Vocational Training and Agricultural Productivity Improvement Programme

The goal of FORMAPROD is to contribute to an increase in the income of smallholder farmers through professional and vocational training, leading to higher productivity and improved marketing of agricultural products.

The target group consists of 2.7 million households in 13 regions – a total of 7 million people, or 20 per cent of Madagascar's rural population. FORMAPROD specifically aims to support vulnerable groups, with special attention to uneducated youth and young women who are heads of household.

The programme's three primary components include:

• Supporting the development and implementation of the National Strategy for Agricultural and Rural Training
• Operationalizing the regional system of rural and agricultural training, and ongoing vocational training, including the National Council for Agricultural and Rural Training
• Increasing agricultural productivity.

FORMAPROD will work directly with IFAD-supported projects to identify and train young farmers, agricultural technicians and extension agents, and to support continuous vocational training in all 13 regions. For the other activities, especially investments to improve agricultural infrastructure, the programme will select 6 to 12 ‘production poles'. These catchment areas are to be defined by agro-climatic and socio-economic criteria, including population density and rural poverty.