South Pacific Region agricultural development project : mid-term evaluation report

Special evaluation covers the period 1980-5/84 and is based on document review, site visits, and discussions with regional and national agriculture personnel, students, and project staff. The project has made reasonable progress, despite a mediocre beginning, due much to the exceptional performance of the 3 technical advisors (TA's) currently assigned (4 more are being recruited); personal interaction is proving to be one of its most successful elements. Outputs have been commendable in education - TA's have provided assistance in 5 subject areas and the library (which is becoming a respected center) - but at the expense of research and extension. TA's have spent far more time teaching on campus than on research and extension combined; in fact, the extreme divergence between USP's interpretation of teaching as the priority responsibility and project intent was a severe problem early on. Still, 16 students have graduated from the new teaching certificate program and are returning home to work, and participant training has had above average success, although the number of postgraduate awards was cut from 10 to 6. Most or all scholarships have been used for certificates, not degrees. Progress has been only fair in extension; results did not materialize until the current TA's reported in 1982. Agricultural liaison officer (ALO) networks have been established in the Cooks, Fiji, Solomons, Niue, Tonga, and Vanuatu, and an ALO is scheduled for Western Samoa; there has been great variance in duties, however, and greater clarity is needed, in part to avoid duplicating national services. ALO's, most located within Ministries of Agriculture, have received 2-3 week training and have fostered linkages with related organizations. While two TA's have conducted research relevant to the region, overall research progress has been poor. Crop research has reached its limits under personnel and logistical bottlenecks, and research results have neither been published (extension work has contributed to several articles) nor stimulated the adoption of advanced technology. The project suffered early on from being one A.I.D.'s first projects in the region. It is recommended unequivocally that the project be extended for 5 years, as there is no better vehicle than USP for A.I.D.'s agricultural development goals.