LIVELIHOODS
Women's Resilience and Empowerment
Agriculture, the main source of income for 70-80% of the Malagasy population, is essential to the country's economy, with staple food crops like rice and cassava, and cash crops such as vanilla and cocoa.
However, agriculture is highly vulnerable to climatic hazards, including droughts, cyclones, and floods, which affect food security and farmers' incomes. Furthermore, a large portion of the population relies on rain-fed agriculture, making livelihoods even more precarious in the face of climate change.
In response to these challenges, the Ny Tanintsika organisation promotes diversification of activities as a way to strengthen community livelihoods.
What we do
Improved farming and livestock techniques
Our project promotes improved farming and livestock techniques to increase production and community income. Demonstration sites encourage the adoption of agroforestry, diversified cropping, and the use of organic fertilizers. Training and support are provided to improve livestock practices like fish farming, poultry, and beekeeping.
Women's empowerment and community-based ecotourism
Women's empowerment is also at the heart of the project, with support for responsible and community-based ecotourism. Ecotourism helps preserve the environment while generating income for local communities, especially for women involved in hosting and visitor services. Artisanal circuits, like the 'Silk Road,' contribute to forest conservation and local economic development.
Village Saving and Loans Association (VSLA)
In parallel, Village Saving and Loans Association (VSLA) are created to strengthen the financial autonomy of communities, encourage entrepreneurship, and improve their economic resilience, with ongoing training and monitoring to support residents' projects.
Our impact in numbers
Households trained
in farming techniques
VSLA groups
savings and credit groups established
Beneficiary households
using VSLA services
Our field actions
POULTRY FARMING
Thousands of people live on the fringes of the COFAV tropical forest. The local population primarily works in agriculture and livestock, with a majority being subsistence rice and cassava producers.
In our intervention area, the poverty rate is particularly high, due to limited access to quality education and health services, as well as a lack of basic infrastructure such as roads and electricity.
Due to a combination of factors such as population growth, insufficient forest governance, and land tenure issues—particularly for irrigated rice cultivation in valleys, but also for illegal mining and logging activities—deforestation rates have increased significantly. This threatens not only biodiversity but also the essential ecological services provided by the forest.
Funding and implementation
With funding from Feedback Madagascar and Shivia, the project was launched to improve the income of vulnerable households through the development of chicken farming in the villages of Ambondro (Commune of Ambohimahamasina), Ranotsara in Vohitsaoka, and Menarano in Ranomafana. This project benefits 100 vulnerable households.
Resource distribution and construction
Each beneficiary household received two ready-to-lay hens, a rooster, and a startup kit including corn and bran. Households were also responsible for building the chicken coops.
Animal health and prevention
To ensure the health of the chickens, periodic disinfection was carried out, and farmers were made aware of the importance of adopting regular treatments, such as wormwood, garlic, and comfrey, as well as following a vaccination schedule with booster doses.
WILD SILK DEVELOPMENT
Since 2002, Ny Tanintsika has been active in the Amoron'i Mania region to support the development of the silk sector. In this village area, all women are involved in silk processing, a skill passed down from generation to generation.
They handle the entire process, from harvesting silk cocoons to creating the finished product: spinning, dyeing, and weaving.
A driver of local development: Today, silk processing is an activity that directly supports hundreds of families. It has not only become the second-largest source of income in the region but also promotes the empowerment of women.
Silk processing: from cocoon to fabric
Women have been trained in processing cocoons into silk thread. Equipment was provided so they could start working immediately. The women also specialized in using natural dyes for their silk products. They use leaves, barks, and roots of plants they know intimately, knowledge passed down through generations. Over 20 plant species are used to obtain a wide range of colors.
Our support
After our interventions, artisans were able to improve and develop their silk products through training and the introduction of new equipment such as pedal looms and spinning wheels. This support has allowed weavers to innovate and create new patterns with increased originality.
Two artisan cooperatives in Soatanana: Tambatra and Firaisankina
In Soatanana, two artisan cooperatives were established: Tambatra and Firaisankina, bringing together over 300 women weavers. These cooperatives have become the main suppliers for silk specialty shops in Ambositra, Antsirabe, and in the capital, Antananarivo. In 2005, Ny Tanintsika, in partnership with Feedback Madagascar and the Mondo Giusto Association, supported the creation of the Voajanahary boutique in Ambositra, a shop dedicated exclusively to selling silk products made by weavers from Soatanana and the region.
Support for internationalization and export
Ny Tanintsika also supports the cooperatives in finding international markets by assisting with the export of their products. This support is essential to open new market opportunities and increase artisans' income.
THE 'SILK ROAD' OF MANANDRIANA
Discover the Malagasy 'wild silk' sector: A one-day naturalistic walk in the Tapia forest.
The Amoron'i Mania region, located in the Highlands and inhabited by the Betsileo people, is a mountainous and rural region characterized by its typical rock formations, terraced rice paddy landscapes, and magnificent shades of green shaped by humans. It also features traditional adobe architecture with thatched roofs.
In collaboration with communities bordering the Tapia forest, Ny Tanintsika created the 'Silk Road' circuit to preserve the Tapia forest and promote the silk sector. This circuit offers visitors the opportunity to observe a unique ecosystem, discover species repopulation techniques, and the different stages of wild silk processing, from the Malagasy silkworm (Borocera cajani) to silk weaving.
Visit to the Tapia forest: The unique forest of Faliarivo
The Tapia tree (Uapaca bojeri) is the main food source for Malagasy wild silkworms. Both species, the Tapia tree and the wild silkworm, are endemic to Madagascar. Furthermore, the Tapia forest is home to a great diversity of resources, such as orchids, mushrooms, medicinal plants, and dye plants. The Faliarivo Tapia forest, managed by the Maitsovolo local community association, is one of the most intact and well-preserved Tapia forests.
Soatanana, village of traditional wild silk craftsmanship in Madagascar
Soatanana, the village of weavers, is the place where one discovers the different stages of the silk processing journey, from the raw material (cocoon) to the finished product, including cooking, spinning, dyeing, and weaving. Located 40 km from Ambositra, the center of Malagasy craftsmanship, Soatanana is a must-see stop on National Road 7, the main road linking Antananarivo to Tulear, and ideally situated between Antsirabe and Fianarantsoa.
Responsible and community-based tourism
In Soatanana, we are committed to making ecotourism an experience that is both enjoyable and enriching for our visitors and the village residents. The quality of our services and the satisfaction of our guests are at the heart of our approach. With this in mind, we have chosen to promote quality ecotourism that is respectful of the environment, human values, and beneficial for all stakeholders. We prioritize the satisfaction of ecotourists over their numbers to avoid the pitfalls of mass tourism. Accordingly, the association reserves the right to regulate tourist traffic and accommodation capacity.