Evaluation capacity building activities
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Capacity building activities in Member States aim to support evaluation stakeholders in planning, managing and conducting CAP evaluations, as well as improving their knowledge on the performance monitoring and evaluation framework (PMEF). The events offer participants the possibility to share evaluations practices and discuss challenges, along with their practical solutions.
Objectives and formats
The Evaluation Helpdesk of the EU CAP Network proposes evaluation capacity building activities in the Member States with the aim to:
- Support the design and implementation of Evaluation Plans
- Involve relevant evaluation stakeholders
- Strengthen capacity on topics in relation to monitoring and evaluating the CAP.
In line with the topics proposed, the events are tailored to the specific needs of the different evaluation stakeholders in the Member States (e.g. Managing Authorities, evaluators, Paying Agencies, national networks, data providers, LAGs, etc.).
Two distinct formats are offered to ensure knowledge on monitoring and evaluation is shared:
- EvaluationWORKS! is a workshop organised, online or in presence, in a single Member State, run in the national language and facilitated by the Evaluation Helpdesk Geographic Experts.
- EvaluationPEERS! is an online workshop that involves stakeholders from two or more Member States and is run in a common language, facilitated by the Evaluation Helpdesk’s Thematic and Geographic Experts.
Capacity building topics
Capacity building needs on monitoring and evaluation are regularly collected from stakeholders in the Member States. Corresponding training modules are prepared by the Evaluation Helpdesk and experts in the field. The material can be combined and further adapted to the need of participants. The following table shows training modules and if available also a link to available resources is provided.
Available modules
Planning and managing evaluations
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What you can learn?
- Learn what is new in the evaluation of the CAP post 2022.
- How and when to evaluate CAP Strategic Plans.
- Learn how to apply evaluation criteria and use the key elements to assess, evaluation questions, factors of success, and how to effectively use the new PMEF indicators in evaluation processes.
Suggested format
- EvaluationWORKS!
Resources
- Learning portal: Evaluation basics
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What you can learn?
- Understand what is an Evaluation Plan of a CAP Strategic Plan, how to develop and implement it and how its sections are interconnected.
- Learn how to conduct stakeholder mapping.
Suggested format
- EvaluationWORKS!
Resources
- Leaning portal: Planning evaluations
- Guidelines: Design of evaluation plans
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What you can learn?
- Sharing experiences from Member States on the various approaches in contracting evaluators, drafting terms of reference (ToR) for planned evaluations, and tendering these evaluations.
Suggested format
- EvaluationPEERS!
Resources
- Available soon
Income support
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What you can learn?
- How to structure and/or tender out evaluations for assessing CAP income support interventions
- Pathways of demonstrating the CAP’s contribution to agricultural income related impact indicators
- Discover suitable quantitative methods for assessing Income Transfer Efficiency and how to net out the CAP effects on farm income
Suggested format
- EvaluationWORKS!
Resources
- Learning portal: Assessing CAP income support instruments
Environment and climate
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What you can learn?
- Presentation of work on farm practices from the study ‘Mapping the CAP Strategic Plans’
- Gaining insights into the classifications of Member State interventions according to farm practices and discussing how farm practices could be used for assessing the impact or undertaking valuations
Suggested format
- EvaluationPEERS!
Resources
Studies:
- Mapping and analysis of CAP strategic plans. Assessment of joint efforts for 2023-2027
- A classification scheme based on farming practices
- Labelling of interventions in CAP Strategic Plans by farm practices
LEADER
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What you can learn?
- What are the elements of the LEADER added value?
- How to develop an evaluation framework for the assessment of the LEADER added value?
- How can the assessment of the elements of the LEADER added value be operationalised?
- How to measure the added value of LEADER and structural changes it brings in the LAG area?
Suggested format
- EvaluationWORKS!
Resources
- Learning portal: Evaluation of LEADER and LEADER added value
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What you can learn?
- What is the background of the evaluation study and its key findings
- To what extent are the additional costs of implementing LEADER justified by its additional benefits?
Suggested format
- EvaluationWORKS!
Resources
-
What you can learn?
- Raising awareness of the key aspects relating to the evaluation of LEADER/CLLD and its added value at the LAG level (self-assessment)
- Discussing challenges and solutions relating to the evaluation of LEADER/CLLD and its added value at the LAG level
Suggested format
- EvaluationWORKS!
- EvaluationPEERS!
Resources
- Learning portal: Evaluation of LEADER and LEADER added value
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What you can learn?
- Find out what are the key steps for planning and preparing an evaluation of the AKIS strategic approach
- Learn how to develop an evaluation framework for an AKIS evaluation
- How to use the theory of change approach in the evaluation of the AKIS strategic approach
Suggested format
- EvaluationWORKS!
Resources
- Learning Portal: Assessing AKIS
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What you can learn?
- How to systematically identify data gaps and needs for selected factors of success and indicators
- Discover useful data sources to capturing change and attributing it to CAP support
Suggested format
- EvaluationWORKS!
Resources
- Portal: Evaluation Framework
- Event report: Addressing data gaps to evaluate CAP Strategic Plans
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What you can learn?
- What are the methodological approaches for synthesising and analysing ex ante evaluation reports and recommendations for ex ante evaluations for the 2023-2027 CAP programming period and post 2027 evaluations
- Synthesis exercise for each of the eleven Synthesis Questions (SQ) and relevant Appraisal Questions (AQ)
- How to assess the overall performance of CAP Strategic Plans towards achieving CAP Specific Objectives
Suggested format
- EvaluationWORKS!
Resources
-
What you can learn?
- Revision of intervention logic and evaluation framework
- Linking operations to multiple objectives
Suggested format
- EvaluationPEERS!
Resources
Guidelines:
Feedback from the participants
For the first time I fully understand the purpose and approach to evaluations, as well as the content and purpose of the Evaluation Plan for CAP Strategic Plan – we need such trainings more often
Very informative event. This format, when two or three Member States meet and discuss specific indicators is quite effective. Also, information of how each Managing Authority chooses interventions to achieve the objectives and defines indicators gives a better idea of what is different and what is common in the approaches for designing the CAP Strategic Plan.
The Evaluation Helpdesk’s participation clearly did bring the participants to reflect on evaluations in the larger EU-CAP context. So, I take home the message that the sheer presence of an Evaluation Helpdesk’s representative changes the entire setting of the meeting.
Suggest a new capacity building topic
Send an e-mail to evaluation@eucapnetwork.eu.