Burkina Faso - Agricultural Research Project

Document of The World Bank FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY Report No. 16750 IMPLEMENTATION COMPLETION REPORT BURKINA FASO AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH PROJECT June 23, 1997 Africa Technical Agriculture HI Country Department 15 This document has a restricted distribution and may be used by recipients only in the performance of their official duties. Its contents may not otherwise be disclosed without World Bank authorization.  CU1RRENCY EQUIVALENTS Currency Unit =CFAF US$1.00 =CFAF 470.00 (as of December 29, 1995) FCFA 1.00 = US$0.0212 WMIGHTS AND MEASUREMENTS Unless otherwise stated, all weights and measures used in this report are metric. 1 metric ton (ton) = 2,205 pounds (lb) 1 hectare (ha) = 2.47 acres (ac) 1 kilometer (km) 0.62 miles (mi) 1 meter (m) = 3.28 feet (ft) FISCAL YEAR: The World Bnk - July 1 to June 30 Government of Burkina Faso - January 1 - December 31 Vice President: Jean-Louis Sarbib, AFR Country Director: Hasan Tuluy, AFC15 Technical Manager: Jean-Paul Chausse, AFTA3 Task Team Leader: Turto Turtiainen, AFTA3  FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS AMRT Atelier Mensuel de Revue de Technologies (Monthly Technology Review Meeting) CAMES Conseil Afticain et Malgache d 'Enseignement Sup erieur (African and Malagasy Council for Higher Education) CNRST Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique et Technologique (National Center for Scientific and Technological Research) CRRA Regional Research Center CTR Comite Technique de Recherche (Technical Research Committee) DVA Direction de la Vulgarisation Agricole (Directorate of Agricultural Extension) EPA Etablissement public a caractere administratif (Public agency) ESFIMA Research program for soil, water, fertilization, irrigation and mechanization IDA International Development Association INERA Institut d 'Etudes et de Recherches Agricoles (Agricultural Research Institute) IRBET Institut de Recherche en Biologie et Ecologie Tropicale (Research Institute for Tropical Biology and Ecology) MARA Ministere de l 'Agriculture et des Ressources Animales (Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Resources) MESSRS Ministere des Enseignements Secondaire et Superieur et de la Recherche Scientifique (Ministry of Secondary and Higher Education and Scientific Research) NASDP II Second National Agricultural Services Development Project NGO Nongovernmental organization ONG Organisation Non Gouvemementale (Non-Governmental Organization) PAPEM Point d'Appui de Prevulgarisation et d'Experimentation Multilocale (Mini-Station for Pre-Extension Experimentation) PRA Projet de Recherche Agricole (Agricultural Research Project) PSRA Plan Strategique de la Recherche Agricole (National Agricultural Research Strategy) USAID United States Agency for International Development This document has a restricted distribution and may be used by recipients only in the performance of their official duties. Its contents may not otherwise be disclosed without World Bank authorization.   BURKINA FASO AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH PROJECT_ Project Completion Report TABLE OF CONTENTS Page No. PREFACE ................................................. .i EVALUATION SUMMARY. ii PART I. PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION ASSESSMENT .1 A. INTRODUCTION .1 B. PROJECT OBJECTVES .1 1. Statement of Objectives .1 2. Evaluation of Objectives .2 C. ACHIEVEMENT OF OBJECTIVES .3 1. Capacity of the national agricultural research system .3 2. Balancing of the research programs .4 3. Research-user liaisons .5 4. Other implementation records .6 D. MAJOR FACTORS AFFECTING THE PROJECT .7 E. SUSTAINABILITY .8 F. BANK PERFORMANCE .9 G. BORROWER PERFORMANCE .10 H. ASSESSMENT OF OUTCOME .10 I. FUTURE OPERATIONS .12 J. KEY LESSONS LEARNED .13 PART II. STATISTICAL ANNEXES .15 TABLE 1: SUMMARY OF ASSESSMENTS .15 TABLE 2: RELATED BANK CREDITS .17 TABLE 3: PROJECT TIMETABLE .18 TABLE 4: CREDIT DISBURSEMENTS .18 TABLE 5: KEY INDICATORS FOR PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION .19  TABLE 6: KEY INDICATORS FOR PROJECT OPERATIONS ....................... .................. 21 TABLE 7: STUDIES INCLUDED IN THE PROJECT ......................................................... 21 TABLE 8: PROJECT COSTS AND FINANCING .......................................................... 21 TABLE 9: STATUS OF LEGAL COVENANTS .......................................................... 23 TABLE 10: COMPLIANCE WITH OPERATIONAL MANUAL STATEMENTS ............. 26 TABLE 12: BANK RESOURCES: STAFF INPUTS .......................................................... 26 TABLE 9: BANK RESOURCES: MISSIONS .......................................................... 27 PART III. THE BORROWER'S EVALUATION REPORT .............................................................. 24 Annex 1: Aide-Memoire by the ICR mission Annex 2: Comments by the Borrower on the ICR  IMPLEMENTATION COMPLETION REPORT BURKINA FASO AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH PROJECT PREFACE This is the Implementation Completion Report (ICR) for the first Agricultural Research Project (Projet de recherche agricole - PRA) in Burkina Faso, for which Credit 1896-BUR in the amount of SDR 14.1 million equivalent was approved on April 19, 1988 and made effective on December 29, 1988. The Credit was closed on December 31, 1996, that is, two years nine months later than the initial closing date of March 31, 1994. However, the project funds had been essentially exhausted already nine months earlier than the credit was closed, and the last extension of nine months only concerned three specific activities, viz., completion of selected infrastructure, installation of a new, computerized accounting system and development of experimental plots at a few research stations. The ICR is based on the observations of an IDA post-evaluation mission which took place from January 27 to February 3, 1997. The mission team comprised Messrs.Mmes. Turto Turtiainen (Team Leader), Marie-Helene Collion, Ibrahim Nebie, Shiv Singh (World Bank), and Hannibal Muhtar (Consultant). Mr. Dirk Prevoo assisted in preparing the tables in the annexes. For the ICR, the staff used the material in the project files, including the Staff Appraisal Report, the President's Report, the Development Credit Agreement (DCA), supervision reports, the midterm report, as well as a number of various studies and documents prepared during the project and for the evaluation mission by the Agricultural Research Institute (INERA). The information provided by these documents was supplemented and substantiated by field visits and meetings with research and extension staff and high- level office holders in the supervising ministry, the Ministry of Secondary and Higher Education and Scientific Research (MESSRS) and the National Center for Scientific and Technological Research (CRNST). The report was reviewed by Mr. Derek Byerlee, Research Advisor (AGRAF). The Government has done its own post-evaluation of the project. The Government's report and its comments on the IDA report are attached as annexes.   ii IMPLEMENTATION COMPLETION REPORT BURKINA FASO AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH PROJECT (Cr. 1896-BUR) EVALUATION SUMMARY Introduction 1. The Government of Burkina Faso prepared, over a period of several years in the 1980s, a project proposal to obtain a credit from IDA to develop the country's agricultural research. However, prior to the approval of the Agricultural Research Project (Projet de Recherche Agricole--PRNA), the World Bank Group played a limited role in Burkina Faso's economic development, and even then, it focused mainly on sectors other than agriculture. Because the relationship between the Bank and Burkina Faso Government deteriorated during the 1980s, IDA approved no new credits in 1986 and 1987. Relations improved when a new Government came to office in late 1987. The preparations of PRNA, starting with project preparation in 1982 and appraisal in 1986, led to approval of the Credit for the proposed project by the Board on April 19, 1988. 2. At appraisal, the total project costs were estimated at around US$18.8 million equivalent, of which US$0.9 million equivalent was expected to be financed by the Government, mainly to cover the costs of salaries and a part of other operating costs of administration and research. The total cost of the country's research program was larger than IDA and Government funds together, but the remainder was expected to be financed by the Government and other donors. Project objectives 3. As appraised in 1986, the project was conceived as the first phase of a 15-year assistance program for the development of Burkina Faso's agricultural research. The objectives of the first phase were to: (a) strengthen and consolidate the capacity of national agricultural research, including livestock and forestry, to plan, execute and evaluate research programs that are in line with the Government's agricultural policies, responsive to farmers' need, and to alert the Burkinab6 researchers of relevant research conducted in neighboring countries or international institutes; (b) improve the balance and linkages between individual research programs, by emphasizing multidisciplinary, system-oriented research, as opposed to the commodity-oriented research in the past; and (c) strengthen links between research and extension services. 4. The project's objectives were in line with the Bank Group's assistance strategy current at the time of appraisal. Development of agriculture is still a cornerstone of the Bank's strategy in its support of Burkina Faso. Agricultural research was, and still is, an essential element for developing agriculture and, through it, the incomes of the majority of the country's population. As the objectives or targets were not  iii quantified, except for civil works and financial inputs, it is difficult to assess whether their scope was appropriate. However, given that the project represented the first phase of a longer-term program, that the objectives and the project components focused on activities that were important for developing the research system, and that there was substantial improvement in all project-supported activities during the extended project period, the objectives can be considered to have provided a suitable description of the direction to be taken. However, in retrospect, the reviewers may observe that the objectives should have been made susceptible to being monitored effectively. Implementation Experience and Results 5. As mentioned, the project was planned to be the first phase of a long-term operation. Progress was made toward all the objectives, and all project components in support of reaching the objectives were essentially implemented. The institutional objective--that is, strengthening of the agricultural research capacity in Burkina Faso--was the most important objective; it was achieved as well as could be expected during the first phase of the project. A major outcome in this respect was the near-completion of an extensive training program. Closely linked with this objective was replacement of the expatriate manpower by local, trained managers and researchers. This objective was also well achieved. A proof of the adequacy of the capacity in general was the preparation of a National Agricultural Research Strategy largely by the Burkinabe manpower. Approved by the Government in 1995, it covers the planning, programming and coordination of all agricultural research carried out by different research institutions, technical ministries, projects, and NGOs in Burkina Faso. Its principal objectives and strategies are (a) to achieve food self-sufficiency and food security, particularly through increases in agropastoral and forestry products; (b) to improve the income and welfare of smallholders through intensification and diversification of agricultural production; and (c) to conserve and restore natural resources through better policies and soil management practices. Based on this strategy, the agricultural research institutes now have organized 20 research programs, clustered in five groups. 