Dryland agriculture support

Under the cooperative agreement, CID will develop a knowledge base on dryland programs, develop and test a methodology to assess constraints in LDC"s, test technologies and train host country personnel, and provide field advisory services to A.I.D. The project will generally be limited to non-irrigated areas receiving between 250 and 1,250 mms of rainfall annually. While initially the project will focus on assessing the "state of the art" (what is known about dryland agriculture, what A.I.D and other donors are doing, and what information is available in the literature), ultimately CID will: develop a problem identification methodology and use it to conduct dryland agriculture analyses in at least 6 LDC"s; pilot test improvement technologies in at least 2 LDC"s, while developing long-term relationships with local institutions; furnish short-term advisory and consulting services to A.I.D. on preparing and evaluating dryland farming systems projects; and provide specific on-the-job training to host country personnel involved in project activities, supplemented by manuals on promising technologies. Project amendment No. 1 of 6/29/83 extends the project 5 years to 9/29/88. Under the amended project, the TA team will: help develop policies and strategies to resolve soil moisture management (SMM) problems, with emphasis on rainfed conditions; participate in reviews and evaluations of other projects; work with LDC institutions, USAID"s, and other donors to improve SMM technology in order to increase food, forage, and fuelwood production (including a major FY 84 effort to develop a comprehensive ribbon project in dryland management with USAID"s and Regional Bureaus); help conduct regional workshops, seminars, and training programs in SMM; provide consultants; monitor and manage small research activities in LDC"s; and develop a means of disseminating SMM information to professionals. (PD-AAN-976)