Drought Preparedness Policies and Climate Change Adaptation and Resilience Measures in Brazil: An Institutional Change Assessment

Abstract

The chapter presents a research for development program’s shift from a Logframe Approach to an outcome and results-based management oriented Moni- toring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) system. The CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS) is designing an impact pathway-based MEL system that combines classic indicators of process in research with innovative indicators of change.We have developed a methodology for evalu- ating with our stakeholders factors that enable or inhibit progress towards behavioral outcomes in our sites and regions. Our impact pathways represent our best under- standing of how engagement can bridge the gap between research outputs and out- comes in development. Our strategies for enabling change include a strong emphasis on partnerships, social learning, gendermainstreaming, capacity building, innovative communication and MEL that focuses on progress towards outcomes. It presents the approach to theory of change, impact pathways and results-based management monitoring, evaluation and learning system. Our results highlight the importance of engaging users of our research in the development of Impact Pathways and continuously throughout the life of the program. Partnerships with diverse actors such as the private sector and policy makers is key to achieving change, like the attention to factors such as social learning, capacity building, networking and institutional change when generating evidence on climate smart technologies and practices.We conclude with insights on how the theory of change process in CGIAR can be used to achieve impacts that balance the drive to generate new knowledge in agricultural research with the priorities and urgency of the users and beneficiaries of these research results. Evaluating the contribution of agricultural research to development has always been a challenge. Research alone does not lead to impact, but research does generate knowledgewhich actors, including development partners, can put into use to generate development outcomes. InCCAFSwe are finding that a theory of change approach to research programdesign, implementation and evaluation is helping us bridge the gap between knowledge generation and development outcomes.