Monitoring and evaluation of nutrition programs in developing countries

Editors' note: An important measure of good nutrition policy or any public policy is the extent to which that policy is based on solid evidence from t he biologic or social sciences. Another measure is the quality of the proce ss and outcomes with regard to the issues of health and well-being for whic h the policy was initiated. Professionals who work in nutrition programs as well as other social service programs have fended to be at least ambivalen t when confronted with terms such as "monitoring" and "evaluation. " But th ere has been a growing realization that these techniques are essential to o ur judgments about not only the effectiveness of a program but also the tas k of ongoing project improvement. Clearly, then, a mastery of the concepts and techniques of monitoring and evaluation will be necessary for improving outcomes and for efficient use of resources when these techniques are tail ored to fit the specific needs of a project. This paper is adapted, with permission, from a World Bank guidebook on moni toring and evaluation.* The authors were selected based on their own extens ive experience in the field and their research on project monitoring and ev aluation. We are pleased to present their definitions and technical suggest ions to our readership, many of whom are involved in nutrition program plan ning and evaluation.