Agricultural systems support project

PES covers the period 8/78-9/84 and is based on document review, site visits, and interviews with project, host government, and USAID/K personnel. Of the project"s five components, manpower development is closest to target, having helped Egerton College expand its enrollment from 680 to 1,437 and provided training to 52 faculty (vs. respective targets of 1,632 and 43). As a result of faculty training, Egerton is now likely to become a combined diploma level and degree granting university. Construction at the college (including an agricultural center, not planned) is 95% complete, but curricula remain inadequate and textbooks scarce. This component also funded U.S. academic training for 40 (vs. a planned 100) Ministry of Agriculture personnel. Under the National Range Research Station (NRRS) component, 21 (vs. 18 planned) staff received U.S. academic training and 336 months of TA (long- and short-term) were provided. Housing construction and power and water supply upgrading have been delayed, restricting NSSR operations. On-station research is progressing well; off-station is well behind. Under the credit component, 15 (vs. 35 planned) Agricultural Finance Corporation (AFC) personnel received participant training, and 5 (vs. 7) advisors were provided. There has been some progress in solving AFC"s personnel and operations problems, but the shift to computerized data processing is far behind schedule, delaying other improvements as well. Loans in arrears have mounted while small farm lending has decreased. The cooperative component provided academic training for 29 Cooperative College and Ministry of Cooperative Development personnel and short-term training for 112 (vs. respective targets of 50 and 44), and completed studies regarding investment in the college. (A continuing education center is now considered a greater need. The project"s storage component completed one study, but provided no training. Project experience shows the advantages and disadvantages of packaging disparate activities under one project and that school upgrading is quite costly when expatriates substitute for faculty participants. Recommendations for close-out and follow-on activities are included.