Extension evaluation and planning in the hills of Nepal (with special reference to the overseas development administration's project based at Lumle)

The paper focuses on the methods used to evaluate and plan the future course of agricultural extension programmes in the hills of Nepal, with particular reference to the Overseas Development Administration's Project based at Lumle in West Nepal. This Project is now entering a transition phase during which the administrative and financial functions will become the responsibility of the Nepalese Government.

The Lumle Project, and its sister project in Eastern Nepal at Pakhribas, are considered to be ‘centres of excellence’ in terms of centre activities and field programmes. This position has been made possible largely due to the relatively high levels of financial investment in the Centres (both for physical infrastructure and staff salaries/wages) and also due to the administrative autonomy from the Nepal Government which they have enjoyed.

This position now has to be gradually changed so that the Nepalese Government (HMGN) will be in a position to take over the two Projects, probably in five years' time, with as little disruption as possible in services provided to farmers. With this in mind, the Overseas Development Admininstration established an extension officer and an economist to review the activities of both Centres in detail with a view to developing more cost-effective services, compatible with HMGN's resources, and to begin the process of transition.

This paper gives an outline of some of the methods used by the extensionist to monitor and evaluate programmes at Lumle and shows the rationale behind some of the current changes being implemented with the long-term future in mind.