Micro-irrigation for food security: the Untold Stories of Forgotten Stakeholders, SCAMPIS Project World Water Week 2012 seminar, Sweden

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Farmers in southern of Madagascar and MIS scaling-up with a national

project.

Christin Ramaroson, Madagascar (Watch the Christin’s presentation on Youtube)

The strategy of scaling up of MIS with National projects in Madagascar is focused in two main aspects:

- Implementation by local promoter (a NGO or association)

- relying on material distribution chain

For the implementation of the strategy, the NGO AVSF form and builds the capacity of promoters and key actors

in the implementation of field activities. Also AVSF NGO ensures the relationship between the manufacturer and

national project for the acquisition of equipment and the establishment of distribution chains in the area of

intervention. Finally, AVSF acts as accompanist for local promoter and manufacturer in the implementation of

activities.

Rural people in the area are poor and affected by chronic hunger because of drought. While, their main

activity is agriculture, and they are having major constraints compared to the low availability of water resources

caused by low rainfall, drying up early of water sources and drying of rivers.

From the first demonstrations of MIS in the area, people are very keen to use the material and adopt

irrigation technology. They were very motivated by seeing the arrival of water in their agricultural plots and they

are also very pleased to be able to produce food from the little water resource that exists during the dry season.

People using the MIS were able to produce vegetables and improved nutrition and food security of their families

(as approximately 2300 households have benefited from the use of technology during the promotion).And more,

MIS helped secure seed productions of sorghum in order to revive the culture after drought, during which

productions are destroyed and seeds are no longer available.

But these people have encountered problems in relation to the adoption of technologies. First, MIS is a new

practice in the area and technical capacities of farmers are still very limited. Then, the materials are not yet

available locally lack of distribution network. And finally, one of main problems of farmers is their low financial

capacity to purchase materials. From these facts, technicians and farmers were trained on the MIS control; and

materials were supplied and subsidized by a national project funded by IFAD that works in the area.And more,

the lack of water resources is a major obstacle to the adoption of MIS.

Micro-irrigation for food security: the Untold Stories of Forgotten Stakeholders, SCAMPIS Project World Water Week 2012 seminar, Sweden

Farm

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calin

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Otherwise, the MIS is an alternative to improve the resilience of farmers face the effects of climate change and

water scarcity. MIS is also a means that can help people to increase food production and improve food security through

effective management of available water resources. Water is crucial to the survival of farmers in the Southern of

Madagascar, so improving management and water availability should be a sustained effort to eradicate hunger and

improve the lives of farmers.

Now, the main challenges are formed by increasing numbers of farmers integrating MIS in their

production system to improve water management, coping with climate change, improve food security and

income household in the area. But constraints are also to overcome for sustainable the adoption of MIS; there

are the low capacity of farmers' access to technologies, low water availability. Moreover, the enthusiasm of

farmers to technology, the government interests and others stakeholders constitute an opportunities for scaling-

up and adoption of MIS in the area, which is materialized by the agreement of AROPA project to continue the

promotion of MIS for three years more in the area. Finally, scaling-up of MIS in Madagascar is now possible

thanks to the achievements and experiences of SCAMPIS project.