In partnership with the Centre national de recherche appliquée au développement rural (Fofifa) (National centre for applied research on rural development), GRET organised a workshop in Antananarivo, Madagascar, on the results of action-research in the agriculture, environment, livestock farming and nutrition sectors in the South of Madagascar. The event, which took place on 9 November 2017 with the support of the European Union, brought together numerous stakeholders (see exhaustive list below*). Collaboration between institutions working at various levels, ranging from support for producers through to issues around regulation, is partly the source of promising progress made in the region.
The discussions and experience-sharing focused in particular on the work conducted in the seed sector, with the implementation of regional standards adapted to suit the agroecological context in the South and registration of over forty varieties selected from local species or species introduced in collaboration with international institutions. “Research was conducted so that these seeds would correspond to crop requirements, especially in dry zones”, explained Professor Lala Razafinjara, general manager of Fofifa. These varieties provide greater resistance to the climate conditions and to constraints related to crop disease and pests in the Southern region.
These innovations benefitted development structures that produced and distributed substantial quantities of seeds to local populations. In parallel, research activities on livestock farming enabled progress to be made in the area of animal feeding and health. Participants highlighted the complementary nature of agriculture, livestock farming and the environment with a view to the development of sustainable family farming for vulnerable populations. They also stressed the importance of making the connection between activities relating to nutrition and those relating to agriculture. These actions seem to have laid the bases of a promising dynamic for the future.
* The Ecole supérieure des sciences agronomiques (Essa) (Higher institute of agricultural science), the Agence nationale du contrôle officiel des plants et semences (Ancos) (National agency for the official control of plants and seeds), the Centre international de recherche agronomique pour le development (Cirad) (French agricultural research and international cooperation organisation), Labasan-Université d’Antananarivo (University of Antananarivo) and the Centre technique agroécologique du Sud (CTAS) (Southern agroecological technical centre in Madagascar) attended the workshop alongside Fofifa and GRET to present the work they have achieved in recent years in partnership with numerous institutions, including the FAO, GIZ, Catholic Relief Services (CRS) and Agronomes et vétérinaires sans frontières (AVSF) (Agronomists and veterinarians without borders).
