Madagascar Livestock Expansion and Stability Program (LIVES) Quarterly Report

The program is implemented by Land O'Lakes International Development with funding from the United States Agency for International Development's (USAID) Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA). During the period of July to September 2016, the program continued to implement major field activities, reaching several achievements. A total of 3,879 farmers, including 1,811 male and 2,068 female, were trained on animal husbandry practices. Additionally, 244 members of the Animal Health Services Fund (FCSA) board received refresher training on community animal fund group management. Seven water points were rehabilitated, and six Water Users committees were formed for the rehabilitated water points. A total of 54 members of Water Point Committees were trained, and 1,119 animals, including 141 small ruminants and 978 chickens, were purchased and distributed to 208 selected farmers. The program also made significant progress in the animal health component, with 48 Community Livestock Workers (CLWs) receiving practical training by the local veterinarian. A total of 49 CLWs provided animal health services to farmers, benefiting 1,110 households. The CLWs conducted 10,852 veterinary interventions, including 6,003 deworming, 1,301 vaccinations, and 3,548 treatments. For the next quarter, the program plans to continue training farmers on small ruminant and chicken husbandry. An assessment will be made with each Livestock Lead Farmer (LLF) to define what topics need to be strengthened. The program will also continue to support the animal fund service by organizing prophylaxis campaigns with the CLWs. Additionally, the program will continue the water point rehabilitation and plan the reception of the rehabilitated water points at the end of October. The program will also distribute additional chickens to 612 beneficiaries in the three targeted communes. The distribution will start in Ankazomanga, continue in Maroarivo, and be finished in Beahitse in December or January. The program will utilize the midterm information and confer with CLWs to understand what topics to focus on for refresher training. The program will also organize several prophylaxis campaigns to support and make CLWs operational. The program's goal is to facilitate and coordinate all the activities, including farmer sensitization, meetings, and the use of collected funds for animal health services. The program will also organize an exchange visit for the CLWs to share best practices and success stories. The exchange visit will be held both internally and externally to areas with similar conditions to LIVES areas. The program's implementation is focused on three key intermediate results: IR 1.1 Animal husbandry practices improved, IR 1.2 Livestock asset base expanded, and IR 1.3 Access to animal health services increased. The program aims to achieve these results through the training of livestock farmers, the creation and operationalization of animal fund services, and the provision of animal health services to farmers. The program's geographic focus is on the Ankazomanga, Maroarivo, and Beahitse communes in southwestern Madagascar. The program's timeframes are quarterly, with the current quarter covering July to September 2016. The program's recommendations for the next quarter include continuing to train farmers on small ruminant and chicken husbandry, supporting the animal fund service, and distributing additional chickens to beneficiaries.