Conservation farming on steep lands - USAid

164 B. C. JOHN
are available or can readily be obtained. After the socioeconomic survey
of the area, and this includes contact and exchange of ideas with f 'irmers,
sonic form of base map is rcquired on which is recorded the physical and
present conditions of the watershet!. So that sufficient detail can be shown,
maps or aerial photographs to a minimum scale of about 1:15,000 are required.
These are seldom availabie, however, and it becomes the task of
the planner to prepare them, using th.: best information available, supplemented
with field observations.
Preparation of the base map in Korea relied largely on field observations,
but this task was greatly ~ssisted by use of large-scale cadastral plans
;IS planemetric controi. In addition, there were topographical maps and
aerial photographs, both at 1:50,000 scale. In both Indonesia and Jamaica,
controlled orthophoto n~osaics at a scale of about 1:15,000 were specially
made for the project.
Preparation of base maps in Ethiopia was more difficult. In most areas
the largest scale maps were only 1:250,000, and the aerial photographs,
at 1:50,000 scale, were more than 20 years old. Therefore, a considerable
amount of field work was involved.
In all four projects, watershed developmerlt planning was possible. In
some, however, basic maps and aerial photographs were lacking. Where
this occurred, additional field work was required.
Dernonstmtiort arzas. Only in Korea was the establishment of comprehensive
watershed development demonstration areas fully realized. Indonesia
lacked inputs in water development. In Jamaica, farmers showed little interest,
while in Ethiopia, the inputs were mainly limited to manual activities.
Composiliort of staff. The composition of the international staff and that
of the national counterparts should be closeljl related :o the objectives of
a project. If the objective is com~rehensive watershed development, then
it is inevitable that a broad range of disciplines should be covered. Unfortunately,
possibly because of budgetary constraints, there were frequent
gaps in expertise. in such cases, it is important that the projcct have the
mechanism to enlist expertise from other projects 01 departments. Training
is a component often omitted on the assumption that the various specialists
are capable of imparting their skills. However, training is a spccialized
subject as much as other disciplines, and it requires experience
in presentation and coordination of programs.
Fanner training. Farmers' training, it may be argued, must be an activity
of national counterparts because of the difficulties with language. This