At appraisal, poor communication facilities, coupled with the lack of year-round access to water, were identified as critical constraints on the intensification of animal production in Mahajanga Faritany Province.

Planned

Achieved

To provide support for road construction and maintenance. Up to 100 km of all-weather roads would be constructed to improve access to villages and complement the intended pilot animal-production programme.

To improve the supply of water for animal and human consumption, the development of 35 surface water-storage points and 80 wells as permanent sources of human drinking water in the communities covered by the pilot scheme.

The roads programme suffered as a result of the cancellation of the pilot animal-production component. However, 383 km of roads were built or rehabilitated.

Six water storage units, consisting of one reservoir and five wells equipped with windmills, had been constructed by the end of the project. The reduction in the number of water storage units was attributed to the abandonment of the pilot livestock programme, the lack of experience, delays in obtaining data from the Hydrogeological Department, controversy over the optimal type of unit, and the lack of demand from villagers, who were more interested in water supply for human consumption. The village water supply programme achieved greater success, with the construction of 75 wells.

Despite the fact that the ecological conditions of Madagascar are favourable for livestock production, this potential has not been harnessed due to institutional weaknesses, the Government's counter-productive pricing and marketing policies, and inadequate planning and management capabilities. The project identified a need to re-examine and restructure the roles of government and parastatal livestock-related institutions.

Planned

Achieved

To provide managerial and material support to FAFIFAMA through staff training and the creation of a monitoring and evaluation unit.

To provide technical support to improve the national livestock sector through studies, training programmes and material support to the Animal Production Service (SPA) Unit in the Ministry of Rural Development and Agrarian Reform.

To review the roles and performance of government institutions and parastatals, leading to proposals for rationalization and restructuring.

All FAFIFAMA staff, including administrative staff, mechanics and farm workers, received on-the-job training at Antsiranana, Antsirabe and the Tombotsoa School Farm. The monitoring and evaluation unit was created in the first quarter of 1983 and had, by the time of the mid-term review October 1987, gained considerable experience in survey design and implementation.

Study tours and training were provided to key managers in the SPA and the Ministry of Rural Development and Agrarian Reform. The training of SPA personnel faced a number of constraints. In some cases, SPA personnel had difficulty meeting training criteria (such as a professional background and command of the English language), while staff shortages meant that qualified staff could not be given time off for training.

An assessment of governmental organizations was carried out based on nine agencies. The study showed that the government enterprises operate at a loss, relying heavily on subsidies.

During appraisal, it was observed that the foreign exchange earning potential of beef exports was being subordinated to the needs of the domestic market. The Government of Madagascar was more concerned with the supply of meat to urban areas, thereby suffocating the development of a viable export trade.

Planned

Achieved

To support the development of a beef export industry and fund a study to analyse the potential of beef and hide production and to identify foreign markets.

FAFIFAMA suffered considerable financial loss when it undertook to purchase cattle to be slaughtered for export. The main reasons were the excessively high operating costs and, later, the loss of the European Economic Community market after Mahajanga abattoir approval was cancelled. The study was carried out in 1987. The results show a pessimistic attitude towards the production potential of beef and hides, but a positive attitude towards their export potential.

The development of livestock research in Madagascar was hampered by the lack of a well-defined policy.

Planned

Achieved

To establish a pilot animal production programme in Mahajanga Faritany Province, with the aim of exploring means of intensifying animal husbandry in mixed farming systems in areas with land shortages.

To support a steer-fattening programme, with the objective of testing its technical and economic viability for commercial farmers and smallholders.

To provide support for applied research and studies on cross-breeding between the local Zebu breed and exotic breeds. The studies were to be carried out by the Centre for Agriculture and Rural Development Research.

Delays in credit availability from local banks obstructed the purchase of slaughter stock for export, contributing to heavy losses which, combined with the withdrawal of European Economic Community abattoir approval, led to the cancellation of the pilot animal production programme. One positive result of the failure of the pilot scheme was the reallocation of the credit facilities to a dairy programme, leading to the establishment in 1988 of a milk-processing plant, which has been collecting an increasing proportion of milk output from three livestock associations organized by the project.

The steer-fattening experiment was suspended because it failed to show economic profitability, largely due to the high cost of inputs.

The cross-breeding experiments were abandoned due to poor prospects of success, together with institutional complexities and the limited time available for experimentation within the project period. However, by the time of the mid-term review October 1987, a study of animal epidemiology had begun. In addition, project staff made two study trips to India in 1986 and 1987 to examine alternative livestock development schemes to be implemented in Madagascar.

Although animal health problems are less prevalent in Madagascar than in other African countries, there are a number of endemic diseases, including anthrax, black leg, tuberculosis, liver fluke, tick-borne diseases and parasitic diseases. The delivery of animal health services was constrained by shortages of veterinary products and of foreign exchange for imports.

Planned

Achieved

To continue the treatment of parasites in cattle and the ongoing vaccination programme against diseases such as black leg and anthrax.

To provide animal-health services for pigs and poultry, increasing vaccination from 9 000 to 50 000 among pigs and from 20 000 to 200 000 among poultry.

To provide veterinary and vaccination centres.

To import veterinary products and vaccines, principally antibiotics, fasciolocides and anthelmintics, which were to be sold to farmers under a cost-recovery programme.

To recruit 115 supplementary staff, including 56 village vaccinators, 30 veterinary assistants and 6 veterinary officers.

To supply materials and equipment to the Central Veterinary Laboratory, improving its ability to produce vaccines.

The number of calves treated for endo-parasites reached 157 000 in 1985, but fell to 135 000 in 1987 and to 100 000 in 1988. The decline was a consequence of the dismissal of one third of the village vaccinators due to government funding cuts, coupled with farmer rejection of a new treatment after 1985. By 1986, the number of cattle vaccinated against black leg and anthrax had reached 2.6 million (95% of the appraisal target). Thereafter, the number of vaccinated animals was maintained at between 1.9 million and 2.2 million. The decline was attributed to delays in vaccine delivery and the dismissal of the vaccinators.

By 1985, 53 000 pigs and 700 000 poultry had been vaccinated.

A total of 80 veterinary centres and 20 vaccination crushes were provided, facilitating vaccination procedures and the implementation of treatments against ticks and internal parasites.

Vaccines were imported, but the process was problematic, suffering from stock mismanagement, long delays in procurement and an ignorance of actual demand, which caused orders to be based on administrative estimates. Veterinary products, including parasiticides, egg incubators, hormones and equipment for small animal surgery, were also imported.

Staff recruitment was carried out. However, by February 1987, 47 more vaccinators had been recruited than planned, bringing the total number to 137. By 1988, vaccinator numbers had dropped back to 80.

Equipment was purchased for the Central Veterinary Laboratory, including a boiler, two autoclaves, a laboratory mixer, flasks, ampoules and stoppers.