Impacts of Food System Work in Maine
How are we tracking progress and impacts in Maine's food system? Maine Food Strategy is using the Results-Based Accountability process to collect information on high-level data and program-level stories to show progress toward Framework goals. Find more information and submit your case study here.
How the Project Works
Using an evaluation process called “Results-Based Accountability (RBA)"**, Maine Food Strategy is highlighting programs and projects having a measurable impact on Maine's food system and looking at how well our collective work is advancing goals in the Framework. The process includes:
- Identifying Population Indicators which are data sources that show where changes and trends are occurring across an entire population or sector in a geographic area (for example, the amount of organic product sales from farms in Maine). Because they focus on larger populations, they are often slower to reflect change but show trends happening on a more significant scale. Population Indicators for each of the Framework goals are linked here.
- Highlighting Performance Measures which are programs and projects producing measurable improvements for one or more communities impacted by the food system. Combined with others working towards complementary goals, these projects and programs are contributing to food systems change in Maine. Follow this link for a sampling of programs and projects making measurable progress towards goals in the Framework. Know of a great project? Submit a case study here!
**Footnote: RBA is a process developed by Mark Friedman, founder of the Fiscal Policy Studies Institute and described in the book Trying Hard is Not Good Enough: How To Produce Measurable Improvements for Customers and Communities, PARSE Publishing, Ed. 2015.