Country capacity. A major obstacle to the success of programs in the agricultural sector is a lack of national capacity to plan and execute a comprehensive program—in particular, capacity for financial management and for M&E. Initial ASPs should focus on reforming institutions and building capacity, keeping early programs relatively simple, focusing on a few core activities in one or two subsectors, and undertaking further tasks as capacity expands. A sector program may focus entirely on institutional development and capacity building and may not involve capital investments at all. The factors determining whether a program qualifies as ASP are the extent to which coherent policy and institutional frameworks exist and the degree of government commitment. Donor coordination. Donor coordination and harmonization of donor support are generally difficult to achieve. Governments may lack the capacity or experience to handle this task, and donors may be unwilling or unable to harmonize their support because of their own internal procedures. The Special Program of Assistance for the Africa Region is one mechanism for improving donor coordination, offering donors the opportunity to discuss ways to coordinate their assistance and providing a model for governments. Adoption of common implementation arrangements is likely to be a slow process. Project implementation manuals should highlight the proposed implementation arrangements. Donors are likely to agree to harmonize some activities but resist harmonizing others. While donors are likely to agree to common reporting and auditing functions, for example, they are less likely to harmonize procurement and pooling of funds. ASP initial successes can build receptivity to further coordination. Lessons Learned Experience from recent ASPs not only offer some important lessons for future ASPs but show that ASPs are not panaceas for development success. ASPs have worked well in some countries but have experienced significant implementation difficulties in others. Success criteria. Experiences have shown that ASPs work better in countries with: A coherent policy framework that addresses key macroeconomic and sectoral policy issues (there are no major policy distortions, or at least measures are in place to redress existing distortions).
An institutional framework that is based on a detailed assessment of key institutions in the sector and supported by institutional reforms and rationalization.
A sectoral public expenditure review process that identifies ways to improve the efficiency and impact of the public expenditure program.
A government commitment to the program with concrete evidence of political, fiscal, and administrative commitment to program preparation and implementation.
Clarifying scope and building consensus. Experience shows that when initiating ASP preparation, it is useful for ASP advocates within government to clarify the scope of the ASP activities by first preparing a concept summary. This can be used to build consensus within government and among the key stakeholders on the need for an ASP. Once a consensus is reached to move forward, an ASP team, comprising representatives from key stakeholders, can prepare a program document to guide the preparation effort. Such a document should communicate to principal stakeholders; the ASP scope, evaluation criteria, design features, and preparation processes. Views of rural stakeholders throughout the country need to be incorporated in the preparation process. Â   Â 
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