6. Some progress was also made in developing the channels through which to pass on the findings of agricultural research and to obtain feedback about the new requirements of the ultimate users of the research, that is, the (small-scale) farmers. During the follow-on phases of the program, however, more progress in this area is essential to better convert the research results into practical output increases on farmers fields and to make permanent the necessary liaison arrangements for that. Similarly, it is important in the future to balance the priorities between the programs on the basis of the new economic needs of the farmers and the country, such as securing food security through smallholder development and providing smallholders with suitable means to increase their cash income. 7. The main deviations from the appraisal situation--not in terms of quantity and finances, although they also differed from appraisal estimates--were the construction and rehabilitation of the physical infrastructure for the research system. The deviations may, however, have been justified. The original construction program was not well planned and not all planned works had a sufficient priority during the project. During the early years of the project higher needs and priorities were observed, and they required much extra planning, design, and administrative work on the side of the Borrower and flexibility on the side of the Bank. The overall works program that was completed was larger and more expensive than envisaged at appraisal, partly because of inflation, and partly because of modifications in structures and changes in priorities regarding the sites and types of buildings needed. 8. The project achieved its financial objectives satisfactorily. The total costs of the agricultural research system during the project period exceeded FCAF 10 billion. All the IDA funds reserved for the project under the Credit Agreement, SDR 14.1 million (equivalent to FCAF 7.7 billion), were used. Of the  iv rest, the Government contributed about 11 percent of the expenses, USAID about 6 percent, and other donors (Holland, EU, Canada, etc.) about 14 percent. During the project, there were shortcomings in annual audits, but they were corrected before the end of the project. 9. Several problems, including cumbersome procurement procedures, caused a slow start for the project and disbursements of its funds. For instance, the IDA disbursements for civil works were only FCAF 194 million during the first three years--less than 10 percent of the final amount of FCAF 2.2 billion. In addition, the disbursement activity had its own problems. The disbursement process has been largely streamlined both locally and within IDA, but the period between the release of funds from IDA and its arrival in the Special Account at a local bank is still too long. 10. The research structure in Burkina Faso was operational at the start of the project, but during the project period the output of the system accelerated substantially. Because Burkina Faso has five major agro-ecological zones based on climate, soil and socioeconomic factors, the extent of research needed to obtain results at the level of the individual farmer is inevitably larger than in some more homogeneous countries. Of the various crops and products researched and developed, the results in work on upland rice were remarkable; as a result of the development and introduction of improved varieties, upland rice yields for farners adopting the recommended packages have significantly increased during the last five years from about 800 kg/ha to about 2 000 kg/ha. Similar results were obtained on maize (productivity increase from 1.0 ton/ha to 2.0 ton/ha) and even better ones on cowpeas, where the improved varieties have produced yields four times those for the local varieties. Less dramatic, in some cases even marginal, results were recorded on sorghum and millet, groundnut, and lowland rice, but even there the drought- and disease-tolerant varieties studied at the research stations and introduced by them to farmers made production more consistent. The work on vegetables, tree crops, soil-water management, and farming systems research is expected to bring about measurable improvements in the near future. 11. The performance of the Bank Group in the different phases of the project was satisfactory. Improvements in the project implementation could have been attained if the Bank's operating budgets would have allowed more specialist staff (procurement, accounting and audit, agronomyl and research infrastructure specialists) to participate in the missions, especially in the early phase of the project that took off very slowly. The Borrower performance has also been satisfactory, except for the early part of the project when meeting the conditions of effectiveness and disbursement and the start of project implementation were slow. There were also other occasions when faster action was expected by the Bank missions, but some of the recommendations of the missions related to actions that were not among the original project objectives (for instance, the legal basis of implementing institutions and conditions of service for researchers). The Government has been in compliance with all the covenants of the Credit Agreement. Summary of Findings, Future Operations and Key Lessons Learned 12. As already mentioned, the project has been a successful first phase in a longer-term program aiming at strengthening the agricultural research capacity in Burkina Faso. It has also helped the agricultural research programs progress, to some extent, toward balancing the research programs both regionally and in relation to each other, and particularly in favor of programs that are important for the largest interest group, that is, smallholder farmers. The project benefited from several factors that facilitated its implementation, albeit in a longer period than originally planned. They included, among others, the commitment of the responsible Minister and his staff to make the project succeed, the flexibility 1 / However, the first Task Managers were Agriculturists  v shown by the implementing agencies to meet the changing requirements, and the Bank's responsiveness to the requested changes. Among the factors that hindered the speed of project implementation or affected otherwise negatively the achievement of the objectives as laid down at appraisal were that the roles of the different agencies involved were not adequately distinguished, that there were disincentives arising from the existing reward/promotion system, and that the conditions of service for the researchers were unsatisfactory. None of these were mentioned as constraints in the project documents before the midterm review of the project. 13. During the project the future direction of agricultural research in Burkina Faso has been laid out. The follow-on project is expected to continue where the first phase ended, completing the construction and rehabilitation program and taking care of the still remaining shortcomings and new tasks that have appeared since the appraisal of the previous project. It is envisaged in the second phase project that agricultural research in Burkina Faso's public sector will focus on programs with the highest national priorities and be implemented by more efficient institutions, INERA and IRSAT, with active participation by the private sector. 14. The sustainability of a service institution depends on its ability to provide its products (services) in such quantity and of such quality that there are interested parties that are willing to provide financing to facilitate continued operations of the institution. In this respect the sustainability of project activities is very promising. The satisfactory implementation of the Agricultural Research Project has provided INERA with an infrastructure, manpower and experience which are likely to ensure that the interested parties (Government, financing agencies, bilateral and multilateral donor agencies, and the users of its services--the extension service, farmer organizations, and farmers) are eager to make sure that agricultural research in Burkina Faso not only continues but further expands. The World Bank Group has already processed a follow-on project, the Second National Agricultural Services Development Project, which provides the commitment of the Govermment and IDA for the next four years. However, independence from outside resources is not likely to take place even during the next phase of the program. An area where sustainability is of a particular concern is the infrastructure of INERA. Maintenance of the infrastructure, now only partially completed, will continue to be a demanding financial burden for the Government. 15. The major lessons drawn from project implementation experience include the following: (a) agroprocessing and post-harvest technology research were not included in the first phase of the Bank involvement in Burkina Faso. Recent analyses of potential agricultural sector development show that the opportunities for added value and growth in the agroprocessing sub-sector may be as important as gains in productivity. Although an inclusion of more than one research institution in a project would make its implementation more complicated, the Bank should not invest in production research without investing simultaneously in post-harvest research; (b) it is difficult to establish permanent linkages with the users--that is, extension system, farmers and other interested parties--without formal, permanent arrangements. When the extension service, agricultural research, and promotion of fanner organizations are under different ministries or agencies, memorandums of understandings or research-originated efforts to link with others may be insufficient tools. More permanent committees, meeting regularly, to approve plans and to coordinate and monitor research activities are needed. Assistance for the activities that need to be closely linked should probably be financed under the canopy of one project; and  vi (c) appropriate technical input during the preparation and appraisal missions is critical for complex works to succeed. Such support includes specialists in project operations, accounting and audits, and, in the case of agricultural research, in agronomy, station management and infrastructure. For instance, before the designs for such works are made final, the necessary specialists should be consulted for obtaining an adequate assessment of management of physical facilities and infrastructure and to realistically evaluate sustainable project needs. The Bank staff or consultants should evaluate technical and engineering plans before the Bank's no-objections for their implementation is given.   IMPLEMENTATION COMPLETION REPORT BURKINA FASO AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH PROJECT (Cr. 1896-BUR) PART I: PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION ASSESSMENT A. INTRODUCTION 1. Realizing that agriculture is the mainstay of the economy, the Government of Burkina Faso has followed, since the early 1980s, a policy of agricultural development that aims at achieving food security, improving the incomes of the rural population, and protecting the environment. In 1985 the country endorsed the goals of intensification and diversification of agricultural production, improved management of natural resources, and performance of agricultural research. To achieve these goals, the Government initiated special programs for agricultural extension, research and community-based land management (Gestion des terroirs). Beginning in 1985, the development strategies for agricultural research were implemented on the basis of a policy paper titled "Lignes directrices d'organisation et d'administration strategique de recherches agricoles. " It emphasized agricultural research on farming systems; soil and water management; and production of traditional cereals, legumes, vegetables, fruits, rice and cotton, as well as animal husbandry. The IDA-financed Agricultural Research Project (PRNA), that was identified in 1983, appraised in 1986, and approved in 1988 was a tool to assist in developing and implementing the national policies for agricultural research. 