AGRICULTURAL INSTITUTIONAL DEVELOPMENT

USAID WILL SUPPORT ONE ADVISOR TO THE CHIEF OF ASD. 1-3 YEARS TRAINING WILL BE PROVIDED IN THIRD COUNTRIES FOR 1 CHIEF STATISTICIAN, 2 ASSISTANT STATISTICIANS, AND 2 CLERICAL TECHNICIANS. ASD STAFF WILL BE REORGANIZED AND EXPANDED TO INCLUDE 11 PROFESSIONALS AND 8 CLERICAL/AUXILIARY LEVEL PEOPLE AT HEADQUATERS AND 13 PROFESSIONALS AND 10 NONPROFESSIONALS IN THE FIELD (WITH USAID SUPPORTING SALARIES OF 12 AUXILIARY PERSONNEL). IN ADDITION, GRANT WILL FULLY SUPPORT RESTORATION OF ASD HEADQUATERS AND CONSTRUCTION OF A REGIONAL OFFICE AND 8 FIELD OFFICES. USAID WILL ALSO PROVIDE VEHICLES AND OFFICE EQUIPMENT. EXTENSION AGENTS OF THE NATIONAL OFFICE OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT HAVE THE ADDED RESPONSIBILITY OF COLLECTING AGRICULTURAL AND SOCIOECONOMIC DATA FROM FARM VILLAGES. HENCE, THE EXPANDED EXTENSION FORCE PROVIDED FOR UNDER 6770002.02 WILL COMPLEMENT EFFORTS UNDER THIS SUB-PROJECT. INPUTS FROM BOTH SUBPROJECTS WILL PERMIT ASD TO EXPAND ITS ACTIVITIES TO INCLUDE THE ACCUMULATION OF STATISTICS ON VEGETATIVE DEVELOPMENT (PLANTING AND HARVEST DATES, PESTS AND DISEASES, ETC.) AS WELL AS YIELD ESTIMATES AND OTHER PLANT PRODUCTION INFORMATION. MARKETING STATISTICS WILL ALSO BE EXPANDED TO INCLUDE FARM-GATE PRICES, MOVEMENT OF PRODUCE TO WHOLESALE AND RETAIL OUTLETS, STORAGE INFORMATION, ON-FARM CONSUMPTION, ETC. THE DATA SOURCE WILL BE INCREASED FROM 11,000 TO 25,000 VILLAGES. ASD"S DATA STORAGE, RETRIEVAL, AND REPORTING SYSTEM WILL BE IMPROVED PERMITTING PUBLICATION OF 3-4 EXTRA REPORTS AND INFORMATION ABSTRACTS. 4-5 SPECIAL SURVEYS AND STUDIES WILL ALSO BE CONDUCTED FOR THE MOA AND OTHER AGENCIES. BY 1980, ASD WILL BE PREPARED TO CONDUCT AN AGRICULTURAL CENSUS. THIS PROJECT IS ONE COMPONENT OF A BROADER INSTITUTION BUILDING EFFORT WITH THE MOA DESIGNED TO LESSEN THE AGENCY"S EMPHASIS ON LARGE-SCALE COTTON PRODUCTION AND TO ASSIST SMALL FARMERS DEVELOP SELF-SUFFICIENCY IN FOOD AND FORAGE PRODUCTION.