Diversified agriculture research

Implementation by the DOA"s Ministry of Agricultural Development and Research will upgrade DOA research, extension, and management capabilities and improve seed production and distribution. To establish a critical mass of trained DOA researchers, the project will provide long- and short-term training at Sri Lankan, U.S. and third-country institutions and will increase DOA staff by 34. Long-term advisors will help upgrade specific subject areas - farming systems research (FSR), cropping systems/agronomics, soil and water management - and help develop in-country training programs for DOA extensionists. A new, integrated, multidisciplinary approach to FSR will be supported by a series of socioeconomic studies including farm- and macro-level studies of farm production, management, and marketing. Facilities at the DOA"s 7 regional research centers will be upgraded. DOA extension activities will be expanded to cover the SFC and FSR approaches. Long- and short-term training will be given to subject matter specialists (both at inservice training institutes and at the field level) and to agricultural officers in a variety of SFC-related areas, including enhanced use of the farm broadcasting program and other mass media. The project will purchase audiovisual equipment, extension and vocational training materials, and vehicles. Short-term training for 3-4 mid- to senior-level officers annually, on-the-job training in FSR, and short-term TA in administration will strengthen DOA management capability. In the seed component, TA and long-term training will: increase production and distribution, especially by the private sector, of improved SFC seed and establish a related quality control system; support the DOA"s innoculant production program to produce rhizobia for treating legume seed and rationalize its seed price policy; and expand the Seed Certification Service to cover SFC. Seed processing and storage facilities will be upgraded at 4 DOA farms and 1 seed processing center. In all, the project - which will directly benefit some 20% of Sri Lanka"s population - will fund 53 M.Sc. and 8 Ph.D. degrees (at least 25% at Sri Lanka"s Postgraduate Institute of Agriculture) and 553 person-months of short-term training.