The document summarizes ICARDA's role in supporting monitoring and evaluation systems and knowledge sharing activities across the GEF MENARID program. ICARDA implemented an IFAD-funded project focused on knowledge management and harmonization of monitoring and evaluation systems. Key outputs included developing cross-cutting indicators, an online monitoring database, guidelines for M&E and RBM, and capacity building. ICARDA also established a knowledge management platform and organized learning workshops. Lessons learned include the need for greater capacity building in M&E and knowledge management, and ensuring ownership of knowledge products.

1. Achievements of ICARDA in supporting
Results Based Monitoring and Evaluation
systems and Knowledge Sharing activities
across the MENARID program
Dr. Aden Aw-Hassan, Director, Social, Economic and Policy
Research Program, ICARDA

2. About the GEF MENARID program
• 10 national investments projects in 6 countries: Algeria, Iran, Jordan,
Morocco, Tunisia, Yemen
• Global Environment Facility executing agencies: IFAD, UNDP, UNIDO,
UNEP, World Bank
• Executing partners: Ministries of Agriculture, Water, Environment,
Sahara and Sahel Observatory, ADA/ANDZOA (Morocco)
• Two objectives:
1. To promote Integrated Natural Resource Management (INRM) in
the production landscapes of the MENA region;
2. To improve the economic and social well-being of the targeted
communities through the restoration and maintenance of
ecosystem functions and productivity.
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3. MENARID projects in numbers
Country Area Targeted communities
Algeria 850,670,000 ha 200,000 people
Iran 49,230 ha 10,000 people
Jordan 18,000 ha 9,000 people
Morocco E. Plateaus 120,000 ha 61,018 people
Morocco Circular
3,000,000 ha (730,000
129,000 people
Economy
argan trees)
Regional (Algeria,
Tunisia, Libya)
1,000,000,000 ha 4,000,000 people in the
basin
Tunisia Siliana 28,000 ha 12,000 families
Tunisia PGRN2 70,000 ha 14,000 farmers
Tunisia Ecotourism 175,000 ha 40,000 people
Yemen Not available Not available
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4. Role of ICARDA in MENARID
• Implemented an IFAD-funded MENARID project : « Cross-cutting
Medium Size Project on Monitoring and Evaluation and
Knowledge Management for Integrated Natural Resource
Management »
• Focus on Knowledge Management across MENARID and
harmonization of Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) systems
• Two objectives:
1. to generate tools for systematic cross cutting and aligned M&E
functions throughout the MENARID framework;
2. to develop a user-friendly knowledge management (KM)
platform promoting information dissemination, harmonization,
and dissemination mechanisms of INRM best practices. 4

5. ICARDA outputs in MENARID (M&E)
• Defined of “A la carte” cross-cutting indicators cross-cutting Results
Based Management indicators through the MENARID program
• Implemented an online cross-cutting RBM M&E database, analytical
tools and reporting formats for all 10 MENARID projects
• Developed guidelines for the design, implementation of RBM, RBB
and M&E for INRM projects
• Built the capacity of 10 projects throughout online and on-site
trainings
• Conducted an independent evaluation of the M&E facility 5

6. ICARDA outputs in MENARID (M&E)
• Data entry form
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7. ICARDA outputs in MENARID (M&E)
• Search database feature
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8. ICARDA outputs in MENARID (M&E)
• Schedule automatic reports
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9. ICARDA outputs in MENARID (M&E)(cont’d)
• Online reporting facility for Project Implementation Reports
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10. ICARDA outputs in MENARID (M&E)(cont’d)
• Targeted support – bringing research expertise to
development partners:
• Baseline survey of the UNDP/MENARID “A circular Economy Approach to
Agro-biodiversity Conservation in the Souss Massa Draa region of
Morocco” project in;
• The Gender study of the IFAD/MENARID project “Mainstreaming
Sustainable Land and Water Management Practices in Jordan”;
• Ex-ante impact evaluation of the UNDP/MENARID “Institutional
Strengthening and Coherence for Sustainable Land Management“
project in Iran;
• The Impact evaluation of the livestock activities implemented in the
IFAD/MENARID “Mainstreaming Sustainable Land and Water
Management Practices in Jordan” project in Jordan. 10

