Following up on Project Fagnimbogna
Madagascar is one of the countries most affected by climate change worldwide. Weather patterns have become increasingly unpredictable, making harvests unreliable and exacerbating hunger and poverty.
In response, our agriculture and agroforestry projects promote crop diversity, supporting farmers to grow a mix of fast and slower-growing crops so that food is available at different stages throughout the year rather than just in a single vulnerable harvest season.
One of those projects is Fagnimbogna ('solidarity'), an initiative co-created with our partner communities, our sister organisation Ny Tanintsika, Médecins Sans Frontières and Health in Harmony, aiming to support better health, nutrition and livelihoods by providing tools, seeds, and training.
Fagnimbogna currently runs across Tolongoina, Maromiandra and Ambinanitromby and has already brought inspiring success stories with it, three of which we would like to share with you today:
Marceline, 35
Marceline Venoro is a single mother of three and lives in Ambodiampaly, Ambinanitromby.
Before receiving support through Fagnimbogna, she worked on other people’s fields as a day labourer to feed her family. Simultaneously, she grew a small amount of vegetables on her own plot, but the harvest was never quite enough to get them through.
We supported in the form of agricultural equipment, training in land preparation, seed pre-treatment, planting calendars and plant spacing, production and use of fertiliser, as well as biological pest treatment; and by providing various vegetable seeds.
Since applying these techniques and tools, Marceline’s plot has become far more productive, allowing her to feed her family a diverse diet while earning 176,000 ariary from selling part of the harvest.
Income she used to buy her children’s school supplies and some much-needed kitchen utensils.
Rose, 78 (and her grandson Martinot, 10)
Meet Rose, 78 years strong, and taking care of her 10-year-old grandson Martinot.
With the provided seeds and training, she produced 11kg of beans last harvest season. While Rose and Martinot ate the majority, they carefully set aside 1kg to use as seed for the next planting season.
Martinot attends Maromiandra Public Primary School, one of the schools that are part of our School Feeding Programme.
Gerline, 34
Gerline Rasoavandry used to grow beans and maize by using traditional farming methods in her home municipality Tolongoina and as a result her harvests were limited.
Through Fagnimbogna her yields, too, have improved significantly and last year, on a small plot of land, Gerline cultivated beans and maize, steadily increasing her harvest from 25.33kg of beans in the first season to 27.73kg in the second.
On top of this she was able to sell 15 kg of beans and set aside some of the maize too.
A big thank you to Marceline, Rose and Gerline for sharing their experiences with us.
Together, we continue to work towards more resilient food systems in the face of the climate crisis. And as food security and income improve, pressure on the surrounding forests naturally decreases. 🌱
