SMALL FARMER ORGANIZATIONS

THIS IS A FINAL REPORT. EIGHT TECHNICIANS WERE CONTRACTED TO SERVE AS COUNTERPARTS TO EIGHT NATL COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT SERVICE (NCDS) EMPLOYEES. THESE SIXTEEN PEOPLE WERE DIVIDED INTO EIGHT TEAMS WHICH COMPLETED TWO PRE-FEASIBILITY & FEASIBILITY STUDIES CONCERNING INTEGRAL COOPERATIVES. A FEASIBILITY STUDY CONCERNING FORMATION OF A FEDERATIIN OF INTEGRATED COOPERATIVES WAS COMPLETED IN 7/79. HOWEVER, THE STUDY WAS INCONCLUSIVE & WANDERED FROM THE SUGGESTED SCOPE OF WORK. IT IS GENERALLY BELIEVED THAT THE INTEGRAL COOPERATIVES ARE TOO WEAK TO PARTICIPATE IN A FEDERATION AT THIS TIME. THE BOLIVIAN AGRI BANK (BAB) WAS CHOSEN BY USAID, ROBERT R NATHAN ASSOCIATES (RRNA), AND THE NCDC AS THE MOST APPROPRIATE SOURCE OF CREDIT FOR THE SMALL FARMER ORGANIZATION PROG. AUTHOR CONCLUDES THAT THE NCDS ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE IS NO LONGER ADEQUATE FOR THE REVISED PROJ GOALS. NCDS IS DESIGNED TO PROVIDE COUNTERPART ASSISTANCE TO SMALL INFRASTRUCTURE PROJS. BECAUSE OF THE NATURE OF THESE NCDC SELF-HELP PROJS, NO PARTICULAR FOLLOW-UP IS REQUIRED. HOWEVER, THE COOPERATIVES RECEIVING ASSISTANCE UNDER THIS PROJ MUST HAVE ADEQUATE FOLLOW-UP. MONEY OFTEN WAS NOT AVAILABLE FOR TRAVEL TO SOLVE THE CRITICAL DIFFICULTIES WHICH HAVE CONFRONTED THE COOPERATIVES. THE RAPID TURNOVER OF NCDS DIRECTORS (FOUR DURING THE PAST EIGHT MOS) HAS ADVERSELY AFFECTED THE PROJ. IN ADDITION, THE DEPT OF COOPERATIVE DEVEL HAS NOT BEEN WELL ACCEPTED BY NCDS. WHILE THE PROJ ADVISORS ARE QUALIFIED FOR THEIR JOBS, THE GROUP IS SO LARGE & OF SUCH DIVERSE BACKGROUNDS THAT IT HAS NOT BEEN POSSIBLE TO DEVELOP A UNIFIED CONCEPT AMONG THEM. THERE IS SOME DOUBT AS TO THE EFFICACY OF PROVIDING FULL-TIME LOCAL ADVISORS TO THE CO-OP"S. EXPERIENCE HAS DEMONSTRATED THAT AN ADVISOR WORKING WITH A POOR MANAGER CAN ACCOMPLISH VERY LITTLE, AND A GOOD MANAGER DOES NOT NEED CONSTANT SUPERVISION. THREE-YR PROJECTIONS OF FINANCIAL OPERATING RESULTS WERE RECEIVED FROM THE CO-OP"S. THE TWO MILK MARKETING CO-OP"S, COCHABAMBA & SANTA CRUZ, WERE BEHIND THE TAHUANTINSUYO CO-OP IN THEIR PROJECTIONS OF SELF-SUFFICIENCY.