How Rice is Made in Madagascar
Rice is a major source of calories for half of the world's
population. In Madagascar, rice markets have always been important, since rice
is the most important staple in the country. Many families eat rice three times
a day, and most of it is homegrown.
 |
Grounding rice in Madagascar |
In the 1970s, Madagascar was a rice exporter
but has since become a rice importer making Madagascar’s
economy very fragile; the country imports significant amounts of rice from
international markets for everyday consumption, around 51%.
The average household income in Madagascar is less than $1.25
making Madagascar an extreme low-income African country according the World
Bank Standards.
Rice production is a major source of income and employment for many households in Madagascar. But, as prices increase for rice as well as other major staples of cassava and maize, most small farmers benefit little or not at all from price increases.
The rice production technologies used in Madagascar are still
largely traditional, however many rice farmers are using the System of Rice
Intensification or SRI. Nevertheless, rice production is still largely highly
labor intensive.
 |
Working rice fields in Madagascar |
The French Jesuit priest Henri de Laulanié, developed the SRI
method in the 1980s. Traditional Madagascar rice farmers flood their rice fields and
plant bunches of mature rice plants, while SRI farmers transplant young
seedlings with greater spacing on soil that is moist but not flooded.
Better U Foundation, funded by actor Jim Carrey, has assisted in SRI’s rice growing implementation
in Madagascar. SRI cultivators claim the system uses 25% -50% less water,
requires 80% -90% fewer seeds, and can sometimes double or even triple the rice
yields.
Rice cultivation is found almost everywhere in Madagascar however, the
central and northern regions of the country is where nearly 80% of Madagascar’s
rice is grown. Lowland rice production structures are well developed and rice
terraces are regularly found along the roads between the capital and largest
city in Madagascar Antananarivo and the third largest city in Madagascar
Antsirabe.
 |
Mother and daughter pound rice in Madagascar |
Cyclone Enawo, equivalent of a Category 4 hurricane hit in early
March 2017 and crossed the length of the country, causing rice production in
2017 to be below average. Approximately 434,000 people were affected
by Cyclone Enawo and were in need of food assistance.
Cyclone Enawo was the strongest tropical cyclone to strike
Madagascar since Gafilo in 2004. The
damage is enormous wherever the cyclone hit and damage to Madagascar’s rice
production was immediately felt since another natural disaster, severe drought 2015,
affected the county with the southern region the worst affected.
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