○Introduction
My name is Hiroyuki Saratani and I am currently working in Paris, France, as a Shumei Natural Agriculture extension worker. I am mainly active in France, but my activities in Madagascar started when I met a person from Madagascar in Africa during my activities in France. In this issue, we introduce the development of Natural Agriculture activities in Madagascar.
Development of Natural Agriculture in Madagascar
○Background
With a total land area of 592,800 Square kilometers, Madagascar is the 46th largest country in the world. It is an island country located in the Indian Ocean, east of the African continent. The capital is Antananarivo, with a population of approximately 30 million, and about 80% of the working population is engaged in agriculture. Rice is the staple food, while spices, coffee and cocoa are produced and exported. In particular, vanilla is the world’s largest producer.
Madagascar’s climate is divided into a wet season (December to April) and a dry season (May to November). Madagascar is classified as one of the poorest countries in the world, with about 80% of the population living on less than USD 2 per day. The official language is Malagasy, with French also widely spoken. 85% of the population are Christians.
○Children’s education and food environment
Approximately one in three adults in Madagascar cannot read or write. With 80% of the population living below the poverty line, it is difficult for education to become the focus of the family, with many children having to start helping at home as early as age five. Even those who are able to attend school lack literacy skills, with 96% of pupils between the ages of 6 and 10 unable to read simple texts by the time they finish primary school. Madagascar has also experienced extremely low rainfall over the past few years due to climate change, especially in the south, where rivers are drying up, the land is becoming thinner, and crops cannot grow. As a result, more than one million inhabitants suffer severe water and food shortages, and more than 110,000 children are said to be severely and acutely malnourished.
[From ‘Madagascar – Food and medical care for children’, World Medical Corps].
○Beginnings of our activities
Our Natural Agriculture activities in Madagascar first started when Noromashiya Gerber, a Malagasy living in Paris, met me in 2011 and learned about Natural Agriculture. Later, in 2012, I met her sister Yanna, who was impressed by the fundamental philosophy of Shumei Nature Agriculture is an over ridding respect and concern for nature. The following year, in 2013, Janna founded and became the president of AgriNature, an association that aims to promote Natural Agriculture.
↑Saratani (far left) with Yanna (third from left) and other staff of the association ‘Soakilonga’
○Necessity of Natural Agriculture
The general farming situation in Madagascar is that pesticides and chemical fertilizers are used but are expensive and unaffordable for most farmers. Many farmers therefore use cow dung as fertilizer. However, even cow dung is a big expense for many farmers and its transportation is time-consuming. The Shumei Natural Agriculture Method is attractive to farmers from a cost perspective, as they do not need to buy new seeds, as they collect the seeds themselves. Some farmers who initially started out because they were interested in the costs of Natural Agriculture are now aware of the quality and taste of the crops and are continuing the practice, while others have given up the practice because of poverty and the desire for faster growth.
○Current activities
In the past, the project’s activities were centered on giving workshops to groups of farmers interested in Natural Agriculture in rural villages on the outskirts of the capital Antananarivo, taking care of those who started to practice it and selling their produce. Currently, extension activities are targeted at schools, orphanages and other institutions where children gather.
Two typical examples are given below.
Association ‘SOAKILONGA’
: an association that works primarily to improve the food environment for mothers and children.
It has been working with Natural Agriculture since 2022, and the plots are managed by its staff. The representative, Josette RAKOTOHERY, works as a medical doctor specializing in nutrition and came across SOAKILONGA through her connection with Janna. The facility provides school lunches with vegetables from Natural Agriculture to about 40 children with inadequate nutritional needs.
↑Soakilonga signboard School lunches using Natural Agriculture ingredients↑
○Centre de Compassion.
: Orphanage run by Catholic sisters on the outskirts of the capital Antananarivo.
The practice of Natural Agriculture began in April 2023, with seven Sisters and about 10 trainees managing the plots and children participating in the work. They have been practicing organic farming using cow dung but have been impressed by the taste and flavor of the natural crops.