Madagascar, Lake Itasy, February 2024
Many donors have supported this project. Thank you all so much!
‘Mahavotra 2021’ is a continuation of actions launched in 2019 in the Lake Itasy watershed. In this region of Madagascar, the aim is to preserve the lake from silting up and support 900 farming families in adopting agro-ecological practices. To achieve this, the project plans to develop 100 ha by planting 108,500 trees – with a view to obtaining 48,825 stable trees by 2026.
The results of a first planting campaign, carried out in 2021, proved extremely positive: 94% of the trees survived the first dry season! This operation involved 290 beneficiary familiesplanting 40,074 forest seedlings and 1,051 fruit seedlings, for a total of 41,125 seedlings.
Since then, work has continued to monitor the young trees and plant new ones.
In preparation for the second campaign, new sites and beneficiaries were identified so theentire project area could be developed. At this stage, farmers were asked about their needs so the seedlings could then be grown according to the species identified. This time, nurseries had to produce more than 78,494 seedlings, including 75,718 for forestry and 2,776 for agroforestry (fruit).
Forest species are in high demand sincethey are better suited to the degraded land on the hill crests. Their presence helps revegetate these areas and reduce soil erosion by encouraging rainwater infiltration and groundwater recharge. What’s more, they grow rapidly, which meansfamilies can collect firewood sooner by pruning the trees from their fourth year of growth onwards.
The second campaign, from January to March 2023, involved 200 new families. They benefited from advice and training to ensure the success of the plantations: drilling adapted to the tree species, installing firebreaks, and good agro-ecological practices to limit the impact of drought and foster of young seedling development.
During the two campaigns more than 119,558 trees of 17 different species were planted, which exceeded the target! Catch up with us in a few months to follow the growth of these trees.
Finally, 2023 was marked by a visit from an A Tree for You delegation. This provided an opportunity to meet not only the beneficiaries and project team, but also the project’s regional and municipal partners: Click here to find out more
