ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on its use to understand change from the perspectives of those who are rarely, if ever, heard in mainstream evaluation research. Such voices might include small-scale coffee producers in Colombia sharing stories of risk to foster more inclusive business models, or urban citizens in Vanuatu explaining how parliamentarians' decisions impact their lives. The chapter illustrates how sense maker can be useful for evaluation, by focusing on one case study that assessed the inclusion of smallholder farmers in markets that currently operate in ways that exclude these farmers as valued and sustained sellers. It presents a case study, which was undertaken by a Belgium-based non-governmental organisation called Vredeseilanden (VECO) that strives for more viable livelihoods for organised small-scale farmers through improved income from sustainable agriculture. One stream of methodological innovation in evaluation focuses on listening to how local people experience impact, and ensuring these insights are regularly incorporated.
