SENEGAL RANGE AND LIVESTOCK DEVELOPMENT

EVALUATION IS BASED ON REVIEW OF PROJECT DOCUMENTS, CONSULTATIONS WITH US AND SENGALESE STAFF, AND VISITS TO PROJECT SITES AND HERDERS. INITIAL DELAYS WERE CAUSED BY DIFFICULTIES IN OBTAINING QUALIFIED AND WILLING TECHNICIANS RECENTLY RECRUITED UNDER A PERSONAL SERVIES CONTRACT; PEACE CORPS VOLUNTEERS PROVED INEXPERIENCED AND HAVE LEFT THE PROJECT. GOVERNMENT OF SENEGAL (GOS) HAS PROVIDED GOOD PERSONNEL AND, MORE RECENTLY, FINANCIAL SUPPORT. CONSTRUCTION OF PROJECT FACILITIES AT BANIOU AND BAKEL HAS BEEN SLOW, BUT WILL BE COMPLETED THIS YEAR. THREE OF 21 PLANNED LIVESTOCK PONDS (PIT TYPE) HAVE BEEN COMPLETED AND ACCEPTED BY HERDERS. THE REMAINING STOCKPONDS WILL BE FINISHED IN 2 YEARS. CONSTRUCTION OF 100 KMS OF FIREBREAKS TO CONTROL BUSH FIRES IS ALSO EXPECTED BY THE END OF THE YEAR. IN ADDITION, 12 HERDER ORGANIZATIONS HAVE BEEN FORMED TO HELP IN FIRE CONTROL, AS WELL AS IN CRITICALLY IMPORTANT DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES, THE LATTER UNDER PROMOTION HUMAINE, WHOSE CONTINUANCE IS ADVISED. FIRE CONTROL ACTIVITY IS LAGGING, HOWEVER, DUE IN PART TO LACK OF CONTROL OF PREDATOR ANIMALS. SHORT-TERM US PARTICIPANT TRAINING WILL SHORTLY BE COMPLETED FOR A 3RD TECHNICIAN. IT IS RECOMMENDED THAT A GOS COUNTERPART BE ASSIGNED TO THE CONSERVATION ENGINEER. STILL NEEDED ARE A LIVESTOCK MARKETING STUDY AND A LIVESTOCK OFFTAKE SYSTEM, AS WELL AS A NEW SOCIOLOGICAL BASELINE SURVEY. PROJECTS SUCH AS THE ONE HERE EVALUATED NEED RAPID IMPLEMENTATION IN TERMS BOTH OF FINANCES AND PERSONNEL FROM HOST COUNTRY AND DONORS ALIKE. THIS PROJECT HAS SUFFERED FROM INADEQUACIES IN THESE RESPECTS, AS WELL AS FROM THE LACK OF AN INTERDISCIPLINARY APPROACH WITH GOS PERSONNEL IN REGARD TO CONSTRUCTION AND MAINTENANCE PROBLEMS. A MISSION CABLE WILL DETAIL REQUIREMENTS FOR A DESIGN TEAM IN PREPARATION FOR A PROJECT PAPER AMENDMENT TO JUSTIFY REQUEST OF PES FOR ADDITIONAL PROJECT FUNDING. MISSION WILL ALSO PREPARE A PIO/T FOR THE DESIGN ASSISTANCE REQUIRED.