AGRICULTURAL INFORMATION AND RELATED SERVICES

EVALUATION IS BY USDA STAFF WHICH IS IMPLEMENTING PROJECT UNDER RSSA WITH AID"S OFFICE OF DEVELOPMENT INFORMATION (DS/DIU). IN THE PAST YEAR, 65 MAJOR INFORMATION/ANALYSIS PACKAGES HAVE BEEN PREPARED FOR USAID"S IN CROP PRODUCTION AND AGRONOMIC PRACTICES; LIVESTOCK PROUCTION; POSTHARVEST TECHNOLOGIES; FOOD PROCESSING AND USES OF AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS; SOIL AND WATER CONSERVATION; AND OTHER AREAS. LITERATURE SEARCHES HAVE ALSO BEEN CARRIED OUT IN REGARD TO USDA PUBLICATIONS/PROGRAMS. THE TOTAL NUMBER OF CLIENTS SERVED WAS 1,310, INCLUDING 332 IN MISSION 440 IN AID/W BUREAUS /OFFICES. UNDER CONTRACT, POPULAR ARTICLES WERE PREPARED FOR STAFF OF RESOURCES REPORT (RR) ON HEALTH SECTOR ANALYSIS, METHANE GAS PRODUCTION TECHNOLOGY, AGRICULTURE IN SEMI-ARID LANDS, AND URBAN FUNCTIONS OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT. OTHER CONTRACTED SERVICES TO RR INCLUDED ANALYSIS OF RESPONSES TO ISSUES OF RR AND EDITING/PROOFREADING. RSSA STAFF ALSO ARRANGED FOR PRINTING OF ALL FY 79 ISSUES OF RR AND OF VARIOUS USAID AND OTHER PUBLICATIONS; AND PROVIDED ALL WRITER/EDITOR, GRAPHIC, AND PRINTING SERVICES FOR DIS"S "TECHNICIANS ON-CALL FOR DEVELOPMENT" AND "DIRECTORY OF DEVELOPMENT RESOURCES". IN ACCORDANCE WITH RECOMMENDATIONS OF 1978 EVALUATION, MISSIONS WERE INFORMED OF INQUIRY SERVICE; INQUIRY FORM WAS UPDATED AND CIRCULATED WORLDWIDE; AND THERE HAS BEEN GREATER ANALYSIS OF USE DATA AND IMPROVED COORDINATION WITH DS/DIU. GREATER IMPROVEMENT IS NEEDED IN THE LATTER 2 AREAS. RSSA STAFF HAS CONTINUED INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT INTERN AND MISSION BRIEFINGS AND AID/W AWARENESS EFFORTS WHILE ON TDY. USDA PERFORMANCE IS SATISFACTORY AND PROJECT SHOULD BE CONTINUED. USDA SHOULD NOW STRESS EVALUATION AND SHOULD SEEK NEW MEANS TO DETERMINE IMPACT OF INQUIRY SERVICE. DIU SHOULD DETERMINE VALUE OF NEW NATIONAL AGRICULTURE LIBRARY INITIATIVES TO MISSION PROGRAMS AND SHOULD DESIGN FUTURE WORK SCOPE OF INQUIRY SERVICE AFTER ASSESSING SERVICE"S RESOURCE NEEDS.