In Madagascar — one of the world’s most climate-vulnerable countries — a devastating drought, punctuated by intense cyclones, has pushed more than a million people into hunger.
As extreme weather exacerbates poverty and malnutrition, farmers are caught in a dangerous catch-22: climate change threatens their crops and livelihoods, prompting them to expand their farms by cutting down trees. This, in turn, intensifies the effect of droughts, flooding, and soil erosion.
According to a new report authored by the Green Climate Fund’s (GCF) Independent Evaluation Unit (IEU), sustainable agriculture practices can help farmers break this cycle.
“Smallholder farmers are one of the populations most at risk from climate change. This project is building trust in sustainable agriculture’s ability to prepare them for the effects of a warming planet.”
The report assessed the results of a USD 19.3 million programme launched in Madagascar, implemented by Conservation International, with USD 18.5 million in financing from GCF to help farmers implement new climate-smart practices — like using drought-resistant crops, mulching to prevent soil erosion during heavy rains and planting native fruit trees that provide both shade and new sources of income.
The report found that farmers who adopted sustainable agriculture practices were not only less likely to deforest surrounding land, but they also had greater food security—an important indicator in a country where about a third of the population does not have enough food.
“The farmers that are changing their practices are seeing results,” said Camila Donatti, a Conservation International expert on climate change who authored the report.
Ravolasoa Aimée Clarence, from Ambohimana, Vondrozo district, received training in climate-resilient farming techniques and high-quality ground nut seeds to harvest in 2019. These locally adapted seeds became the starting point for a sustainable agricultural practice on her farm. The transition to these quality seeds marked the first step towards a spectacular increase in rice yields. In just four years, her life transformed. After harvesting the ground nuts in accordance with the knowledge gained, she and her husband used the profits to buy rice seeds. When the rice was harvested, they purchased additional cropland to grow crops before eventually acquiring four cows.
“We never imagined owning four cows, no matter how many years we worked, but with the support of Conservation International [with financing from GCF], we were able to grow and develop.”
Dalia, a farmer in the Bejofo municipality, Antokazo, received high-quality seeds for harvest and essential farming tools, including watering equipment, ropes for cultivation, weeding tools, and insect repellents. These resources were carefully selected to help local farmers like Dalia tackle the challenges of changing weather patterns. From the 10.5 kilograms of bean seeds Dalia received, she harvested 400 cans, equivalent to 114.3 kilograms, exceeding expectations while demonstrating the effectiveness of sustainable agricultural practices.
Researchers surveyed more than 1,600 participating farmers to learn more about the quantity and type of food they eat and their ability to pay for essential needs, like housing, clothing and medications. Over five years, the farmers’ food security shifted measurably.
“We were surprised to see a significant drop in food insecurity in a short amount of time — typically it takes much longer to see results like this. In the past, many of the farmers surveyed had resorted to cutting down trees to supplement their incomes so they could buy food. Now, we’re seeing a reduction in those practices — which is good for the farmers and the forest around them.”
The findings are promising for Madagascar and beyond. The ongoing project can potentially improve the lives of nearly 24,000 people and conserve the two largest remaining forests in eastern Madagascar — the Ankeniheny-Zahamena and Ambositra-Vondrozo forests. These globally important forest corridors hold vast amounts of planet-warming carbon and wildlife — roughly 85 per cent of which is found nowhere else on Earth — but have steadily been degraded by slash-and-burn agriculture, the area’s leading cause of deforestation.
To read the full report, click here.
Original story written by: Mary Kate McCoy, Conservation International.
Edited by: Zeenia Dastur, GCF