As we enter the new 2010/2011 financial year, there is a lot of activity being undertaken in the rural and agricultural sector in Australia. For example: The Murray Darling Basin Authority is set to release its draft plan for the basin which will have implications for agricultural industries, communities and river health; and the productivity commission (http://www.pc.gov.au/projects/inquiry/rural-research/terms-of-reference) is undertaking a review of the Rural Development Corporation model of delivering R&D in Australia. Both of these events alone are very significant for the sector.
They underline the pressure on agricultural and environmental programs to perform and deliver. They continue the need for good evaluation frameworks and an ability to monitor and demonstrate impacts. Increasingly we are being asked to assist in training staff in evaluation and to assist in developing robust evaluation frameworks – as well as undertake evaluations.
Having just completed evaluations of the Drought Support Worker programs and a survey of EverGraze (read more on our Projects page) and working on a number of other programs, we are convinced about the need to plan and incorporate this critical element into everyday management and work plans. Feel free to contact us and discuss your program evaluation needs.