Summary
Rural livelihoods in the Anosy region of south east Madagascar are traditionally based on subsistence farming or fishing. Livelihood fragility is exacerbated by environmental degradation and natural disasters including cyclones, drought and wildfires. Lack of crop diversity and recurrent failed harvests leads to severe food insecurity with up to 50% of children in some villages suffering stunted growth due to malnutrition. Meanwhile in Fort Dauphin, the urban centre of the Anosy region, unemployment is a huge issue. Only a small proportion of the workforce receive regular monetary wages, impacting negatively on both the local population and the regional economy. Women are particularly disadvantaged, with the vast majority working in the home rather than engaging in income-generating activities. As the recognised bearers of responsibility for family health and education, this inequality furthers poverty across generations.
Project Lanirano is promoting sustainable rural and urban livelihood strategies by expanding on Azafady's
award-winning capacity building programmes in the Anosy region of south east Madagascar. It is an initiative
developed with the participation of local communities, working in partnership with the regional government to
deliver information and practical support which enables the poorest and most marginalised populations to improve
and diversify their livelihoods, and to increase their household income and food security.
In rural areas the emphasis is placed on providing training in improved agricultural techniques including upland rice cultivation, composting and intercropping which improve soil fertility and diversify crops, thereby improving family diet and increasing the range of marketable products and subsequent household income. In urban areas resources are directed towards vocational skills courses, training in business management and the provision of small grants to cover the start-up costs of sustainable enterprises. Practical livelihood action sheets written in the local dialect are produced and disseminated in collaboration with PACE (Pan Africa Conservation and Education), with information resources made available to community development and health organisations throughout the region, thus facilitating knowledge transfer and increasing the project's impact.
Project Aim
To diversify the livelihoods and to increase the food security and income-generating capacity of marginalised
populations through the provision of skills training and practical support, in line with the Madagascar Action
Plan and Millennium Development Goals.
Objectives
Livelihood diversification leads to increased household income.
Recipients of agricultural training increase crop diversity and food security.
Recipients of small grants generate profits that can be reinvested in their business.
Principal Activities
Training in improved agricultural techniques
Azafady's extension agents set up demonstration areas in rural communities to raise local awareness
about improved agricultural techniques. The piloting of upland rice cultivation minimises water consumption
as this crop is rain-fed as opposed to traditional rice farming which requires irrigation. The promotion of
intercropping increases soil fertility and reduces the need for shifting agriculture or tavy which contributes
to deforestation. Training in the cultivation and use of Moringa oleifera, a hardy and highly nutritious
agro-forestry species, helps combat malnutrition.
Vocational skills courses
Practical training is provided in skills that women of all levels of education can access, such as basket weaving,
cookery, sewing and tailoring. This enables these women to diversify their livelihoods, generate income through their
own small enterprises and/or seek paid employment with a business in town.
Small grants
Workshops are held covering topics such as basic financial accounting and managing associations, in order to build
the capacity of women who have participated in the vocational courses to establish sustainable businesses. Small grants
are provided to cover enterprise start-up costs for women and women's associations who have attended these workshops.
Case Study
Barity Dorette is a 45 year old woman living in Fort Dauphin. She was 15 years when she had her first child and has spent the last 30 years raising her 8 children. Her husband works as a messenger in the hospital. Barity uses a local reed, mahampy, to weave mats which she sells on the street. On a typical morning Barity wakes at 5am and makes rice bread which she takes with her to sell on the street. After a breakfast of cassava and coffee, she sees her youngest children off on their 2km walk to the local school, then heads off to work herself. If she is lucky someone might buy her mats, but dye is expensive and Barity can't afford to buy it so her pieces often go overlooked. She has not learnt how to weave baskets as the only training she received was from her mother. In the afternoon, she prepares the rice for the next day and cooks her family dinner – typically cassava, sometimes sweet potato.
When Barity hears about the free courses on offer at the Azafady training centre she registers for a course in weaving, hoping that she'll learn some new techniques. There are 8 other women on her course, and over 4 weeks they are taught how to make items like baskets, hats and mobile phone covers. Needing some money to buy enough reeds and dye for her new designs, Barity applies to Azafady for a small grant. Her application is successful and she receives 150,000 Ariary (about £50). She spends this on all the materials she needs and is soon selling her pieces in the local market. Her income is so much improved that her husband starts to take on some of her responsibilities, bringing her lunch each afternoon and helping out with chores at home. Within the course of a year Barity has earned double her grant which she reinvests in her business, and uses to buy more vegetables and rice to supplement her family's diet. The whole family appreciates the luxury of having rice instead of cassava for every meal. Barity is able to start saving some of her income, and her business prospects are looking good.
