ARMEFLHOR - Technical Institute of the Idien Ocean " The farmer at the heart of our concerns " Association Réunionnaise pour la Modernisation de l'Economie Fruitière, Maraîchère et HORticole (Reunionese Association for the Modernisation of the Fruit, Vegetable and Horticultural Economy)

ARMEFLHOR, an experimental associative structure, was created in 1992 on the initiative of professionals to help improve the performance and competitiveness of companies in the horticultural sector on Reunion Island. For nearly 20 years, it has accompanied professionals and conducted experiments with new techniques with the aim of developing fruit, vegetable and horticultural production, organic farming and improving crop protection in tropical areas.

ARMEFLHOR is a member of the ACTA network and has been leading the Innovations and Agricultural Transfer Network on Reunion Island (RITA) since 2012.

Its main tasks are :

• Development and implementation of the experiments required by professionals;
• Monitoring the smooth running of the experimentation programmes;
• Coordinating the activities of the various organisations involved in these programmes and proposing any useful measures to this end;
• Transfer and dissemination of the results and solutions obtained;
• Vocational training for farmers, employees and agricultural technicians;
• Expertise on fruit, vegetable and horticultural production in Réunion and more widely within the framework of cooperation or partnerships;
• Development of regional, inter-company, national and international cooperation.

Experimentation is ARMEFLHOR's major strategic field of activity. Experimentation programmes are the result of farmers' problems identified during the technical groups. These programmes are drawn up by ARMEFLHOR's technical teams, are evaluated by the Scientific Council and validated by the members of the Board of Directors.

The main themes of experimentation for the plant sectors (excluding sugar cane) are :

• The revival of priority sectors, - the development of Organic Agriculture,
• The competitiveness of above-ground market gardening
• Genetic resources and plant breeding
• Crop protection methods,
• Production systems and technical itineraries for perfume, aromatic and medicinal plants.

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