Integrated regional development project

PES covers the period 7/79-3/83 and is based on an attached special evaluation (XD-AAN-809-A), some details of which are included here. Some success has been achieved. The two departmental project units, or Projects for Integrated Rural Development (PRODERIN"s), have conducted community needs assessments and feasibility studies, developed plans, and implemented road, bridge, reservoir, and irrigation canal construction SP"s in Junin (18 of 35 completed) and Cajamarca (14 of 24 completed) with high levels of community participation and cost-effectiveness. Some 86% of beneficiaries have reported particular satisfaction with road/irrigation SP"s: irrigation SP"s (39.5 km in Cajamarca, 27.2 km in Junin) have resulted in a 25-45% expansion in irrigation holdings, a 50-100% increase in yields, and a 20-40% achievement of multiple crop harvests; road (70.22 km in Cajamarca, 97.8 km in Junin built or improved) and bridge SP"s have increased the number of beneficiary market trips. Although Cajamarca"s PRODERIN filled the departmental planning vacuum created during organization of the new Departmental Development Corporations (DDC"s) (within which the semi-autonomous PRODERIN"s have recently been subsumed) and helped prepare the new 1983-85 development plan, in general PRODERIN departmental planning has been limited by conflicts (due in part to overlapping functions) with other departmental organizations. In addition, little progress has been made in providing planned municipal TA/training (with only two courses provided) or in developing market town SP"s (with the first only intiated in 5/83). The latter has been hampered by, inter alia: a confusing translation of the market fund concept in the Spanish project agreement; the failure to establish a working relationship with the intermediary National Housing Bank; and the inability of municipalities to borrow central government funds. Recommendations and postevaluation actions modifying the project are detailed.