Maintain realistic time horizons. Understanding and setting realistic time horizons, particularly in the context of changing implementation schedules, is crucial. In Ghana, only one crop cycle in the North was observed during the evaluation period; this may not be enough time to expect to see a change in overall farm and household income. MCC has learned that when projects change or are delayed during implementation, it is important to make deliberate decisions about whether to reschedule the surveys or adjust the methodology in order to maintain realistic time horizons to detect a measurable change in outcomes. In addition, MCC and MCA should use impact evaluation as a tool to test assumptions about appropriate time horizons since little is known on how much time is required to expect to see a change in outcomes as a result of farmer training. Impact evaluation can be used to test whether or not assumptions about time horizons for adopting new techniques hold true.
Lesson Learned