BOTWANA AGRICULTURAL TRAINING

EVALUATION COVERS THE PERIOD 5/78 - 9/79, AND WAS BASED UPON INTERVIEWS WITH PERSONNEL FROM THE MINISTRIES OF AGRICULTURE AND FINANCE AND DEVELOPMENT PLANNING. A PLANNING AND STATISTICS UNIT (PSU) HAS BEEN ESTABLISHED IN THE MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE (MOA), AND ALL MEMBERS OF THE AID EXPATRIATE TEAM ARE NOW WORKING WITH THE UNIT. THE GOB IS USING THE PSU TO WRITE AND EDIT ITS FIVE-YEAR PLANS AND TO PLAN DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS. MOST OF THE SEVEN AID-FINANCED TECHNICIANS ARRIVED LATER THAN ORIGINALLY PLANNED. AS A RESULT, 7 PARTICIPANT TRAINING CANDIDATES LEFT FOR TRAINING IN THE US WITHOUT HAVING HAD THE BENEFIT OF IN-HOUSE COURSES OR THE GUIDANCE OF A TRAINER. NINE PARTICIPANT TRAINEES WERE IN THE US AS OF 9/9/79; A TOTAL OF 20 ARE SCHEDULED TO RECEIVE TRAINING. THEIR AREAS OF STUDY INCLUDE AGRICULTURE, AGRICULTURAL ECONOMICS, RURAL SOCIOLOGY, AND INDUSTRIAL MANAGEMENT. A LIBRARIAN IS UNDER CONTRACT TO SET UP A PSU LIBRARY AND TRAIN A LOCAL LIBRARIAN. THE TDY LIBRARIAN HAS ORDERED 900 BOOKS FOR THE NEW LIBRARY. FOUR FIELD RESEARCH VEHICLES HAVE BEEN DELIVERED. EVALUATORS NOTE THAT THERE WAS CONSIDERABLE SUSPICION AMONG THE LOCAL MEMBERS OF THE PSU STAFF REGARDING THE ASSIGNMENT OF ADDITIONAL EXPATRIATES. THESE FEARS AND INSECURITIES COULD HAVE BEEN ALLEVIATED TO SOME DEGREE IF THE BOTSWANA STAFF HAD BEEN MORE DEEPLY INVOLVED IN THE PROJECT DESIGN PROCESS.