National agricultural research project

The project, to be implemented by ARC with help from a project-created National AR Council and long- and short-term TA, will upgrade ARC management, data collection/analysis, research methods, information dissemination, seed production, personnel, facilities, and collaborative AR. To improve ARC management, the project will: revise ARC bylaws to clarify organizational functions; create an incentive program; train ARC facility managers in AR planning/execution and AR supervisors in the group dynamics needed in interdisciplinary AR; and develop communication channels with ARC"s Data Collection and Analysis Unit (DCAU) and, through Regional Research Councils, with farmers. DCAU will provide ARC with policy and planning data, especially for monitoring price policies in connection with P.L. 480 Title I aid. ARC"s research methods will be improved by adding a farming systems approach and economic analysis and by expanding microcomputer use. To improve information dissemination, a national AR library will be established in Cairo, providing, inter alia, automated searches, extensive reference materials, and outreach to non-ARC users. ARC will produce breeder and foundation seed of improved varieties resulting from its research. Where feasible, as with hybrid maize and vegetables, private sector production and distribution of certified/registered seed will be encouraged. In other cases, the MOA seed authority will be responsible. Training will be both formal (60 graduate and 100 postdoctoral programs) and informal (pre- and in-service training for 1,500 and 7,000 persons, respectively; 330 study tours; and short courses for 10,000 farmers). Over 100 ARC facilities (including the library, seed facilities, and laboratories) will be renovated and a wide range of equipment provided. Finally, grants for collaborative AR with universities and private firms will improve the AR capabilities of cooperating entities and increase AR networking. Amendment (9/86) adds partial funding of experimental interdisciplinary and on-farm AR. (PD-AAU-541) Amendment (8/88) increases funding by $170 million, extends PACD to 9/94, expands research (e.g., in land improvement and international collaboration), and adds components to: (1) strengthen extension and other AR technology transfer; (2) support a GOE policy analysis unit; (3) improve seed technology (greatly expanded from original efforts); and (4) strengthen ARC"s project management and fund quick/flexible support to new agricultural development initiatives. (PD-AAY-252) Amendment of 5/20/93 reduces funding by $95 million and scales the project back to focus on activities which will generate measurable impacts by the PACD. Components are consolidated and/or modified as follows. (1) The research component is scaled back from broad institutional support for the ARC to focus on substantive priority research topics (e.g., integrated pest management, genetic engineering, postharvest losses, aquaculture, animal production, agro-management of newly reclaimed lands, key crops, export-oriented systems) under the collaborative research, research grants, and research support programs. (2) The technology transfer component is consolidated to focus on 6 regional research/extension centers and 12 governorates. (3) The seed technology component has terminated support for public seed production, and focuses now on fostering private seed production by helping the Central Administration for Seed (CAS) to support seed technology development and transfer, regulate seed quality, and facilitate seed policy development. (4) The policy component, which was experiencing significant implementation difficulties, was terminated in 6/92. Finally, project management activities will be augmented to include studies and analyses for a follow-on project(s) and initiatives arising in response to emergency situations within the agricultural sector. (PD-ABG-804)