EASTERN REGION FOOD PRODUCTION MANAGEMENT ASSISTANCE

A follow-on to Project 6860201, the project is part of a multi-donor program in the Eastern Region led by the International Fund for Agricultural Development and including the Government of France and the UN Development Fund. Independent of the EORD, an MRD Monitoring and Evaluation Unit (MEU) will be established at Fada N"Gourma to record multilateral project activities, improve extension services, and assess project impact on food production. USAID will provide an agronomist to analyze the evolution and testing of farm system packages; a sociologist to collect social statistics and examine problems of program adoption and equity; and an economic geographer to conduct statistical analyses and evaluate environmental impact, infrastructural development, and regional planning. The MEU and USAID will set priorities for training programs to upgrade the skills of all EORD and selected MRD and MEU personnel. In-service training in the form of five local/expatriate-managed technical seminars will be provided at all levels. Two trainees will receive long-term regional planning training at the Pan African Institute of Development, and four others will receive short-term training at the University of Pittsburgh. Long-term technical training in finance, personnel management, program planning, economic analysis, statistics, and other fields will be provided for seven at U.S. and Francophone West African institutions. Extension agents" skills will be upgraded at the Agricultural Support Center in Diapaga. Based on MEU output and consultation with GVOU, special studies will be conducted on critical topics such as the project"s environmental impact, perfecting farm system packages, and village-level program adoption. Principal beneficiaries will be 300 trainees, 64,000 poor farmers receiving assistance, and 190,000 people reached by improved infrastructure in the Diapaga and Bogande sectors. Attached to the project are a list of sources for Annex I (XD-AAG-831-A) and, as Annex J, a bibliography (XD-AAG-831-B).