management of agricultural research projects in india. part 1: project planning

Agricultural Administration 22 (1986) 217-231

Managementi of Agricultural Research Projects in India.* Part 1: Project Planning

T. Balaguru & M. Rajagopalan

National Academy of Agricultural Research Management, Rajendranagar, Hyderabad--500 030, India

(Received: 19 September 1985)

SUMMARY

In order to understand the ‘state of the art’ concerning the management of agricultural research projects in India, a study was undertaken involving the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) Institutes and Agricultural Universities. This is the first of two papers and it discusses various aspects of the planning of agricultural research projects in the country. Problems offarmers andfield observations served as sources of

ideas for research projects only in one third of the cases. Compatibility with an Institute’s goals and resources availability were the major criteria considered for proposing research projects. Project leaders in con- sultation with project membersformulated their research projects within six months. The majority of the projects were discussed, evaluated and approved by scienttj?c bodies like the Staff Research Council (SRC) or the Project Advisory Committee (PAC). Only a smaller proportion of the project proposals were rejected because of lack ofpersonnel andfacilities, andpoorlypreparedprojectproposals. In a considerable number of cases

research methodologies were modified after approval for want of funds, men and materials, and due to the discovery of new methods. Apartfrom lack of resources in terms of men and materials, human problems such as a poor relationship with superiors also played a significant role in the premature termination of research projects. In a number of cases, no deadlines were set for the completion of research projects, and interdisciplinary co-operation was lacking.

* Journal Series No. 2/85 of National Academy of Agricultural Research Management, Rajendranagar, Hyderabad-500 030, India.

217 Agricultural Administration 0309-596X/86/$03.50 0 Elsevier Applied Science Publishers Ltd, England, 1986. Printed in Great Britain

218 T. Balaguru, M. Rajagopalan

INTRODUCTION

India is predominantly an agricultural country, and agriculture has received top priority in successive governmental plans. Effective programmes of agricultural research and extension are critical to the development of intensive agriculture with a view to optimising land and labour productivity. In the recent intensive efforts to increase food grain production, there has been a strong project orientation, with activities directed to the immediate task of increasing national food supplies. A project must contain a brief description of the proposed research including its purpose and objective, resources required, time required, and dependence on, or association with, other research. Each project is a manifestation of some management need or a desire to accomplish some specific task.4

In recent years, an increasing awareness of the problems and the importance of planning agricultural research with a strong project orientation have become apparent. Since the inception of the project planning structure, research administrators have had considerable difficulty in establishing realistic goals and objectives, setting priorities on each, measuring the progress of individual research projects, and evaluating the results in terms of their overall contribution to the development of agriculture.

It is said that among various agricultural institutes in the country, there is a wide variation in the manner in which agricultural research projects are being managed. There seemed to be a dearth of systematic knowledge about the management of agricultural research projects in India, and the information on how these projects were managed was lacking. In order to fill up this lacuna, therefore, an attempt was made to collect information on the status of agricultural research project management with special reference to project planning, research productivity, reporting and the communication of results. In this paper, various aspects of research projects’ planning are presented and discussed.

Institutions engaged in agricultural research in India

In India, research in agriculture is carried out mainly by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) with its network of 36 Research Institutes and 64 All India Coordinated Research Projects and 23 Agricultural Universities in different States. The ICAR’s priorities are for

Management qf’agricultural research projects in India. Part I 219

projects that have regional or national significance, leaving projects of local interest exclusively to the Agricultural Universities. In each of the ICAR Institutes, generally, a Staff Research Council (SRC) is functioning as a scientific body responsible for the selection and review of research projects. Generally, a Research Council or Research Advisory Committee is functioning in each University as an apex body responsible for policy formulation, coordination and review of research programmes.

The National Academy of Agricultural Research Management, established in 1976, is one of the institutes of ICAR engaged in conducting training programmes, workshops and seminars, and undertaking case studies on management of agricultural research and education. The present study was undertaken in 1983 so as to elicit information on the status of management of agricultural research projects in the country.

STUDY DESIGN

The study on which this paper is based used replies given in a detailed mailed questionnaire (both structured and open ended) covering most of the management aspects such as research project planning; selection and implementation; factors associated with research productivity; and the reporting and communication of research results. Under each item in the questionnaire, various alternatives were suggested to choose from.

