3.2. Forage production
At the start of project, the best-bet households had on average less then 0.03 ha of improved herbaceous forages, with most of that comprising small forage banks of elephant grass in the Barru villages of Lompo Tengah and Harapan. The Lemoa, Manyampa and Mertak households had very little, if any, improved forage banks. By February 2008, the average across all sites was approximately 0.11 ha with the greatest increases being in the Barru Regency villages which had better rainfall and a longer history of contact. By October 2009, this had risen to an average of almost 0.4 ha, which represents a substantial improvement in quality fresh forage supply across all study villages. In some cases forage production has expanded into new land areas not previously producing forages, while some households had purchased or leased additional land to grow forages.