Diversified Agricultural Support Project (DASP)

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The principal objectives of the Uttar Pradesh Diversified Agricultural Support Project are to increase agricultural productivity, to promote private sector development, and to improve rural infrastructure. There are six project components. The first, support for technology development, enhances capacity for research coordination; establishes a competitive agricultural research program (CARP) to support time bound adaptive research on priority constraints, increases productivity of the smallholder agriculture; and strengthens research support for technology dissemination activities. The second establishes a demand-driven technology dissemination system through rationalizing, reorienting, and strengthening line departments; increases participation by the private sector in input supply and support services; increases participation by the farming communities mobilized with the help of nongovernmental organizations; and supports human resource development and greater use of information technology. The third supports increased private sector involvement and public/private partnerships in agri-business development. The fourth supports rural infrastructure development by improving rural roads in the project districts, rural markets, and market information collection and dissemination systems. The fifth supports a project management and enhanced capacity for economic policy analysis while the sixth supports a project preparation facility.