Micro-irrigation and adapting to climate change in Madagascar

Itasy and Analamanga are regions where rice, manioc, beans and tomatoes are grown. These regions sometimes experience water shortages owing to longer dry seasons and a high number dry spells during the rainy season. These climate challenges have made rural families increasingly vulnerable, as irregular rainfall and poor soil fertility limit the farmers' productivity and the amount of income they can generate.

Experiments carried out by AVSF over a three-year period have shown that low-cost drip irrigation systems (80% of the parts are produced locally) are beneficial for the local communities:

• 52% decrease in water consumption, 27% decrease in time, 52% increase in production
• 135% increase in income (average over several observation periods)
• 80% decrease in the use of plant-protection products

Combining drip irrigation with agroecology (e.g. development of production and the use of organic materials through better integration of crop and livestock farming, agroforestry system) is particularly suitable for plots between 0.05 and 2 hectares, where alluvial and volcanic soils are low quality. The aim is to secure production over the long term (despite the deficit in rainfall), use water more efficiently, improve soil fertility, boost farming productivity and promote farming practices that help local communities adapt to climate change.

The project continued in 2017, with one of the objectives being to diversify the offer and set up a long-term local distribution network:

• Adaptation of micro-irrigation and training kits for the distribution network, with the installation of 2,000 micro-irrigation kits and 60 pedal pumps,
• Creation of plots for experimenting with micro-irrigation and agroecology, with the training of 80 smallholder representatives,
• Awareness-raising and training for agents at six farming service centers, the environmental department within the Ministry of Agriculture and the Climate Change Divisions.

This project received funding from Agence Française de Développement.