Burkina Faso - Agricultural Services

 ICRR 10180 Report Number : ICRR10180 ICR Review Operations Evaluation Department 1. Project Data : OEDID : OEDID: C1979 Project ID : P000285 Project Name : Agricultural Services Country : Burkina Faso Sector : Agricultural Extension L/C Number : C1979 Partners involved : Prepared by : Charles Derek Poate, OEDST Reviewed by : Madhur Gautam Group Manager : Roger H. Slade Date Posted : 08/14/1998 2. Project Objectives, Financing, Costs and Components : Objectives: (i) improve the effectiveness of agricultural and livestock extension services; (ii) strengthen animal health services; (iii) provide functional literacy training to farmers . Components: (i) agricultural extension; (ii) livestock services; (iii) functional literacy; (iv) studies and pilot operations; (v) monitoring and evaluation; (vi) strengthening the administrative and managerial capabilities of the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock . Costs and financing: The total project costs were US$ 46.6 million (US$ 44.9 million at appraisal) of which the Bank financed US$ 43.5 million (US$ 42 million at appraisal). There was no co-financing. The Bank credit was approved on January 17, 1989, was made effective on May 26, 1989, and was closed on December 31, 1997, three years after the original closing date. Final disbursement took place on June 11, 1998. 3. Achievement of Relevant Objectives : The project substantially achieved its first two objectives but failed to fully provide functional literacy training to farmers. This latter activity was suspended in 1991 and the funds reallocated. M&E units were effectively established and equipped as planned. 4. Significant Achievements : Successful introduction of participatory diagnosis of problems to enhance the relevance and effectiveness of extension services. A pilot microcredit scheme for women farmer organisations was highly successful with funds being used for income generating activities with repayment rates close to 100%. 5. Significant Shortcomings : The efficiency of the research-extension linkage was diminished by a lack of sufficiently decentralized annual consultation workshops to jointly identify demand driven training and on -farm research themes and to review results. The project activities cannot be sustained from government resources . 6. Ratings : ICR OED Review Reason for Disagreement /Comments Outcome : Satisfactory Satisfactory Institutional Dev .: Substantial Substantial Sustainability : Likely Uncertain The ICR did not expect the project to be financially sustainable as the government cannot sustain the high  level of recurrent costs. Although actions taken during implementation and the new approach of involving farmers' organizations in the second phase of the project may help reduce recurrent costs in future, at present the sustainability is uncertain . Bank Performance : Satisfactory Satisfactory Borrower Perf .: Satisfactory Satisfactory Quality of ICR : Satisfactory 7. Lessons of Broad Applicability : (i) the use of existing village organisations as a basis for the creation of farmers' contact groups and the decentralisation of management to regional and sub-regional levels increases the cost -effectiveness of public extension services; (ii) extension of low-input, low-risk technologies in semi-arid, high risk, environments can result in substantial adoption and impact (iii) decentralization and farmer participation in the development of extension themes improves the relevance, responsiveness and effectiveness of extension services. 8. Audit Recommended? Yes No 9. Comments on Quality of ICR : The quality of the ICR is satisfactory and important issues were well covered . However, no measure of the cost-efficiency of the project was provided - although the absence of ERR/IRR estimates in the SAR was noted as was the lack of data on which to base any calculations .