By Mamy Ratsimbazafy | Director SEPALI Madagascar
GLOBAL GIVING REPORT: Rearing silk moth to restore the forest
(September 2023)
Acknowledgement:
On behalf of the Sepali team members, I acknowledge all the donors that contribute to support our project during the last three months. Your kindly donation allowed the Sepali Madagascar program to support the effort of our silk producer to earn money through cocoon production.
Therefore, Sepali Madagascar continues to purchase all the Suraka cocoon that farmers produce and then process those cocoons into textile art decoration.
Due to the crash of the vanilla price (from 100 USD per kilo in 2018 to 0,5 USD per kilo in 2023) almost all farmers are looking for new alternative income to survive. Rearing the silkworm becomes an alternative way for farmers to support the children education until the end of the school period 2023 that ends in July.
Again, thank you for your support.
Sincerely
Mamy Ratsimbazafy
Sepali Madagascar Director
- Host plant tree farming and Suraka cocoon production:
Since 2009, Sepali Madagascar has introduced the program of reforestation to the communities that bordered the Makira rainforest. We recommended farmer to intercrop the host plant for the wild silkworm with their existed crops. Then 360 farmers has responded positively to the Sepali Madagascar’s instruction.
Averagely, 45000 talandoha trees were planted on 300 hectares of damaged area around the Makira forest.
Talandoha is the Malagasy name of Polyscias bakeriana, this species is endemic to the rainforest of Madagascar.
Both of Sepali team and Farmers are convinced that the taladoha tree is a very good species to intercrop with vanilla farm, due to its capacity fast-growing as well as the roots that fertilize the soil.
Progressively, our farmers intercrop the talandoha trees with the vanilla so they can get income from both of vanilla and cocoon production.
- Picture of talandoha tree with vanilla
- Picture of Lalaina showing vanilla beans produced at the Sepali demonstration site garden
- Suraka cocoon production for 2023:
The fluctuation of the green vanilla price has effect on the Suraka cocoon production. This year 2023, the price of vanilla is very low so the Sepali Madagascar member-farmers focus more on silk than vanilla.
We have notice that our farmers keep growing their talandoha trees and share the benefit of intercropping talandoha trees with vanilla to other farmers.
The women in the picture is one of the Sepali Madagascar active farmers starting here participation in the program in 2009. She used the money earned from Suraka cocoon production to support the education of her two sons during several years. Now she is supporting the education of her grandsons always using the money that she earned from Suraka cocoons marketing.
- Picture of Marie Jeanne showing her cocoon
- The next step during the next three months:
As mentioned in the previous report, Sepali Madagascar continue to grow the dye plant species as a natural dye for our silk.
We also continue to design new products made up with Suraka cocoon species as well as 4 other species of silk.
After the Covid19, the tourist is back to Madagascar, so Sepali Madagascar is struggling to give a tours and sell souvenirs made up with wild silk to tourists.
We target to be ready for a tours in January 2024.
Links:
By Mamy Ratsimbazafy | Project leader
By mamy rats | Project Leader
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