Seite - (000074) - in Evaluating Climate Change Action for Sustainable Development

including high-yielding rice andwheat varieties, fertilizers, pesticides and irriga- tion, has proven to be a powerful instrument of theGreenRevolution in fighting hunger in that part of the world. CGIAR currently comprises 15 international agricultural research centers that collectively aim to increase agricultural produc- tivity, reduce poverty and enhance environmental sustainability. Renkow and Byerlee (2010) andRaitzer andKelly (2008) reviewed evidence of impact across the centers and concluded that there have been strong positive impacts ofCGIAR research relative to investment. Another way to describe CGIAR’s success is to showaworldwithout it (EvensonandGollin2003): focusingon the impactofcrop improvement research from1965 to1998provided counterfactual scenarios of the global food system: developing countries would produce 7–8% less food; their cultivated areawould be11–13million hectares greater at the expense of primary forests andother fragile environments; and13–15millionmore childrenwouldbe malnourished. However, agricultural R4D has not realized its full potential: the world food systemcontinues to face challenges of persistent food insecurity and rural poverty in many parts of the developing world. The adoption of improved agricultural technologies and practices by farmers has often been less than expected, when considering their demonstrated benefits, primarily due to a supply-led approach to their development and dissemination, with limited attention paid to context spec- ificity, to farmer’s priorities beyond increased agricultural productivity, and to the socio-economic, political and institutional contexts within which smallholder farmersoperate.Manystudieshaveshownthat ‘scientificallyproven’ technologies alonearenot theonlykey toget to impact. If a technologygetsadoptedoradapted, it is often not somuch because of its quality and suitability but because of good social management and implementation processes (Hartmann and Linn 2008; Pachico and Fujisaka 2004). New challenges like population growth and climate change are adding complexity to the mission of CGIAR and other R4D organizations. Within thiscontext, thischapteraimstodescribethejourneytowardsanewR4D approach based on theory of change (TOC) and impact pathway thinking for program implementation,monitoring, learningandevaluation (MEL). It illustrates lessons of broad applicability regarding results-based management (RBM) and adaptive management approach to tackling complex development challenges through R4D. The keymessages are summarized in Box 4.1. The chapter starts by describing a case study within CGIAR, where TOC combined with IPs and learning-based approaches were employed to build an outcome-focused RBM approach toR4D. It then analyses themain findings, focusing on programdesign and systems for planning and reporting, as well as aMEL framework within an impact pathways approach. The chapter concludeswith lessons for required insti- tutional change aswell as forMELpractitioners, researchers andpolicymakers. 4 Pathway to Impact: Supporting andEvaluatingEnablingEnvironments for. . . 55