2. In 1991 the Government adopted a Structural Adjustment Program to improve the competitiveness of the economy and to establish a basis for sustainable development. This program encompassed actions on fiscal policy, scope of the public sector, reform of the banking sector, reform of tariffs and trade policies, and liberalization of prices. The development strategies of the program also emphasized increased productivity based on smallholder production and promotion of smallholders' participation in development activities, thus further supporting the importance of agricultural research. B. PROJECT OBJECTIVES 1. Statement of Objectives 3. The long-term plan for developing agricultural research in Burkina Faso in the 1970s and 1980s aimed at developing a unified national institute and organization dealing with crops, livestock and forestry production, and responding to the needs of different categories of primary producers in various agro- economic zones. The organization was to be financially and administratively manageable and staffed by trained Burkinabe research specialists and a few short-term outside consultants. The Agricultural Research Project that was designed to help achieve these goals was conceived as the first time-slice of a 15-year program of assistance. The objectives of the project were to:  2 (a) strengthen and consolidate the capacity of national agricultural research to allow planning, execution, and evaluation of research programs responsive to farmers' needs and to alert the Burkinabe researchers of relevant research conducted in neighboring countries or international institutes; (b) improve the balance and linkages between individual research programs, by emphasizing multidisciplinary, farming system-oriented research, as opposed to the commodity-oriented research of the past; and (c) strengthen links between research and extension services and other interested parties. 6. To achieve the objectives the project was to: (a) recruit additional Burkinabe researchers and technicians and implement a technical assistance program, and gradually replace the expatriate personnel with local specialists; (b) carry out plans for the training necessary to increase the number and competence of the researchers, technicians, and administrative staff; (c) strengthen the physical infrastructure and its capacity to support improvement of the research activities; and (d) improve the financial management system and capacity in the Institute d'Etudes et de Recherches Agricoles (INERA). 2. Evaluation of Objectives 4. The agricultural research system was started during the colonial period, and it continued to rely on foreign expertise during the first two decades of independence. It had relatively limited research programs and agroclimatic coverage; its main focus was on meeting commercial needs rather than on serving the large majority of smallholder farmers, many of whom are still at a subsistence level. The linkages with other than commercial operators were limited, and the official Government structure for smallholder extension had been neglected. Given this situation, it is difficult to consider even in retrospect any approach and objectives other than those selected by the planners of the project. It was particularly important to take a long-term view of the development needs and use the resources available to build up the national capacity to plan, manage, and carry out agricultural research programs. The particular tools selected--recruitment and training of national researchers and technicians; use of foreign expertise selectively for mentoring and for continuing the current programs during the transition period; build-up the physical infrastructure, including laboratories and other research facilities; expansion of the research programs toward meeting the needs of the smallholder farmers; and attempt to link the agricultural research with the already existing extension activities--were valid at the time of project planning and appraisal and remain valid in retrospect. 5. The midterm review in 1992 did not change the project objectives. It recommended, however, to clarify and formalize the organizational arrangements and to delegate responsibility in the sector by developing and promulgating suitable laws or degrees. Also, the review acknowledged as an important goal the need to improve the terms and conditions of service for the researchers. If foreseen at the time of  3 project preparation and appraisal, the objectives on organizational aspects and researcher incentives could have been added in the list of project objectives. 6. The appraisal team did not report that it had considered any risks that could affect attainent of project objectives. Careful review of the risks could have made it possible to foresee the potential administrative and managerial problems arising from multi-agency involvement and to avoid some of the delays that occurred during project implementation. C. ACHIEVEMENT OF OBJECTIVES 7. As discussed later, the main objectives of the Agricultural Research Project were largely achieved. Substantial progress was made in building the national capacity to plan and implement research programs as well as in achieving greater balance between the various research programs. The plans for constructing, rehabilitating, and equipping the head offices of INERA, the Institut de Recherche en Biologie et Ecologie Tropicale (IRBET), research stations, and laboratories were modified several times, but most requirements in this respect were completed during the project period. Less progress was made in linking agricultural research with agricultural extension and the large number of expected users of the research outputs. 1. Capacity of the national agricultural research system 8. Strengthening human resources. The objective of building up the national human capacity for agricultural research was largely achieved. INERA's capacity was expanded mainly through systematic training, either inside the country or outside. At the start of the project, 68 staff members were to get doctorate, masters or DEA degrees', or engineering diplomas. Of these staff members, 57 have completed their training and the remaining targeted persons are finishing up their programs. A large part of training was funded by the IDA Credit; the rest was funded by various other agencies, such as USAID and French Cooperation, and by the Burkinabe Government. Therefore, whereas INERA and IRBET had only 45 researchers with doctoral, master's, or DEA degrees in 1989, the "new INERA" had 78 scientists with these degrees in 1996. During the same time, the reliance on expatriates decreased. From 20 expatriate scientists in 1991, only six remained in 1996. 9. Whenever INERA or IRBET lacked special scientists on their staff, they have been able to call on the University of Ouagadougou and the Rural Development Institute for assistance. This collaboration made it possible, for instance, to develop an adequate research program in animal production; development of such a research capacity was one of the conditions for the project to invest in infrastructure development in Dori (North) station, which was to host the animal production research program. 10. At the same time, INERA's capacity to provide adequate technical support to scientists has not improved. The recruitment of 49 new technicians that was planned did not take place; as a result the ratio between researchers and technicians deteriorated from 0.83 to 0.41 during the project, partly because of a parallel increase in the number of researchers. To use the trained researchers effectively, there should be at least one technician for each researcher. 11. Planning. INERA has demonstrated that it has developed planning capacities. In 1995 the Government approved a new strategy paper ("Plan strategique de recherches agricoles") to guide agricultural research. The previous plan had been achieved with considerable technical assistance, but in 1/ INERA and part of IRBET were merged in 1996.  4 preparing its 1995 plan INERA relied mostly on its own resources. This plan is much more comprehensive than the previous one, which served as the basis for the early IDA investments. It covers all the domains necessary to support agricultural development, including forestry, agro-processing, and post-harvest research; it also has a well-designed program on natural resource management, a difficult research area. The planning team first conducted an external review of research programs, in which scientists from international research centers and developed countries participated. The planning team based their work on regional surveys, in which local development agents and representatives of organized producers participated. 12. One of deficiencies of the planning process, however, has been a lack of priority-setting among programs at the macro-level. The program content and resource allocation proposed by each research program have been accepted without much change and without making the necessary reallocation of resources among programs to respond to changing economic and socio-economic conditions. Even with IDA's financial support, the Government would not be able to finance all the planned research programs. The strategic plan did not have the flexibility necessary to immediately reallocate resources in response to the devaluation of CFAF in 1994 and the opportunities to earn additional income for farmers. 13. Annualprogramming and budgeting. The annual work programs and budgets have been prepared as required, but in most cases there was no systematic approach that would have permitted users to participate in the process. However, some research teams--in particular, the farning systems research and the animal production teams--are encouraging producers to participate in the programming process at the grass-roots level. When the formal framework for consulting the users of research, such as the Regional Technical Committees (CTR), did not function well, informal processes initiated by some research teams have shown success. These well-motivated and action-oriented research teams have been able to establish an excellent framework for collaborative work with producer organizations (See paras 17 to 20 on linkages with research users). 14. Scientific support by INERA management. Scientific managerial support for programming, monitoring and evaluation has been limited. Three divisions--Programs, Documentation and Training, and Studies and Planning have shared responsibility for the support, and coordination among these divisions has been inadequate. In addition, there has been no formalized programming, monitoring and evaluation procedures. Also, the delegation of authority between the Program Division, the unit most likely to provide scientific backup to the programs, and the program leaders has been unclear. The program leaders, who are appointed by ministerial decree, may have felt hierarchically superior, because the head of the Program division is nominated by the Director General of CNRST. These organizational problems were probably a result of the fact that INERA was built around pre-existing programs and no organizational study was carried out to ensure the efficiency of the new structure. 2. Balancing of the Research Programs 15 Research organization for development. At the end of the project period, INERA and IRBET had established eight research programs, which were an important achievement of the research system. However, not only were there questions about the lack of appropriate weights for determining their scope (para 12) , but also there was a need for regional balancing. In order to bring research closer to the users, the project was to build regional research centers in the agro-ecological zones where there had previously been insufficient agricultural research (North, East, North-west) and to locate there national programs that respond to the specific needs of the region. For example, the animal production program was to be located in Dori (North). This approach was soon abandoned, primarily because senior researchers were reluctant  5 to leave their urban place of posting but also because it may not have been the best way to bring research closer to the clients. To improve the balance, regional multidisciplinary teams were established. They allowed senior researchers to participate in the regional programs and the regional researchers to participate in different national research programs. In practice, most regional researchers belonged to two cross-regional programs, farming systems research and ESFIMA (the research program for soil, water, fertilization, irrigation and mechanization). These multidisciplinary teams were constituted rather recently, the first one in Fada N' Gourma (East) in 1993. 