Farmer training and production project

Evaluation covers the period 12/79-2/81 and is based on site visits, document review, and interviews with project, Government of Tanzania (GOT), and USAID/T staff. Reasonably good progress has been made despite delays in arrival of personnel, equipment, and supplies; in facility construction and renovation, and in allotment of GOT funds. Farmer training wings have been established at all four project Ministry of Agriculture Training Institutes (MATI"s), though not all are completed as yet. Implementation at the four MATI"s is at varying stages due in part to the GOT"s failure to provide Tanzanian staff at one MATI. Contractor and Tanzanian technicians are developing simple instruments for gathering data on small farmer production practices and problems and are training MATI staff and students in data collection and analysis. Initial data collection is complete; results will be used to develop small farmer training and technology packages. Three MATI"s have begun crop demonstration plots and two have already conducted short seminars and farmer workshops. Efforts are being made to establish linkages between the MATI"s and nearby research stations, but GOT policy and organizational structure mitigate against a cooperative relationship. Planning papers are to be produced for extension, regional, and district development officials; the intended substance of these papers needs clarification. Planned improvements in in-service training for extension agents have not yet been implemented. Six Tanzanians, now receiving U.S. training, will eventually replace the contractor technicians. Action decisions are to: (1) expand the implementation plan to facilitate the completion of expected inputs and extend the project as necessary; (2) seek Ministry of Agriculture assistance in developing stronger linkages among research, training, and extension staffs; (3) ensure that the GOT will provide Tanzanian staff at the fourth MATI or consider dropping it from the project; (5) obtain the GOT"s written commitment to assign returned participant trainees to MATI"s; and (6) establish a standardized data collection methodology among the four MATI"s.