In this latest update on our multi-year project in CAZ West, Madagascar, made possible thanks to the support of The Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund (CEPF), we are looking at one of the main pressures causing habitat loss and increasing the threats to endemic wildlife.
Slash-and-Burn Agriculture
Slash-and-burn agriculture, known as Tavy, is one of the most common pressures on the habitat and wildlife of protected areas because the practice results in the conversion of forest to agricultural land. Trees are not only cut down around the villages as an extension to exisiting agricultural areas, but also deeper within the forest where new patches are cleared. This is unsustainable, and increasingly so as population densities increase.
The Impact of Climate Change
Agricultural techniques are generally poor, with land farmed until it becomes infertile leading to more land being subjected to Tavy. In recent years climate change has added its own challenges, with Madagascar suffering increases in the number and severity of typhoons, and significant changes to rainfall patterns. The resultant failed, or reduced, crops have aggravated an already inadequate system, increasing the drive to clear more land.
How this Project is Making a Difference
Persuading communities to relinquish their traditional beliefs takes time. In previous updates we have reported on the awareness raising amongst the adults and the education initiatives directed at schools. In this update we would like to focus on how this project is also tackling the issues of necessity by seeking to provide farmers with benefical alternative farming techniques through training and practical support. The aim is to improve yields, increase resilience to climate change and ensure exisiting agricultural land remains fertile.
Climate-Smart Agricultural Techniques
Our field team, which includes an agronomist trained in Madagascar, are carrying out a range of community-based activities involving a combination of training and practical applications. Climate-smart techniques include diversifying crops, efficient water management such as mulching, improving soil quality and fertility through organic compost making, and effective pest management without the use of pesticides.
Compost pit with aeration tube © The Aspinall Foundation Madagascar
One of the significant benefits of a multi-year project is that it provides sufficient time to combine class-room style training with practical application and follow-up training. Our field team regularly travel between the villages across the project area to deliver a programme of activities that are achievable given the limited resources in the communities. Over 200 community members are currently participating.
Training at the village of Raboana © The Aspinall Foundation, Madagascar
Monitoring and Follow-up Training
Once the participating community members have started to put their new skills into practice the regular visits from out team include an assessment of progress.
Regular monitoring of progess helps to identify any problems or concerns the farmers may be experiencing in applying the skills they have learned. Based on the teams findings it is then possible to arrange additional training to reinforce the lessons learned and also to refine the training to better suit the community. For example, recent follow-up training on compost making has been provided to expand the subject matter to include identifying the needs of the soil based on the area to be cultivated and the number and type of plant to be grown.
Agroforestry
A key component of climate-smart agriculture is the use of agroforestry. Combining trees and shrubs into farming systems, together with crops creates a more sustainable and diverse use of the land. This approach has been proven to provide a variety of benefits including improved soil health, the provision of shade and wind protection for more delicate plants, and enhanced biodiversity including attracting pollinators. Intercropping with a variety of fruit trees and vegetables also provides a broader diet for the communities and resilience to climate change from crop diversity. Alongside the provision of fruit trees the participating community members are also receiving coffee plants, grown in the village tree nurseries, which adds to their ability to generate an income-stream from their produce.
Coffee seedlings © The Aspinall Foundation Madagascar
The Benefits
The mission of The Aspinall Foundation is to halt the extinction of rare and endangered species whilst enabling them to live free and wild. To do this it is important to protect vital habitats, and given that human activities are the primary cause of habitat loss we work to reduce that pressure. However, the benefits that are gained from community-based conservation are wider. Addressing some of the issues facing rural communities that lead to poor environmental choices results in better, healthier, lifestyles for the human population too. In addition, reducing bad practices whilst protecting and restoring vital habitats has a contribution towards mitigating the damaging effect of climate change.
Thank You
We are grateful to CEPF to supporting us to work alongside some of the communities in CAZ West.
The Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund is a joint initiative of l’Agence Française de Développement, Conservation International, the European Union, the Global Environment Facility, the Government of Japan and the World Bank. A fundamental goal is to ensure civil society is engaged in biodiversity conservation.