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environment so that the expected benefits of development objectives can be
weighed against any adverse impacts upon the human environment or any
irreversible or Irretrievable commitment of resources" (22 CFR 216.6(a)). The
underlying purpose of this EA is to identify and propose measures to mitigate
potentially significant adverse environmental impacts which may result from
implementation of EXITOS.
Pursuant to 22 CFR 216.6(c)(2), the need to which the Agency is
responding in proposing the alternatives described herein--including
preferred
the
alternative (EXITOS)--is the need to "achieve broad-based,
sustainable economic growth in Central America." This is the second
A.I.D.
of
Latin
three
America/Caribbean (LAC) Bureau Strategic Objectives for Central
America during the decade of the 1990's (USAID/LAC 1991). Specific
Sub-Objectives
Bureau
for the 1990's to which EXITOS will directly contribute are:
(1) Strengthening private sector organizations promoting trade and
investment, and cooperation with other U.S. Government trade and investment
promotion efforts (Strategic Objective 2, Sub-Objective 2);
(2) Stimulating agricultural production and trade through promotion of
technology improvements and agribusiness development, and trade linkages with
U.S. and neighboring markets (Strategic Objective 2, Sub-Objective 5): and
(3) Increasing investment in market information systems and networks,
education and training, and technology development and dissemination
(Strategic Objective 2, Sub-Objective 6).
Pursuant to formal review of ROCAP's fiscal year (FY) 1991-92 Action Plan
in AID/Washington (AID/W) on 2 May 990, ROCAP was given programmatic approval
to design and approve EXITOS. The Initial Environmental Examination (IEE) for
the Project recommended a Positive Threshold Decision (Appendix 1) and,
pursuant to 22 CPR 216.3(a)(4), examined reasonably foreseeable direct and
indirect impacts of EXITOS on the environment.
EXITOS funding is essentially for technical assistance (TA), which
act in
will
an advisory capacity only. Limited funds are earmarked for
NTA
specialised
research, and limited non-pesticide related commodities may be
support
procured
that
to
research. Because EXITOS will almost exclusively fund advisory
TA, no significant direct Project impacts were identified in the
rationale
IEE. The
for the IEE's Positive Determination was that while
will
EXITOS
have
itself
no direct environmental impact of any kind, it may have
adverse
indirect
environmental im-pact by continuing to support NT export activities.
Three potentially significant adverse environmental impacts were
identified in the ZEE which may indirectly result from provision of
promote
TA to
NTA and HTI exports. These three Issues, refined during preparation
of and addressed in this Environmental Assessment (RA), aret (1)
of
the
the
effects
Project on pesticide use; (2) the effects of the Project on conflicting
natural resource demands, especially insofar as land conversion Is concernod
and (3) the effect of the Project on Industrial pollution and waste disposal
problems.