16. At the end of the project, research regionalization was far from complete. Research efforts are still concentrated in Farako-Ba and above all in Kamboinse, where more than half of the researchers are located. (This concentration is partly justifiable because Kamboinse is also a training center.) Moreover, the role of these regional research teams vis-a-vis the national commodity programs remained ill defined until the end of the project. Other questions also call for answers: It is not clear whether the regional researchers belonging to these teams are only "super-technicians" testing the technologies proposed by the senior researchers linked with the national commodity programs in different agro-ecological conditions, or whether they really are farming systems research teams, responding to requests from farmers, NGOs and extension services with adaptive experiments. In the latter case, what should be their relationship with the national commodity programs? 3. Researcher-User Linkages 17. Oversight of planning. At appraisal, INERA had envisaged two committees of consultation with its partners: Comite Technique de Recherche (CTR) and Program Commissions. The CTRs were intended to provide a framework for research to present its results and discuss its future programs with its development partners at the regional level, thus ensuring the relevance of research for its users (extension service and farmers). These meetings took place only during the first two years. However, two additional technical coordination committees were organized at the national level on specific themes, soil fertility and irrigated cultivation. The regional committees of consultation were revived in 1994, when INERA used them as a forum to pre.ent its regional research programs as part of elaborating the strategic plan. 18. In the early phase of the project CTRs may have been premature as a framework for exchanging views with regional development partners because INERA did not have operational regional teams at that time. INERA only began to put regional research teams in place in 1992, first in Fada N'Gourma and later in other regions. Until then, agricultural research was planned at the national level, mostly as commodity programs. 19. The Monthly Technology Review Meetings. Among all the measures taken to intensify the relations between research and extension, the Atelier mensuel de revue de technologies (AMRTs) may have been the most important. They were organized by the Department of Extension (DVA) in collaboration with the Regional Research Centers (CRRA) to provide more regular contact between the users and researchers than the CTRs. With the help of CRRA researchers and DVA specialists, these meetings trained the extension agents and their supervisors and allowed an upward flow of information to researchers about the farmers' needs. The number of meeting places increased from one in 1988 to four in 1996. 20. Other. During the project period several other arrangements and agreements were made to engage the users in research work and to enable them to benefit from its results. These arrangements included collaboration with other research networks, research carried out to support selected development projects in Burkina Faso and adaptive research with two or three farner organizations to provide direct benefits for  6 their members. The Agricultural Research and Training Center in Kamboinse and the project-financed laboratories were used as practical training places for the students of the University of Ouagadougou, NGOs, and visitors from other countries in Africa. 4. Other Implementation Records 21. Strategies andplans. In 1995 the Government approved a new strategy paper ("Plan Strategique de Recherches Agricoles "-- PSRA) to guide agricultural research. The new strategy covers the planning, programming, and coordination of all agricultural research carried out by different research institutions, technical ministries, projects, and NGOs in Burkina Faso. Its principal objectives and strategies are (a) to achieve food self-sufficiency and food security, particularly through increases in agro-pastoral and forestry products; (b) to improve the income and welfare of smallholders through intensification and diversification of agricultural production; and (c) to conserve and restore natural resources through better policies and soil management practices. In addition, there are specific objectives for the environment aimed at controlling the pressure on natural resources, protecting biodiversity, and working toward reaching sustainability in the use of renewable resources. Based on this strategy, the agricultural research institutes now have organized 20 research programs, clustered in five groups. 22. Physicalfacilities. The project helped finance construction of the head office of INERA, rehabilitation of the head office of IRBET, and construction of buildings for seven research stations (Kamboinse, Farako Ba, Saria, Niangoloko--all previously existing--and Katchari, Di, and Kouare on new sites). In 1992 it was decided to add to the Di research station another administrative site in the city of Tougan (offices and houses) to improve on-farm researchers' access to various locations. The project also funded the purchase of agricultural and laboratory equipment and the rehabilitation of various research infrastructures. Because of start-up problems in implementing the project, the civil works started 15 months behind schedule. The IRBET buildings were rehabilitated as late as in 1995. 23. The original construction program was not very well planned, and some of the planned works were not carried out during the project. However, the overall works program completed was larger and more expensive than envisaged at appraisal, partly because of inflation and partly because of modifications in structures and changes in priorities regarding the sites and types of buildings needed. The deviations from the original program required to meet the unforeseen needs necessitated much extra planning, design, and administrative work on the side of the Borrower and flexibility on the side of the Bank. 24. Some of the expected works are still to be completed. Most new offices and other station buildings have been constructed, but auxiliary research facilities remain to be constructed, rehabilitated, or improved. The topographic and soil studies and development plans are ready for seven stations, but the actual works are still to be carried out. During project implementation the civil works suffered from a lack of planning and supervisory capacity in the implementing agencies and from a lack of experience on the part of the architectural companies used for conceptualizing and designing research infrastructure. IDA provided little technical support or supervision for the physical side of the project before 1994 when the Bank requested that INERA recruit a Research Infrastructures Specialist as a consultant on a retainer basis. 25. Financial management systems. To help INERA handle its increased responsibilities, the project was to use consultants to strengthen the budgeting, accounting, and financial information systems. In the beginning, there were conflicts between the national and foreign firms attempting to collaborate on this task, and so the systems were eventually implemented much later than originally planned. Gradually, it became evident that the software programs that had been installed, while usable, were cumbersome and needed to be modernized. Despite some delays, this modernization, including the testing, was carried out  7 during the project, so that the new software for accounting and management information systems was ready for use at the beginning of 1997. 26. Accounts and audits. INERA's accounts have been kept as required in the Credit Agreement, but the auditors have had reservations in annual audits of INERA, and IDA has expressed its concern about the quality of accounting. The auditors have noted a lack of manuals, inadequate maintenance of inventory records and inappropriate depreciation method, poor management at one of the research stations in 1993, and shortage of accounting personnel, mixing of funds of different financing sources (as advances when waiting for funds from other sources to arrive), and delay in implementing the new accounting plan. These shortcomings have been gradually corrected and the audit of the 1995 accounts was unqualified. D. MAJOR FACTORS AFFECTING THE PROJECT 27. Implementation of the project was facilitated, albeit in a longer period than originally planned, because of several favorable factors: (a) the commitment of the responsible Minister and his staff to make the project succeed; (b) the good education level of the management and research staff, which enabled them to develop the skills to manage development process and research programs during the project period; (c) flexibility shown by the implementing agencies to meet the changing requirements and the Bank's responsiveness to the requested changes; (d) relatively frequent supervision missions that provided extensive advice on most problem areas, and (e) the gradual development of interest among the farmers to try new methods and research results. 28. A number of other factors slowed down project implementation or otherwise limited the achievement of objectives as laid down at appraisal: (a) the roles of different agencies involved were inadequately distinguished; (b) the existing reward/promotion system provided disincentives; and (c) the other conditions of service for the researchers were unsatisfactory. These aspects, as explained further in the following, were not specifically reviewed or planned before the project started. 29. Legal context of the involved organizations. No specific objectives were stated for this area at appraisal, particularly with respect to the relationship between the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique et Technologique (CNRST) and its specialized institutes. In fact, CNRST was not mentioned in the Credit Agreement because it was expected to disappear soon after negotiations, but that did not happen. In 1992, at the time of midterm review, the lack of clarity in the institutional arrangements (CRNST) and the research institutes was diagnosed as a problem. The midterm review recommended (a) that the legal texts be reviewed and revised to ensure consistency in the decision making and management of the institute and (b) that maximum autonomy be given to the institutes, especially for appointment of personnel and for financial management, and that the institutes be made accountable for the results. 30. A new decree for CNRST was adopted in December 1996, just before the Credit was closed. CNRST is now an Etablissement public a caractere administratif (EPA) specialise while waiting the adoption of a new statute making it an Etablissement public a caractere scientifique et technique (EPST). The new statute is better than the previous one in that that it recognizes the special nature of a research institute, especially as to the personnel management and the need for specialized scientific governing bodies. The text leaves the door open for maximum autonomy for the institutes, but this will need to be clarified in the decrees organizing the institutes. These decrees are still being discussed. 31. Conditions of service for researchers. The scientific promotion system, the Conseil Africain et Malgache d'Enseignement Superieur (CAMES), to which Burkina Faso belongs, has been a source of  8 problems, because classification and promotion of researchers are subject to CAMES decisions. On the one hand a promotion and reward system that is completely external guarantees objectivity. On the other hand, because the CAMES system has been designed for the universities, it emphasizes the importance of publications and degrees as criteria for promotion over any other factors. Because holding a doctorate is a prerequisite to entering the CAMES system, the main concern for young researchers is to prepare their thesis. For the older researchers to progress within the system, numerous scientific publications are a must. Work with extension services or farmers is not rewarded in the system at all. Thus it has been difficult to promote a development-oriented research, to make researchers move to the field, and to make them interested in training of extension agents and farmers. 