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Rural Poverty Portal

http://www.ruralpovertyportal.org/english/regions/africa/mdg/mandrare.htm

IFAD’s rice irrigation project transforms Mandrare region of Madagascar

A project supported by IFAD to rehabilitate rice production and develop more efficient farming methods in southern Madagascar has transformed the Mandrare basin from a famine-stricken region into a rice-exporting area.

The Mandrare basin is in the driest area in the otherwise relatively fertile island of Madagascar. Before the Upper Mandraré Basin Development Project got underway in 2001, Mandrare was one of the country’s poorest regions. People suffered from recurring famine. Farmers could not ensure an adequate supply of food and the economy of the entire region was in disarray.

“Before the Mandrare project, rice irrigation had fallen into disuse, and very little rice was produced in the area,” said Andrianiainasoa Rakotondratsima, the project manager. “The region was completely cut off. It took about 12 hours to drive the 120 kilometres from the regional capital, Taolognaro (Fort-Dauphin), to the inland basin, and the area was shockingly poor.”

 

The IFAD-financed project rehabilitated irrigation systems, restored roads and other infrastructure and introduced more intensive farming methods. The second phase of the project increased the number of communes and villages in the programme and introduced a microcredit network, based on a similar, successful system in the north-east of the country.

 

Soaring productivity and better roads help farmers

 

“What is spectacular in this project is the fact that the area can now export up to 25,000 tonnes of rice to the whole southern region,” said Benoit Thierry, country programme manager for Madagascar at IFAD. “Not only is it self-sufficient but it supplies rice further afield.”

In the course of a few years, the rice irrigation area doubled, expanding from the initial 1500 hectares to 3000 hectares. It is expected to double again under the current phase to nearly 6000 hectares, organized in plots of 50 to 100 hectares. In normal weather conditions, when there is no drought, one hectare of land can yield about three to four tonnes of rice - against 1.5 tonnes before the project.

The project also focused on vital improvements in infrastructure, particularly roads. Since the project began, more than 200 kilometres of road have been repaired. “This means farmers are now linked to the market, and the traders’ truck traffic has considerably increased these past years,” said Thierry.

 

Success based on knowing and responding to local needs

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