Madagascar

NEW YORK, 20 March 2024 / PRN Africa / -- ?Women in one of the poorest parts of rural Madagascar are growing their financial independence from men by cultivating village land and selling their produce.

They live in the village of Ankilinanjosoa in Anosy, a region which has suffered a series of droughts leading to the failures of multiple harvests.

Twenty-five women formed a grower’s association which has access to water as part of a project supported by the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF).

Tenefo Votsirasoa is a member of a women's growers association in the village of Ankilinanjosoa.

It’s hoped a reliable way to irrigate their crops will not only help to build their resilience to the drought conditions but also allow them to make their own decisions about how to spend their money.

Ahead of World Water Day, marked annually on 22 March, farmer Tenefo Votsirasoa explains that access to water is everything.

“In this garden of around 500m2, we are growing maize, courgettes, greens, tomatoes, peppers, onions and sometimes beans. Maize especially needs a lot of water.

We get water from the village supply. It costs 100 ariary (2 US cents) for a 20-litre jerry can. We spend about 2,000 ariary (44 US cents) a day on water.

Before, if we wanted to cultivate crops we had to buy water which was collected from the river, which cost 500 to 1,000 ariary (11-22 US cents) per jerry can, so it was very expensive to grow any food.

We have a system of irrigation provided by UNICEF, which means our crops always get enough water. We do have to rent the pump to irrigate the field, but we hope one day as an association we will be able to buy our own pump, which will ultimately save us money.

Water is on tap for the first time in Ankilinanjosoa village.

Supporting the family

I have eight children, five girls and three boys, and now that I have access to family planning information, I will not have any more.

The girls come to help in the field after school. It is not our culture for boys to come. They stay home to study or do other work, for example, looking after cattle. My husband left home to find work and is living a long way away towards the north of the country.

Now I can provide enough food to feed my family and can sell the rest so I can afford to send the children to school and to pay for medical care. I am also saving some money.

SOURCE UN News Centre