Evidence Aggregation for Programmatic Approaches Activity (REAPER 2)

The Bureau for Resilience and Food Security (RFS) of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) is seeking feedback for a planned evidence aggregation and synthesis support activity. USAID's Bureau for Resilience and Food Security (RFS) leads USAID's efforts to implement measurable solutions to sustainably reduce global hunger, poverty, malnutrition, and water insecurity. These goals provide the basis for sustainable, resilient gains that position our partner countries to achieve true self-reliance through investments in their own people and national potential. To support these efforts and optimize the impact of our investments, RFS strives to use evidence to inform its decisions and planning. While approaches are conceived of as - evidence-based, the availability of formal evidence aggregation and syntheses is mixed. This gap could raise questions about the degree to which promoted technical approaches are actually evidence-based, limit the ability of the bureau to assess and incorporate new evidence, and prevent the identification of key evidence gaps. Therefore, USAID seeks information on capabilities to do broad evidence aggregation and synthesis activities. These activities would focus on both existing evidence aggregation work and innovative tools to improve the speed and quality of evidence review. Objectives: To support RFS and possibly other USAID OUs with the aggregation and synthesis of existing evidence to build knowledge bases that underpin the programmatic approaches promoted by USAID and its OUs, develop and implement metrics for determining impact of evidence use, and provide thought leadership on innovative ways to accomplish the first two. Activity Synopsis: RFS seeks to ensure and support the aggregation and synthesis of evidence through the following: To create evidence products that reflect a range of types (e.g., evidence maps, systematic reviews, maps of methods, rapid evidence assessments) and differing levels of rigor (e.g. formal systematic reviews vs. rapid evidence assessments). To develop new methods, standards, and approaches related to evidence aggregation, mapping and synthesis (e.g., standards for the inclusion of qualitative data, methods for identifying and mapping multi-intervention impacts, methods for comparing evidence based practice to program implementation) To explore innovative tools to improve the speed and quality of evidence review (e.g. machine learning and artificial intelligence). To explore and pilot ways to optimize the use of evidence products generated by USAID or by others. To measure evidence impact by developing metrics and methods for measuring evidence use and tracking the impact of evidence products. As an illustrative example, this could include the use of bibliometrics to understand where evidence products get incorporated into programs and policies. To support the ongoing consolidation and organized mapping of existing evidence gap maps that underpin the strategic technical and programmatic approaches promoted by RFS. To identify key evidence gaps and areas where evidence syntheses are needed. To support the strategic and technical assistance that RFS provides to a range of development results across the GFSS, the GWS, the MSNS and the Resilience Program Guidance.