Evaluation of the PPC/WID - University of Florida, women in agricultural development project

Special evaluation covers the period 8/79-3/83 and is based on site visits, document review, and interviews with project, Ministry of Agriculture, and USAID/M personnel. In spite of start-up delays due to early USAID/M lack of support, and underfunding for vehicles and support staff, the project has been so successful that with country-specific modifications, it could serve as a model for similar efforts wordwide. It has benefited from personnel, material, and administrative support from the Government of Malawi and from close association with the Farming Systems Analysis (FSA) section (funded under project 6120202) of the MOA's Chitedze research station. The interdisciplinary, farming systems approach to data collection has been critical to project success. Socioeconomic, agronomic, and agricultural services data have been collected in high plateau, lake shore, and mid-altitude semiarid plain ecological zones. Although much of the data had been gathered during national surveys, the project has, for the first time, focused attention on the need to analyze smallholder problems by gender. To improve service delivery and help the MOA form a coherent policy on women, the project has gone beyond its scope of work by, e.g., helping develop curricula for training female extension workers, advising on ways to improve career opportunities for women in the Department of Agricultural Development, and evaluating extension programs vis a vis their assistance to women farmers. A series of on-farm and research station soybean trials conducted under women farmers' management have proved highly successful in focusing on women while optimizing liaison among researchers, extensionists, and beneficiaries. The project has also developed a circular aimed at combating male extensionists' reluctance to approach female farmers and is monitoring a technique being tested in Blantyre to allow more women farmers access to credit. impacts on women is being prepared. It is recommended that a technical advisor be provided under the agricultural research and extension project planned for FY 1983 to continue activities begun under this project. Specific suggestions for this advisor and follow-up activities are included.