Monitoring and Evaluation
An essential element of the Project is the monitoring and evaluation of tree planting. From the time that the seeds are collected, to the establishment of nurseries and development of planting areas, comprehensive records are maintained.
Initial Survey: as a first step surveys are conducted to collect environmental, social and economical data. Satellite (GPS) is used to create a Geographical Information System (GIS) documenting the area. A ground survey is carried out of the varieties of plants present. Soil and water quality tests are done. The outcomes of the surveys are submitted to experts for analytical report and recommendations.
Registration: As part of the awareness campaign and social mobilization program, the registration of participating land owners is carried out. At this stage they are given the details of the planting conditions and invited to make a formal commitment to introduce and maintain trees on their land.
Data collection: A Database is created of all sapling distribution and all planting. This documentation is then used to inform follow-up and replanting requirements. Necessary support systems are maintained for continuous monitoring of sapling development.
Reporting: It is intended that a quarterly report will be released by the Project GreenHands team; Outcomes and statistics will be updated on the website.
Key benchmarks and indicators for monitoring and evaluation:
| Benchmark | Indicators |
| Nursery monitoring | Quantity of saplings/species & survival rate in nurseries |
| Planting monitoring | Trees planted: location, species |
| Green cover monitoring | GIS |
| Maintenance | Surveys: sapling survival, growth ( every 6 months) |
| Volunteer participation | Registration of landowners or volunteers |
| Skill acquisition | Evaluation tests at the end of training period |
| Social mobilization | Number of events and event participation rates |
Potential/anticipated risks
| Risk | Prevention or resolution |
| Natural calamities | Post calamity survey followed by replanting |
| Villager resistance | Selection of responsive villages particularly those with an existing relationship to Isha plus obtaining official consents in advance. |
| Financial risk | Application for third party funding |
| Sapling production | Appropriate training, use of good quality seeds, maintenance to prevent pest attack and sapling loss. |
