Evaluating the impact of participatory mapping activities

What is participatory monitoring
and evaluation (M&E)?
Participatory M&E refers to a process in which
the primary stakeholders of any development
intervention (e.g. communities covered by a
programme or project) are actively involved in
examining whether the programme or project
has achieved its objectives (i.e. evaluation), or
whether it is progressing in the right direction
(i.e. monitoring). It is being used more and
more for a number of reasons that include:
an increasing trend in management circles
towards ‘performance-based accountability’
with greater emphasis on achieving results; a
growing demand for demonstrated impact/
success due to limited donor funds; increasing
decentralization of authority calling for new
forms of oversight to improve transparency;
and stronger capacities and experiences
of non-governmental and community-based
organizations as decision makers and
implementers (Estrella et al. 2000).
The involvement of communities in
participatory M&E has many distinct
advantages. It can provide better insights
about the dynamics of project
implementation, and generate useful
information about the roles of key local
stakeholders and how local resources are
used. In addition, it helps foster a sense of
ownership among local people with regard to
the outcomes. This in turn enhances the
prospects of sustainability of an initiative.
Feedback obtained from communities about
the strengths and limitations of a project can
also help improve the design of interventions.