College of Agriculture & Natural ResourcesDepartment of Agricultural, Food, and Resource Economics

Non-AFRE Co-Principle Investigators: Kimberly Chung, Department of Community Sustainability

Project Overview

This project is funded by International Potato Center (CIP), who has contracted researchers in the Department of Agriculture, Food and Resource Economics at Michigan State University (AFRE/MSU) to provide External Impact Evaluation services for CIP’s Project SUSTAIN. The purpose of the External Impact Evaluation is to provide a high-quality independent assessment of the drivers and sustainability of OFSP adoption and of the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of the SUSTAIN Project’s delivery mechanisms.

SUSTAIN (Scaling Up Sweetpotato Through Agriculture and Nutrition) is a 5-year regional project led by the International Potato Center (CIP) with support by the UK Department for International Development (DFID), to enhance nutritional security of women and young children in East and Southern Africa through integrated agriculture-nutrition-market interventions utilizing orange-fleshed sweetpotato (OFSP).  The project will scale up successful OFSP technologies and delivery mechanisms developed by CIP and its partners to reach 1.2 million farming households, as well as 400,000 urban and rural consumers, in Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, and Rwanda. The project duration is from July 1, 2013 to June 30, 2018.

SUSTAIN Evaluation Project Scope of Work

The scope of work of the External Impact Evaluation services is to:

• Design and implement independent impact evaluation of the project’s main components, including baseline and endline surveys, counterfactuals whenever feasible, in-depth qualitative research, and with gender equity considerations integrated throughout.
• Support the project team to develop M&E indicators and methodologies that support rigorous evaluation in all four countries.
• In collaboration with the Project Team, develop a robust learning and evaluation framework for the project as a whole that will support the effective implementation of the External Impact Evaluation.
• Review project implementation plans and annual work plans to ensure the project design will allow rigorous and independent evaluation.
• Participate in annual review and learning events with partners in focus countries and at regional level, including a user-focused evaluation of project progress in focus countries after two years of project implementation.
• Contribute to joint publications and technical conferences to present findings of the External Impact Evaluation.
• Contribute to regular project reporting, communications, and progress reviews at project-wide level and in focus countries.

Implementation Jul 1, 2014 – Jun 30,  2018

Information Links

• View Sweet Potato Knowledge Portal
• View  CIP’s Request for Proposal for this Evaluation. 
• View CIP’s Impact Evaluation Information