Proving impact: IRRI equips professionals to achieve measurable results

Los Baños, Laguna, Philippines (11 July 2025) — Measurable impacts are essential in policy and program development to achieve transparency and accountability. Impact evaluation plays a crucial role in determining whether a particular intervention has made a difference.

This was the core focus of IRRI’s Workshop on Impact Evaluation and Causal Inference held from 8 to 11 July 2025 in IRRI’s Headquarters. This four-day training equipped participants with tools to assess the effectiveness of interventions. Impact evaluation focuses not only on outcomes but also on attribution, whether the observed changes in target key indicators can be confidently linked to the intervention itself. This approach helps guide decisions on which programs should be scaled, redesigned, or discontinued. The course addressed a key challenge faced by development professionals: how to generate credible evidence about what works, why it works, and at what cost.

In her opening remarks, Dr. Anilyn Maningas, Head of IRRI Education, underscored the training’s relevance across sectors. She noted that in a complex and resource-constrained environment, it is more critical than ever to understand what works and why. “This workshop aims to equip you with the tools and frameworks necessary to answer these pressing questions using rigorous evaluation methods and causal inference techniques,” she said.

This call for evidence-based action was echoed by Dr. Patrick S. Ward, Associate Professor at the University of Florida. He explained that decision-makers often face several competing policy options, and that selecting a course of action should be based not on ideology or anecdote, but on strong and credible evidence. Grounding policies in well-designed impact evaluations, he added, is essential to making informed and effective choices.

A key component of the training was the Theory of Change, a tool that helps map out how and why an intervention is expected to produce desired results. Participants learned how this framework can clarify assumptions, identify relevant indicators, and support the design of high-quality, policy-relevant evaluations.

Trainees were also introduced to designing, implementing, and analyzing randomized controlled trials, and quasi-experimental methods such as difference-in-differences (DiD), instrumental variables (IV), and regression discontinuity designs (RDD). These rigorous impact assessment methods help strengthen the credibility of evaluation findings by isolating causal effects.

Adding a practical lens, Dr. Gregmar Galinato, Professor at Washington State University, used case studies to demonstrate how to evaluate the suitability of various quasi-experimental methods.

Meanwhile, Prof. Suzette Pedroso Galinato, Associate Professor and Extension Specialist at Washington State University Extension, emphasized the importance of evaluating interventions from the standpoint of those most affected: the farmers. She shared, “Economics is like a ribbon that ties the project together. Because after all the field activities, data collection, and information dissemination, the main concern of the growers is how the intervention affects their farm environment.” Therefore, understanding the tangible impact of interventions is key to designing meaningful and responsive programs. Prof. Galinato also discussed how to determine whether the intervention introduced to the target beneficiaries is more cost-effective than other alternatives by conducting cost-effectiveness and cost-benefit analyses.

The workshop serves as a timely and relevant initiative as IRRI introduced its 2025 to 2030 Strategy, which emphasizes measurable impact, evidence-informed action, and results that benefit farmers, communities, and food systems. Building on the success of this pilot run, the team plans to offer the course again next year to reach a broader group of professionals working to improve agricultural development outcomes.

Interested in similar training opportunities? Visit education.irri.org to learn more or email us at irri-education@cgiar.org.