General Agreement for Technical Cooperation 195

The project aimed to provide technical assistance to the National Campesino Development Service (NCDS) to develop a more viable campesino cooperative program. The Government of Bolivia (GOB) agreed to undertake several activities during the period from June 1974 to May 1975. Implementation focused on several key interventions, including the implementation of the recently prepared Organizational and Functional Manual for the newly created Division of Agricultural Development and Cooperative Associations at the national and regional levels. The project also aimed to establish a cooperative credit program and initiate this program at the field level, with special emphasis on quinoa, milk, and pork production, and small agricultural processing plants. The project involved various in-service training programs for NCDS field cooperative and agriculture personnel. A detailed registry of all campesino pre-cooperatives and communities was to be made, and a cooperative training and promotion program was to be developed for campesino cooperative associations and communities. Close coordination was to be maintained with the Ministry's Extension and Research Divisions, the Ministry of Labor and Union Affairs General Cooperatives Directorate, and the National Campesino Federation. The project also included the development of specific agricultural development cooperative projects to complement key NCDS future projects, especially small projects such as the Vacas Project in the Department of Cochabamba. The project advisor was to work with the GOB on the following tasks: providing direct technical assistance to the NCDS Agricultural Development and Cooperative Associations Division at the national and field levels, providing technical assistance for the implementation of the FIMMS/CD Agreement, and assisting in the preparation of various in-service training programs for campesino cooperative association leaders. The project advisor was also responsible for preparing monthly reports and a final report regarding the overall progress of the project and providing recommendations regarding project execution. The USAID was to finance the contract service of a cooperative credit advisor for a one-year period. The project advisor was to work with the GOB to ensure that the project purpose was achieved and to support the NCDS efforts.