A total of 250 project leaders as respondents were selected at random from ICAR Institutes and Agricultural Universities (Appendix la & b) representing as many disciplines as possible (Appendix 2). About four months’ time was given to them to complete and return the questionnaire. Suitable techniques were applied, depending upon the nature of the items in the questionnaire, in order to analyse the data.

There was a satisfactory response for the study, 46 per cent from the scientists of ICAR Institutes and 58 per cent from the Agricultural Universities. In Table 1, general particulars of the scientists responding are presented. As can be seen, they were well qualified and experienced. The majority of the ICAR Scientists were involved, either as leaders or associates, with a maximum of three on-going research projects only, a very desirable level for effective contribution to research output. Almost half of the University scientists were involved in less than three projects, and the rest between three and six projects, both as leaders and associates.


TABLE 1 General Particulars of Scientists

Particulars Percentage distribution in

ICAR Institutes Agricultural Universities

A. Age (years) 25-35 3645 4655 56 and above

Average

B. Sex Male Female

C. QualiJcations M.Sc./M.V.Sc. Ph.D.

D. Additional training In India Abroad

E. Experience (years) <5 5-10

11-15 >15

Average

F. Number of projects handling at present a. As project leader

<3 3-6 >6

b. As associate <3 3-6 >6

36.8 42.5 18.4 2.3

39 years

95.4 93.1 4.6 6.9

59.8 20.7 40.2 79.3

41.4 14.9

36.0 16.9 40.5 50.9 15.0 29.0 8.5 3.4

7.3 years 8.4 years

78.8 20.0

1.2

80.0 18.5

1.5

10.4 75.8 13.8

40 years

31.0 34.5

40.7 59.3

45.5 54.5

Management of agricultural research projects in India. Part 1 221

AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH PROJECT PLANNING

According to Amon,’ the major steps involved in research planning are:

(i) preparation of proper ‘Project Proposal’ in order to express clearly the objectives, methods, requirements and so on in meaningful terms;

(ii) preliminary screening, in which projects are provisionally accepted, deferred, or rejected;

(iii) evaluation, the object being to determine the current relative importance, or priority;

(iv) project selection, that is, choosing a package of projects offering the most favourable benefits relative to costs; and

(v) re-evaluation of projects already being carried out and reviewed periodically by measuring accomplishment.

With this information in the background, the process of research project planning in Indian research institutions as revealed by project leaders is examined.

Sources of ideas for research projects

Ideas for research projects may originate from various sources such as researchers, farmers, extension workers, scientific publications or government agencies. Table 2 presents the percentage contribution of

TABLE 2 Sources of Ideas for Research Projects

sources Percentage contribution in

ICAR Institutes

Problems of farmers 20.8 26-6 Journals 19.5 14.1 Previous projects 14.8 14.1 Field observation 14.8 10.9 Concerned project leaders 13.4 14.0 Staff discussion 9.7 10.9 Director/Coordinator 6.0 6.3 Financing agencies I.0 3.1

Agricultural Universities


different sources of ideas for projects taken up by the ICAR and University scientists. An almost similar trend is observed for both. In general, only in one third of the cases did the problems of farmers and field observations serve as the main sources, and these results show that there is still need for a greater exposure of the scientists to the problems of farmers so as to ensure that the research projects are field-oriented.

Criteria considered for proposing research projects

While priorities are assigned among different research proposals, important guidelines can be their scientific promise and feasibility, and compatibility with an institute’s goals. In Table 3, the priorities assigned to different criteria by the project leaders are presented. The ranking for

TABLE3 Criteria Considered for Proposing Research Projects

Criteria Ranking in


Compatibility with Institute’s goals Urgency of research Potential economic benefits Ease and cost of adoption by farmers Contribution to knowledge Resource availability (men and

materials) Miscellaneous, e.g. national priorities,

career advancement, etc.

