Formulation of an Agricultural Sector Investment Programme (ASIP) for the Mountain Areas of Lesotho

Abstract

The first part of this paper covers the conceptual background of the approach adopted by an FAO Investment Centre mission which visited Lesotho for the formulation of the Agricultural Sector Investment Programme (ASIP) for the Mountain Areas, carried out in 1995 and 1996 within the framework of the FAO-IFAD Cooperative Programme. The second part deals with the application of the concepts and methodology to the design of the Programme in Lesotho. It presents the main features of the analytical wo rk done to link goals, policies and strategies of the Government with functions, objectives, targets and tasks of the administration, and to link these with the budgeting and financial reporting process. The implicit suggestion is that some difficulties of ASIP implementation in other countries are due to inadequate integration of the substantive and policy aspects of ASIP design with the institutional and procedural aspects at the time of the programme formulation and appraisal.