Evaluation, Research and Communication (ERC) Project Quarterly Report: January 1 to March 31, 2015

under the USAID Strengthening Tenure and Resource Rights (STARR) Indefinite Quantity Contract (IQC). The purpose of ERC is to create, expand, and communicate the results of evidence-based knowledge around best practices in land tenure and property rights (LTPR). ERC aims to enhance internal USAID and external U.S. government learning, guide program design and implementation, and make the most effective use of limited development resources to accomplish key USG development objectives. The project activities support the achievement of USAID's Climate Change and Development Strategy under Strategic Objective 1, Intermediate Result 1.2, which includes ensuring the rights and engagement of local and indigenous communities in conjunction with a focus on improving tools and capacity for land-use planning to reduce deforestation. ERC also supports biodiversity conservation through collection and dissemination of evidence-based knowledge on how secure land tenure and property rights can incentivize sustainable land use and protection of valuable ecosystems. The project includes five task areas: impact evaluation, research, communication, training, and pilot activities. Under Task 1, ERC worked with the LTRM Office and USAID/Ethiopia to launch endline data collection for the Ethiopia Land Administration Program (ELAP) and Ethiopia Strengthening Land Tenure and Administration Program (ELTAP). The team trained a local data collection firm and developed survey instruments that effectively align with the original baseline instruments. Under Task 2, ERC presented four papers for the 2015 Annual World Bank Conference on Land and Poverty in collaboration with the LTRM Office. These papers covered work conducted in Liberia, Ethiopia, and Zambia. The team also contributed to the development of a survey paper that looked across projects to identify and discuss issues of interest. Survey instruments for the Community Forest Project in Zambia were finalized, and data collectors were trained. Additionally, research for two additional impact evaluations, the Ethiopia Land Administration to Nurture Development project (LAND) and another project in Africa, was initiated. ERC continued to emphasize collaboration and communication across the STARR partner network. The team refined messages and improved communications products used by the LTRM Office to highlight its diverse work. The quarterly progress and learnings indicate that ERC is making significant strides in collecting and presenting data, refining messages, and improving communications products. The project's geographic focus is on several countries, including Ethiopia, Liberia, Zambia, and others in Africa. The timeframes for the project are from May 2013 to May 2018, with quarterly reports submitted to USAID. The recommendations for the project include continued emphasis on collaboration and communication across the STARR partner network, refinement of messages and improvement of communications products, and further research and evaluation to inform LTPR programming. The project's implementation details include the use of a multidisciplinary approach that aligns with USAID Forward principles of learning and evidence-based programming as well as gender equality and female empowerment. The project employs a range of methods, including impact evaluation, research, communication, training, and pilot activities, to achieve its objectives. The project's success will be measured through the achievement of its objectives, including the creation, expansion, and communication of evidence-based knowledge around best practices in LTPR.