Category Archives: Volunteering

Adventures, Madagascar, Outdoors, Volunteering

Mitsinjo Community Reserve

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Just opposite of the entrance to Andasibe-Mantadia National Park is a local initiative by Association Mitsinjo who manages the Analamazaotra Forest Station. The forest is in excellent condition and the group is working to remove all of the exotic eucalypt and pine from the area. You will see some reforestation plots if you decide to take a walk with Mitsinjo in their reserve.  They also have an orchid garden and offer walks through the treetops.

We had been in contact with community group Mitsinjo Association via email and they invited us to see their work. The head nurseryman Youssouf was not available in the morning due to a large tour group so we took a walk through the forest with one of the Mitsinjo guides.  He has been taking tours for over 8 years in the Andasibe and the surrounding forests.  Within the first 15min of the walk we met our first curious looking but very handsome giraffe weevil.  The male has an elongated neck to fight away other courting males while the female uses her shorter neck to roll up the leaf tightly in which she lays her eggs.  Its an amazing and very funny looking adaptation.  We even managed to spot some have sex.

Only 10min further down the track the guide called to come quickly. We scuttled through the forest to meet our first Indri Indri!  The guide had spotted a female with her young and another male further out watching out for them. Throughout the day we saw a few groups of Indri, which was made possible as Mitsinjo’s guides know the Indri’s habits well. There have been several lemur translocations into the forests around Andasibe. The study and tracking of Indri Indri by Mitsinjo provides vital information for the protection and conservation of such species.

There was a large group of Japanese tourists visiting at the same time. Jean-Noel (president) and Youssouf (vice president) gave presentations in the morning on the progress of restoration activities and conservation projects.  The large group are part of a tour called “Plant a Tree and Save Forests! Mitsinjo Forest Restoration Tour” They would have presentations in the morning followed by a guided walk. The group would then plant seedlings that they had funded in a parcel of reforestation.

Mitsinjo are the only guides that offer nightwalks in the forest (and not the usual walk along the road). Tours to the Mitsinjo forest are also cheaper than the national park.  Your money will be used for community projects related to health and agriculture for local people living around the forests managed by the association.  An organisation that is very worthwhile supporting!

Adventures, Hiking, Madagascar, Outdoors, Volunteering

Vulnerable Households Project

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Madagascar has an exponentially increasing population. Currently the number of people virtually doubles every 10 years. This population explosion has put immense pressure on society and environment. Estimates place the amount of land cleared in Madagascar as high as 90% but this figure is likely to be exaggerated. Little ‘intact’ forest remains and the amount of agricultural land available (especially productive virgin land) for further utilization is fast diminishing. New sustainable agriculture techniques are required to assure the people of Madagascar will be able to feed themselves into the future.

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Vulnerable people in rural Madagascar are the most marginalised and impoverished and often do not have access to land, especially not their own. The land is usually unproductive and fallow. Soils require intensive ameliorative actions to restore nutrients and organic material in the soil profile leading to increased agricultural productivity. A grant from the Innocent Foundation has enabled vulnerable households to secure agricultural land and Ny Tanintsika Field Agents are teaching them sustainable agricultural techniques.

Ny Tanintsika beneficiaries mostly borrow land from family, neighbours or acquaintances. Continued access to land is insecure. Beneficiaries run the risk of other people claiming ownership of land and crops produced. As such, Ny Tanintsika is attempting to secure formal land tenure for these households, though it is proving a complex and arduous process. 

Most vulnerable households and people we have been fortunate to meet are very proud of their achievements. Having been given an opportunity to develop new skills and participate in the agroforestry and alternative livelihoods projects they are eager to demonstrate their success. It has been inspiring to meet with these people that have made so much from this limited opportunity. 

 

Adventures, Madagascar, Outdoors, Volunteering

Visit to commune Miarinarivo

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Miarinarivo is a small commune situated approximately 45km south of Ambalavao in the central highlands of Madagascar.  It is relatively remote and travel via taxi brousse from Ambalavao is only possible on a few days of the week and takes several hours.  Ny Tanintsika works with three community forest management associations (COBA’s) within the commune.  These associations have been created to locally manage the protection and enhancement of remaining forest within the region. It empowers local people with the knowledge and skills to manage their (limited) forest resources. The management plans were created under guidance from Ny Tanintsika and the Malagasy government. The plans define areas of strict conservation (fitting with the region plan to provide corridors) and mixed forest use to meet the daily needs of the community (sustainable resource use).  The plan also allocates plantation areas to supply fuel wood for cooking and agricultural lands for food production and agroforestry.