32. Because the potential problems concerning the researchers' promotion and reward system were not spotted at appraisal, no specific objectives were stated in this respect. The midterm review identified the constraints arising from the CAMES system and recommended that it be revised. The final results of the Government's efforts, initiated in 1996, to modify the criteria used by CAMES for placing researchers in personnel categories and promoting and rewarding their efforts are yet to be seen. In the meantime, the researchers are evaluated under the old and inadequate system. 33. Procurement and disbursements. Procurement has been a major problem area throughout implementation of the project. The main reasons are: (a) the inexperience of the staff at INERA with World Bank procedures; (b) the complexities relating to the specification of the civil works and goods (all research stations and laboratory equipment needed to be prepared without a benefit of previous examples); and (c) the long and cumbersome local procurement procedures. The staff gradually obtained adequate training and experience, but those who participate in the process outside INERA (Ministry of Economy and Finance and the CRNST committee dealing with procurement) still need training in Bank procedures. Because the Government limits for approval at each level of the process are quite low, there is little chance of delegating procurement decisions downwards. In addition, the CRNST committee dealing with procurement, while being the last in the chain, can reject an award that has been reviewed at INERA, Ministry of Economy and Finance, and IDA, sometimes making the work of several months or even a year go wasted. 34. Procurement problems have caused numerous delays in contracts and purchases, and they were a major reason why disbursements got such a slow start. For instance, the IDA disbursements for civil works were only FCAF 194 million during the first three years, that is, less than 10 percent of the final amount of FCAF 2.2 billion. In addition, the disbursement activity has had its own problems. The process has been largely streamlined both locally and within IDA, but it still takes too long for the funds released from IDA to arrive in the Special Account. This problem needs to be resolved before the follow- up project starts. E. SUSTAINABILITY 35. The sustainability of a service institution depends on its ability to provide its products (services) in such quantity and of such quality that there are interested parties who are willing to provide financing to facilitate continued operations of the institution. The satisfactory implementation of the Agricultural Research Project has provided INERA with an infrastructure, manpower, and experience that are likely to ensure that concerned parties (Government, financing agencies, bilateral and multilateral donor agencies, and the users of its services--the extension service, farmer organizations, and farmers) are eager to make sure that agricultural research in Burkina Faso not only continues, but further expands. In fact, the agricultural research system in Burkina Faso has already succeeded in developing a reputation as among  9 the best in Africa. In the context of the appraisal and negotiation of a follow-on project, the Second National Agricultural Services Development Project, the Government and IDA have already committed their support for the next four-year phase in the development of agricultural research and the project contains elements that will increase the purchase of agricultural research services by the private sector. However, the dependence on the various other interested parties can be assumed to continue well beyond the next project, and the Government needs to monitor that agricultural research will not expand more than the funds available for this and other similar public services allow. 36. Sustainability is of particular concern in the infrastructure of INERA. Because of poor quality of the work (see Borrower's performance), maintaining the infrastructure will continue to be a financial burden. It is doubtful that the infrastructure is sustainable under present budgets because the various buildings and civil works will require far more than the funds presently allocated for maintenance. Another concern is the scope of the strategic plan for agricultural research, which contains no priorities at the macro level and, if implemented fully, would require a substantial increase in the number of researchers (73 over the existing 109 researchers) and support staff (110 technicians more than at the present). Funds for such expansion are unlikely to be available, and the decision makers need to decide on the priorities of research to avoid spreading the resources too thin. F. BANK PERFORMANCE 37. From identification to appraisal. The project took a long time to develop from identification to appraisal. It was identified by the Bank Group already in 1983, based on earlier requests by the Government. Because the Bank Group was relatively inactive during the early and mid- 1980s, it provided only limited support to project identification and preparation (two one-man missions). However, the Bank Group financed the services of a specialist from the International Service for National Agricultural Research (ISNAR), who, with FAO and Government teams, was instrumental in designing the project and preparing the project documents. Considering the situation of the agricultural research and political changes taking place in the country at that time, the preparation was well done. 38. From appraisal to effectiveness. The appraisal team consisted of seven persons, representing the skills needed for appraising the various components and functions of the project. Appraisal took place in December 1986 and negotiations in July 1987. It took another 18 months to approve the project and make the credit effective. The main reason for the delay was disagreements between the Bank and borrower about the economic policies, which in Burkina Faso during that period were based on very strongly centralized government and non-market-oriented economic management. The appraisal process included substantial use of specialists and consultants, and the overall result of appraisal was satisfactory. However, some aspects, such as the implications of the weakly defined organizational responsibilities (para 29) and the need to improve the inadequately planned program for infrastructure development (para 23), were overlooked. 39. Supervision. Supervision was regular and the missions took adequate time. They provided aide- memoires with detailed advice for project implementation. However, probably because of budgetary constraints, the missions had too few specialized members; during the first three years the mission consisted of only one or two members and even later missions lacked important skills. For instance, although there were accounting problems for several years, there was no specialist in accounts and audits in the supervision missions. Only in the two years before the end of the project was an infrastructure and research equipment specialist brought in to assist in the supervision. To avoid the flaws that eventually required costly repairs, more attention should have been given at the start of the project to the characteristics of the proposed buildings and their envisaged use. Apparently also the Bank's no-objections  10 for designs and procurement requests were slow in coming. In some station rehabilitations, the Bank gave its no-objection to civil works without ensuring that technical plans had been adequately prepared. There also was a gap of a couple of years when there was not an agronomist in the IDA missions. The last mission, which coincided with a pre-evaluation mission for a follow-on project, included an agronomist, and he made numerous recommendations for improvement of the technologies under development. G. BORROWER PERFORMANCE 40. Meeting the conditions of effectiveness took the Government seven months, but compliance with the conditions of disbursement took substantially longer. In addition, because the staff of the implementing agencies were unfamiliar with the Bank Group procedures, particularly those regarding procurement and disbursement, a couple of years passed before the project began to be effectively implemented. Subsequently, most of the project activities were completed relatively normally, and the project itself was completed in two more years than originally projected. The project was administered according to the plans; the main problem was several qualified audits (which were cleared up before the end of the project). 41. The main part of the project was implemented by INERA, and its staff--as well as staff at the other agencies involved (MESSRS, CRNST, and IRBET)--deserve credit for the hard work, commitment, and flexibility they showed during project implementation. However, the achievements listed in this report were not easy to obtain, and, consequently, many activities were delayed. For instance, preparation of the strategy for agricultural research took a long time and the appraisal of the project was delayed. Also, whereas the implementing agencies were generally responsive to the recommendations of the supervision missions, CNRST was quite slow to respond to some of the recommendations of the 1992 joint midterm review. For instance, CNRST began to actively address the need to change the legal statutes and the CAMES promotion system only in 1995. The new CNRST decree was adopted in December 1996, and the decrees for the institutes have been signed. Modification of the CAMES promotion system is still under discussion. 42. CNRST and INERA have also been unable to make the necessary decisions on reallocation of resources among different programs and on the overall scope of the agricultural research system (INERA and IRSAT) for the future, both in terms of personnel and in terms of infrastructure. 43. Supervision of the execution of the construction was mainly done by the understaffed "Bureau d'appui Technique" of INERA, which was not sufficiently qualified for research infrastructure design. This problem led to inadequate supervision and control and may have played a role in the poor quality of the construction and a marked increase in the final building costs. H. ASSESSMENT OF OUTCOME 44. The project was planned to be the first phase of a longer-term (15 years) program of building up and strengthening the agricultural research system that had been started during the colonial era. In summary, the project can be considered to have been satisfactorily implemented. The main objective of strengthening of the national capacity for agricultural research has been largely achieved. Training of the researchers and key management staff in the national research system has been successful. INERA now has a solid scientific capacity, although the staff and research programs still require some balancing among themselves. The research capacity is supported by new or partially rehabilitated infrastructure and other  11 improved facilities, including laboratories. Most of the projected construction has been executed, although some facilities, such as experimentation fields for researchers, have not been completed. 45. Because of the potentially long-term effect on agricultural development in the country, the principal outcome of the project may be the proven planning capacity of CRNST and INERA for preparing the national strategy for agricultural research. Implementation of the plan will require clear prioritization, if the best use is to be made of the limited resources. Several research teams have demonstrated their mastery of participative research methods by collaborating with producers. The system of researcher promotion and rewarding is being modified. Good collaboration has also been established with the University of Ouagadougou and the Institute of Rural Development which have complemented the skills available at INERA. In addition, animal resource research, nearly non-existent in the past, has become a solid program. 46. The project has had less success in making permanent consultative arrangements with other interested parties at the national and regional levels, in administering and managing the research stations, programming the budgeting process, monitoring and evaluating the research programs and evaluating personnel. These problems will be dealt with during the follow-on project. 