Annual Work Plan (May 2016–April 2017) for the Evaluation, Research, and Communication (ERC) Project

The project is implemented by The Cloudburst Group under the Strengthening Tenure and Resource Rights (STARR) IDIQ, with funding from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The ERC project has three primary goals: expanding the evidence base, communicating and training, and testing innovative models. To achieve these goals, the project works across tasks and with other STARR partners. The project has produced a set of pioneering research products, new communications materials and training tools, increased visibility for USAID's programs and materials, and established a solid position as a thought leader for the E3 Office of Land (E3/Land). For the 2016-2017 fiscal year, the ERC project has two options for carrying out its work. Option A presents a limited set of activities and deliverables that can be produced with lower Level of Effort (LOE), while Option B presents a more expansive set of activities and deliverables that can be produced with higher LOE estimates. The project will implement all Option A activities as detailed in the Work Plan, and Option B activities will only be implemented with additional funding and written direction from the Contracting Officer's Representative (COR). Under Option A, the ERC project will focus on finalizing the Ethiopia Strengthening Land Tenure and Administration Program (ELTAP) and Ethiopia Land Administration Program (ELAP) Endline Report, preparing for and implementing a second phase of data collection, research, and finite analysis for the Community Land Protection Program (CLPP), and the Tenure and Global Climate Change Program (TGCC). The project will also produce the Land Administration to Nurture Development (LAND) Afar Impact Evaluation (IE) Baseline Report and cleaned datasets, develop two research papers on women's rights and empowerment and land tenure, credit, and rental markets, and support data collection efforts for the World Cocoa Foundation. Under Task 3, the ERC project will continue to improve the quality and reach of E3/Land's communications products, focusing on four key themes: highlighting key findings from the impact evaluation and research portfolio, demonstrating how USAID is working to secure women's land rights and how stronger women's land rights positively impact other development objectives, highlighting successful innovations in using mobile technology to map and document land rights, and exploring the question of what constitutes an inclusive business model in land-based investments. The project will also continue to share data sets, data collection instruments, reports, and other pertinent material from these evaluations through a new Data Hub.