I spent five days in Miarinarivo with the field technicians from Ny Tanintsika. We visited the nurseries and reforestation sites of two villages (COBA’s), community agroforestry technicians (TAC’s) and several households along the way. My first objective was to demonstrate the use of GPS to record areas reforested. Secondly, I was to teach techniques for monitoring survival of seedlings produced at the community nurseries. We also set up a trial for producing mycorrhiza (VAM) at the nurseries.  Mycorrhiza are vital to the growth, health and successful establishment of seedlings.

We were invited for lunch on several occasions but due to the busy schedule had to decline on most days. On the last day we joined one of the COBA’s for a traditional rice feast. Ny Tanintsika had donated a plough to the COBA and they were eager to display its use and give thanks. It was the beginning of the rice harvest and Malagasy traditional is to share your wealth when you have it. I had to make my way into the house via a precariously unstable wooden plank raised 2.5m above the ground. This was disconcerting after having broken my femur just over a year ago.  We feasted on eggplant, chickpea, and (needless to say) rice. It was a lovely experience to have been welcomed into their house.

There had recently been a cyclone and trekking through rice paddies was very challenging.  The windrows of rice paddies had become very slippery and most of us ended up with both feet stuck deep in mud.  I had a great time working with the Ny Tanintsika staff and community members.

Madagascar, Outdoors, Volunteering

Production of mycorrhiza at community nurseries

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The soils of Madagascar are generally nutrient poor and forests display rapid nutrient cycling. Nutrients in these forests are not readily available as they are tied up in biomass. The majority of native vegetation is dependent on fungal root associations for nutrient uptake. These symbiotic associations between fungi and the roots of plants are termed vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhiza (VAM) or ectomycorrhizal (ECM). It is termed ‘symbiotic’ as the fungus obtains carbohydrates (sugars) from the plant and in exchange provides the plant with vital nutrients for growth. It is not possible for the plant to obtain many of these minerals by itself without the fungus. The fungus thus helps plant growth and health by increasing the plants nutrient absorption capability. Examples of these nutrients are phosphate, nitrogen and other minerals. Seedlings produced at community nurseries for reforestation projects often lack these important fungi in potting mix. The absence of mycorrhiza impacts on the health and growth of seedlings resulting in higher mortality rates – in the nursery and once planted in the field.

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Ny Tanintsika has begun establishing trials to produce the VAM for seedling production at community nurseries. The process is relatively simple but will hopefully prove essential to the production of healthy native seedlings.

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The process used for producing VAM at the community nurseries is detailed below.

  1. root material is collected from the undisturbed forest that contains mycorrhiza of the plant families grown at the nurseryIMG_4408 IMG_4412
  2. a trench is dug that is 50cm deep but can be varying in width and length (depending on the amount of VAM required)IMG_4455
  3. the trench is lined with a breathable plastic sheet to keep in the moisture & fungusIMG_4461
  4. the collected root material is added to the trench
  5. a small amount of topsoil and compost is placed on top of the forest soilIMG_4504IMG_4494
  6. a mix of rice and bean seeds are sown and the pit is wateredIMG_4507
  7. the rice and bean mix is grown for 3 months to help culture the fungi as the roots provide a new medium for mycorrhizal growthIMG_4516
  8. reeds or straw is placed on top to keep the mixture from drying outIMG_4533
  9. after 3 months the rice and bean plants are cut and mixed into the mycorrhizal culture
  10. water drainage is installed to stop rain water running into the mixture (especially during cyclonic events)IMG_4536
  11. after a further 10 days the culture is ready to add into the potting mix in poly bagsIMG_2307
  12. 1 tablespoon of the culture is added to the poly bags for seedlingsIMG_4339IMG_4553IMG_4557-Edit
Adventures, Madagascar, Volunteering

Fianarantsoa, Madagascar – Our New Home

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We are based in Fianarantsoa, in the central highlands of Madagascar, for our volunteering work with Feedback Madagascar/ Ny Tanintsika. Fianarantsoa is the 5th largest city in Madagascar and the capital of the Haute Matsiatra region. It was built by the Merina people in the early 19th century for the Betsileo Kingdom when the regions of Madagascar where unified. The Betsileo people are known as very hard working people. Others joke that they are always cold and even wear jumpers on the hottest of days.

