Review of agricultural research and information system

Audit report covers the period 4/79-4/81 and is based on document review and interviews with officials from A.I.D."s Regional Office for Central American Programs (ROCAP) and the Inter-American Institute of Agricultural Sciences (IICA), which is permanently integrating PIADIC into its agricultural information division. PIADIC has made good progress, although not all planned outputs will be fully achieved. PIADIC has developed methodologies and manuals for managing area-specific data and has trained more than 400 technicians in collecting, managing, and analyzing data. PIADIC methodologies have been accepted and tested by participating institutions. A 1/81 special evaluation made several recommendations regarding the need for the IIAC to continue assisting member countries when A.I.D. support ends in 6/81. Training in particular must be ongoing because of high turnover among technicians. The IICA has not kept an accounting breakdown of its counterpart contributions, but it is evident that the project has been impeded by the IICA"s failure to provide counterpart technicians as agreed; only 72% of planned person-months of TA will be provided by the IICA by project end. IICA financial accounting has generally been good, but certain documentation which should have been kept at IICA headquarters was kept at country offices. ROCAP"s financial monitoring of the project could have been better. Only 70% of the U.S. TA required under a Participating Agency Service Agreement (PASA) with the U.S. Agriculture Department (USDA) will be provided by project end due partly to the IICA"s failure to provide counterpart TA and partly to the fact that USDA billings were very late and not itemized as to services performed. The resultant uncertainty about funding availability has made PIADIC reluctant to program PASA activities. Recommendations are that: (1) ROCAP require the IICA to account for its counterpart contributions; (2) ROCAP work with the IICA to implement the special evaluation recommendations; and (3) AID/W inform ROCAP about remaining PASA monies, transfer charges incorrectly made to the project, and amend the PASA as necessary.