November, 2023

Rolling out our Impact Framework in Malawi

Our Insights Specialist reflects on her learnings from rolling out our Impact Framework for our new project in Malawi.
Economics Environment Equality Blog Malawi

Our Insights Specialist, Hope Obamwonyi, reflects on her learnings from rolling out our Impact Framework for our new project in Malawi.

Our Payment for Ecosystem Services (PES) project kicked off in Malawi recently. PES projects typically involve compensating individuals or communities for preserving and managing ecosystems to ensure the continued provision of valuable services, such as biodiversity conservation. In Malawi, we listened to tea farmers and adapted the PES model. Our project goes beyond environmental and economic outcomes, and also tackles gender equality issues.

The PES project launch offered us the perfect chance to operationalise our new Impact Framework. Our goal is to collate the results and impact of our project in Malawi and integrate these into our overarching Global Impact Framework, which we launched earlier this year.

“Our goal is to collate the results and impact of our project in Malawi and integrate these into our overarching Global Impact Framework”

Here’s my three key takeaways from rolling out our framework.

1. Ensure there is a shared understanding

A common understanding of how to map project indicators to our Global Impact Framework is key to success.

I worked with our Malawi country team, our global Environment & Climate Lead, and our project partners to develop a Theory of Change for our PES project. This created an opportunity for us all to reflect on how the project fits into our global indicators, and helped to develop a shared awareness across the team.

Once we’d established the project’s aims, together we set up its Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning plan. We collaboratively determined the proxy metrics to demonstrate the project’s successes, and cross-referenced these with our Global Impact Framework – to ensure alignment.

2. Use the Global Impact Framework as your North Star

Throughout all my consultations with the ETP team and partners, our Global Impact Framework provided a reference to frame the project indicators. The Framework served as a guiding post to validate the indicators’ relevance and practicality.

While, inevitably, not all the PES project’s indicators could be referenced in the Global Impact Framework, consistently mapping to the Framework’s overarching impact areas shaped the project’s results framework. With this in mind, we’ve included guiding prompts in our Global Impact Framework to encourage its use as a tool for reflection and learning.

“Our Framework served as a guiding post to validate the indicators’ relevance and practicality”

Here’s just some of the key global project indicators we agreed for our PES project:

  • percentage of farmers who have diversified their income, which ties to our global Economics impact area;
  • evidence that women and young people have power and control over decisions impacting their lives, speaking to our global Equality impact area; and
  • evidence that farmers are now applying climate resilient agriculture practices, relevant to our overarching Environment impact area.

3. Keep it simple

Compared to other frameworks I’ve used, ETP’s Global Impact Framework stands out for its simplicity. It has been an easily adaptable and practical tool throughout my work on the PES project.

We’ve taken several steps to encourage the smooth roll out of the Global Impact Framework, including:

  • keeping a clear separation between sectoral and programmatic indicators to reduce any ambiguity;
  • using simple, accessible language across the Framework to minimise any difference in interpretation; and
  • allowing for contextual flexibilities so that it can be adapted to project needs.

“Our Framework has been an easily adaptable and practical tool throughout my work on the PES project”

It’s great to see our Global Impact Framework come to life at ETP, and I’m excited to continue working collaboratively with our country teams as we map all our projects to the Framework.

Look out for our Annual Report at the start of next year, where we’ll share more about how our Global Impact Framework demonstrates our impact.

Click here to learn more about our worldwide initiatives and our reach, as part of our Strategy2030.

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