1 6 2 2 3 3 4 4 5 5

6 1

I I

priorities given by the ICAR and University scientists almost run parallel to each other except in the case of the first order of priority. The primary concern in the Universities seems to be the resource availability, which is not the case in ICAR Institutes since they are funded adequately on the basis of long-term plans for research. The Universities mostly depend on other agencies for research funds. It is necessary to define always the researcher’s projects in relation to the Institute’s goals to avoid conflicts between the organisation’s goals and the researcher’s needs.3

Management of agricultural research projects in India. Part I 223

Formulation of research project proposals

While formulating a research proposal, which is a written document requesting authorisation and funds to undertake a specific project, it is usual to provide researchers with standard forms, which have the advantage of ensuring that all the pertinent information and data required for evaluating the proposal are included. Mostly the project leaders, in co-operation with members, formulated the details on standard forms in both kinds of organisations, and the directors or heads of divisions played only a minor role in project formulation (Table 4).

TABLE. 4 Persons Formulating the Research Project Proposals

Persons Percentage contribution in


Project leaders concerned Project members concerned Directors/Heads of divisions Colleagues in other disciplines

61.3 68.6 22.1 17.1

I.3 14.3 2.7

Time taken for project formulation

The time taken/given for formulating project proposals are presented in Table 5. The majority of scientists took less than six months and only a few of them took more than twelve months for formulating the details of the projects.

TABLE 5 Time Given/Taken for Formulating Research Projects

Time (months) Percentage of instances in

Less than 6 6to 12 More than 12

ICAR Institutes

69.8 25.6

4.6


852 11.1 3.7

224 T. Balaguru, M. Rqjagopalan

Persons/bodies responsible for evaluation of project proposals

All Agricultural Institutes in India have scientific bodies like the SRCs, or PECs, which are expected to meet frequently to discuss the scientific programmes of the Institute. In Table 6, the persons/bodies evaluating the research proposals are shown. In the ICAR Institutes, the scientific bodies (the SRCs) played a major role (62.4per cent). In Universities, it was mostly the directors of research and heads of divisions (53.1 per cent) who evaluated the research proposals, followed by the PECs (38.7 per cent).

TABLE6 Persons/Bodies Evaluating Research Project Proposals

Persons/Bodies Percentage of instances in


Staff Research Council (SRC) Project Evaluation Committee (PEC) Heads of Divisions Directors Concerned Project Leaders

62.4 - 38.7

16.1 22.5 13.1 30.6 8.4 8.2

Evaluation procedure and approval of research projects

In ICAR Institutes, the proposals are submitted by the scientists on standard forms (Research Project Files (RPF)) to the heads of divisions for comments, after which they are sent to directors who in turn give their comments. Finally, the proposals are sent to the SRC, consisting of scientists from all disciplines, where there is a detailed discussion with regard to feasibility, utility and technical soundness of the proposals submitted. The SRC finally approves the projects depending on research priorities (Table 7). Most of the scientists (86.3 per cent) were satisfied with this procedure, but the others expressed the opinion that the proposals should be thoroughly discussed at the division level itself, by including some outside experts, before sending them to SRC, and that they should be very critically evaluated. The University scientists stated that the proposals are first discussed at the annual meetings of the

Management oj’agricuitural research projects in India. Part 1 225

TABLE 7 Persons/Bodies Approving Research Project Proposals

Persons/Bodies Percentage of instances in


Staff Research Council (SRC) 80.4 Project Advisory Committee (PAC) 60.0 Directors 11.2 25.0 Heads of Divisions 4.6 15.0 Group consisting of traders and farmers 2.8

departments, and heads of divisions send them to the directors of research who finally evaluate them with the help of a screening committee, and the PAC approves the projects depending on priorities. This procedure was satisfactory to most of them (90.9 per cent), while the rest felt that greater power should be given to the heads of divisions for evaluating the project proposals.

Rejection of research project proposals

Approval or disapproval of a research proposal may depend on the thinking and composition of the group that reviews the proposal, or may be rejected due to the shortcomings of the proposer or due to the lack of relevance and scientific merit of the proposal as observed by Al1en.l In the

TABLE 8 Reasons for Rejection of Research Project Proposals

Reasons for rcljection Perccntagc contribution in


Lack of personnel 40.0 Lack of facilities 40.0 25.0 Duplication with existing or past projects 10.0 Poorly prepared project proposals 10.0 50.0 Lack of funds 25.0


present study, only a small proportion of the project proposals submitted were rejected by the scientific bodies (9.2 per cent and 14.3 per cent in ICAR Institutes and Agricultural Universities, respectively). The reasons for their rejection are indicated in Table 8.

