Gaining Community Momentum: Gearing Up for Center Construction and Forest Protection
Aid Projects, Biodiversity, Community Projects, Deforestation, Demonstration Sites, Education Centres, Society — by Martina Petru December 21, 2010
The last three months of spring in SW Madagascar just flew by! Ho Avy has been extremely busy in Ranobe. Truly an exciting time!
The focus of our activities has been the Ho Avy community protected no harvest forest reserve, as well as community and organizational partnerships. The reserve got delineated during the Ranobe protected area zoning meeting in early October, in which WWF, Ho Avy, FIMPAHARA and members of the Ranobe community took part, sparking a great momentum of community engagement. After the zoning meeting several members of the community, who were previously not engaged in Ho Avy’s activities, approached Ho Avy and expressed their interest to join Ho Avy to safeguard and actively patrol the forest.
Comments (1)Rare Forests and Food Insecurity: Opportunities for Sustainable Farming in Southwestern Madagascar
Aid Projects, Bio-regional Organisations, Community Projects, Deforestation, Demonstration Sites, Education Centres, Food Forests, Food Plants - Annual, Food Plants - Perennial, Food Shortages, Plant Systems, Trees, Village Development — by Martina Petru December 16, 2010
A Madagascar Threatened
As the world’s fourth largest island, located in the Indian Ocean just about 400 km from the eastern coast of Africa, it’s not surprising that Madagascar is one of the most biologically diverse places on Earth. The island was largely forested until approximately 2000 years ago, when the first humans came from distant Borneo, and later from Eastern and Southern Africa, Arabia and Europe to settle here. Over the past two millennia, it’s believed more than 90 percent of the forests (1) have been turned into fields and settlements. Today, with one of the world’s fastest growing populations, the Malagasy people are now more than ever dependent on their fragile natural resources and biodiversity for survival (2).
The spiny forest is like no other forest on Earth and is among the last remaining extensive forests on Madagascar. Satellite images show that over the last 20 years the spiny forest is also the most threatened forest on Madagascar. Harbouring plant endemism at the highest level on Madagascar- with 48 percent of the species and 95 percent of the genera unique to the southwest, the forest is a unique and vital community asset.
Comments (3)HoAvy – the Children Dance and Sing With Joy
Aid Projects, Community Projects, Demonstration Sites, Developments, Education Centres, Village Development — by Martina Petru September 17, 2010
Field news: last’s week’s Rain Dance video!
Many thanks to all of you who have recently given a little love to Madagascar.
Please check out this movie of kids in the Ranobe village, who spontaneously gathered this week to sing an amazing song after HoAvy installed a 500L water tank, contributed by U of M Masters Students. Watch the kids celebrate the first water delivery system in the village, resulting in (relatively) high water pressure and delivery out to the field around the research center. It was placed on the top of the research center (about 20 feet/6 meters off the ground).
United Colors of Ho avy: Growing Trees and Growing with Them, Madagascar
Aid Projects, Community Projects, Demonstration Sites, Developments, Education Centres, Energy Systems, Food Forests, Nurseries & Propogation, Social Gatherings, Trees, Village Development — by Martina Petru September 2, 2010
Editor’s Note: This is an update for the ho avy project in Madagascar. Previous updates here and here.
EcoExplorers Madagascar 2010 from Shannon Kohlitz on Vimeo.
Here we are past July’s time for fleece, hat and socks, wouldn’t you believe! Manintsy – cold (25/16 °C day/night or less) was the semiarid southwest Madagascar in winter; winter in the dry southwest where ‘it never rains’. Well, never say ‘never’ and/or be prepared for rain in the no rain season and for beautiful double rainbows arching gently over the glowing morning skies….
Since our last update in February, ho avy has been on a ‘high season rainbow ride’ – exciting in a way, admittedly speedy and bumpy some of the time – more like a downhill slalom race against time, where falling over exposed tree roots is unavoidable. Retrospectively, it’s been a valuable growing time: our trees are growing and we are growing with them.
We especially enjoyed the rainbow of colors left behind the pens, pencils and brushes of Eco-Explorers – talented undergraduate students of the University of Michigan’s School of Art and Design. These young students overflowing with creativity came to Madagascar expecting no rain. Although they got some, they seemed to greatly enjoy this mad ride, and so did we on ho avy & Madagascar Eco-Explorers’ tour and project service work in Ranobe.
Comments (3)Ho avy: Keeps Growing for the Future and Growing High
Aid Projects, Community Projects, Demonstration Sites, Education Centres — by Martina Petru February 22, 2010
Editor’s Note: This is an update for the Ho avy project. Previous update here.
Days have been blown away like autumn leaves, it feels, by strong winds that have been finally bringing some mild cyclonic weather and needed moisture in this high summer time in SW Madagascar. It’s mid February: hot times – times of growth; growing native trees from the spiny forest; growing subsistence crops.
And how refreshing has it been when the temperature dropped a full 10 degrees (from 40 to 30ºC) and even to a record low of 27 ºC at night, the lowest record in the last couple months, which is truly a pleasant feeling. We’ve had 50mm of rain during the second rain storm since Christmas, enough to plant rice, yet not enough to plant corn, manioc, beans, squash, melons or native trees to our reforestation sites. We are holding off for now and hoping this will happen with the next substantial rain storm so as to assure seedling survival.
Comments (0)Ho avy: Growing a Future for Madagascar
Aid Projects, Community Projects, Eco-Villages, Education Centres, Energy Systems, Food Forests, Land, Nurseries & Propogation, Trees, Village Development — by Martina Petru January 25, 2010
Editor’s Note: This is an update for the Ho avy project.
A gentle slice of moon on the star crowded sky of southwestern Madagascar just set gracefully and yet another day is over; we are now in the second half of January 2010.
And what day is today: Monday, Wednesday or perhaps Sunday? We easily lose track when in the field, especially during our prolonged stays – keeping busy in the nursery, forest and the village of Ranobe with several community participatory projects – keeping the momentum of excitement and action. The dynamics are encouraging and there is wonderful energy flowing. Every day is somewhat special; ups and downs along the journey to the ultimate balance. Capacity building is about trust building and about generosity, patience, humbleness as well as discipline. It’s a wonderful lesson for all of us, for ho avy team and for FIMPAHARA.
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