Evaluation of the USAID-Kosovo SME and Agriculture - Economic ...

Development Associates, Inc.SUSTAINABILITYAssociations have continued leading the producers and processors in their efforts to competewith cheaper imports and to gain a greater market share in Kosovo. The primary sustainabilitymechanism for the future will be the associations. Donors will work with them and throughthem and they will provide the longer-term continuity. Developing and maintaining associationsis not easy in a society with the political history of Kosovo where government organizations tendto be highly suspect. Grass roots organizing by local people who are trusted is key to success.LESSONS LEARNEDWhat are the technical lessons?Field trials with improved varieties from research centers and seed companies, utilizing fertilizerand crop protection chemicals were able to increase yields by significant amounts. Farmers areimpressed with the new technologies and want to continue with it. The lesson learned is thattechnology transfer by field trials and demonstrations are the initial stimulating force forincreased yields and production and the concurrent demand for improved inputs. There arenumerous technological requirements for agriculture in the future as the systems improve andproducers and processors adopt improved practices. It will be a challenge to continually developnew technological packages and delivery systems to meet the requirements of an ever-changingsystem.What are the project implementation lessons?The main implementation lesson is that democratic membership associations are the mosteffective mechanisms for introducing channeling productive change: technology transfer, postharvest handling, input supply, marketing, credit management, business skills training, policyreform. Being able to organize larger numbers of processors or producers of training sessions orfield at demonstration sites and other technology transfer exercises makes the processsignificantly more efficient.What are the developmental strategy lessons?Currently, there is no agricultural sector development strategy for Kosovo. The various effortsby the interim government and donor agencies are not part of coherent plan with clear objectivesor coordinated implementation. Many worthy donor-funded and private sector lead efforts areachieving advances in food and agricultural production but they tend to originate from theexternal agencies and applied from above. As the donors complete their projects and theimplementing organizations depart, programs decline, continuity is lost and even small-scalestrategies tend to evaporate. The Ministry of Agriculture has produced a document calledAgricultural Sector Policy for Kosovo. Written primarily by foreign consultants and governmentofficials, it has little or no direct input from farmers or agribusiness managers. It is an idealizedstrategy with a lot of merit in the view of the evaluation team but it is not clear what will happento it.In the absence of an action plan to implement the ministry strategy, value is limited. Anotherway to form this issue is to say that there is widespread confusion about what is happening in theEvaluation of the USAID/Kosovo SME 87 May 2004and Agriculture/Agribusiness ProgramsVolume I