The villagers of Chorkate in Gorkha District recently had a first hand experience with a development consultant and are not ready for another one soon. A foreign expert decided that Chnrkate needed to upgrade its livestock and so he flew in a strapping bull from the United States. The bull was too big for little Nepali mountain cows, which collapsed from the weight of the beefy American import before consummation could take place. Shunned by the frightened cows and unwanted by the villagers, the stud today paces the banks of the Daraundi River, alone. The consultant, meanwhile, has handed in his project report and returned to the United States.
Development consultancies are a fast-growth industry in the foreign aid haven that is present-day Kathmandu. Large foreign firms make off with the big dam, airport and highway projects while homegrown consultants do quite well nibbling the tidbits. Most consultants, foreign and local, are upright and professional, but due to the shenanigans of a few, their image by and large is one of carpetbaggers out to make a fast buck. Today, consultants build dams, build roads, plan irrigation, do soil tests, train civil servants, advise ministries and advise those who want to learn how to advise.
Swiss geologist Toni Hagen was the "proto consultant'", who set an example with his diligence and creativity. Hagen crisscrossed Nepal in the early 1950s and made the first comprehensive physical and economic survey of Nepal for what was then known as the United Nations Technical Assistance Administration. Just as Nepal needed Hagen's advice in 1954, there continues to be a genuine need for outside expertise to fuel social and economic progress. Indeed, specialized one-time duties are often best conducted by a consultant. But today consultants are engaged in every stage of a project: from pre-feasibility to final evaluation.
A Development Racket