HONDURAS AGRICULTURE SECTOR II PROGRAM, INTERIM REPORT

Report, dated 10/78, consists mainly of recommendations to AID/W on ways to enhance the capability of the Government of Honduras (GOH) to provide sector services. To increase the number of GOH specialists, participant training should be expanded as to number of trainees; variety of disciplines (to include support fields such as business administration); and available U.S. schools. Emphasis should be placed on faculty development, especially of the Agricultural and Forestry School of the National University and other vocational schools, and on the training of women. To increase competency for specific tasks, in-service training (GOH commitment to which remains a major issue) should be provided. GOH institutional capability can be improved through development of systems for policy and planning formulation (especially for the Agrarian Reform Institute), budgeting, evaluation, and institutional organization; and by improvement of the extension program of the Ministry of Natural Resources. An experimental program to assist the GOH to improve its delivery systems for both reform and traditional farmers is being considered. Initial ideas focus on reform sector service centers and non-reform service cooperatives, and on improvement of GOH extension, farmer training, and credit programs. Also recommended are decentralization of sector institutions, especially by helping the GOH to plan and implement regional programs and to develop zone-specific infrastructure packages; and actions to strengthen the GOH capacity to develop marketing strategies and activities. Areas proposed for intensive review include creation of a policy-oriented marketing entity; and development of a post-harvest losses program and of vertically integrated production/processing/marketing systems for specific crops. A simplified financial administration, based on a modification of A.I.D. and GOH requirements, is also proposed to speed up implementation and increase GOH management capacity.