Agricultural planning and analysis

An interministerial Agricultural Planning Group (APG) will be established to oversee the implementing agency, the Ministry of Agricultural Development and Research (MADR). An integrated institution building program will be conducted to enhance Sri Lankan capacities to formulate coherent, comprehensive, agricultural policies and programs. This effort will upgrade the capabilities of planning staff of eight Sri Lankan agencies (including six line ministries), but especially those of MADR and the Ministry of Finance and Planning"s National Planning Division (NPD). Four person-years of long-term TA will be provided, to be evenly divided between the MADR and the NPD. In the MADR, TA will primarily assist in the technical development of a formal planning unit, including defining the unit"s long-run work program and working with staff in designing and implementing a research and analysis program. In the NPD, TA will be provided to help formulate a medium-term agricultural development agenda - in effect a revision of the recently completed National Agricultural Food and Nutrition Strategy (NAFNS) - and to institutionalize a process of regular NAFNS updates. The long-term advisors assigned to MADR and NPD will also provide on-the-job training and TA to the APG (which will play a distinct functional role in agricultural planning efforts) and other participating planning units in, e.g., scheduling, budgeting, personnel planning, and data collection and analysis. Short-term advisors will work with counterpart staff to conduct at least 15 studies on specific agricultural policy areas. Training to be provided under the project includes 4 Ph.D."s and 22 M.Sc."s in agricultural economics, finance, marketing, and production economics, and short-term training overseas and in-country. Facility renovation or construction and commodities (computers, vehicles, library materials) will also be funded.