"There is now widespread recognition, in name at least, that participatory development is critical for achieving sound resource management. However, this kind of development requires a more flexible and evolving process to planning for change, and poses new challenges for decision-makers and evaluators alike. In particular, this requires major institutional reorientation at the policy level to ensure responsiveness to local demand, and to empower and enable communities to act. At the programme level, it means detailed outlines for action can no longer be drawn up at the outset since problem-solving is based on partnerships and cooperation, and not the quest to achieve some externally identified goal. Because these programmes are designed to be responsive to changing community needs, one of the most pressing challenges is to develop participatory and systems-based monitoring and evaluative processes to allow for ongoing learning, correction, and adjustment by all parties concerned." Covers: evaluation aims; theory of change and logic models, scale and intensity; and different approaches and techniques

"This website is developed by Wageningen International. Our objectives of PPM&E - Managing and Learning for Impact are to: * help build the capacity of individuals and organisations to effectively implement PPM&E systems (courses, advisory services, evaluation). * contribute to innovation in the field of PPM&E / managing and learning for impact. * provide practical web based resource materials, experience sharing and learning with this PPM&E resource portal. The first part of this website ("theories and backgrounds", and "methodologies and approaches") is in the process of being updated. The second part of this website provides a wide range of links to documents and websites which have been sorted in relation to a large number of subject areas. Though there is a lot, it is obviously not complete. We appreciate recommendations of resources that have not been included yet. Please use the comment boxes for this purpose."

"The new and powerful methodology of participatory monitoring and evaluation (PM&E) is gaining wide use amongst international development agencies and research institutions around the world. PM&E brings together both researchers and stakeholders, such as farmers, government officials, and extension workers, to monitor and assess development activities. This book is the first to reflect upon the introduction, implementation, and assessment of a PM&E training program. It documents a PM&E training process in Yunnan and Guizhou provinces, China, illustrating how PM&E can strengthen the learning and accountability of research teams and, consequently, the effectiveness of their research work. Using concrete examples, this book shows that it is not only what is being assessed that matters, but also who is doing the assessment and for whom the assessments are intended."