REVIEW & EVALUATION OF INTNL SOIL FERTILITY EVAL/IMPROVEMENT

EVALUATION CONDUCTED THROUGH ONSITE VISITS CONCLUDES THAT THE PROJECT IS FULFILLING ITS OBJECTIVES IN A HIGHLY SATISFACTORY MANNER. IT IS NOTED THAT THE CONTRACTOR'S STAFF HAS WORKED EFFECTIVELY TO DEVISE PRECISE AND SIMPLE ANALYTICAL PROCEDURES TO DETERMINE THE NUTRIENT STATUS OF SOILS. THE CONTRACTOR ALSO SUCCESSFULLY COOPERATED WITH LOCAL PERSONNEL IN ALL TEST COUNTRIES IN CARRYING OUT FIELD AND GREENHOUSE CORRELATION STUDIES. IN ADDITION, THE CONTRACTOR WAS SUCCESSFUL IN THE DESIGN, ORGANIZATION,AND ESTABLISHMENT OF LABORATORIES IN ALL THE COOPERATING COUNTRIES, AND IN THE TRAINING OF LOCAL PERSONNEL TO OPERATE THEM. CONTRACTOR HAS WORKED EFFECTIVELY WITH LOCAL EXTENSION AND DEVELOPMENT ORGANIZATIONS IN THE FORMULATION AND IMPLEMENTATION OF CAMPAIGNS TO INDUCE FARMERS TO FERTILIZE CORRECTLY. SUCH OPERATIONS ARE NOW IN PROGRESS IN GUATEMALA, EL SALVADOR, COSTA RICA AND ECUADOR. LASTLY, THE CONTRACTOR HAS ACCUMULATED AND ORGANIZED DATA AND INFORMATION RELATIVE TO THE AVAILABILITY AND UTILIZATION OF FERTILIZER AND SOIL AMENDMENTS. IT IS RECOMMENDED THAT THE COOPERATING COUNTRIES BE REGROUPED BASED UPON THE FORMATION OF NEW REGIONS AS WELL AS UPON TECHNICAL AND LOGICAL CONSIDERATIONS. REGROUPING WOULD CONSIST OF 1) GUATEMALA, HONDURAS, EL SALVADOR, NICARAGUA, COSTA RICA AND PANAMA; 2) ECUADOR, PERU AND BOLIVIA; 3) BRAZIL; 4) PARAGUAY AND URUGUAY; 5) DOMINICAN REPUBLIC, HAITI, WEST INDIES, AND GUYANA. IT IS ALSO RECOMMENDED THAT THE FULL-TIME TECHNICIAN POSITION IN BRAZIL BE ELIMINATED. IN THE FUTURE THAT COUNTRY WOULD BE SERVICED BY TDY VISITS.