Elaboration of the Medium and Long Term Strategy for the Rural Business Development Component and Assessing the Impact of Services of the National Extension Agency Network to its Clientele

Implementation period: 2003 - 2005  

Sponsor: World Bank  

Goal: (1) To asses consulting services rendered by ACSA network, specifically their correspondence with agricultural producers’ needs, and offering adequate and efficient solutions to solve problems in agricultural sector; (2) To analyze and evaluate the activities and services performed by RBDC in the framework of RISP and to elaborate recommendations for a medium and long-term strategy for this component in the second phase of the project.

Objectives:  

1. Analysis of sources of information and consulting services in the rural area, assessment of service quality and of beneficiaries’ satisfaction towards consulting products provided by ACSA network, elaboration of recommendations and proposals regarding the opportunities of extending activities, improve the quality of services, as well as identify the priorities for current and future assistance of donors.

2. Analysis of the market demand and of the offer of services provided by RBDC and the evaluation of beneficiaries’ ability to pay for these services; evaluation of micro- and macroeconomic impact of rural businesses; evaluation of the institutional capacity, existing and potential suppliers related to the implementation component; definition of the specific goals and target group for RISP II; elaboration of the proposals concerning the institutional arrangements and component’s budget.