This component got off to a slow start due
to disorganisation, limited technical direction and delays in the arrival of the international technical
advisors. Implementation picked up around the mid-term but it remained weak. The most significant
activities were support to maize cultivation and the expansion of paddy rice cultivation through
irrigation schemes in the lowlands. However, overall beneficiary coverage was limited; female
participation was low; extension activities were too diverse, and focused on the lowlands rather than
on the uplands where shifting cultivation had been practiced; and the adoption rates were low