Audit of USAID/Guatemala-financed agriculture activities under the Central America and the Caribbean emergency disaster recovery fund

Audit report covers the period 5/99-3/01. Of the five agriculture activities audited, three are on schedule to achieve planned outputs. These are the efforts of: (1) ANACAFE to rehabilitate coffee plant and processing facilities; (2) CARE to promote reforestation and natural resource management; and (3) the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers/International Center for Agricultural Development Pre- Investment (CIPREDA) to construct/reconstruct infrastructure in Mitch-affected watersheds. Auditors were unable to verify accomplishments of the remaining two activities: efforts of Catholic Relief Services (CRS) to restore natural resource-based food security to small farm families, and of the Institute of Science and Agricultural Technology (ICTA) to finance seed production and distribution for corn, beans, rice, potatoes, and sesame. It is recommended that USAID/Guatemala obtain and verify cumulative outputs for the latter two activities. USAID/Guatemala is not consistently monitoring outputs. It is recommended that the Mission train its activity managers to manage and monitor assistance agreements. USAID/Guatemala stated that the draft audit helped ensure more effective implementation of the program and that the mission had already taken action to address both recommendations. However, since, in regard to the second recommendation, USAID/Guatemala mentioned training for monitoring assistance agreements but not for managing them, no management decision was reached.