2022 Economic and Ecological Fair in SAVA : for a vanilla industry resilient to climate change

Posted on 24 October 2022

Recognized by its potential for the production of export products such as vanilla, cocoa, cloves, coffee, the SAVA region is a lung of the national economy. The region also has other great economic potential: tourism, hydraulic energy and rice growing.

Due to its geographical position, the SAVA Region is at the heart of 8 protected areas that cover 950,704 hectares of forest. However, these potentialities are based on healthy ecosystems.

To highlight these potentialities, the second edition of the economic and ecological fair of the SAVA Region was held from October 20 to 23 in Sambava, in collaboration with the SAVA Region, the Fairtrade Africa, as well as other partners including the WWF. A fair that affects the socio-economic, cultural and ecological sectors and aims to promote local products and income-generating activities of rural communities. It is also an opportunity for networking to expand national and international trade.
The COMATSA or Corridor Forestier Marojejy - Anjanaharibe sud - Tsaratanana is a climate refuge and part of the forest system that provides water for all of northern Madagascar. Unfortunately, 95% of the deforestation in COMATSA over the last 5 years is located in the SAVA region and one of the causes is the conversion of natural forest into food and cash crop areas including vanilla. Between 2017 and 2021, 13,707 ha of forest were cleared.
Vanilla cultivation requires specific climatic conditions directly linked to the forests. However, deforestation weakens the forest ecosystem and impacts on ecosystem goods and services. This accentuates the effect of climate change. Subject to diseases and victims of bad weather, vanilla becomes more fragile, which can weaken the entire industry.

Maeva Volanoro of the WWF shares that "vanilla is the engine of the regional economy, so it is necessary to frame the sector, among other things, by promoting sustainable agricultural practices, not destructive, to ensure its sustainability. Vanilla cultivation must therefore not alter ecosystems. "

To address this, local communities are restoring COMATSA's forests with the support of WWF and promoting agricultural techniques adapted to climate change, including agroforestry. Secondly, we are fighting against deforestation in collaboration with community organizations, authorities and the DREDD SAVA. Finally, we are also setting up partnerships with the private sector within the framework of certifications for a sustainable vanilla sector.