The need for monitoring and evaluation (M&E) To track implementation and outputs systematically and measure project effectiveness Serves as a basis for reports that contribute to transparency and accountability of projects To identify most valuable and efficient use of resources It provides consolidated information that allows for learning and sharing lessons more easily It adds to the retention and development of institutional memory. For efficiency and effectivity of ARD projects, monitoring and evaluation (M&E) should adopt business oriented M&E practices

1. Multi-benefit monitoring in smallholder
dairy value chains
Suzanne van Dijk
UNIQUE forestry and landuse GmbH

2. The need for monitoring and evaluation
(M&E)
 To track implementation and outputs systematically and measure
project effectiveness
 Serves as a basis for reports that contribute to transparency and
accountability of projects
 To identify most valuable and efficient use of resources
 It provides consolidated information that allows for learning and
sharing lessons more easily
 It adds to the retention and development of institutional memory
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3. Traditional M&E
 High variability and distribution of smallholder dairy farmers
(SDFs) makes monitoring complex and very expensive
Challenges:
 Very expensive due to costs like transportation of field officers
 Very time demanding due to widespread distribution of SDFs
 High risks of errors during data entry from the field
 Limited traceability of errors in the data
 Monitoring information usually reaches stakeholders late
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4. Multiple-benefit monitoring
An electronic system that combines a knowledge platform to MIS
systems using an intelligent server
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Centralize
database server
Internet SMS
Edit and
Update
View Only
Internet
Stakeholders and project management
Farmers and field officers

5. Show case: the Mt. Elgon project
 Feed App (feeding module) developed for dairy cooperatives, targeting
15,000 smallholder dairy farmers
 Aim: to increase milk productivity especially during the dry season
 The Feed App serves as medium to provide farmers with standard
feeding information for their animals using local feedstuffs
 Farmers access feed rations based on nutrient concentrations of local
feedstuffs to meet the animal‘s nutrient requirements
 Farmers are organized in groups, with a group head who collects the
individual records and sends the summary in an SMS on a quarterly
basis
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6. How it works
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Individual
Farmers
Send SMS
1.Daily milk yield
2.Weight
3.Feedstuff type and
quantity
4.Lactation status
Estimate the nutritional
requirement
Server
Database of feedstuff
nutritional information
and cost
Formulate the ration based on
available feedstuff
Send SMS

7. Costs
 One time setup cost of server system in network: $50
 Monthly charge of service by network provider: $25
 Outgoing SMS for farmer is FREE
 Incoming SMS on server is FREE
 Outgoing SMS from server costs between $0.0032 - $0.0069
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8. Benefits
 Intervention is measurable as demonstrated by productivity of farmers
 Monitoring serves farmers and implementation partners
 Better matching of feed inputs and milk yields
 Allows for timely interventions where neccesary as implementation
partners can evaluate project performance at any time
 Drastic cut in costs associated with the traditional extension
 Saves a lot of time as data entry is done by the farmers at first individual
and then group level.
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9. Questions?
CONTACT
Suzanne van Dijk
Suzanne.vandijk@unique-landuse.de

10. Questions?
CONTACT
Suzanne van Dijk
Suzanne.vandijk@unique-landuse.de