ASSESSMENT REPORT ON THE HAITI SMALL COFFEE FARMER PROJECT AND THE BUREAU DE CREDIT AGRICOLE

WHEN THE PROJECT WAS DESIGNED, IT WAS ACKNOWLEDGED THAT IT WOULD HAVE TO BE ADJUSTED ON THE BASIS OF ACQUIRED EXPERIENCE. THIS REPORT IS PART OF THAT PROCESS. THE REPORT IS DIVIDED INTO THREE PARTS: (1)A DESCRIPTION OF THE EVALUATION METHODOLOGY; (2)THE FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE EVALUATORS; AND (3)A MORE DETAILED PRESENTATION OF THE INFORMATION USED BY THE ASSESSMENT TEAM IN REACHING ITS BASIC CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS. THE BUREAU DE CREDIT AGRICOLE (BCA) HAS BEEN SUCCESSFUL IN TAKING THE FIRST IMPORTANT STEPS TOWARD THE CREATION OF A CREDIT DELIVERY SYSTEM CAPABLE OF REACHING AND SERVICING SMALL COFFEE FARMERS IN HAITI. HOWEVER, BCA'S ACCOMPLISHMENTS FALL SHORT OF THE TARGETS ESTABLISHED FOR THE FIRST TWO YEARS OF THE PROJECT. THIS FAILURE IS TO A SIGNIFICANT DEGREE DUE TO CONDITIONS BEYOND THE CONTROL OF BCA. THE PERFORMANCE OF BCA IN IMPLEMENTING THE PROJECT THUS FAR COMES VERY CLOSE TO WHAT THE TEAM WOULD HAVE CONSIDERED TO BE REALISTIC EXPECTATIONS. THE ASSESSMENT TEAM IDENTIFIED SERIOUS FLAWS IN THE ORIGINAL DESIGN OF THE PROJECT WHICH WOULD INDICATE THAT SEVERAL OF THE PROJECT PURPOSES COULD NEVER HAVE BEEN ATTAINED. IN ADDITION, IT HAS FOUND THAT UNEXPECTED CHANGES IN SOME OF THE ASSUMPTIONS MADE FOR PROJECTION PURPOSES HAVE BEEN EXPERIENCED DURING THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE PROJECT. THESE FINDINGS LED TO THE CONCLUSION THAT THE PROJECT MUST BE SUBJECTED TO VERY SUBSTANTIAL REDESIGN. UNDER PRESENT CONDITIONS, THE PROJECT WOULD NOT REACH THE SERVICE TARGETS PROJECTED, AND MOST DEFINITELY, FINANCIAL VIABILITY WOULD NOT BE ATTAINED AS ORIGINALLY PROJECTED. THE EVALUATORS DISCUSSED THE FACTORS CONTRIBUTING TO THE NEED FOR PROJECT REDESIGN, THE ISSUES TO BE RESOLVED, AND ALTERNATIVE STRATEGIES FOR THE PROJECT. THEY ALSO MADE NUMEROUS RECOMMENDATIONS FOR BCA AND THE CREDIT UNION NATIONAL ASSOCIATION,AS WELL AS GENERAL PROJECT RECOMMENDATIONS.