Evaluation of ASEAN Agricultural Development Planning Centre

Special evaluation covers the period 1981-1985 and is based on document review and interviews with faculty from Kasetsart University and project, USAID/T, and Government of Thailand (GOT) personnel. The training component has been highly successful, cost-effective, and well regarded by trainees. Over 200 persons (vs. 105 planned) have been trained through: micro group management training (focused on project planning, monitoring, and evaluation) for 111 mid-level government personnel; special group highly technical training for 39 senior government technicians; leader group training for 11 senior government officials; and Master's degree training in agricultural economics for 48 mid-level professionals. The success of the latter program has been due to excellent instruction at Kasetsart University and the requirement of an M.S. thesis; however, some M.S. students had difficulty passing the comprehensive examination, maintaining an acceptable grade point average, completing the thesis on time, and gaining adequate English-language proficiency. In addition, this program suffers from a weak nomination/selection process for trainees and a limited curriculum. ADPC's research and planning branch (RPB) has been moderately successful. Although the RPB has produced a number of technically proficient agricultural studies and workshops, its research rationale was not clearly defined in the project design and it suffers from a lack of focus. Also, planning and data bank activities have been well designed and executed, but their costs far outstrip ADPC's current capabilities. Overall, project administration has been weak, owing to poor project design; ADPC was established with no reference to similar organizations, no A.I.D. or ASEAN review of operating policies/procedures, and no effort to obtain outside funding. There has been little coordination among ADPC, the Board of Planners, and USAID/T. Also, ADPC suffers from poor recruiting and/or retaining of senior personnel because of low salaries, as well as low visibility in the ASEAN region. Eighteen recommendations to address the above issues are given.