AGR.EXTN.& APPLD.RESRCH.

closed

The Agricultural Extension and Applied Research Projeject will finance reorganization and strengthening of the General Directorate of Agricultural Affairs (GDAA) extension services in 16 provinces, together with support to six major research institutes of GDAA serving the project area. The project is intended to be a first step in a program to improve methods of agricultural extension and applied research ultimately on a nationwide basis. It is expected to increase agricultural productivity and agricultural incomes in the project area, contribute to institution building within GDAA, and to permit testing and refinement of techniques prior to their extension to the whole country. While many of the reforms to be introduced have been successfully applied on a pilot basis in previous Bank projects, they involve changes in the way staff have operated over many years and there is a risk that they may not be fully accepted. The reforms introduced under this project should be supplemented by further reforms, to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the extension and research systems. Two ministerial working groups will be established to develop proposals for such further reforms.