Support for agricultural cash sectors in eastern Madagascar

While more than 80% of the population lives below the poverty line, cash annuity channels are one of the only sources of income for agricultural households, who can thus have a little money (vola). This money allows them above all to meet their basic needs (basic necessities, children’s school, health, etc.), and to help their loved ones or save for the future. It also allows them to “enjoy life” (drink, party, gift, phone, bicycle or motorcycle, etc.) and participate in important cultural events in their community.

In Madagascar, exports of agriculture, fisheries and aquaculture products account for nearly half of the country’s exports, averaging $1.2 billion per year between 2017 and 2021. It is therefore a strategic sector for the balance of trade, for State and community tax revenues, for the private sector and job creation and for the incomes of small producers.

Despite the strong potential of these sectors, the challenges to be met are immense: sustainability of production, better sharing of added value, structuring of POs, traceability and quality of products, governance of sectors, regularity and security of supply, competitiveness on international markets, etc.

To understand these complex situations, identify constraints and sticking points, and propose realistic and effective interventions, we mobilize the various tools of the agronomist (agrarian diagnosis, sector studies, market studies, etc.) and participatory methods (surveys, focus groups, workshops, etc.). The quantitative and qualitative data collected feed our analyses and proposals, which must be adapted to the context, realistic and pragmatic.