The Ny Tanintsika office in Fianarantsoa has about 15 employees and probably another 15 field staff. We are really lucky to be a part of this organisation.  The staff are wonderful and have been very welcoming. They are all highly educated and very knowledgeable. Their experiences and willingness to help have made our journey here very enjoyable. We have been lucky to rent a house next to the office.  It is very nice – especially for Malagasy standards. There are two bedrooms, a living area, small kitchen with a camping gas burner to cook and a bathroom. We’ve been sharing with a young dutch/german couple completing a University degree in International Development. Washing is very refreshing as we only have cold water. Boiling some hot water makes it possible for us to have the occasional warm bucket shower.

The best things about Fianarantsoa are the Ny Tanintsika staff and local people. Most people are very friendly and say hello when you pass by on the street. We’ve been to Karaoke with locals and had a blast. Singing here feels much easier (and somewhat less embarrassing) than back home. Buying our fresh fruit and vegetables is always an experience.  The market place is full of people and getting what you want can be a challenge. Although Fianar is very developed there are still rice paddies wherever houses have not been built. Waterways are sadly full of rubbish as is often the case with cities in developing countries. There are also many fruit trees scattered through the city. There are many peach trees in which you will often find chameleons, rocking back and forth, stalking insects.

Most Vazaha and tourists only stop in Fianarantsoa overnight on their way to Tulear or returning from visiting national parks such as Andringitra, Ranomafana or Isalo.  We’ve had a fantastic experience here so far, met some lovely Malagasy people and eaten many wonderful foods. Thanks Fianarantsoa.

Our page on Feedback Madagascar and Ny Tanintsika

Adventures, Hiking, Madagascar, Outdoors, Volunteering

Ambositra, Madagascar

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We were very fortunate to have the National Director of Ny Tanintsika and one of her brightest staff show us around their project sites in Ambositra.  The town is approximately four hours’ drive south of the capital city, Antananarivo. We visited local plant nurseries and the endemic, threatened Tapia woodland, home of the silk worm. Ny Tanintsika has developed small scale agroforestry plots within these communities– with cash crops such as sweet potato, tomatoes and citrus trees.

We also visited a womens’ silk weaving cooperative, which was created by Ny Tanintsika. This project supports women’s groups and households to protect the endemic tapia woodland – the last remnants of highland primary forest – through the revitalisation of the silk industry in Madagascar.

The Tapia woodland is only found in the central highlands of Madagascar. The dominant tree Uapaca bojeri is endemic to Madagascar.  Tapia woodlands are adapted and resilient to the regions natural fire regime however frequent intense fires and land clearing has resulted in habitat degradation and fragmentation.  The Tapia woodlands have now been restricted to fragmented stands that total less than 130 000ha. Most of these isolated stands have lost their species diversity and are no longer intact representatives of the former Tapia woodlands prior to high levels of disturbance.

The woodland we visited in the Faliarivo community is one of the last vestiges of intact Tapia woodland within the region. During our visit it was clear that almost no seedlings were present of the dominant native trees and the process of self-regeneration had stopped. The woodland has become infested with pines and this threatens the long-term biodiversity value of this woodland. If the pines are not eradicated the health of the Tapia woodland will only further decline.

Ny Tanintsika wishes to engage the local community to eradicate the pine from the Faliarivo Tapia woodland. Monetary compensation will be provided to locals for harvesting all of the pine within the woodland. Local nurseries have already been established for Tapia woodland restoration and will provide seedlings for infill planting once the pines have been eradicated. The timber harvested represents a commercial gain and profits will be re-invested into developing alternative income schemes for the local community.

This is one of the projects that Anni and I will focus on while we are here in Madagascar.