Management assessment : Egypt major cereals improvement project

Special evaluation, focusing on project management, covers the period 7/79-6/81 and is based on document review, site visits, and interviews with GOE, USAID/E, and contractor personnel. The project, which originally focused on wheat, maize, sorghum, and barley, has been expanded to include grain legume and forage crops, farming systems research, and seed processing plants. A system of competitive university grants will also be established. The project is behind schedule in all major inputs - provision of technicians, assignment of land, construction, procurement, and external training - and will almost certainly not achieve its goals by 9/30/84 as planned. Nonetheless, real progress has been made in cereals research (particularly large-scale wheat demonstrations), although not in supporting fields, such as entomology and pathology. Integration of research and extension activities, however, has been minimal and no village extension agents (160 targeted) have been appointed yet. There has been a good, but limited, start in the production and distribution of foundation seed and four scientists have been chosen for U.S. seed training. Forage and grain legume research is behind schedule. Lack of a comprehensive plan has hampered training activities. Conflicting perceptions of the project's collaborative assistance methodology and failures in communication among the contractor (the Consortium for International Development), USAID/E, and the GOE are responsible for many of the project's problems. Moreover, lack of an active Executive Committee has deprived the project of essential guidance. Delays in procurement of equipment and supplies have been caused by complex purchasing and shipment procedures. Low incentive payments have caused a large turnover in the Egyptian extension staff. Numerous recommendations are made for improving communication and developing jointly arrived at project workplans. Other recommendations focus on management needs in the areas of budgeting, reporting, project evaluation, staffing, construction activities, training, research, extension, procurement, and, specifically, agricultural machinery procurement.