Madagascar Livestock Expansion and Stability Program (LIVES) Quarterly Report

The program targets 20,000 people in Ankazomanga, Maroarivo, and Beahitse communes in southwestern Madagascar. During the period of April to June 2016, the program continued to implement major field activities. The program reached several achievements, including training 3 LIVES Field Agents on animal husbandry practices, training 49 Livestock Lead Farmers (LLFs) on the same topics, and monitoring and supervising 49 LLFs. Additionally, 1993 farmers were trained by LLFs on husbandry practices, and 49 animal fund groups were operational. The program also distributed 1107 small ruminants to 559 farmers and 244 chickens to 38 farmers. Furthermore, 49 Community Livestock Workers (CLWs) were monitored and supervised, and 1834 farmers were trained by CLWs on animal health care. CLWs also provided veterinary services for farmers, with a total of 1940 veterinary interventions provided. For the next quarter, the program plans to continue training farmers on small ruminant and poultry husbandry, monitor and supervise LLFs, and conduct an assessment to ensure that LFFs and households are adopting the practices. The program will also plan refresher trainings as needed based on the assessment report. Additionally, the program will evaluate the animal fund groups functioning and reinforce these structures with a technical and management refresher and orientation session for the board members. The program will also hire a consultant, a site manager, and skilled local laborers to lead the rehabilitation of 6 identified and prioritized water points. This rehabilitation will take into account the report and recommendations from the water point technical survey done during the previous quarter. With the communities, 6 Water Users Associations (WUAs) will be formed or reinforced to manage and insure the beneficiaries' contribution and to lead the sustainable management of the future rehabilitated water points. The program will also continue animal distributions, with three distributions planned for the remaining small ruminants in Beahitse and two for chickens in Maroarivo and Beahitse communes. The program will purchase and distribute about 164 small ruminants and 2938 birds to ensure quality, the program will organize field inspection in the animal origin area, subcontract local veterinarians for final inspection and other veterinarian services, and equip all CLWs with bicycles to serve as motivation and to ease their work. The program operates out of its office in Tuléar, with a team comprised of a Country Director, LIVES Program Manager, Accountant, M&E Specialist, a Livestock Specialist, logistician and administrative assistant, three Field Agents located in each target commune, and a driver. The team receives technical support from Land O'Lakes Global and Regional teams. The program aims to train 2,000 farmers on animal husbandry practices, with a focus on improving animal husbandry practices, expanding the livestock asset base, and increasing access to animal health services. The program targets 20,000 people in Ankazomanga, Maroarivo, and Beahitse communes in southwestern Madagascar. The program has made significant progress in improving animal husbandry practices, with 1993 farmers trained by LLFs on husbandry practices. The program has also distributed 1107 small ruminants to 559 farmers and 244 chickens to 38 farmers. Additionally, 49 CLWs were monitored and supervised, and 1834 farmers were trained by CLWs on animal health care. The program will continue to implement major field activities, including training farmers on small ruminant and poultry husbandry, monitoring and supervising LLFs, and conducting an assessment to ensure that LFFs and households are adopting the practices. The program will also plan refresher trainings as needed based on the assessment report and evaluate the animal fund groups functioning and reinforce these structures with a technical and management refresher and orientation session for the board members.