Opened in March 1963 under the name of Ecole Nationale Supérieure Agronomique (ENSA), later to become the Ecole Supérieure des Sciences Agronomiques, ESSA is the only public training institution for Agricultural Engineers in Madagascar. ESSA provides training for professionals, researchers and policy makers in the fields of agronomy and natural resource management. As part of the LMD system, it offers a degree course in Agronomy Sciences as well as various Master and PhD programs.