LOSS-HOBA

The Asara-Hoba project has the specific objective of strengthening the capacity of agro-pastoralists to implement agricultural techniques allowing secure, remunerative and sustainable agricultural production through access to an adapted service offer.

It thus contributes to reducing the poverty of rural populations in the district of Ambovombe and the vulnerability to climatic, environmental and/or economic shocks.

This project extends the action of the Structuration of agricultural orientations (SOA) project implemented by the FAO in partnership with GRET, which ended in January 2015. GRET provides technical and financial responsibility as well as general coordination of the field project.

GRET is responsible for the technical and financial aspects as well as the general coordination of the project in the field.

Goals

The implementation of agricultural experiments in a controlled environment

· Setting up demonstration fields

The organization of exchange visits for farmers and technicians

The training of relay farmers

Support for seed production structures

Support for the legalization of the SQD seed sector (seeds of declared quality)

The improvement of post-harvest storage methods and the training of artisans

Experiments aimed at improving local farming conditions

Support for the installation of a private veterinarian and training of 10 community animal health auxiliaries

· Capacity building of the Agricultural Services Center of Ambovombe

Expected results

The main results and activities of the project which complement those of the Aïna project are:

• Agricultural innovations adapted to the local context are tested, disseminated and adopted in the district of Ambovombe.
• Direct services to farms are strengthened. Large-scale productive developments of the land are carried out (250 ha) in order to support producers in the realization and sustainability of collective projects.

The target groups are the Agricultural Services Center, 10 Associations of seed multiplier farmers, 80 seed sales shops, 60 farmer demonstrators of agro-ecological techniques, 2 welder craftsmen, 1 feed mill, 10 ACSA, 3 nurserymen. final are the rural families of the district of Ambovombe, that is to say 184000 people.