What Works South Asia - 2022

Evidence uptake for development in South Asia

Evidence synthesis research and analysis summarize evidence to enable decision-makers to understand what works and to design and execute better policies to achieve social and economic development. Campbell South Asia is organizing a conference that will provide a platform for researchers, practitioners, and decision-makers to discuss various approaches, innovations, research gaps and priority areas in evidence synthesis for development. The conference is centred around the issues pertaining to low- and middle-income countries. The conference is tailored to strengthen the knowledge and application of evidence-based approaches to support development in South Asia.

Read the full agenda

3ie participated in two sessions at this conference.

Start Date: 19 September 2022 End Date: 23 September 2022

Session 1: Mapping the Evidence in the Agriculture Sector: What do we Know and Where Are the Gaps?

Presenter: Zafeer Ravat, Senior Consultant, Synthesis and Reviews Office, 3ie
Date: 22 September 2022
Time: 4:15 pm - 5:15 pm IST

The availability of rigorous evidence from impact evaluations and systematic reviews is a precondition for evidence-based decision-making in the agriculture sector. 3ie produced an evidence gap map (EGM) to examine the availability of such evidence from low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) and its distribution across subsectors, countries, and regions. This work builds on prior EGMs in agriculture but adopts a broader scope in mapping the entire sector. We also apply a framework of interventions and outcomes to catalogue what is (and what is not) being studied in the literature on impact evaluations in agriculture. In this presentation, we will present the key trends in the literature and important gaps in the evidence base that should be addressed in future research.

Session 2: Sanitation-Linked Livelihood Project: Insights from the state of Odisha

Presenter: Aastha Dang, Evaluation Specialist, 3ie
Date: 23 September 2022
Time: 4:15 pm - 5:15 pm IST

The Odisha government employs collectives, including self-help groups (SHGs) of women, transgender people, people with disabilities and other marginalized communities all along the sanitation value chain. Specifically, collectives are involved in three types of sanitation models: community and public toilets, faecal sludge treatment plant and solid waste management. To understand how these initiatives are performing and draw lessons from their experiences, 3ie, with the support of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) and in partnership with the technical support units of the state government, conducted a learning study in three states: Odisha, Tamil Nadu, and Telangana. Through this presentation, we will discuss the key findings which emerged from Odisha about the experiences of women and transgender collective members engaged in sanitation work, as well as the implementing organizations.