47. Research outputs and outcomes. The basic research structure in Burkina Faso was operational at the start of the project, but during the project period the output of the system accelerated substantially. As Burkina Faso has five major agro-ecological zones based on climate, soil and socioeconomic factors, the extent of research needed to obtain results at the level of the individual farmer is inevitably larger than in some more homogeneous country. 48. Of the various crops and products researched and developed, the work on upland rice was remarkable; because of the introduction of improved varieties, upland rice yields for farmers who have adopted the recommended packages have significantly increased during the last five years, from about 800 kg/ha to about 2,000 kg/ha. Similar results were obtained on maize (productivity increased from 1.0 ton/ha to 2.0 ton/ha), and even better on cowpeas, where the imported varieties have produced yields four times higher than those of the local varieties. Less dramatic and in some cases even marginal, results were recorded on sorghum and millet, groundnuts, and lowland rice, but even there the drought- and disease-tolerant varieties studied at the research stations and introduced by them to farmers have made production more consistent. The research on vegetables, tree crops, soil-water management, and farming systems are expected to bring about measurable improvements in the near future. 49. As already indicated, regional variations in the research and its use are substantial. Research is only one factor among many that determine the development of agriculture, but research appears to have had an important impact in all regions of the country. The Western Region, where the rainfall ranges from 900 to 1,200 mm and is distributed over a 6-month period, has the best productive potential. Rice, maize, and cotton are the predominant crops cultivated in this region. Good progress has been made in the development of upland rice, maize and cotton varieties. The improved upland rice varieties occupy about 60 percent of the cultivated rice area, whereas the new varieties of maize and cotton are cultivated in about 90 percent of the area under these crops. The Northwest Region receives from 600 to 800 mm rainfall. In this region, small-scale farming with a mixture of sorghum, millet and cowpea crops and with small ruminants is predominant. It has been difficult to increase productivity under this farming system, but where irrigation is available, rice and vegetables are cultivated as cash crops. The Central Plateau, which occupies a large area and has higher population density, receives 600 to 900 mm rainfall. This is a major region for cultivation of sorghum, millet, groundnut, sesame and cowpeas. Significant increases in cowpea yields have been achieved in this region. The Eastern Region is the least developed and least populous.  12 Rainfall ranges from 600 to 900 mm per annum. Sorghum, millet, groundnuts, cowpeas and cotton are cultivated there. The farmers also have large herds of cattle. In this region, there has been no significant change either in the cropping systems or in overall productivity. The Sahel Region in the north receives less than 500 mm rainfall. Livestock is the main economic activity. The staple food crops grown are millet and cowpeas. A local cowpea variety, the Gorom Gorom Local, which has high resistance to drought and Striga, has been introduced on a large scale in this region, resulting in a significant increase in production of cowpeas for human consumption and of fodder for cattle. I. FUTURE OPERATIONS 50. As already mentioned, the project was planned to be the first phase of a 15-year development program. A four-year follow-up phase is planned to take place under IDA and Government financing. The new project, the Second National Services Development Project (NASDP I1), has already been appraised and negotiated. It will pay particular attention to further strengthening the linkages among agricultural research, extension, and fanner organizations by merging the follow-on operations planned for the Agricultural Research Project and Agricultural Services Project and by creating formal coordination bodies at different levels. The operational goals of the follow-on project are based on the strategic and action plans prepared by INERA and approved by the Government. 51. The research component of NASDP II will integrate forestry research with other agricultural research programs under the new INERA. Two other research programs, agricultural machinery and agroprocessing will be promoted under a newly created institute, IRSAT. The coordination problems between INERA and IRBET that were observed during the first phase will be avoided by having common governing bodies and by organizing separate administration funds for each of the project components. The follow-on project will also seek to reallocate the staff and resources between different research programs that has become necessary because of changing economic conditions and the fact that some essential programs (such as horticulture) have long been understaffed. With the new statutes, INERA will have suitable autonomy and accountability; for instance, it will be able to establish a unit for scientific direction that should be able to provide the necessary scientific backup to programs and enforce procedures for programming, monitoring, and evaluation. Further, to resolve the problem of the dearth of technicians, INERA, with the help of the IDA credit, will recruit some 40 technicians. Their salaries will progressively be taken over by CNRST budget so that by the end of the second phase they will all be part of CNRST staff. Similarly, NASDP II will address other problems observed during the first phase of the program, such as researchers' condition of service, prioritization of research programs, supervision of the construction and rehabilitation works, and slow procurement. 52. Research management. In the process of its review, the Project Completion Mission studied, with the Burkinabe counterparts, the current research opportunities and needs. The recommendation was that agricultural research under the follow-on project should continue to focus on soil-water management, soil fertility, nutrient recycling, improvement in organic matter, water catchment studies, improved cropping systems/farming systems methods, and maintenance of bio-diversity including medicinal plants. The recommendations by the IDA team for different activities were as follows: (a) rice: research should focus on developing lowland valley-bottom rice; IPM; regional collaboration; and on providing hands-on training in rice production for rice research staff, technicians, and farmers; and on strengthening the rice-breeding program;  13 (b) cereals (maize, sorghum, millet): research on cereals should continue to focus on varieties with resistance to Striga, drought, and diseases. In collaboration with ICRISAT, INERA should explore the possibility of introducing hybrid sorghum in the preferred moisture regime regions; (c) legumes (groundnuts, cowpeas, sesame, and Bambarra groundnut): the legume program should be decentralized to form part of the cereal cropping systems in the different agro-ecologies. (d) vegetables: the vegetable research program should be strengthened; (e) cotton: the research should focus on IPM and soil management problems in cotton-based cropping systems; (f) seed: the unavailability of improved seed is a major constraint in increasing the food production; a seed sector development program should be initiated; also procedures for varietal release, nomenclature, pedigree, and identification of variety should be standardized; (g) post-harvest technologies: future research programs should focus increasingly on reducing post- harvest losses in rice, cereals, legumes, and vegetables; and (h) forestry: agro-forestry should include research on forest by-products. J. KEY LESSONS LEARNED 53. Importance of research on agroprocessing. Agroprocessing and post-harvest technology research were not included in the first phase of the Bank involvement. Recent analyses of potential agricultural sector development show that the opportunities for added value and growth in the agroprocessing sub- sector may be as important as gains in productivity. Although addition of agro-processing component would complicate projects if more than one research institution is involved, the Bank should not invest in production research without investing simultaneously in post-harvest research. 54. Critical linkages. It is difficult to establish regular linkages with the users--that is, extension system, farmers and other interested parties--without formal, permanent arrangements. When the extension service, agricultural research, and promotion of farmer organizations are under different ministries or agencies, memorandums of understandings or research-originated efforts to have liaisons with others may be inadequate tools. More permanent committees, meeting regularly, to approve plans, and to coordinate and monitor the research activities are needed. Assistance for the activities that need to be closely linked should probably be financed under the canopy of a single project. 55. Decentralization of R&D. A country with several agro-ecological zones requires substantial decentralization of research and development work. Also, participation by farmers, local governments and community-based organizations is possible only if research programs are not only carried out in the field but also managed there. However, research cannot be decentralized on a meaningful scale without adequate incentives for senior staff to transfer to the field. 56. The Bank's technical supportfor infrastructure development. Appropriate technical input during the preparation and appraisal missions is critical for complex works to succeed. In the future, before the designs for such works are made final, the necessary specialists should be consulted for obtaining an adequate assessment of the quality of the works, management of physical facilities and infrastructure, and realistic evaluation of sustainable project needs. The Bank should evaluate technical and engineering plans  14 before giving its no-objections for their implementation. Where Bank staff cannot do such an evaluation (because of lack of time or unavailability of engineering specialists among the Bank staff), funds should be reserved in annual task budgets to recruit qualified consultants to evaluate and approve the technical content of the civil works. 57. Other implementation support. Particularly with the first project in a subsector such as agricultural research, the Bank should be prepared to provide adequate funds for project-launching seminars and for specialist services through supervision missions to accelerate the start of the project and get it onto the right track. 58. Station management and development. Research stations demand a high level of management skills and careful planning of stations, activities, and staff. Their costs, along with infrastructure and capital items, constitute a high portion of the total investment of the project. In this project, the managers were chosen from among the researchers, they were not trained for the job, and they continued to work as researchers. Projects must take into account the special needs of stations and support services that are provided to research programs and laboratories. The specialization required for effective station management should be recognized, and appropriately qualified and trained staff recruited for these tasks. (Starting in early 1994, with strong support from the Bank, INERA tried to re-emphasize the task of the station manager and support services.)  