Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) of TATA Trusts Supported HARIT Project

Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) of TATA Trusts Supported HARIT Project

The Nature Conservancy India (TNC – India), Borlaug Institute for South Asia (BISA), International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), and Precision Agriculture for Development (PAD) with the support of Tata Trusts and other donors worked together to support farmers in select villages across seven districts of Punjab and Haryana.

BISA (in Punjab) and CIMMYT (in Haryana) lead the field implementation through demonstration and training activities. PAD led the communication (mobile-based) activities, and TNC – India was responsible for overall project management and policy engagement of the HARIT Project. The project worked towards achieving the following objectives:

• Enhancing knowledge and addressing capacity gaps regarding using Happy Seeder Technology among farmers
• Leveraging the opportunity provided by the government subsidy to increase Happy Seeder adoption
• Aligning policy and government support systems around a farmer-friendly, lowest-cost, and sustainable solution that increases farmer incomes by adopting conservation agriculture to end crop residue burning

Sambodhi was responsible for developing and operationalizing the monitoring and evaluation system of the HARIT project. Sambodhi helped TNC develop a results-based M&E design for the HARIT project that included a project Management Information System (MIS), quarterly project indicators/activities progress monitoring system, and impact evaluation framework (baseline and endline assessments).

Sambodhi analyzed the MIS data and submitted monthly progress reports to the partners. It also monitored and documented the quarterly progress on the project indicators, analyzed the collected data on the indicators, and developed reports based on quarterly field visits. Sambodhi designed, tested, and conducted baseline and endline surveys of the HARIT project through a mixed-method approach. 

Sambodhi adopted a quasi-experimental research design with a longitudinal panel for the baseline and endline assessments in treatment and control areas. Process assessments were taken up through qualitative discussions and interviews with the relevant stakeholders, including beneficiary farmers, the implementation team, and village leaders.