SOUTHERN GAMO GOFA AREA REHABILITATION PRE-IMPLEMENTATION (10/31/78-11/8/78)

PURPOSE OF PROJECT WAS TO BEGIN PILOT ACTIVITIES IN THE PROJ AREA,AND TO INSTITUTIONALIZE THE PROVINCIAL DEVELOPMENT OFFICE (PDO)'S ROLE IN SUB-PROJ SELECTN,DESIGN,APPROVAL,AND SUPERVISION. EVALUATN METHODOLOGY WAS BASED ON INTERVIEWS,MISSION RECORDS,AND ONSITE OBSERVATIONS. ALTHOUGH SOME PROGRESS HAS BEEN MADE AND MANY OF THE OPERATNAL DIFFICULTIES CONCERNING THE PROJ & ITS RELATION TO PDO HAVE BEEN OVERCOME,A NUMBER OF CRITICAL PROBLEMS REMAIN. OF THE 200,000 PEOPLE TO HAVE BENEFITED,ONLY 10% HAVE BEEN AFFECTED. THE MAJOR OBSTACLES STEMMED FROM UNSTABLE POLITICAL SITUATN;BUREAUCRATIC TURMOILS WHICH DELAYED PASSPORTS,CLEARANCES FOR SHORT-TERM PROJ CONSULTANTS; DISPUTES OVER THE AUTHORITY & RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE PDO HEAD & THE LOCAL PROJ COORDINATOR;AND TRAVEL REQUESTS FOR THE RDS TO VISIT PROJ SITES. FRUSTRATNS DUE TO PROJ DELAYS HAVE RESULTED IN RAPID TURN OVERS IN STAFF & A LACK OF PROJ SUPPORT FROM THE PDO,PROJ COORDINATOR,THE RDS,AND LOCAL BUSINESSES. FURTHER, AN EVALUATN BY THE REGIONAL ADMINISTRATION & AN AUDIT OF PROJ ACCOUNTS HAVE STOPPED ALL ACTIVITIES; 8 SUB-PROJECTS HAVE BEEN LEFT IN THE BALANCE WITHOUT CHIEF ADMINISTRATORS; USAID IS LACKING STAFF CAPACITY TO PROPERLY BACKSTOP & MONITOR THE PROJ;AND STUDIES OF LAND & WATER USE,AND THE ESTABLISHMT OF AN INFORMATN SYSTEM HAVE NOT BEEN COMPLETED. DESPITE A SLOW START & PRESENT OBSTACLES PROJ IMPLEMENTATN RESULTED IN THE ESTABLISHMT OF A FUNCTIONING PDO TO TRAIN LOCAL GOVT STAFF IN PROJ PLANNING & MANAGEMT,AND EVALUATN TECHNIQUES; TRAINING DEMONSTRATNS OF ADVANCED AGR PRACTICES FOR FARMER/NOMAD MEMBERS; ESTABLISHMT OF PROCEDURES FOR SUB-PROJ SELECTN,APPROVAL,AND EVALUATN; THE PROVISN OF A WORKING MODEL FOR PDO OPERATNS; AND DELIVERY OF DONOR ASSISTANCE FOR FARMER/NOMAD ASSOCIATN DEVEL ACTIVITIES. RECOMMENDATNS ARE TO: EXTEND THE PROJ ANOTHER YEAR; FILL USAID/E STAFF POSITNS TO PROVIDE BACKSTOPPING SUPPORT; REASSIGN AN RDS TO HIS OWN OFFICE AWAY FROM THE PDO;AND HAVE PDO & RDS MORE EFFECTIVELY PLAN AND USE THEIR TIME.