15 IMPLEMENTATION COMPLETION REPORT BURKINA FASO AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH PROJECT (Credit 1896-BUR) III. STATISTICAL TABLES TABLE 1: SUMMARY OF ASSESSMENTS A. Achievement of Objectives Objectives Substantial Partial Negligible Not Applicable Macro Policies / Sector Policies / Financial / Objectives l Institutional Development Physical Objectives Poverty / Reduction Gender Issues / Other Social / Objectives Environmental / Objectives Public Sector / Management Private Sector I Development Other (specify) X B. Project Sustainability Proj ect Likely Unlikely Uncertain Sustainability : ~/  16 C Bank Performance Performance Highly Satisfactory Deficient Satisfactory Identification I Preparation / Assistance Appraisal _ Supervision / D. Borrower Performance Performance Highly Satisfactory Deficient Satisfactory Preparation v Implementation _ Covenant / Compliance Operation (if / applicable) _ E. Assessment of Outcome Performance Highly Satisfactory Unsatisfactory Highly Satisfactory Unsatisfactory Outcome |f  17 Table 2: Related Bank Loans/Credits Loan/Credit Title Amount (in Purpose Year of Status SDR millions) Approval Agricultural Sector 28.0 Support the government's 1992 Closed on Adjustment Credit medium-term sectoral Dec. 31, (Cr. 2381-BUR) objective program and 1995 hence promote sustainable growth in the agricultural sector Environmental 16.5 Stop and reverse the 1991 Ongoing Management (Cr. process of natural resources 2229-BUR) degradation in order to secure sustainable agricultural growth, to restore biodiversity, and to manage forests and wildlife sustainably Agricultural Services 42.0 Improve the effectiveness 1989 Ongoing (Cr. 1979-BUR) of extension services, strengthen animal health services and adaptive research programs, and provide functional literacy training to farmers Second Bougouriba 16.0 Improve food crop, cotton 1989 Closed on Agr. Dev. Project (Cr. and livestock production, March 31, 1097-BUR) and afforestation in 1989 Bougouriba area Volta Noire Agr. 6.8 Improve agriculture and the 1983 Closed on Dev. Project (Cr. welfare of pastoralists in June 30, 1284-BUR) Volta Noire area 1988 Hauts-Bassins Agr. 4.7 Improve agriculture and the 1983 Closed on Dev. Project (Cr. welfare of pastoralists in June 30, 1285-BUR) Hauts Bassins area 1988 Koudougou Agr. Pilot 7.0 Pilot project to test 1983 Closed on Dev. Project (Cr. acceptance of new March 31, 1293-BUR) technologies by farmers 1989 Fertilizer Project (Cr. 13.7 Promotion of fertilizer use 1985 Closed on 1550-BUR) by improving policies and June 30, removing price distortions 1993  18 Table 3: Project Timetable Steps in Project cycle 1)atc IPlanin dic Actuial Identification ._ 1983 Preparation 1984-1985 Appraisal December 1986 Negotiations July 1987 Board Approval April 19, 1988 Credit Signature May23, 1988 Credit Effectiveness August 21, 1988 December 29, 1988 Midterm Review By June 30, 1992 April 1992 Credit Closing March 31, 1994 December 31, 1996 Table 4: Estimated and ActualAnnual and Cumulative Disbursements (In US$ '000) IDA 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 Calendar Year Estimated 2,500 3,500 2,700 2,800 2,500 2,100 900 500 400 Annual Estimated 2,500 6,000 8,700 11,500 14,000 16,100 17,000 17,500 17,900 Cumulative Actual 1,903 802 3,237 3,143 3,068 2,422 4,230 1,183 Annual Actual 1,903 2,705 5,942 9,085 12,153 14,575 18,805 19,988 Cumulative Actual as % 0 32 31 52 65 75 86 107 112 of estimate  19 Table 5 Key Indicators for Project Implementation Key Implementation Estimated Actual Indicators in SAR Financial Management Short-term consultant 11 staff weeks 18 man months Equipment Short-term consultant 2 man-months Nil Seeds Production Short-term consultant 1 man-month Nil Support to Research Programs Technical Assistance: Technical consultants 5 years Research Management 3 man years Specialist Chief BAT: 6 years Engineer 30 man-months Incremental Staff INERA 56 Technicians 49 58 Observation staff 38 IRBET 12 Technicians 2 Support to Research Programs Technical Assistance: Agricultural Economist 3 man-years 4 years Incremental Staff Researchers 5 25 (including " contractuals" Technicians 12 27 (including "contractuals" Research Programs Water/soil/fertilization, etc Agriculturalist (TA) 2 man years 4 years Researchers 4 (1 shared with Forestry) 17 Technicians 9 10 Livestock Livestock Production Research Scientist  20 (TA) 2 man-years 4 years Cereals Short-term consultants 22 man-months Nil Researchers 2 (1 shared with Rice) Technicians 6 1 (1) Oilseeds Researchers 2 Technicians 6 7 Vegetable and Fruit Researchers 1 Technicians 5 6 Rice Short-term consultants 12 man-months Reseachers 1 (shared with Cereals) Nil Technicians 2 6 Cotton Technicians 4 5 Forestry Forestry Specialist (TA) 3 man-years 3 years 3 months Researchers 2 (1 shared with Water/ 16 Soil, Fertilization, etc) Techniciens 4 4 Training Information and Training 1 See Borrower's report, Table X Officer (local) Diplomas 14 MSc 8 Doctor ("3e cycle") 4 Ph. D. 3 Doctor ("d'Etat") 3 Research Management 6 man-months (3 for each director INERA/IRBET) 2 man weeks Network Building 40 man weeks (20 for each director INERA/IRBET) Nil Division Heads 29 man weeks 16 man weeks Documentalist 13 man weeks 4 man weeks Seminars 30 man weeks 30 man weeks International Congresses 60 man weeks Several attendancies Training by consultants 20 man weeks 20 man weeks Other 15 man weeks 15 man weeks Civil Works INERA Headquarters New (535 m2) 1 (672 m2)  21 IRBET Headquarters Expansion (144 m2) 1 (233 m2) Staff Housing 29 31 Guest Houses 4 3 Other 17 specified at the appraisal, 117 1/ others unspecified Vehicles and Equipment Vehicles 54 Motorbicycles 168 Tractors plus equipment 5 1/ For more details, see procurement and bidding information in the Borrower's report, Tableau V. Table 6 Key Indicators for Project Operation Key Operating Indicators in Estimated Actual SAR No key indicators were established at appraisal. Table 7: Studies Included in Project Study Purpose as defined Status Impact of Study at appraisal No formal studies were specified in the project documents, but INERA and its staff have 432 publications to their credit during the project period. The principal documents relating to the Plan Strategique de la Recherche Scinetifique 1995 contain the following, yield in Africa Information Centre: * Document principal * Gestion des ressource naturelles/systeme de production * Macro-&conomie et &eonomie desfilieres * Mecanisation * Productions animales * Productions ve'ge'tales: cereales traditionnelles * Productions vegetales:coton * Productions vegetales: cultures maraicheres, fruitier etplantes a tubercules * Productions vegetales: olMagineux annuels et legumineuses ai graines * Productions vege'tales: production forestieres * Productions vegetales: riz et riziculture * Transformation des produits  22 Table 8A: Project Cost Appraisal Estimates Actual Expenditure (US$ million) (FCFA million) 1/ Category Local Foreign Local Foreign currency exchange Total currency exchange Total Civil Works 2.2 0.8 3.0 2,164 Vehicles 0.2 1.2 1.4 ) Equipment 0.2 0.8 1.0 1,070 Furniture 0.06 0.08 0.14 Technical 0.7 2.3 3.0 630 Assistance Training 0.01 1.1 1.1 491 PPF 0.3 1.2 1.5 Local Salaries/ 4.0 1.2 5.2 3,356 Operating Costs _ Total Baseline 7.7 8.5 16.2 Costs Physical 0.2 0.2 0.4 Contingencies Price 1.9 0.3 2.2 Contingencies Total Project Costs 9.8 9.0 18.8 7,711 1/ Borrower's estimates; the respective dollar amounts are difficult to establish because of several devaluation of FCFA. Table 8B: Project Financing Appraisal Estimate Actual Financing Source (US$ million) (US$ million) Local Foreign Local Foreign Currency Exchange Total Currency Exchange Total IDA 8.9 9.0 17.9 20.0 1/ Government 0.9 0.0 0.9 Taxes Total 9.8 9.0 18.8 1/ The amount in dollars used for the project is higher than appraisal estimate due to devaluation of the dollar in relation to SDR.  23 Table 9: Compliance with Legal Covenants Section Type Original Revised Status Comments Description Fulfillment Fulfillment Date Date 3.01 (a) M C No action The Borrower shall required cause INERA and IRBET to carry out the project with due diligence and ______________ _______________ _______________ efficiency 3.01 (b) F C No action The Boffower shall required make the proceeds of the credit available to INERA on a grant basis 3.01 (c) CF Annual C No action The Borrower shall required make annual recurrent budget allocations to INERA and IRBET of at least CFAF 200 million and CFAF 31 million respectively 3.02 M C No action Procurement of required goods, works and services to be governed by Schedule of DCA 3.03 (a) M 11-30-1988 C No action INERA shall employ required locally recruited info/training officer, l___________ ____________ satisfactory to IDA 3.03 (b)(i) M 01-31-1989 C No action Submission of required detailed scientific and laboratory equipment purchase program for INERA, including cost estimates 3.03 (b) (ii) M 09-30-1989 C Borrower to furnish to IDA a livestock production research program, including investment proposals 3.04 M 10-31-1988 NC Personnel and Borrower shall institutional implement the statutes are organizational staffing inappropriate for anrangements farmer oriented established by INERA research. Scheme and IRBET statutes of service for current staff to be elaborated  24 3.05 (a) M Continuous C Borrower shall maintain (i) the agreed estabhishment of research for INERA and IRBET and (ii) INERA's and IRBET's key positions with qualified staff 3.05 (b) M Continuous C CNRST structure Borrower shall is being changed; communicate to IDA draft legal text is for its prior approval due 01/1996 all proposed changes in INERA's and IRBET's organizational structure 3.06 M 05-15 of each C Borrower shall submit year to IDA, for its review, INERA's and IRBET's joint draft research programs and budgets for following year 3.07 M 05-31 of each C Annual meeting of aid year agencies to review: (i) result of research programs carried out by INERA and IRBET; (ii) work plans, research programs, and cost and financing plans for following year 3.08 M 06-30-1992 C Conducted 04- Borrower shall 1992 conduct mid-term review and furnish findings and recommendations 3.09 M 12-31-1988 C Borrower shatl and 05-31 furnish to IDA draft annually detailed first year's thereafter traning program for INERA and IRBET staff and thereafter provide a detailed training program for the following year 3.10 M Continuous C INERA and IRBET staff that have received training abroad must stay in their assignments for  25 5 years upon completion of training 4.01 (a) A Continuous S A new financial Borrower shall cause management and INERA to maintain accounting records and accounts system is being adequate to reflect out in place INERA's operations, resources and expenditures, including those of IRBET 4.01 (b) i A Annually C Accounts of INERA to be audited each year by independent auditors 4.01 (b) ii A 06-30 Audit reports shall be annually submitted to IDA within 6 months afte.r the end of each fiscal year 4.01 (b) iii A C INERA to furnish IDA any information concerning records and accounts that IDA may reasonably request 4.01 (c) A C For SOEs, INERA shall: (i) maintain records and accounts of such expenditures; (ii) retain all such records for one year after completion of audit for fical year in which last disbursement was made; (iii) enable IDA to examine such records; and (iv) include such records in annual audit Keys Type: A = Accounts/Audits; CF = Counterpart Funds; F = Flow of Funds; M = Management Aspects Status: C = Complied with; NC = Not Complied with; S = Expected to be complied with Soon  26 Table 10: Compliance with Operational Manual Statements Statement number and title Describe lack of compliance N/A (No operations manual references N/A specified) Table 12: Bank Resources - Staff Inputs Planned Actual Actual Stage of Project Cycle Stafhveeks Staffweeks US$ (000) Preparation 78 44.5 Appraisal 99 169.2 Negotiations through Board 24 45.3 Supervision 199 355.4 Completion 12.5 Total  27 Table 13: Bank Resources - Missions Stage of Project Date No. of Specialization Implementation Development Types of Cycle persons Skills Status Objective Problems Identification No formal identication Preparation 5/1982 1 A Pre-Appraisal 9/1986 2 A, AE Appraisal 12/1986 5 A, AE, ARS, Supervision I__01/i990L, AgS 2_P,_F Supervision 1 01/1990 1 A 2 2 P, F Supervision 2 07/1990 2 A, AE 2 2 PN F Supervision 3 03/1991 2 A, AE 2 2 NI Supervision 4 04/1992 1 A 2 1 NI Supervision 6 11/1992 2 AgS, PA 1 1 NI Supervision 7 07/1993 3 AS, PA., AE 2 1 F Supervision 8 03/1994 3 AgS, PA., AE 2 1 NI Supervision 9 08/1994 4 ARS, RDS, S S F AgS, AgEco Supervision 10 02/1995 2 ARS, AgS S S NI Supervision 11 12/1995 4 ARS, AgS, S S P IMS, RD Supervision 12 2/1996 4 ARS, IMS, S 5 _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ R D S, A_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Completion 1/97 5 RDS, ARS, A, IMS, AgS Key to specialized staff skills: A = Agriculturalist; AE = Agricultural Economist; AgEco = Agricultural Ecologist; AgS = Agricultural Services/Extension Specialist; ARS = Agricultural Research Specialist; IMS = Infrastructure Management Specialist; PA = Principal Agriculturalist; RD = Research Development Specialist; RDS = Rural Development Specialist; L = Lawyer; AR = Architect Key to types of problems: F = Financial; NI = None Identified; P = Procurement 1/ Combined with pre-appraisal of a follow-on project; no supervision report prepared.  