NUTRITION PLANNING IN CHILE - THIRD ANNUAL EVALUATION OF CHILE NUTRITION DEVELOPMENT LOAN 513-T-066

This special evaluation, prepared by the contractor, the New Transcentury Foundation, covers the period from 5/78 to 9/79 and focuses on the performance of the Government of Chile (GOC) implementing agency, the Chilean National Commission for Food and Nutrition (CONPAN). The aggressive tactics of its early leaders established CONPAN's importance, but alienated many GOC agencies. These leaders were removed and a GOC decree of 10/78 reduced CONPAN's national-level power, while leaving major opportunities for CONPAN to exercise influence at decentralized levels. Its new leaders have adopted a more conciliatory approach to GOC agencies and a more realistic approach to nutrition planning. The 1979 implementation plan proposed to develop CONPAN's information and analysis capacity, as recommended in the last evaluation, by creating within CONPAN an analysis unit (still undeveloped after four years) and integrating it with CONPAN's existing information unit. The plan also proposes a model regional nutrition planning project. Despite substantial staff changes, CONPAN has survived institutionally. Its survival in the future, probably as a group of experts providing information and analysis to GOC agencies, will depend on whether CONPAN can: (1) acquire a permanent staff dedicated to the basic tasks of analysis and planning (in contrast to past diversions into "projects"); (2) link its information and analysis units with GOC policy needs (instead of trying to analyze everything); (3) develop a methodology for the regional project, including training of participating GOC agencies; and (4) integrate projects within institutional goals. In order to further CONPAN's survival in line with the above, thirteen recommendations are made to USAID, including an immediate further extension of the loan's terminal disbursement date (already extended to 10/80) by at least a year. Evaluation is prefaced by a PES factsheet (PD-AAF-911-B1) which states that, due to other constraints, the loan will not be extended as recommended.