AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH

Evaluation covers the period 5/76-11/79 and is based primarily on an attached progress report (XD-AAG-403-1). prepared by a Joint Government of the Philippines (GOP)/USAID team. Despite a slow start due to funding delays and difficulties of the implementing agency, the Philippine Council for Agriculture and Resources Research (PCARR), with A.I.D. procurement regulations, the project is now 83% complete. Infrastructure targets have been fully implemented. Helped by increased GOP funding, all 17 centers as well as cooperating stations have initiated research programs, whose quality and quantity have increased and have focused on priority problems established with their participation. PCARR"s Scientific Literature Service has expanded service to 30 libraries, and PCARR has produced many publications (a list of which is appended) and conducted seminars and workshops using project-funded commodities. Although in-country training has proceeded as planned, international Ph.D. refresher training and technical assistance (TA) targets are seriously behind schedule. Actual training of personnel from the four centers has been limited. Shortfalls have been due to lack of available candidates and of GOP provision of per diem for trainees. Training delays have in turn delayed TA. Project taught that the need for a realistic time frame for projects of this kind and for giving priority to training research personnel; allowing an extra year for host-country (as distinct from A.I.D. direct) procurement; minimizing time and cost of A.I.D. review and approval procedures; using loan funds for critical in-country research; ensuring contact between the project officer and host-country budget personnel to identify potential counterpart funding problems. If GOP cannot provide per diem for participant trainees, A.I.D. funds should be reprogrammed or deobligated. Also, the project"s completion date should be extended to 6/23/81 to complete in-country training and disbursement for reordered vehicles.