Crop production and diversification II

The project will be implemented by the Ministry of Agriculture"s Division of State Farms; grant funds will finance TA and training and the procurement of farm equipment and pesticides through the Afro-American Purchasing Center. Phase I of the project will: (1) increase cocoa yield on 396 ha of the Ribeira Peixe, Bella Vista, and Canavial plantations from 0.5 MT/ha to 1 MT/ha; (2) clear and plant some 40 ha in import substitution and nontraditional export crops - two crops per year will be planted as follows: beans (14.5 ha), rice (24.5 ha), corn (31 ha), onions (2 ha), and sweet potatoes (8 ha); (3) support 3 months of training at the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) in the production of rice, beans, corn, and vegetable crops for 2 Sao Tomeans, who will assume direct technical supervision of the project in the second and later agricultural years; and (4) finance 2 person-months of TA from IITA. An improved balance of trade is expected as a principal project outcome. Commodity inputs will include tractors, chain saws, hand tools, improved seeds, and fertilizer. Phase II will continue the project for 3 additional years. The project will identify (through soils and crop testing and rainfall analysis), clear, and plant with corn, beans, and rice an additional 452 ha of land currently unused or marginally productive for export cash crops; yields of 2,000 MT, 1,000 MT, and 2,000 MT are expected for corn, beans, and rice, respectively. (Phase II will utilize lands on the Pinheira, Ferreira Governo, Canavial, Agua Casada, and Sundy plantations.) Varietal, pest control, and farming systems management research begun under Phase I will be continued. The project will finance short-term TA and 6-week training in crop production and equipment maintenance for 8 Sao Tomeans (4 in each area) through a U.S. institution strong in tropical food crops production, and additional commodities.