This project is already funded!
Background & challenges
The Soarano drainage basin, in the urban municipality of Ambalavao, lies within one of the intervention areas of the KOLORANO project. It serves to process and supply water to the town of Ambalavao, as well as to local producers farming both up- and downstream the springs.
Given the irregular flow of the springs and water retention dams, largely silted up because of the severe soil erosion, water shortages occur at the end of the dry season; a situation that leads to conflict over the use of water for farming versus domestic purposes.
Launched in 2016 through decentralised cooperation with Grand Lyon Metropole (France), the project has already enabled an early diagnosis of the drainage basin and implemented a development plan. Producers have also reforested several hectares with plants produced locally by a municipal and several private nurseries.
Building on this first step, the KOLORANO project aims to plant 25,000 additional trees and focus on the following different aspects:
- soil fertilisation to boost soil quality and limit erosion;
- providing firewood and boosting income for the local population over the medium and long term by exploitating the fruit and coffee harvested;
- increasing the cultivated species and improving biodiversity within the areas, while reducing bush fires;
- follow-up and renewal of training courses for municipalities, nurseries, lead operators and producers to improve their sustainable management skills in forest plantations.
Project type
Agroforestry and forestry
Beneficiaries
The community of Ambalavao, as well as farming families living in the four hamlets of Soarano, Ambalatsimirango, Mananjafy, and Famaky, farming up- and downstream the springs.
Number of trees
55,000 trees planted, of which 25,000 are expected to remain over time.
Species planted
About 10 different forest species: Eucalyptus robusta; Acacia mangium and Eucalyptus grandis, and trees for agricultural use: Neem Azadirachta indica, and/or food use: Tapia Uapaca bojeri; Moringa Moringa oleifera; Kily Tamarindus indica.
Partner
Agrisud International
Works timeline
- June to November 2020: establishing sites and beneficiaries.
- August to November 2020: awareness raising and activities to prevent fire risks and spreading.
- October to December 2020: training boosters and instructions for site managers for supervisory and planting techniques.
- November 2020 to March 2021: site managers to train beneficiaries, preparing planting holes, monitoring the holes and technicians, planting.
- January to June 2021: technicians to follow-up of recovery of young plants.
Following years:
- July to September 2021: monitoring seedlings and assessing replenishment needs (new planting if mortality is excessive); installation and maintenance of firebreaks (around the borders of the plot, or associated crops).
- October to December 2021: monitoring seedlings and helping growers produce or obtain seedlings needed for replenishment.
- January to March 2022: replacement of missing seedlings.
- April to July 2022: maintenance of plantations and firebreaks.
Planting partner
Created in 1992, Agrisud International is a charitable public utility association.
Its teams help people in need set up and develop very small, family-run agricultural holdings. These ventures, organised and deeply rooted in their territory and on local markets, are viable and sustainable thanks to agroecology. They also create value and are economically profitable. How so? Because the entrepreneurs follow a professional development path to work their way out of poverty to become financially independent: Agrisud International has supported 60,000 very small holdings since 1992.
Operating in Madagascar since 2008, Agrisud is active in 15 countries in Africa, Asia, South America, and the Caribbean.
Its total annual budget of €4 million is financed 70% by public funding (French Development Agency, European Union, Coop déc.) and 30% by private sources (foundations, businesses, individuals).
Budget
The total funds raised amount to €60,000. The price for planting a lasting tree is €2,40 and breaks down as follows:
- 95% of which is allocated to the planting project, broken down as follows
- Plants: €0.18
- Training beneficiaries (nurserymen and women, producers, municipal officials): €0.15
- Technical supervision during the planting year: €0.37
- Technical supervision over four years following planting: €0.74
- Logistics and material costs: €38
- Project coordination: €0.18
- A Tree For You collection, follow-up, and communication expenses (11,67%): €0.28
- and 5% (€0.12) for A Tree for You structure costs
Mécénat Chirurgie Cardiaque will fully fund the whole project over several years.
The aim being to counter the environmental impacts of the air travel of children travelling to France for treatment, accompanied by their contact from Aviation Sans Frontières, as well as those resulting from medical missions in the different countries where Mécénat Chirurgie Cardiaque is active. Likewise for the land transport impacts of events organised to raise funds.
This is a virtuous circle created between the partners of Mécénat Chirurgie Cardiaque: Air France, Air France Humanitaire, Aviation sans Frontières, and the association A Tree for You.
