FOCUS AND CONCENTRATE PROGRAM EVALUATION

AS A RESULT, ONE MIGHT THINK THAT THE PROJECT WAS ONLY MARGINALLY SUCCESSFUL. AS A PRODUCTION PROGRAM, IT WAS MARGINALLY SUCCESSFUL. HOWEVER, IF ONE VIEWS THE PROGRAM AS AN EXTENSION TRAINING RATHER THAN PRODUCTION PROJECT, THEN IT MUST BE CONCLUDED THAT AS A PILOT EFFORT THE PROJECT HAS BEEN SUCCESSFUL. THE TWO MISSING ELEMENTS IN THE PROGRAM WERE THE TRAINING COLLEGE AND THE RESEARCH INPUT. ONE REASON FOR THIS FAILURE WAS THAT THE PROJECT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE PRODUCTION-ORIENTED. THE SECOND AREA OF WEAKNESS IN THE PROGRAM WAS THE LACK OF AN EFFECTIVE LINK BETWEEN RESEARCH AND EXTENSION. THE PROJECT MADE A SIGNIFICANT CONTRIBUTION IN DEVELOPING AN EXTENSION PROGRAM THAT HAS WIDE ADAPTABILITY TO GHANA. IT HELPED TO DEVELOP THE ABILITY OF THE FIELD STAFF OF THE EXTENSION SERVICE. HOWEVER, IT WAS DESIGNED SO AS NOT TO REQUIRE RESOURCES (MEN AND MONEY) THAT, WHILE POSSIBLY AVAILABLE FOR A PILOT PROJECT, WOULD BE EXCESSIVE FOR A NATIONAL PROGRAM. THE PROBLEM WITH THE PROJECT IS THAT IT MIXED PRODUCTION WITH EXTENSION TRAINING GOALS. AS A RESULT, THE PROJECT DID NOT COVER ALL ASPECTS OF EXTENSION BUT THOSE PRIMARILY RELATED TO PRODUCTION.