IFAD Strategy and Knowledge Department Learning Note #2

Assessing the impacts of IFAD’s investments - How do we measure impact?

This Learning Note showcases the methodology used for assessing the impacts of IFAD's investments on the livelihoods and lives of its project participants.

IFAD conducts impact assessments (IAs) on at least 15 per cent of its portfolio. The projects selected for IAs are representative of IFAD's overall portfolio of projects that have closed in each three-year replenishment cycle.

The assessment team identifies a representative sample of beneficiaries (the treatment group) and compares their situation with a group that were not part of the project's activities (the comparison group) using indicators related to income, productive capacity, market access, resilience and nutrition.

This robust process makes IFAD the only international financial institution that reports impact at the corporate level.