Planning and Deploying effective Social Farming Initiatives Section 1.3 Evaluation of activites Provided by PARS

Objectives The objective of this unit is to describe the monitoring and evaluation activities for social farming initiatives. These activities are important for understanding the effectiveness of social farming projects and for making changes and improvements based on the degree of achievement of the objectives set.

Learning outcomes At the end of this module you will be able to: Understand the importance of monitoring and evaluating social farming activities. Recognize the different variables that influence the evaluation process. Understand the purposes and timing of the various assessment phases. Know the basic tools to evaluate the effectiveness of social farming activities.

Unit 1.3 1.3.1 Monitoring and evaluation Evaluation The step of evaluation The variables of evaluation Initial evaluation Ongoing evaluation Final evaluation 1.3.2 The effectiveness of the path 1.3.3 Evaluation methods

1.3.1 Monitoring and evaluation The monitoring of activities allows operators to effectively plan subsequent actions. Periodically, the operators take note of the behaviour of the subjects regarding the activities carried out to understand their responses, any difficulties, skills and professionalism acquired.

1.3.1 Monitoring and evaluation It is important to involve the participants and to communicate them how progress will be monitored regarding the activities carried out and the level of achievement of the objectives. Participants must know what information will be collected, how it will be collected (photo, video, interview, questionnaire) and used.

The variables of evaluation Physics: motor skills, level of physical commitment Psychological - emotional: mood, self-esteem, stress reduction, anxiety. Social-Relational: development of relationships, level of socialization, integration in the social context of the company Economic outcomes Development of skills Employability

The steps of evaluation Initial Evaluation Ongoing evaluation Final evaluation

The initial evaluation It is the first step of the evaluation process It determines the starting level of the subject that will be related to the results achieved at the end of the path The assessment can also have a negative result: in this case it is considered not to involve the subject in the project or to postpone the participation to a future date.

The ongoing evaluation It is carried out during the activities Depending on the duration of the project, the evaluation may be periodic (every 15/30 days) or halfway through the project. It allows: - to monitor the progress of the project and the acquired skills. - to modify the planning of the activities during the project, in case of any difficulties.

The final evaluation It is carried out at the end of the activities Comparing results at the end of the period of time with those at the beginning will give indication about changes, improvements and results achieved during the AS project. The final evaluation makes possible to verify the effectiveness of the activities carried out, the areas for improvement and any critical issue. Checking it out during the period can serve to identify potential problems as well as areas of progress.

1.3.2 The effectiveness of the path Each participant will receive an "individual" evaluation based on their characteristics and needs. The effectiveness of the path depends on the degree of achievement of the established objectives degree of achievement of objectives Effectiveness of the path comparison between initial situation and final results

1.3.3 Evaluation methods There are different methods to measure the results of a social farming project in terms of the wellbeing and health of the participants. One of the most used methods involves the construction of an evaluation table reporting the observed level for each variable.

1.3.3 Evaluation methods Example of evaluation table Reference: Michaelson J., Mahony S. Schifferes J. “Measuring Well-being: A guide for practitioners” (2012) https://b.3cdn.net/nefoundation/8d92cf44e70b3d16e6_rgm6bpd3i.pdf For further information about evaluation methods : https://www.farmgarden.org.uk/system/files/whichtooltouse.pdf

Related Material Community Living Sustainably Growing Health (2016), Which tool to use? https://www.farmgarden.org.uk/system/files/whichtooltouse.pdf

Reference link Michaelson J., Mahony S. Schifferes J. “Measuring Well-being: A guide for practitioners” (2012) https://b.3cdn.net/nefoundation/8d92cf44e70b3d16e6_rgm6bp d3i.pdf

Bibliography Inea (2012) La valuzione delle azioni innovative di agricoltura sociale http://dspace.crea.gov.it/handle/inea/513 Sempik J., Hine R., Wilcox D., (2010) “Green Care:A Conceptual Framework”, Loughborough University. Michaelson J., Mahony S. Schifferes J. “Measuring Well-being: A guide for practitioners” (2012) https://b.3cdn.net/nefoundation/8d92cf44e70b3d16e6_rgm6bp d3i.pdf

Thank you for the attention!