Improving livelihoods

Project Mitsinjo (in Malagasy: looking to the future) aimed to assist 3,000 vulnerable people in the Anosy region, south-east Madagascar. The project was designed to diversify livelihood strategies, improve nutrition, health and hygiene in the target communities, while at the same time reducing deforestation in a region where biodiversity is of critical importance. SEED Madagascar’s holistic approach includes cultivating moringa oleifera to combat malnutrition, reducing fire wood consumption, and fruit and honey production.

At the end of the project more than 3,000 people had benefitted from its activities. 1,100 households received 2,242 moringa oleifera seedlings and 6,084 fruit trees, contributing to the improvement of their nutritional status thanks to the consumption of moringa leaves and fruit. Fruit that was not consumed was sold. The construction of 522 improved cook stoves led to a reduction in firewood consumption, with 77% of beneficiaries also reporting that they no longer suffered from respiratory or ocular diseases. 50 beekeepers were trained and 102 hives distributed. The sale of honey improved their income by 77%. By the end of the project, 87% of them were consuming honey for its nutritional virtues and 94% for its medicinal benefits.

Founded in 1994, SEED Madagascar (ex-Azafady UK) is a registered charity in the United Kingdom and in Madagascar. It aims to enable the poorest populations, in the south-east of the country, to improve their livelihoods whilst protecting the environment.

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