Impact Assessment of Capacity Building through Tracing Learner Participants: ICRISAT Village Level Studies, 1975-2013

The longest longitudinal household data in the world generated by ICRISAT under the title ‘Village Level Studies’ (VLS) from 1975 to present has proven to provide excellent insights on multiple aspects of village dynamics. Many researchers, referred to in this study as ‘Learner Participants’, not only utilized the VLS data for analysis, but also received training, exposure to base villages and research supervision under village level studies. VLS is one among the few longitudinal panel data sets in the world on village economies which has been analyzed extensively by the scientific community. As a result new development theories are confirmed, policies have been recommended, and new technologies developed to suit semi-arid tropics (SAT). This study delves specifically into the capacity building as well as the utilization of the built capacities of learner participants who were associated with VLS at various points over the time span of 1975 to 2013. Using a robust methodology which encompasses both qualitative and quantitative methods of data collection and analysis, the focus of the paper is on the influence of VLS in enhancement of individual as well as institutional capacity of the scholars, and its utilization. A tracer study was designed to track more than 200 learner participants through a comprehensive survey using online and offline tools and insights from ACIAR frameworks and guidelines. This study is supplemented with case studies for capturing better the impact of VLS training on human scientific capacity. This study also provides important insights on the usefulness of the tracer study methodology in elucidating the influence and impacts of research training in general and VLS in specific on human scientific capacity building over time.