MANAGING PLANNED AGRICULTURE : GOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS INSTITUTE

Evaluation covers the period 10/77-9/80 and was based on the findings of two AID/W teams. This Agricultural Sector Implementation Project (ASIP) was to identify proven methods of overcoming agricultural development problems, disseminate this information to planners and managers through training programs, and provide follow-up support in applying these methods to specific activities. In Nepal, 10 local trainers were trained in ASIP training methods, while six were trained in Egypt. Approximately 200 mid-level managers in Egypt and 117 in Nepal attended courses during the testing of a pilot 2-week general management training curriculum. A 75-page supplement of successful, country-specific agricultural planning and management practices produced in Nepal was added to the general reference book compiled by the contractor; a modest Egyptian supplement will be finished in 7/80. Management development workshops conducted in Liberia, Santo Domingo, and the United States disseminated ASIP findings. In addition, reference manual selections were translated into French and Spanish and were distributed to appropriate USAID missions. ASIP/Egypt shortfalls included a delay in establishing a project site and in facilitating trainer team administrative assignments. The planned ASIP model was greatly scaled down to a general management course relevant to basic management duties, but did not address country-specific needs and priorities. ASIP received little support as an integrated, multi-faceted activity due to the narrow focus on training trainers and modifying training curricula. Project activities have been minimally institutionalized toward understanding potential ASIP model implementation, strategies and means of training local staff, and viable ongoing funding sources for training, field research, and consulting. ASIP/Egypt proposes that USAID and the Ministry of Agriculture implement a results-oriented agricultural management program. ASIP/Nepal recommends further ASIP model development.