Supporting Women Farmers in Rural Menabe.
CforC (Capacity Building for Communities) was founded in 2004 by 30 Madagascan artisans to give women access to international markets and fair trade conditions through joint economic activity. It soon became clear that poverty, domestic violence and gender inequality were profound obstacles to the development of women. Today, CforC is a nationwide NGO that fights for women's rights, economic independence and social participation through workshops, gender awareness, agricultural projects and advocacy work.
The Menabe region is one of the poorest regions in Madagascar - over 90% of people live below the poverty line. Agriculture secures survival, but mostly remains pure subsistence farming with low yields. Women carry the main burden of field work, but are severely disadvantaged in terms of market access, knowledge, finances and co-determination. Many also suffer from social pressure and economic dependence.
Since 2021, the NGO CforC has been operating a demonstration farm in the Menabe region in western Madagascar, where women can learn new agricultural methods in a practical way. The program is aimed at female farmers who can increase their yields through improved seeds, tree nurseries, orchards and organic compost, thus ensuring the food security of their families.
Around half of the participants are already implementing what they have learned on their own fields. The farm continuously offers technical advice so that methods can be adapted to local conditions. Meanwhile, over 300 women are participating in another village. In addition, the participants are founding village savings groups that give them access to microcredits and enable investments in farms, households or small businesses. The content is developed in close consultation with the women themselves: focus groups in the villages ensure that training courses and offers meet the real needs on the ground. The Lemonaid & ChariTea Foundation supports the project by financing personnel costs, materials and administration, thus enabling continuous work on the farm.
Sariaka Nantenaina
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Website: https://cforc.social/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ongcforc
