Micro-irrigation for food security: the Untold Stories of Forgotten Stakeholders, SCAMPIS Project World Water Week 2012 seminar, Sweden

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Braking the small farmers vicious circle of debts through mis: Sister Antonietta’s story

FenoAndriamanalina, AVSF, Madagascar (Watch the Feno’s story on Youtube)

Ladies and Gentlemen, Good Morning!

My name is Feno. I’m a Malagasy, coming from Madagascar, working with AVSF, an International Association who was

in charge to implement Scampis Project in this country. A short information for you, after 3 years with Scampis, our country

have now a functional supply chain of local context adapted materials with 3 small manufacturers and more 50

retailers. This short period allowed more 7 000 small farmers to use the MI technologies with good results. It

showed the growing interest of private and public stakeholders to insert this innovation in food security,

improvement of income and sustainable natural resource management.

So, today, I have a great pleasure to tell you the story of one very special woman who is linked with the Scampis

story. It’s Sister Antoinetta’s. We have known him in 2009, in installing drip irrigation at his Community. With his

more fifty old of age, Sister Antonieta is 1 of 18 animators of one farmers ‘Association who aim to out the poor

households from a vicious circle of debt through improvement of production and small solidarity funds. In fact,

due to many problems (lack of water sources and means, poor soil fertility, lower access to land and to market),

70 % of households in zone of this Community are poor. Their strategies to remedy this situation expose them to

the vicious cycle of debt: use of sharecropping, agricultural labour, early sale of crops, loan moneylenders or

microfinance credit. This situation was being important due to the last political crisis which was born and growth

whit Scampis Madagascar.

When Sister Antonietta has seen the result of the demonstration, she was convinced that MIS could really

help small farmers face their problem. And she decided to help them to use and control drips irrigation.

However, this decision has exposed him to several problems. First, farmers didn’t have means to buy the

materials. Second, they were afraid to use it due to the risk of steal in the field. So, most of them have refused to

take and commit to pay the materials. Third, the donor of the association has decided to stop its funding for

animation and the animators had more courage to work with farmers.

Sister Antoinettaashamed of how the things developed, was deciding to abandon the idea of introducing

MIS to small farmers. But in a second time, she decided to negotiate a special price with SCAMPIS, and sensitize

the small farmers. We have proposed her to go with our technicians with a motorcycle to visit the famrers, but

she refused because it was banned by the Community. Thus, she walked 15 km every time to meet members,

sometimes alone because the others facilitators. We agreed a price equivalent to a third of market price (2 EUR),

and decided to offer the revenue recovery for the Association to compensate the animators. Thus, 45 farmers

tried the innovation with success. All farmers could pay the materials with their solidarity funds.

Micro-irrigation for food security: the Untold Stories of Forgotten Stakeholders, SCAMPIS Project World Water Week 2012 seminar, Sweden

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In 2011, with this progress, the Association decided to increase the number of users. As the number of kits was being

important, sister Antonietta decided to negotiate a payment facility with one reseller and a vegetable dealer who promised

to buy the farmer’s been green with an attractive price. Thus, 192 members have decided to buy the materials, of which

80 are poor which have no rice land.

Farmers had a problem because the dealer didn’t buy their products as promised. They were obliged to sell it in the

local market with very low prices, and after finish the payment of the resellers. This situation has discouraged some

farmers, and most of them said to Sister : it is you who convinced us to buy the kits and put us in relation to the dealer.

Now we have problems and you are also responsible.

SisterShe has not abandoned and searched other client for farmers and found an NGO (MAMPITASOA) who buys

pimento by agreeing to sign contracts with the producers. This year, many farmers have already signed contracts

with the NGO, which has been gradually increasing the number of new farmers who produce with drip irrigation.

Last month, she has been assigned to a different region. But she negotiated with her superiors to postpone the

new assignment, the finally agreed. She said, “2 years are not sufficient for me to demonstrate that MIS can help

these poor families”. When I met him 2 weeks ago, she said me: If you decide to stop like other projects, I have

decided to continue my story with the MIS.

From this story, we could learn two lessons. First, poor and vulnerable farmers may become key actors in the

management of water if they receive necessaries supports in MIS. Theses supports should not be focused only on

the technical and physical aspects, but should also involve organizational and commercial aspects. Second, These

support need more time and requires the existence of persons like sister Antonietta which are not only

convinced of the interest of the SMI on the reduction of poverty, but also committed to mobilize, empower and

support families in the process.

Sister Antonietta is a special woman for SCAMPIS. I remember well that in 2009, I asked her if she is also

interested to use a pedal pump. She told me “no” because pump will induce people to waste water. It should not

be wasting water because the water is our life. And it is with this word of Sister Antonietta that we decided to

put "Aina nyRano" in our logo and the bag of water. "Aina nyRano" means "Water is life".

When I met Sister Antonietta 2 weeks ago, she said me: If you decide to stop like other projects, I have decided to

continue my story with the MIS. And I answered him that it’s the story with the project that is finished, but not

the story with scaling up, because we will here. Together, we’ll continue the story.

Ladies & Gentlemen, Thank you for your attention, thank you also for your comprehension about my bad English.

Madagascar is an french spoken country , why...Speaking English is hard for me but it is still less difficult

that what Sister Antonietta has done to the poor families. I tried to do it for her.