Evaluation of the Burkina Faso grain marketing development project (no. 686-0243)

External mid-term evaluation is based on document review, interviews, and site visits. The project did not achieve its purposes as stated, although to a limited degree it did improve the basis for policy and management decisionmaking in food grain marketing. The capability and operating efficiency of OFNACER, the National Cereals Office, were improved, though not to the level expected - a planning unit (albeit of limited impact) has been established and a rolling fund (smaller than planned) set up, producer prices have increased, and grain stocks are available, but no explicit information system is available and fewer warehouses than planned were built. OFNACER is capable of handling its current work load, but due to the costliness of its commercial operations must rely on income from food aid to balance its domestic marketing losses. Installation of a contractor-designed financial accounting system - an unplanned output - was in many ways the most successful aspect of the project, and awaits only the finalization of OFNACER accounting and credit policies to be fully implemented. Project design was based implicitly on the incorrect assumption that strengthening OFNACER was equivalent to improving the overall grain marketing system, even though studies available at the time strongly suggested that OFNACER interventions could be counterproductive to the project. Also, the AID-sponsored planning unit within OFNACER was not properly positioned to influence policymaking, and A.I.D. failed to coordinate its activities with other donors also providing advisory support, causing unnecessary friction between TA teams. In general, A.I.D. contractors performed well under difficult circumstances. It is recommended most strongly that A.I.D. seek means other than support for OFNACER to help the Government of Burkina Faso (GBF) improve grain marketing and food security; redefine its policy and expectations regarding OFNACER; and stress, in relation to GBF plans to increase OFNACER"s role and diminish that of the private sector, the negative effects of GBF domination of the grain market.