based on what you learn:
- respond to changing and emerging needs
- improve or adapt technologies and recommendations
- improve messages and delivery approaches
- identify where further research or validation is needed
- share emerging problems and opportunities with researchers and partners
- build successful approaches into future programs
Evaluation completes the ASK ME cycle and starts the next one.
Tools to help
Evaluate solutions
- Evaluating Recommendations – Fact Sheet
- Identifying Good Technology – Trainer Exercise
- Combined Technology and Economic Assessment – Assessment Sheet
- Training Events – Fact Sheet
- ICT in Agriculture – Fact Sheet
- Fact Sheets – Fact Sheet
- Websites – Fact Sheet
- Extension Systems – Fact Sheet
- Most programs only measure reach. See Plan for Scale.
