The garden of Antanifotsy is located in the central part of Madagascar, 20km west of the rural commune of Ivato (10km south of the city of Ambositra, situated on national road no.7 towards Antananarivo, at 85km north of Fianarantsoa. According to the administrative structuring, the commune is located in Fokontany, Antanifotsy, the rural commune of Ambohimahazo, in the district of Manandriana, region of Amoron’i Mania.
The three families involved in the garden project are members of an association (grassroots local community) to protect the TAPIA forest or “Uapaca bojeri”. Within the community-based organization COBA, they have established a collaboration with the Ngo Ny tanitsika (“our land”) for the production of wild silk but the organization is no longer operational. The community includes 3 families and approximately 20 members. The 3 families are isolated/and or located far away from the other villages in Fokontany. There are two types of land for the establishment of the garden. The first plots of land are located on hill slopes (about 10 acres), in terraces designed for farming during the rainy season when water is abundant. During the season of poor rainfall the farmers have to water their plants manually with water drawn from the rice fields. This land is generally used for growing vegetables and rain-fed rice. The second type of land (covering about 20 acres) is a field designed for rice production during the rainy season and other crop production during the dry season. Beneficiary farmers working on these plots of land usually use organic fertilizers such as manure and compost. The main crops produced are: cassava (manihot utillisma, euphorbiaceae), maize (zea mays, graminae), sweet potato (ipomea batatas, dioscoreaceae), tomatoes (lycopersicum sp, solanaceae), petsai, anamarebaka, anamamy (solanum nigrum, solanaceae), peach (amygdalus persica, rosaceae), “pibasy” (eriobotrya japonica, rosaceae), rice (oryza sativa, graminae), “ovy” (solanum tuberosum, solanaceae), peas, “saonjo” (colocasia antiquorum, araceae). Generally, the crops produced are designed for household consumption and the surplus is sold at the village level or at the market of Anjoman’akona when necessary.
Area
Fokontany of Antanifotsy, rural commune of Ambohimahazo, district of Manandriana, region of Amoron’i Mania
Coordinator
Sahondra Raheliarisolo