28 BURKINA FASO Ministere des Enseignements Ministere Delegue Secondaire, Superieur aupres du Premier Ministere et de la Recherche Scientifique charge des Finances et du Developpement Economique Centre National de la Recherche Direction Generale Scientifique et Technologique de la Cooperation (CNRST) (DG.COOP) Institut de l'Environnement Direction de la Cooperation et de Recherches Agricoles Multilaterale (INERA) RAPPORT D'EXECUTION DE FIN DE PROJET Projet Recherches Agricoles (Credit 1896 Bur du 23 Mai 1988) 27 Janvier 1996  29 PREFACE RAPPORT D'EXECUTION DE FIN DE PROJET BURKINA FASO Ce document est le rapport d'execution de fin du Projet Recherches Agricoles au Burkina Faso grace au credit 1896 Bur du 23 Mai 1988 pour un montant de quatorze millions cent mille (14 100 000) DTS. Le cr6dit est clos le 31 Decembre 1996 au lieu de 31 Mars 1994 prevu initialement dans I'accord de credit. Le credit a e entierement decaisse et le dernier remboursement a ete re,u le 21 Decembre 1996. Le cofinancement du projet a et assure par l'US-AID et la Cooperation Neerlandaise.  30 IABLES DES MATIERES INTRODUCTION ....................................................................I 1. LES OBJECTIFS DU PROJET ...................................................................3 II LES RESULTATS DU PROJET ....................................................................4 2.1. Renforcement institutionnel, des mecanismes de gestion et de coordination de la recherche ...................................................................4 2.2. Capacite de mener des recherches et des etudes ......................................... ...........................4 2.12. Gestion Scientifique et techniques ......................... ...........................................6 2.1.3. Systeme de gestion administrative, financiere et de comptabilite ............... ......................7 2.1.4. Gestion des ressources physiques: BAT .................................................................... 9 III. LE DEVELOPPEMENT DES INFRASTRUCTURES ET DES EQUIPEMENTS .................... ........................ 10 IV. LA FORMATION ................................................................... 10 V. L'ETAT D'EXECUTION ET LES CONTRAINTES MAJEURES RENCONTREES AU COURS DE LA MISE EN OEUVRE DU PROJET ................................................................... 11 5.1. Execution des programmes et gestion scientifique ................................................................... I 5.2 Gestion financiere et comptable ................................................................... 12 5.3. Gestion des ressources ................................................................... 13 5.4. Developpement des infrastructures et acquisition d'equipement ............................... ...................... 13 VI. LA DURABILITE DU PROJET ................................................................... 15 VII. LES PERFORMANCES DE LA BANQUE MONDIALE ET DE L'AGENCE D'EXECUTION DU PROJET ................................................................... 16 VIII.L'ESTIMATION DES RESULTATS ................................................................... 17 IX. LES PERSPECTIVES DU PROJET ................................................................... 19 9.1. Organisation et gestion du projet ................................................................... 19 9.2. Ressources du Projet ................. 20 ANNEXES .......23 Tableau I Les Centres Regionaux de Recherches Agricoles ........................... .................................... 23 Tableau II Programmes, axes de recherche et Repartition du personnel scientifique ..................... ...................... 23 Tableau III Evolution du personnel scientifique et technique ........................... .................................... 24 Tableau IV Publication de l'INERA disponibles a la documentation de l'INERA .......................... ...................... 25 Tableau V Realisation des infrastructures ............................................................... 26 Tableau VI Acquisition de materiels de bureau ............................................................... 27 Tableau VII Acquisition des equipements et materiels roulants .................................... ........................... 27 Tableau VIII Evaluation annuelle des depenses du projet PRAI ............................................................... 28 Tableau IX Execution financiere du PRAI ................................................................ 29 Tableau X Resultats de la formation longue duree ............................................................... 30 Tableau XI Sources des bourses de formation ............................................................... 30 Tableau XII Ressources humaines de l'INERA (Presentes au 31/12/1996 .30  31 SIGLES ET ABRVIATIONS AMRT Atelier Mensuel de Revue de Technologies ATAS Agent Technique d'Agriculture Specialise BAT Bureau d'Appui Technique Bureau R/D Bureau Recherche/Developpement C.G. Conseil de Gestion CRPA Centre Regional de Promotion Agro-Pastoral CRRA Centre Regional de Recherches Agricoles C.T. Comite Technique de Recherche CTAS Conducteur des Travaux Agricoles Specialises ESFIMA Programme de Recherche sur I'Eau, le Sol, la Fertilisation, l'Irrigation et le Machinisme Agricole GRN/SP Gestion des Ressources Naturelles et Systemes de Production IDA Association Internationale pour le D6veloppement ONG Organisation Non Gouvernementale PRSAP: Projet de Renforcement des Services d'Appui aux Producteurs RSP Recherches sur les Systemes de Production PAPEM Point d'Appui a la Prevulgarisation et d'Experimentation Multilocale PASA Programme d'Ajustement Structurel du Secteur Agricole PDSA Projet de D6veloppement des Services Agricoles PRA Projet Recherches Agricoles PRA I Projet Recherches Agricoles I PRA II Projet Recherches Agricoles II PSRA Plan Strategique des Recherches Agricoles SEP Service Etude et Planification SISTC Service Information Scientifique, Technique et de Communication SLR/D Service Liaison Recherche-Developpement ISNAR: INERA: Institut d'Etudes et des Recherches Agricoles (ancien) INERA: Institut de l'Environnement et des Recherches Agricoles (nouveau) IVRAZ: Institut VoltaYque des Recherches Agronomiques et Zootechniques (PNRA) Programme National de Recherches Agricoles  32 TABLE DES MATIERES 1- LES OBJECTIFS DU PROJET: 11- LES RESULTATS DU PROJET 2.1- Renforcement institutionnel, des mecanismes de gestion et de coordination de la recherche 2.2-Capacite de mener des recherches et des etudes: 2.1 .2-Gestion Scientifique et technique: 2.1 .3-Systeme de gestion administrative, financiere et de comptabilite 2.1 .4-Gestion des ressources physiques: BAT 111- LE DEVELOPPEMENT DES INFRASTRUCTURES ET DES EQUIPEMENTS IV-LA FORMATION V-L'ETAT D'EXECUTION ET LES CONTRAINTES MAJEURES RENCONTREES AU COURS DE LA MISE EN OEUVRE DU PROJET 5. 1-Execution des programmes et gestion scientifique: 5.2-Gestion financiere et comptable 5.3-Gestion des ressources 5.4-Developpement des infrastructures et acquisition d'Equipements VI - La DURABILITE DU PROJET: VII- LES PERFORMANCES DE LA BANQUE MONDIALE ET DE L'AGENCE D'EXECUTION DU PROJET: VIII - L'ESTIMATION DES RESULTATS IX- LES PERSPECTIVES DU PROJET:  33 9.1 -Organisation et gestion du projet 9.2-Ressources du Projet  34 INTRODUCTION Le Projet Recherches Agricoles (PRA) trouve son origine, ses concepts, et ses objectifs dans l'importance que les recherches agricoles representent pour le secteur agricole, axe central de 1'economie nationale. En effet, le secteur agricole occupe 80% de la population active et contribue pour 35 % au PIB. Cependant, le taux de croissance du secteur de 2,5% ne permet pas de compenser l'accroissement demographique qui est de 2,68% l'an. Outre, l'objectif fondamental d'assurer I'autosuffisance alimentaire et d'accroitre la production des cultures de rente, la strategie nationale de developpement du secteur agricole a long terme doit assurer la stabilite des systemes de production et la protection de l'environnement. Les recherches agricoles etant a la base du developpement agricole, des efforts devraient &re faits sur l'organisation et la planification des dites recherches. C'est dans ce sens que le Gouvernement a en 1982 initie une reflexion approfondie, suivie d'un diagnostic sur les recherches agricoles en 1983. Ce diagnostic qui a e fait par une mission conjointe FAO/ISNAR/Banque Mondiale reveiait que: - les ressources nationales etaient relativement faibles tant sur le plan financier qu'au niveau des ressources humaines pour organiser et executer les recherches agricoles, alors que le Burkina Faso a un besoin urgent d'expertise afin de prendre en main l'orientation scientifique et son developpement agricole. - 1'etat de l'organisation et de la programmation des recherches agricoles etait relativement complexe en raison de la diversite des administrations, institutions et de leurs programmes et projets respectifs. - la dispersion des responsabilites entre differents ministeres et des institutions de cooperation bilaterale et internationale, rendait difficile la gestion et la coordination des activites de recherche sur le plan institutionnel. - des d6sequilibres geographiques dans la mise en oeuvre des programmes en ce qui concerne leur nombre et leur importance, le Nord et l'Est etant desherites. Suite aux conclusions et recommandations de cette mission conjointe, le Burkina Faso s'est engage avec I'aide de ses partenaires, dans un processus de planification en vue d'elaborer des programmes prioritaires de recherche qui repondent aux preoccupations principales du developpement.  35 Ainsi en 1985, l'Institut Voltaique des Recherches Agronomiques et Zootechniques (IVRAZ) organise un seminaire national regroupant les representants de huit ministeres et les partenaires de la cooperation. Des propositions de huit programmes prioritaires presentes par l'IVRAZ ont e discut6es et adoptees, pour former le Programme National de Recherches Agricoles (PNRA). Ce seminaire a permis d'une part l'initiation d'un consensus entre le gouvernement, les bailleurs de fonds et les organisations intemationales de recherche sur une strategie nationale en matiere de recherche agricole, et d'autre part l'adoption du programme national de recherche des huit programmes de recherches presentes par priorit . La mise en place des structures, l'organisation et l'ex6cution des huit programmes de recherche dans le cadre PNRA ont et possible grace au Projet Recherche Agricole (PRA) finance par un accord de credit de l'AID en 1988. Le present rapport fait la synthese de l'execution du projet avec un accent particulier sur les objectifs, les resultats attendus et les contraintes majeures rencontrees pendant l'execution. I- LES OBJECTIFS DU PROJET: Le Projet Recherche Agricole dans son ensemble doit a long terme contribuer de maniere durable a l'augmentation des productions et des revenus des producteurs tout en preservant 1'environnement. A ce titre , la phase I du projet (Credit 1896 BUR) devrait atteindre les objectifs suivants: i) renforcer et consolider les aptitudes de l'emprunteur a preparer, executer et evaluer des programmes de recherche agricole, y compris la recherche sur ltlevage et la recherche forestiere; ii) ameliorer l'equilibre entre les divers programmes de recherche individuels, en mettant davantage I'accent sur la recherche pluridisciplinaire et sur la recherche axee sur les systemes de production plut6t que sur les cultures , comme cela etait le cas dans le passe; iii) renforcer les liens entre la recherche agricole et les services de vulgarisation; II- LES RESULTATS DU PROJET 2.1- Renforcement institutionnel, des m6canismes de gestion et de coordination de la recherche Au plan national, l'INERA,agence d'execution du projet est un institut sp6cialise du CNRST, sous l'autorite du MESSRS. Cette position a permis a l'INERA de s'ins6rer dans un tissu institutionnel, ou chaque structure est regie par des textes administratifs qui definissent les objectifs, les fonctions, les  36 responsabilites et les relations inter-institutionnelles. En particulier le Raabo interminist6riel N