Managed input delivery and agricultural services (MIDAS I)

Although the project was extended 3 years, construction - having been limited to seed facilities due to a lack of constrction materials - is only one-third complete. All commodity orders had been filled, although deliveries were generally long delayed. Technical services for the seed and credit components were satisfactory and delivered on time, but delays were encountered in placing technicians from the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture for the research component. Similarly, extension efforts were delayed due to the unsatisfactory quality of the technicians initially recruited. At the purpose level, only moderate progress was made in strengthening the delivery capability of the implementing agencies. The continued deterioration of the economic situation in Ghana caused rapid decapitalization of the working capital available for small farmer credit and made foreign exchange for purchasing inputs such as fertilizer and pesticides extremely scarce. The monitoring of project inputs is being continued in conjunction with the current implementation of the follow-on project (Phase II). Pending the 10/83 evaluation of the latter, a further follow-on with the Ghana Seed Company project may be undertaken. Lessons learned are that: projects such as this should focus on strengthening existing institutions rather than creating new ones; a thorough appraisal of economic and political constraints must be performed at the project's outset; and special evaluation/redesign efforts should be initiated as necessary to compensate for a rapidly changing social and economic environment.