COMPREHENSIVE REVIEW OF INSTITUTIONAL GRANT 211(D) TO UNIVERSITY OF PUERTO RICO ON TROPICAL SOILS (02/06/75)

Loan was made to help University of Puerto Rico (UPR) identify soil types & concentrate on soil conservation. This was an on-site team evaluation conducted through group sessions with faculty & students. UPR developed a soils research program & improved its physical facilities, educational materials & staff. Principal areas improved were production of starch root crops & edible legumes & soil analysis of tropical soils. Communication with other institutions was increased. Ongoing research at UPR & the University of Hawaii may establish methodology for tropical soil classification data. Utilization of grant has been disappointing, primarily because UPR did not conduct any soil conservation studies. Many team members felt UPR was caught in a bind in trying to build its graduate soils program -- and at the same time develop & expand its knowledge base applicable to Less Developed Countries (LDC"s). Other disappointments were UPR"s failure to: coordinate its research with other institutions; optimally use funds (expenditures were approved by Department head & not Grant Project Director); recruit either staff or LDC students; effectively coordinate personnel; fully report soil composition useful to LDC problems; & utilize the capacities of UPR in Latin America. Since UPR is not located in an area conducive to soil conservation research & its present strengths are in other areas, it was recommended that emphasis shift from conservation & protection to classification & geography of soils in the tropics, land planning, land use evaluation & technology transfer. Team feels financial assistance should be continued only if UPR: recruits new staff for research, not teaching; has expenditures approved only by the Grant Project Director; increases its capacity to classify tropical soils; begins research in soil taxonomy; develops a soil data base; assembles "package" programs of information on numerous crops for LDC"s; produces state-of-the-art reviews; & conducts more field research using research stations.