Feed the Future FEEDBACK Performance Management Plan for May 7, 2012 – May 6, 2017

Government Feed the Future Initiative was launched in response to the global food crisis in 2007-2008, with the United States Government providing more than $1.5 billion in food and development assistance to meet immediate humanitarian needs and stimulate agricultural productivity in developing countries. This initiative served as the foundation for Feed the Future, a pledge to work with partner countries, development partners, and other stakeholders to tackle global food security challenges. The initiative focuses on growth of the agriculture sector and improvement in nutritional status in 35 developing countries, including 19 focus countries. The Feed the Future Feedback (FTF FEEDBACK) activity was created to provide the best available empirical evidence from the Feed the Future initiative to inform policy, investment, and intervention decisions aimed at improving food security in vulnerable countries. FTF FEEDBACK will deliver assistance by supporting four major tasks: performance monitoring, impact evaluation, data management, and project administration. The FTF FEEDBACK activity team had once organized tasks into five components, but two of the components ended either after all work was completed or was ended early due to cost concerns. The long-term goal of the FTF FEEDBACK activity is to generate evidence of effective and sustainable agricultural growth and nutrition practices that can be used to guide program and activity design. Each of the activity's remaining components contributes to this goal while having its own outcomes. The performance monitoring (PM) component of FTF FEEDBACK seeks to enable USAID Missions to meet Feed the Future performance monitoring requirements and maximize the use and benefits of the data collected. The PM component supports Missions in meeting their PM obligations within the framework of the Feed the Future Results Framework and indicators system. The PM component has several key responsibilities, including uploading required and selected indicator values annually into the Feed the Future Monitoring System (FTFMS), the existing online database in which USAID stores and accesses this information. For many of these indicators, data are collected and indicator values are calculated by Missions, host governments, or IPs. For indicators that require data to be collected from household surveys, the PM component will work with Missions and IPs to ensure that data are collected and indicator values are calculated accurately and on time. The PM component will also work with Missions and IPs to ensure that data are used effectively to inform program and activity design. This will involve providing technical assistance and training to Missions and IPs on data analysis and interpretation, as well as supporting the development of data-driven decision-making tools and processes. By maximizing the use and benefits of the data collected, the PM component will help to ensure that Feed the Future programs and activities are effective and sustainable in the long term. The FTF FEEDBACK activity will also conduct impact evaluations to assess the effectiveness of Feed the Future programs and activities. Impact evaluations will be conducted in selected countries and will focus on assessing the impact of Feed the Future programs and activities on agricultural growth and nutrition outcomes. The impact evaluations will be designed to provide evidence-based learning that can be used to improve program and activity design and help achieve intended results. The data management component of FTF FEEDBACK will work to ensure that data are collected, stored, and analyzed accurately and efficiently. This will involve providing technical assistance and training to Missions and IPs on data management and analysis, as well as supporting the development of data management systems and processes. The data management component will also work to ensure that data are used effectively to inform program and activity design, and that data-driven decision-making tools and processes are developed and implemented. The project administration component of FTF FEEDBACK will work to ensure that the FTF FEEDBACK activity is managed effectively and efficiently. This will involve providing administrative support to the FTF FEEDBACK activity team, as well as working with Missions and IPs to ensure that administrative tasks are completed accurately and on time. The project administration component will also work to ensure that the FTF FEEDBACK activity is compliant with all relevant laws, regulations, and policies. Overall, the FTF FEEDBACK activity will work to provide the best available empirical evidence from the Feed the Future initiative to inform policy, investment, and intervention decisions aimed at improving food security in vulnerable countries. The activity will deliver assistance by supporting four major tasks: performance monitoring, impact evaluation, data management, and project administration. By maximizing the use and benefits of the data collected, the FTF FEEDBACK activity will help to ensure that Feed the Future programs and activities are effective and sustainable in the long term.