Income-Generating Activities - Action Against Hunger

Field handbook • Scientific and Technical Department
advances reached during programme implementation. The data collected during the
identification and definition phase, along with the information obtained during the
beneficiary selection will serve to create this baseline. It may be necessary to collect
some additional complementary information. (Appendix 21 includes an extensive questionnaire
for the elaboration of a baseline in a rural zone.).
The planning of monitoring phases will depend on the type of programme and activities
developed; agricultural activities are subject to a production calendar that
will differ from those dedicated to services. Other variables must be taken into account,
such as time and resources available.
The monitoring of the recapitalization of IGA often uses two or three phases. The
first, post-distribution monitoring, (PDM), is done in the weeks following the distribution
of goods and inputs for production. During this phase, the main objective is to determine
the reception of the goods, their suitability, and the perception of the
beneficiaries regarding the distribution:
• Goods received
• Destination of the goods
• Perception of the quality and relevance of the goods distributed
• Use of the goods:
— IGA
— Sold
— Exchange
• Origin and existence of other goods and inputs
• Initiation of the productive activity and the difficulties encountered
Appendix 18 gives an example of a PDM questionnaire.
The second and third phases consist of the analysis of the functioning IGA; these
phases are implemented once some time has passed since recapitalization (these periods
correspond with the post-harvest monitoring presented in the “Agricultural Rehabilitation”
book). This step looks at:
• Production achieved or services given
• Functioning and profitability of the IGA:
— Productive capital possessed
— Production and yield
— Sales volumes
— Expenses covered
— Income generated
INCOME GENERATING ACTIVITIES: A KEY CONCEPT IN SUSTAINABLE FOOD SECURTIY
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