Project assistance completion report [: improvement of tomato production in Somalia]

The project began as a 4-year innovative research project under 9365542; in 1986, the remaining funds and the administration of the project were transferred to USAID/Somalia. One participant was sent in 1983 for short-term training in vegetable production at the Asean Vegetable Research and Development Center in Taiwan. He returned with a number of tomato germplasm samples and initiated testing them at the CARS (Central Agricultural Research Stations of the Ministry of Agriculture) for growth and production under Somali conditions. Several promising varieties were identified. Two attempts (in 1982 and 1984) were made to arrange for the visit of a consultant in tomato research who would help focus the research program and assist in ordering commodities for the laboratory. Arrangements failed because of problems in identifying a qualified consultatnt and differences between the Mission and AID/W as to which party would do the contracting. Upon the departure of the FAO expert assigned to CARS who had assisted the Somali researcher since the beginning of the project, the primary counterpart researcher was sent to the U.S. to get an M.S. in vegetable production, with emphasis on tomatoes. This action was preferred over bringing in a short-term consultant. Although the Somali researcher was scheduled to return in October 1988 to assume the leadership in vegetable research, he defected to Canada and has not returned to Somalia. Project objectives and purposes were not well-defined. There was no long-term TA component, and the only consultancy was cancelled. Scant attention was given to this project by USAID and the MOA. The result was that the project purpose was not met, and only $54,270 of a planned $218,000 (A.I.D./Somali) funding was spent. The undisbursed funds will be deobligated and returned to the U.S. Treasury. (Author abstract)