The most important reasons for rejection were lack of personnel and facilities in ICAR Institutes, and poorly prepared project proposals in Universities. These results reveal that there is need to train the scientists especially from Agricultural Universities in the sound preparation of project proposals.

Modification of research methodology after approval

After the projects have been approved, the research methodology indicated may be modifed for want of some facilities or the discovery of new methods. In 31.8 per cent of the cases in ICAR Institutes and 46.4 per cent in Universities, there were modifications in the research methodology after the research projects had been approved. As shown in Table 9, the discovery of a new method, inability to gather the required data, and lack of equipment and materials were the main reasons for the modifications in ICAR Institutes. In Universities, the main causes were lack of equipment and materials, funds, inadequacy of technical staff due to transfer or resignation, and change of priorities.

TABLE 9 Reasons for Modifying the Research Methodology after Approval

Reasons for mod@ication Percentage contribution in

ICAR Institutes Agricultural Unitersities

Discovery of new method Inability to gather desired data Lack of equipment and materials Change in priorities Inadequacy of technical staff due to

transfer or resignation Lack of appropriate technique Change in project leadership Lack of administrative support Lack of funds

29.8 18.9 16.2 13.5

10.8 5.4 2.1 2.7

13.0

17.4 17.4

17.4 4.4 8.7 4.3

17.4

Management qf’agricultural research projects in India. Part 1 227

Premature termination of research projects

In the present study, only a small proportion of the research projects (12.8 per cent in ICAR Institutes and 7.1 per cent in Universities) were reported as terminated prematurely before completion. In Table 10, the reasons for such termination are given. In ICAR Institutes, inadequate facilities, lack of understanding with heads of divisions and transfer or resignation of research personnel mainly contributed to the premature termination. In Universities, the most important reasons were transfer or

TABLE 10 Reasons for Premature Termination of Research Projects

Reasons for premature termination Percentage contribution in

ICAR institutes Agricultural Unicersities

For want of adequate facilities Lack of understanding with heads of

36.3

divisions 21.3 Transfer/resignation of research personnel 21.3 50.0 Lack of relevance to Indian conditions 9.1 50.0

resignation of research personnel, and lack of relevance to Indian conditions. Thus, it is clear from the study that apart from lack of resources in terms of men and materials, human problems, such as poor relationship with superiors, also played a significant role for the premature termination, which is not a healthy sign for increasing the overall research output.

Failure to undertake approved research projects

Sometimes, the approved research projects in a research institute may not be taken up at all for want of facilities or funds. Only in a very few cases (7 per cent in ICAR Institutes and 10.7 per cent in Universities) were the approved projects not undertaken. As shown in Table 11, lack of funds, and inadequate facilities were the main reasons for the failure to undertake approved projects. These results indicate that more attention


TABLE 11 Reasons for Failure to Undertake Approved Research Projects

Reasons Percentage contribution in

ICAR Institutes


Lack of funds 50.0 66.7 For want of adequate facilities 33.3 33.3 Inadequacy of technical and supporting staff 16.7

might be given to the availability of resources at the time of approving the research projects.

Setting deadlines for the completion of research projects

An essential element in evaluating a research project is the time in which it is hoped to conclude the research. A proposal that may be of great economic and practical value at one time may later become obsolete. It is essential to decide on a cut-off point for every research project if it is to serve its declared purpose of solving a specific problem at a given time. Unfortunately, in 32.2 per cent of the cases in ICAR Institutes and 18.5 per cent in Universities, no deadlines were set for the completion of the projects. In the majority of the cases where deadlines were set, this was done at the commencement of the project, as shown in Table 12. For the proper management of research projects in order to make them really

TABLE 12 Setting Deadlines for Completion of Research Projects

Time of setting deadlines Percentage of instances in

ICAR Institutes Agricultural Unitlersities

At the commencement of the project When requested for staff conference When implementation is due

91.5 95.5 5.1 3.4 4.5

Management of’ agricultural research projects in India. Part 1 229

meaningful, it is necessary to make them time-bound, and deadlines for completion should be set at their commencement.

