Agricultural planning project

The OAE will manage the project. To strengthen the MOAC"s project identification, formulation, design, and monitoring capability, 6 person-years of technical assistance (TA) will be provided. TA advisors will work with the Implementation and Evaluation and the Agricultural Statistics Divisions to develop in-service training courses; and identify and send up to 10 staff for overseas Masters and non-degree training; and hire additional TA as needed. To upgrade the OAE"s agricultural research and modelling skills, limited TA will be offered in the following areas: using existing Thai linear programming models; establishing a staff development program in the area of consumption analysis; and modelling the economic linkages between the farm and non-farm sectors. To improve the data collection methods of the OAE"s Center for Agricultural Statistics, several interventions are planned: expanding the use of the Area Sampling Frame (currently constructed for only 10 provinces) to the remaining 62 provinces; implementing the proposed plan to register all land planted in sugarcane, cassava, and corn; and purchasing selected equipment and computer software and training computer programmers at the Aisan Institute of Technology (AIT) in order to strengthen the Data Processing Center. In all, the project will fund the following training: 5 doctoral degrees (in statistics, computer science, modelling of market operations, demand/project analysis, and/or consumption economics); 8-10 M.A. degrees at the ASEAN Center or Kasetsart University; 9 M.A. degrees in programs such as those offered by the AIT, the National Institute of Dvelopment Assistance, and the National Research Council; and non-degree training in computer science/statistics at the U.S. Department of Agricultural or the U.S. Bureau of the Census.