YAMBIO AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH REHABILITATION PROJECT

The Agricultural Research Corporation (ARC), based in Wadi Mendani, is responsible for the facility. IVS will finance the renovation of the station"s entire physical plant including laboratories, administration block, stores and workshops, seed processing sheds, and staff housing. Three new houses for senior staff members will also be built. New equipment will be purchased for the soil, pathology, and entomology laboratories. Farm equipment and tools will be provided, and water and electrical systems installed. In addition, meteorological facilities and a library will be established and a station wagon, three pick-ups and a lorry will be purchased for the station. In addition to providing new facilities and equipment, IVS will assist in re-staffing the Yambio Station. An agronomist, a support service manager, a soil scientist, and an entomologist will be assigned to Yambio. A horticulturist and a pathologist will receive M.S. training (at the International Institute for Tropical Agriculture in Ibadan, Nigeria and at a university in the United States) and will return to serve at Yambio. Six laboratory technicians will receive short courses at the ARC and will complete their training on the job at Yambio. In addition, six agricultural techncians will be selected from the Yambio staff for on-the-job training as research officers. The content and methodology employed in on-the-job training will be incorporated into the ARC"s extension training curriculum. By the end of the project, ongoing trials in the production of cotton, coffee, tea, rice, kenaf, fruit, and vegetables will be carried out at the Yambio Station. The Southern Region Ministry of Agriculture will utilize the results of this research in its regional agricultural extension program. Finally, if called for, the IVS will submit a detailed plan for the expansion of this project.