Co-operation with scientists from other disciplines

Interdisciplinary research in agriculture has experienced a fairly rapid growth in a developing country like India over the past two decades. The close co-operation between various disciplines concerned would ensure a more efficient use of resources devoted to research. Most of the scientists (nearly 80 per cent in ICAR Institutes and 90 per cent in Universities)co- operated with scientists of other disciplines while handling research projects. Nearly half of them sought co-operation at the implementation, and there was less at the project formulation stage in these Institutes. It is necessary to make those who do not seek interdisciplinary co-operation aware of its importance, as the agricultural research worker of today works in a large organisation and usually requires the support of colleagues in other disciplines.

CONCLUSIONS

This study describing the state of art of project management in agricultural research institutions in India brings out the fact that research is slowly emerging from a scientist-oriented one to a field-oriented one. Further multi-disciplinary approach and group effort to problem solving have not taken firm roots. Though availability of resources does not seem to be a major constraint, their proper allocation and utilisation need streamlining. The scientists, by and large, have not been exposed to any systematic training in the principles of project management. The National Academy of Agricultural Research Management was established in 1976 by the Government of India to provide such a training to the agricultural scientists.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The authors would like to thank Prof. V. K. Gupta of the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad, for his valuable suggestions.


REFERENCES

1. Allen, E. M., Why are research grant applications disapproved?, Science, 132 (1960) 1532-34.

2. Arnon, I., The planning & programming of agricultural research, Rome, FAO, 1975.

3. Jogaratnam, T., Resources allocation in agricultural research. In: Agricultural Research Management-Asia, Vol. 2, 265-76. College, Laguna, Philippines, SEARCA, 1977.

4. Stuckenbruck, L. C., The implementation of project management: The professional’s hand book, Reading, Massachusetts, Addison-Wesley, 198 1.

APPENDIX la List of ICAR Institutes Covered in the Study

Name of Institute Location

CROP SCIENCES Central Arid Zone Research Institute Central Institute of Agricultural Engineering Central Plantation Crops Research Institute Central Rice Research Institute Central Soil Salinity Research Institute Central Tobacco Research Institute

Central Tuber Crops Research Institute Indian Agricultural Research Institute ICAR Research Complex for North Eastern

Hill Region Indian Institute of Horticultural Research Jute Agricultural Research Institute Sugarcane Breeding Institute

ANIMAL SCIENCES Central Sheep and Wool Research Institute Indian Veterinary Research Institute National Dairy Research Institute

FISHERY SCIENCES Central Inland Fisheries Research Institute Central Institute of Fisheries Technology Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute

Jodhpur, Rajasthan Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh Karsaragod, Kerala Cuttack, Orissa Karnal, Haryana Rajahmundry, Andhra

Pradesh Trivandrum, Kerala New Delhi Shillong, Arunachal

Pradesh Bangalore, Karnataka Barrackpore, West Bengal Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu

Avikanagar, Rajasthan Izatnagar, Uttar Pradesh Karnal, Haryana

Barrackpore, West Bengal Cochin, Kerala Cochin, Kerala

Management of agricultural research projects in India. Part 1 231

APPENDIX lb List of Agricultural Universities Covered in the Study

Name of University Location

Gujarat Agricultural University Haryana Agricultural University Tamil Nadu Agricultural University University of Agricultural Sciences

Dandiwada, Gujarat Hissar, Haryana Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu Bangalore, Karnataka

APPENDIX 2 Discipline-wise Distribution of Scientists Responding

Agricultural Chemistry Agricultural Economics Agricultural Entomology Agricultural Extension Agricultural Statistics Agricultural Structure and

Process Engineering Agronomy Animal Nutrition Biochemistry Economic Botany Electrical Engineering Electronics and Instrumentation Farm Machinery and Power

Fish and Fishery Science Fish Processing Technology Food Science and Nutrition Genetics and Cytogenetics Horticulture Microbiology Nematology Physics Plant Breeding Plant Pathology Plant Physiology Soil Science Soil and Water Conservation Engineering Veterinary Bacteriology and Virology

management of agricultural research projects in india. part 1: project planning

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