I I - part - usaid

-8­
inot live in the tambihn they have no office in the rambon,
no storage space for xtens'on materials, seeds, fertilizers,
tools or, or.her demonstration materials and often no satisfactory
place for meei:lngs etc, Many do not have transportat
on. Even with signif~cant donor support. f-rom the
IBRD and others in r'eCent years, these problems appear
• mrl a nly due.,to ch 'rot.j ic,_fu nd ing sho rtages - r4-f-he­ ext ension
program.,
OtherC const-raints that affec~t agricultural
developmentL in tn.le Northeast include v'arioi. ptublems farmers
have in obtaining and/or properly utllizing neIcessary inputs
(credit, appropriat'e fertilizers, good seed) as well as
obtaining infor'mat.,iCn on mArket: prices and demand generally.
These constraintE vary irn their importance,, h wever, depending
on such factors as cropping/'farmirng practices cf farmers,
and their access to land, dependable informat.ion and input
services.
2, RTGResponse to the Problems
The RTG recognizes most cit: t e above problems and
has taken steps t~o address them. The National Agricuitural
Extension project which is,being carr:ied out with support
from AID and the World Bank represents a masaive attempt to
develop extension support: at. tne tamborn Level with an interim
national goal of* ore extension 'gent per' 1,000 fai-m families,
The World Bank and t-he Department of Agricuituie of MOAC are
also beginning impiefnenvat:ion of' a National Re!ea'ch Tmprovement
Prsojet: which w i!! greatly st.rengtrern the crop production
research activitie5 of the Department. A c:opp'ing systems
institute whieh will be establi.shed under' the Research
Project. will be especidlly supportive of the NERAD Project,
and other intei'v'er',Lr 15 almed at impr '.i'i g the DOA' s
organizatiun, staffing, and adapti'e resea'ch for rainfed
agriculture will c:omp.ement NERAD's emphasis on strengthening
research-eXt.enri'-Aci, ..nkageF.o
The ONDP is funding a Lhree y-avt pr'oect which will
assist the Deparment CA' Agricul.ture in developing a research
program dir'ected at, tlt- impr'overlent "ainted of crop production
technologies jnclud,'1g (ropping systemaS worK and the sharing
of rai ied .r ppng esea"ch results with other researchers ..
t Asia, This pro3eCt. is ocused on the
in South and So harh
development of u y'.e '~research prog1am, ar, not the
extensIEionfl of tec-hr&[,gy to farmers, beyond jilt .-iocation
on-farm teSting. .