Ex ante evaluation: This participatory approach for forecasting and analysing future scenarios is very pertinent for an ex ante evaluation. The 'Participatory foresight analysis' is a useful tool for strategic planning in the context of the ex ante evaluation. It can help identify the potential of small farms and small farm businesses to contrinute to food security and therefore contribute to planning policy interventions.
The participatory approach engaged simultaneously multiple stakeholders and used foresight thinking to attenuate/deactivate stakeholders' vested interests and build consensus. By involving a range of pertinent stakeholders, this approach ensures they can make coordinated decisions on policy making after a careful analysis of the potential of small farms for contributing to food and nutrition security.
Such new tools are useful for 'visioning' (objectives and future targets) and for 'back casting' (from needed actions and interventions in the future back to the present). The scenario analysis helps evaluate/assess the proposed interventions under alternative future settings, and to check the robustness of proposed interventions.
An ex ante exercise using this participatory approach can contribute to a debate on the future of small farms and small farm businesses beyond their role in food and nutrition systems. Furthermore, this is intimately linked to other food system outcomes, namely the preservation of rural landscapes and environmental services and the support to employment and rural communities.