CROP PRODUCTION AND MARKETING

THE PROJECT"S INPUT OF A CROP SCREENING OFFICER FOR SORGHUM, MILLET, AND MAIZE HAS GIVEN A SMALL BUT IMPORTANT BOOST TO BOTSWANA"S RESEARCH PROGRAM. THE CROP IMPROVEMENT DIVISION, HOWEVER, IS JUDGED TO BE FAR FROM THE END-OF-PROJECT STATUS. WHILE THE DIVISION HAS BEEN EFFECTIVE IN CONDUCTING FIELD TRIALS IN 3 REGIONS OF BOTSWANA TO TEST ELEMENTS OF POSSIBLE ARABLE LANDS TECHNICAL PACKAGES,AND HAS PROVIDED RECOMMENDATIONS ON IMPROVED SEED MULTIPLICATION ACTIVITIES, IT HAS NO LONG-RANGE MANAGEMENT PLAN FOR IMPROVING ITS CAPACITY. FOUR GRAIN STORAGE WAREHOUSES ARE OPERATING, BUT NO IN-COUNTRY TRAINING IN STORAGE MANAGEMENT HAS BEEN PROVIDED YET. SEVERAL LESSONS WERE LEARNED: 1)USAID AND GOB MUST MORE CAREFULLY EVALUATE THE MANAGEMENT CAPACITY OF EXPATRIATE PERSONNEL WHOSE FUNCTIONS ARE TO BUILD AN INSTITUTION WHILE PROVIDING HIGH-LEVEL EXPERTISE; 2)USAID MUST BE MORE REALISTIC IN UNDERSTANDING THAT A PROJECT"S SIZE WILL AFFECT ITS ATTRACTIVENESS TO UNIVERSITIES. (MANY MONTHS WERE LOST IN SELECTING AN IMPLEMENTING ORGANIZATION, BECAUSE THE PROJECT, WITH ONLY 2 POSITIONS TO BE FILLED BY THE CONTRACTOR, WAS NOT LARGE ENOUGH TO INTEREST A US UNIVERSITY); 3)OSARAC STAFF IS TOO OVERBURDENED WITH REGIONAL PROJECT DESIGN RESPONSIBILITIES TO MONITOR PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION ADEQUATELY.