14.3 Analysis
14.3.1 Consistency Between Planned Behavioral Theory
and the CCAFS Program’s Objectives
The plans developed for adaptation M&E suggested that involving farmers at the
onset would help to clarify the domains of life that adaptation activities can
influence. It allowed researchers to become aware of aspects of the beneficiaries’
lifestyle that the technology and training activities they offered were likely to
change. This is often lacking in traditional adaptation M&E, which is usually
based on biophysical performance indicators. Thus, pre-identifying domains of
behavioral change has added value to the quantitative biophysical performance
indicators. The results clearly showed that if the CCAFS program resulted in
successful adaptation of farming systems and production technologies to changing
climatic conditions, farmers would put in place changes in domains including
partnership, knowledge, practices, organization, and food security. This was consistent with expectations as adaptation is a process, and the development of adapted
farming systems and production technologies requires communities’ members to
continuously improve knowledge, work in partnership and an organized manner,
adopt new practices and (thus) enhance their food security.
14.3.2 Identified Behavioral Changes Induced by the CCAFS
Program in West Africa
In line with the theory of planned behavior, outcomes were defined following Earl
et al. (2001), as changes in the behavior, relationships, activities, or actions of the
people, groups, and organizations with whom the CCAFS program directly
engages. In West Africa, the CGIAR’s program for climate change, agriculture
and food security works through national agricultural research systems to help
farmers develop climate-smart farming systems, through participatory vulnerability
assessment and adaptation planning, on-farm trials, training, monitoring and evaluation. The results of behavioral changes M&E presented here can be seen as early
or short-term outcomes of the program (or outcomes to which it has contributed).
Table 14.2 summarizes the characteristics of behavioral changes extracted from the
stories of changes gathered in 2013.
These findings show that both men and women farmers have put in place initial
changes in knowledge, agricultural practices, organization, partnership, access to
productive assets and food security. Analysis of the collected stories of changes
identified a domain of change that was not included in the set identified in the
planning stage. This was access to productive resources, in Burkina Faso and Niger,
where the CCAFS’s adaptation activities have contributed to improve access to
on-farm and medicinal trees for both men and women. Further the results show that
14 Adaptation Processes in Agriculture and Food Security: Insights from. . .
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14.3.1 Consistency Between Planned Behavioral Theory
and the CCAFS Program’s Objectives
The plans developed for adaptation M&E suggested that involving farmers at the
onset would help to clarify the domains of life that adaptation activities can
influence. It allowed researchers to become aware of aspects of the beneficiaries’
lifestyle that the technology and training activities they offered were likely to
change. This is often lacking in traditional adaptation M&E, which is usually
based on biophysical performance indicators. Thus, pre-identifying domains of
behavioral change has added value to the quantitative biophysical performance
indicators. The results clearly showed that if the CCAFS program resulted in
successful adaptation of farming systems and production technologies to changing
climatic conditions, farmers would put in place changes in domains including
partnership, knowledge, practices, organization, and food security. This was consistent with expectations as adaptation is a process, and the development of adapted
farming systems and production technologies requires communities’ members to
continuously improve knowledge, work in partnership and an organized manner,
adopt new practices and (thus) enhance their food security.
14.3.2 Identified Behavioral Changes Induced by the CCAFS
Program in West Africa
In line with the theory of planned behavior, outcomes were defined following Earl
et al. (2001), as changes in the behavior, relationships, activities, or actions of the
people, groups, and organizations with whom the CCAFS program directly
engages. In West Africa, the CGIAR’s program for climate change, agriculture
and food security works through national agricultural research systems to help
farmers develop climate-smart farming systems, through participatory vulnerability
assessment and adaptation planning, on-farm trials, training, monitoring and evaluation. The results of behavioral changes M&E presented here can be seen as early
or short-term outcomes of the program (or outcomes to which it has contributed).
Table 14.2 summarizes the characteristics of behavioral changes extracted from the
stories of changes gathered in 2013.
These findings show that both men and women farmers have put in place initial
changes in knowledge, agricultural practices, organization, partnership, access to
productive assets and food security. Analysis of the collected stories of changes
identified a domain of change that was not included in the set identified in the
planning stage. This was access to productive resources, in Burkina Faso and Niger,
where the CCAFS’s adaptation activities have contributed to improve access to
on-farm and medicinal trees for both men and women. Further the results show that
14 Adaptation Processes in Agriculture and Food Security: Insights from. . .
261