Abstract

The Evaluation of CGIAR Excellence in Breeding Platform (EiB) responds to the request of the System Council (the 2022-24 multi-year evaluation plan) to provide CGIAR with evaluative evidence for accountability and learning. The evaluation and its validation were conducted between August 2021 and April 2022; it is the first evaluation delivered since the approval of the CGIAR Evaluation Framework and Policy (2022).

The evaluation assessed the design, implementation, and achievement of the EiB Platform’s objectives based on the evaluation criteria of relevance, coherence, effectiveness, efficiency, and sustainability. An evaluation expert led the team, which included three subject matter experts, and an analyst. The evaluation followed a mixed-method approach  including: an online survey (65 respondents); 71 semi-structured key informant interviews, including four in-person interviews in India; document analysis; and deep dives into five EiB Platform modules and three breeding programs.

Across the evaluation lifecycle, a multilayered quality assurance (QA) system was followed, as outlined in the terms of reference (TOR), approved by the Strategic Impact Monitoring and Evaluation Committee (SIMEC), and the inception report. The QA process included external peer review at three stages of the evaluation. As part of the expanded QA, a robust validation process (Annex 2) engaged further external subject matter and evaluation expertise. The validation exercise allowed additional data collection, further triangulation toward validated findings and conclusions, and an opportunity to enact the standards from the Evaluation Framework.

The evaluation made nine core actionable recommendations targeted to the CGIAR System and the Genetic Innovation Action Area including its Initiatives: 7 were fully accepted and 2 partially accepted.

Read the evaluation report and its annexes.

Download the Management Response to the Evaluation.

Citation

CAS Secretariat (CGIAR Advisory Services Shared Secretariat). (2022). Evaluation of CGIAR Excellence in Breeding Platform. Rome: CAS Secretariat Evaluation Function. https://cas.cgiar.org/

Publisher

CAS Secretariat (CGIAR Advisory Services Shared Secretariat)