Farming systems research

Evaluation covered the period 4/78-4/86 and was based on document review, site visits, and interviews with project personnel. The FSRU was never established. This was mainly due to the youth of the RD, which was formed at the time of project start-up and which thus lacked the trained personnel, expertise, or managerial skills to develop specialized research capacities in, e.g., agronomy, horticulture, rural sociology, and basic research methodologies. In 1980 FSRU and RD were merged into one program and in 1981, based on recommendations from an external evaluation, project efforts were broadly concentrated into institutionalizing an effective agricultural research capacity in the MOA. The construction of a new RD headquarters, three agricultural experimental stations (prototype research areas representing the lowlands, foothills, and mountains) and an agricultural research library proceeded on schedule without major problems. Degree, non-degree, and in-country training targets for Basotho were achieved, although the training required more time than anticipated. A total of 20 Basotho were trained at either the B.S. or M.S. levels and their presence in the MOA, in combination with the facilities constructed, has provided the basis for developing a functioning RD. Thus, the project did help the MOA institutionalize FSR activities, albeit in a manner different than planned. It succeeded in orienting the RD toward a farmer-based approach which reflects relevant research needs. Farmers who have participated in the RD"s FSR activities have benefited from, inter alia, better crop yields and higher income; they have also disseminated FSR innovations to other farmers. The project teaches that: (1) institution building is a long-term proposition and requires substantially more than the usual 5-year development assistance project; (2) researchers need to be trained in research policy, planning, and personnel management in addition to technical subjects; (3) long-term training should not be centered at one institution to ensure that participants are exposed to a range of disciplines and approaches; and (4) a substantial TA presence can tempt counterparts to put some of their work on expatriate shoulders. A.I.D. assistance to the RD will continue under the Agricultural Production and Institutional Support Project.