11. Lessons learned –M&E (1)
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• Insufficient capacities for M&E systems:
• Projects strive for implementing cheap, effective and efficient M&E
systems. MENARID decided to emphasize its efforts not only on
programmatic level, but at projects’ level.
• Quite often, there are too many indicators to monitor. Importance of
using “SMART” RBM indicators (no more than 15) that can be tracked.
• Difficulties in creating cross-cutting indicators that are widely accepted
but necessary if program-level assessment is needed.
• External support:
• Existing opportunity: support projects in their M&E-related tasks
(baseline study in MENARID Tunisia ecotourism), but also mid-term
evaluations.
• Running impact studies to identify and document activities (positive as
important as negative) is crucial.
• An opportunity would be gather all reporting requirements in a unique
online system (GEF’s executing agencies + GEF + ministries).

12. Lessons learned –M&E (2)
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• Rigor of M&E methods:
• Challenge to evaluate the socioeconomic benefits of activities of natural
resources management. However tools are available (example of the ex-ante
impact study in Iran).
• A tool that could precisely evaluate the NRM technologies that are
applied would be very useful for increasing the activities’ impacts.
• M&E has to start from the very beginning (example of baseline surveys).

13. ICARDA outputs in MENARID (KM)
• Fully operation KM platform: https://menarid.icarda.org/
• 19 best practices’ knowledge fact sheets
• Working paper
• Stories of success brochure
• MENARID services brochure
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14. ICARDA outputs in MENARID (KM) (cont’d)
• 4 face-to-face learning workshops in collaboration with UNESCO IHP and GEF
IW:Learn:
• Dissemination of best practices through an online platform
• Possibility for MENARID projects to create their own knowledge fact sheet
https://menarid.icarda.org/FR/Pages/Promote-activities.aspx
• Communication of results through the website (https://menarid.icarda.org/ )
and Youtube (http://www.youtube.com/user/menarid)
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15. Lessons learned – KM (1)
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• Rooms for improvements:
• Gaps between PMUs and field level activities. Importance of including
civil society and field actors in the discussion and knowledge sharing
process.
• Insufficient capacities of KM systems (not mandatory for MENARID
projects).
• External support:
• Opportunities in linking with research for development - Experience of
ICARDA in performing research in rangelands rehabilitation (including
Vallerani) and socioeconomic analysis.
• To support MENARID projects in creating knowledge products.

16. Lessons learned – KM (2)
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• Effective KM processes:
• « Dynamic » workshops are more effective and produce more results
than « passive » workshops. Example the “Knowledge exchange
writeshop” (outputs: 19 knowledge products produced, one working
paper, one success story booklet).
• Confirmed usefulness of a single platform gathering events, news,
contacts, database, document repository related to projects’ activities.
• Create ownership, involve partners in the conception, the design of the
platform.
• IT infrastructures:
• The online system should cope with weak IT infrastructures.

17. MENARID impacts
• Promoting knowledge sharing:
• Water harvesting activity (Vallerani plough) replicated from Morocco to
Jordan (1,000 ha of rangelands and 600 of cereals by June 2015).
• Collaboration between the Land Degradation Assessment in Drylands (FAO)
approach with the PGRN2 project in Tunisia.
• Discussions between MENARID Jordan and MENARID Iran for replicating solar
heating system in Jordan.
• Discussions between MENARID project coordiantor and MENARID Morocco
about using the projects’ weather stations as an Early Drought Warning
Sytem.
• “Exposure visit” foreseen by MENARID Iran in MENARID Jordan.
• 18,000 pageviews and more than 4,00 visitors for the MENARID website.
• Strengthening M&E systems:
• Support in establishing a M&E baseline in Morocco, impact studies in Iran
and Jordan, and a gender analysis in Jordan.
• Reporting facilities available online.
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18. Thanks for your attention !
Your ideas and suggestions are more than welcome !