About 80% of people in Madagascar depend on agriculture. Many farmers’ livelihoods were disrupted by a severe 2022 cyclone season, which followed two years of extreme drought. Fertilizer use in the country is low and there is lack of understanding by many farmers of the potential of fertilizer to increase yields. Sustain Africa partner IRM, […]
About 80% of people in Madagascar depend on agriculture. Many farmers’ livelihoods were disrupted by a severe 2022 cyclone season, which followed two years of extreme drought. Fertilizer use in the country is low and there is lack of understanding by many farmers of the potential of fertilizer to increase yields.
Sustain Africa partner IRM, which is organising the supply of fertilizer for the Sustain Africa programme in Madagascar, has taken an innovative approach to promoting the use of fertilizer – and the Sustain Africa programme. As part of a promotional campaign for the Sustain Africa initiative, IRM developed a 30-minute video featuring well-known actor Rakotoson Tsarafara. The video tracks the progress of Rakotoson’s fictional son who wants to leave for the city as yields are not sustaining his young family. Rakotoson comes into contact with a village-based advisor for the Sustain Africa programme and takes his wife, son and daughter-in-law to a demonstration by Sustain Africa programme implementing partners Celva and Ambia who explain why and how to use fertilizer. The final scenes show the son and his wife taking some of their improved yield to market. The film has attracted a substantial following and is often shown as a ‘short’ in cinemas before the main feature film. Rakotoson co-developed the script after a number of field visits to understand fertilizer supply and use. He now also stars as the same character in short commercials for fertilizer.
See the film here.
