HASSAN II INSTITUTE OF AGRONOMY AND VETERINARY SCIENCE

The major problems in the project developed from AID"s misunderstanding of the role, objectives and official context of the Hassan II Institute of Agronomy and Veterinary Science (the proj beneficiary). Because of this misunderstanding, the University of Minnesota contract team was sometimes frustrated and out of synchrony with the ojectives of H II Inst. While American universities place great emphasis on research, under the European system followed by H II Inst, field and laboratory research are considered technical pursuits inappropriate to intellectuals and scholars. As a result, some US team members had no students to supervise for the first two years. A research program to develop improved and disease-resistant barley varieties was effectively implemented. Research and study efforts were also directed toward crop viruses and soil conditions. One team member is producing a textbook on Moroccan soils, their classifications and productive capabilities. Since 1974, the average number of sixth-year students per faculty member rose from 1.0 to 1.6. Evaluators note that the above figure is misleading since US faculty members often give advice to students not officially assigned to them. The major flaws in the project were the inability of AID-supported faculty to attract motivated researchers to replace them and the failure of Hassan II administrators to place a high priority on the Moroccanization of its research and teaching staff. The evaluators recommend that USAID assign project technicians only to those disciplines for which counterparts are provided and a US faculty replacement is likely within one or two years.