Monitoring and Evaluation of Georgia Organics' Farm to School Program: A Special Studies Project Open Access
Beamer, Emily (Spring 2021)
Abstract
Introduction: Farm to school is a program that grew out of a need to support farmers and connect students to healthy, local food. It connects students to the food system by providing local produce in the school cafeteria, creating edible gardens in schools, incorporating nutrition and agriculture elements into the curriculum, farmer visits to schools, and student visits to local farms. Georgia Organics is an Atlanta-based nonprofit that operates a statewide farm to school program to provide resources, training,and technical assistance to schools and early care centers for improved farm to school implementation. This thesis lays out a comprehensive monitoring and evaluation plan for the farm to school program.
Purpose: This monitoring and evaluation framework grew out of previous work with Georgia Organics’ Farm to School program. During my internship, I worked with different elements and activities in the program and was part of different data collection processes where I saw firsthand gaps resulting from the lack of a comprehensive evaluation system. The purpose of this monitoring and evaluation plan is to provide a wholesome tool for the farm to school team to fully evaluate their current impact and reach, and create a framework to build on as the program grows.
Methods: A monitoring and evaluation framework was created to cover the full range of activities, outputs, and program outcomes. Key elements include a visual and narrative theory of change, logic model, and comprehensive indicator table. The farm to school team at Georgia Organics was consulted throughout to ensure alignment with program goals and feasibility of implementation.
Discussion: Strengths of the plan include the ease of incorporation into existing workflow and the comprehensive, objective measures to evaluate progress in racial equity. Limitations of the tool include the lack of available standard indicators, challenges with participant survey response, and difficulties with quantifying long-term program impact. The plan provides tools to measure existing activities in addition to those currently being added to program, while also creating a framework for evaluation as program elements continue to expand and the team grows capacity and becomes more seasoned with the evaluation processes.
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Chapter 1: Introduction ………………………………………………………………………..1
1.1 Introduction and Rationale ………………………………………………………….….…1
1.2 Problem Statement ………………………………………………………………….…….6
1.3 Purpose Statement ………………………………………………………………….….….7
1.4 Objectives ………………………………………………………………….….…………..8
1.5 Significance Statement ……………………………………………………………………8
Chapter 2: Literature Review ………………………………………………………….….…. 9
2.1 Public Health Implications of Farm-to-School ……………………………………………9
2.2 Economic Implications …………………………………………………………………..17
2.3 Farm to School Behavior Change Theory ……………………………………………….17
2.4 Monitoring and Evaluation Theory and Application …………………………………….22
2.5 Gaps and Challenges ……………………………………………………………………..24
Chapter 3: Methods: Monitoring and Evaluation Plan ……………………………………..27
3.1 Introduction ………………………………………………………………..……………..27
3.2 Theory of Change ………………………………………………….……………………..32
3.3 Theory of Change Narrative ……………….……………………………………………..33
3.4 Logic Model …………….………………………………………………………………..38
3.5 Program Description …………….………………………………………………………..39
3.6 Monitoring and Evaluation Framework …………………...……………………………..43
3.7 Immediate Next Steps for Implementation………...……………………......……………47
Chapter 4: Discussion and Public Health Implications ……………………………………...49
4.1 Strengths …………………………………………………………………...……………..49
4.2 Limitations ………………………………………………………………………………..51
4.3 Recommendations ………………………………………………………………………..52
4.4 Public Health Implications ……...………………………………………………………..55
4.5 Conclusion ………………………………………………………………………………..57
References ……………………………………………………………..………………………..58
Appendix ………………………………………………………………………………………..65
Appendix A: Detailed Theory of Change Figure ……...………………………………………...65
Appendix B: Indicator Table, Means of Verification and Data Collection Timeline……………66
Appendix C: Existing 2020 and 2019 Baseline Data ……..................…………….…………… 83
Appendix D: Workshop Registration Survey ……...………………………………………........87
Appendix E: Post Workshop Evaluation Survey ……...………………………………………...88
Appendix F: Workshop Evaluation 3-Month Follow-Up Survey ……...……………………..…91
Appendix G: October Farm to School Month Registration Survey ……...……………….……..93
Appendix H: October Farm to School Month Post Evaluation Survey ……...……………....… 95
Appendix I: Coupon Redemption Farmer Survey ……...………………………………....…… 98
Appendix J: Golden Radish Application Question Addition ……...…………….……….…… 100
About this Master's Thesis
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