RURAL DEVELOPMENT
The Aga Khan Foundation is committed to reducing rural poverty, particularly in resource-poor, degraded or remote environments.
It concentrates on a small number of programmes of significant scale. The model of participatory rural development it has pioneered combines a set of common development principles with the flexibility to respond to specific contexts and needs.
Programmes typically link elements such as rural savings and credit, natural resource management, productive infrastructure development, increased agricultural productivity and human skills development with a central concern for community-level participation and decision-making.
The ultimate goal is to enable community members to make informed choices from a range of appropriate options for sustainable and equitable development.
- Learn more about AKF's work in Rural Development
RICE YIELD IMPROVEMENT PROGRAMME IN MADAGASCAR
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BACKGROUND
Madagascar is the fifth largest island in the world and is located in the Indian Ocean.
According to World Bank estimates, 70% of Madagascar’s 14 million people live on less than $1 dollar per day. Although Madagascar’s economy is predominately based on agriculture, it chronically suffers from food shortages. This poverty puts a lot of pressure on the arable land as Madagascar has one of the world’s highest levels of per capita rice consumption.
Rice production involves 80% of all rural households, as well as accounts for 12% of the national economy and is the country’s single most important economic activity. Rice provides over 50% of calories consumed in the country and the poor rely heavily upon it. However, while rice farming represents over 40% of agricultural production, 10% of consumption is actually imported.
In Madagascar, where 80% of the poor live in rural areas, most rice farmers live below the subsistence level and purchase rice at international market price to supplement their needs.
THE PROJECT
In 2005, the Aga Khan Foundation (AKF) launched an integrated rural development project in the
Sofia region, with the objective of increasing rice yields by 100 percent.
In 2006, experimental plots in the Sofia region that benefited from alternative farming methods proposed by AKF more than doubled their average yield in tons per hectare.
The programme provides training to groups of farmers on alternative rice cultivation
practices. Such practices include mapping, planning, using different seeds, fertilizers and water management amongst several others.
Building on their traditional knowledge, the farmers are encouraged to experiment with this toolkit on a 10 square meter test plot, then share the results and lessons of these tests with other members of the group. At their discretion, they subsequently adopt certain techniques on their own fields. Experimentation leads to new ideas and appropriate innovations better adapted to local conditions and abilities - which is at the essence of this participative approach.
The farmers from the programme have observed that their neighbors outside the group have started “borrowing” certain techniques, such as planting in rows, and implementing them in their adjacent fields.
In 2006, average yields were more than 100 percent higher in fields where selected APRA-GIR practices were adopted than in neighbouring fields without alternative cultivation techniques.
With the Aga Khan Agency for Microfinance now set up in the region of Sofia, farmers can access loans that will enable them to better implement and sustain these different tools and practices. The APRA-GIR programme aims to train the farmers from the pilot groups so that they may facilitate the training sessions and share their knowledge and experience with others.
- Learn more about AKF's Rice Yield Improvement Programme
- Learn more about AKDN's work in Madagascar
CASE STUDY
Mahatondra lives in Andranova village in the district of Befandriana. On his land he formerly grew rice using traditional methods and was able to produce 100-150 bags depending on rainfall. However in 2005, after participating in the AKF Rice Yield Improvement Programme, he saw a dramatic change in his productive capacity as he was able to produce up to 250 bags despite the shortage of rain.
Like most farmers, Mahatondra is hard-working. He would go to his green fields to water his rice plants but he was not able to increase the number of bags produced from a certain limit. Thanks to his improved scientific knowledge of anatomical properties of rice, biology of rice-seeds and the developmental stages of the plants, he has surpassed this threshold and now sells 90 bags of rice at the market. The difference in income from the sale of his rice has enabled Mahatandora to build a new house. Furthermore, Mahatandora now shares his precious knowledge with other farmers in the region.
In 2008, Mahatandora participated in the national contest of new agricultural techniques. He is so happy with his progress that he says he will continue using these good cultivation methods.
