FIFAMANOR’s department engaged in Africa-milk: FIFAMANOR’s Livestock production department aims to develop milk production and milk industry to increase the livelihoods of farmer’s households. This department has a longstanding experience mainly in Vakinankatara region of Madagascar, where it works closely with the stakeholders of dairy sector and the local dairy supply chains through its research staff based in Antsirabe and field agents assigned in the Vakinakaratra region. Expertise Livestock production department expertise is focus on dairy cows feeding (rationing, forage production), genetics improvement (artificial insemination, production of male and female spawners, production of fodder seeds, and technical assistance to famers and stakeholders of dairy sector.

Some ongoing or recent projects on milk in Africa involving FIFAMANOR:

• CASEF - Support to commercial agriculture sectors in Madagascar (including milk value chain)
• IAEA : Développement de méthode pratique pour prédire la quantité et la sélection d’herbes naturelles ingérées par les ruminants au pâturage en utilisant les technologies de marquage des isotopes naturels et la spectrométrie dans le proche infrarouge (SPIR)
• EcoAfrica : Intensification des systèmes de production agricoles familiaux par l’optimisation de l’utilisation des ressources animales et végétales et par la promotion des processus écologiques clés
• PEJAA : Formation des jeunes entrepreneurs sur les chaines de valeur lait, maïs et blé pour le montage de leur business plan afin qu’ils puissent conduire leur exploitation agricole à grande échelle

FIFAMANOR brings to Africa-Milk the following expertise:

• On local farming systems and dairy value chains (Task 1)
• On ongoing trends in dairy milkshed and milk collection systems (Task 2)
• On cattle feeding systems, forage seed production, milk quality management, and genetic improvement (Task 3)
• On Malagascy dairy-sector network to monitor and up-scale the findings of the project (Task 4)