Midterm evaluation of the faculty of agriculture subproject

The evaluation covers the period 1985-6/90. The FOA has not made sufficient efforts to develop a curriculum which responds to the country's agricultural training needs -- specifically, the need for post-secondary, non-degree technical training of agriculturalists. Moreover, the curriculum is too heavily weighted toward practical, hands-on skills and attempts to encompass too many subjects for a four-year program. It is recommended that all students receive strong general training during the first two or three years and then have the option of electing among a few broad specializations in which there are good employment opportunities. A course on Yemen's rural development that emphasizes the role of women in agriculture should be among the general requirements. The FOA's recent emphasis on faculty development is to its credit, and additional qualified Yemeni professors should be added as quickly as possible. Some of the faculty trainees have taken appallingly long periods of time to complete advanced degree study, and a five-year limit should be set. The FOA's instructional farm is a unique educational resource, and the new facilities under construction will compare favorably with those at institutions in developed as well as developing countries; use of the farm for research that is compatible with teaching is encouraged. Also, as there will be an impressive computer network in the new facility, efforts are needed to train faculty members to use computers -- existing ones are underutilized. Subproject management could benefit from greater cooperation among USAID/S, the University, and the FOA. More generally, FOA's greatest challenge over the next few years is one of sustaining the quality of its programs and maintaining its physical plant and facilities. Because only limited resources are available from the University, the Faculty needs to reach out vigorously to other financial sources. Subproject funds should be used more as seed money to facilitate these efforts than as direct support that will likely end with the subproject itself.