Applied agricultural research and outreach project

(1) Crop improvement research has made excellent progress. Several improved varieties have been released during the project. (2) A national food crops research institution for cassava, maize, and grain legumes is in place and functioning. The building of sustainable institutions, it should not be forgotten, is a slow evolutionary process. (3) The concept and quality of the training program are good. However, synchronization with TA has not occurred. (4) Integration of farming systems research (FSR) and outreach with crop improvement research requires (a) agreement on what FSR is and (b) an extended learning process. The accomplishment to date falls short of the project"s expectation. (5) TA provided by IITA as an institution offers no comparative advantage in management and outreach. (6) Slow procurement of project commodities has been a major handicap. (7) The project suffers from a shortage of local currency resources required to meet project objectives, and is totally dependent on A.I.D. for financing of local costs. (Author abstract) See also abstract of PD-AAZ-382.