04/04/2019

Throughout the day, organized by the Management Unit of the National Rural Network ( Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food - MAPA ), the tools to improve the knowledge of evaluation and monitoring of the Participatory Local Development Strategies ( EDLP ) by the technical teams of the Local Action Groups were explored.

During her intervention, Marili Parissaki, member of the European Evaluation Helpdesk for Rural Development (HELPDESK) team, stressed the importance of going beyond legal requirements and assessing the added value of EDLPs, which can be seen through the improvement of the territory's social capital , local governance and the improvement of the results obtained . In order to provide concrete examples of the different possibilities for evaluating EDLPs, two experiences were presented using different methodologies , one carried out in Germany for the evaluation of governance and the other in Italy for the evaluation of social capital .

The main body of the workshop was the practical section, which focused on training in two specific methodologies: the multi-criteria tool for assessing added value and the MAPP (Method for Impact Assessment of Programs and Projects) method for evaluating improved LEADER/CCLD results . After an introductory section, participants completed practical exercises in small groups. They were able to discuss the pros and cons of each method and how to adapt it to their respective areas .

As conclusions to the aspects discussed, the importance of implementing qualitative methods for the evaluation of the EDLP , of specifying and adapting the evaluation criteria and indicators to the territory for a better application of the method, of working on the selection of participants in the focus group to obtain good results and how the application of these methodologies allows for sustained contact over time with the agents in the territory, having a positive impact from the perspective of revitalization and participation, has been highlighted.

The event was a success thanks to the quality of the speaker's presentation and the active participation of attendees . It also met the expressed need for a practical workshop aimed at Local Action Groups. In a context where 70% of LAGs have not yet begun the evaluation of their Local Action Groups (LDGs) , this workshop is sure to help them meet this requirement.

At the request of several interested parties, and with the aim of reducing travel and its associated carbon footprint, the event was streamed on the National Rural Network's YouTube channel . Those interested can access the videos via the followinglink . If you wish to delve deeper into the topics covered during the event, you can access the content through the National Rural Network's website .