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A Madagascar, les plantations de maïs font parties des filières jugées porteuses pour les paysans. De ce fait, ils augmentent les surfaces à cultiver et y investissent beaucoup pour avoir plus de rendement de bonne qualité. Pour la saison agricole 2017 – 2018, elle s’annonce bonne car, la pluviométrie est quasi-suffisante. Donc, les paysans espèrent gagner plus de recoltes, y comrpis les maïs. Mais, malheureusement pour ce dernier, des chenilles légionaires menacent de ravager les plantations, elles mangent les feuilles en passant par les fleurs jusqu’aux épis. Les paysans se sentent victimes, leurs espoirs de gagner plus de recoltes deviennent anéantis. La région Bongolava est très touchée par ce phénomène. Donc, la Direction Régionale de l’Agriculture et de l’Elevage (DRAE) prend les choses aux sérieux, elle a visité quelques Communes de cette région pour constater de visu les réalités. Après cette visite, on connaît que, ce fléau ne touche pas encore l’ensemble de la région Bongolava. Il est à noter que, lutter contre ces chenilles légionnaires n’est pas si facile car, il attaque les plantes au soir, pendant la nuit et jusqu’au petit matin ; durant le jour, il se cache sous les feuilles des maîs et en plus, ils résistent à certains pesticides.

(Photo fournie le 6 février 2017 à Londres par le Centre pour l’Agriculture et les Biosciences, d’un épi de maïs dévoré par une chenille (AFP/HO)

The CPM organized, on November 29th, at FALDA Antanimena - Antananarivo, a national workshop on the rural development in Madagascar and, it invited Mr. Willy RAKOTOMALALA, Director of Support to the Professional Organizations of the Rural World within the Ministry with the Presidency in charge of Agriculture and Livestock, to shed more light on the said rural development. During his opening speech, Mr. Willy RAKOTOMALALA said that the State and the CPM have a similar vision concerning the establishment of structures from the bottom up. Still on the development sector of the rural world in Madagascar, he said the existence of a political framework that combines with the Malagasy Government's policy on the Sustainable Development Goal and the Malabo Declaration - Agriculture and Rural Development. Among others, there is the National Development Policy (PND), the Sector Program Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries, all of which aim at the elimination of hunger, the increase of production, the control of internal and external markets, the reduction of the poverty rate. In fact, this meeting is described as enriching because it allowed us to know the policy of the Ministry to the Presidency in charge of Agriculture and Livestock on rural development and we are more involved.

The participants during the workshop

As part of its partnership, the Coalition of Farmers in Madagascar (CPM) received the representative of the Southern African Confederation of Agricultural Unions (SACAU) in Madagascar, from 27 to 29 October, in the person of Mr. Benito ELIASI.

The objectives of this visit by Mr Benito are clear:

• to meet the members of the new groups who will be supported by the project in the municipalities of Tsinjoarivo Imanga, Ambatolampy and Fihaonana in order to raise their awareness;
  
• meet with the leaders of the old cooperatives: the cooperative « TAMBATRA » for the commune of Maritampona, the « FTA » for that of Ankadinondry, « MIHARY » for Bemahatazana and « FANANTENANA » for that of Ambararatabe, all in Bongolava district
  

SACAU, through the CPM, supports the new cooperatives through the granting of fertilizers, seeds and training, on the one hand. It provides training for former cooperatives so that they can improve their activities on the other.

This partnership is part of the project « Strengthening Farmer Organizations in Africa Program (SFOAP) » and focuses on production and marketing of maize for farmers who are members of cooperatives in the Bongolava district.

The new groups of farmers in Tsinjoarivo Imanga Group photo during the meeting at CPM Bongolava region