Bugs bite in Madagascar

Bug bites in Madagascar In the last two years, two insect farming projects have taken off in Madagascar as a way to provide precious protein while alleviating pressure on lemurs and other wild animals hunted for bushmeat. One programme, which promotes itself with a deck of playing cards, encourages rainforest residents in the northeast to farm a bacon-flavoured native planthopper called sakondry. The other focuses … Continue reading Bugs bite in Madagascar

Cricket powder for malnutrition

Cricket powder for malnutriton Insects are well-known for their high protein content. In Madagascar, which has one of the highest rates of malnutrition in the world, a cricket farm is selling cricket powder to humanitarian organisations providing famine relief and free-school meals. Read the full story here. Published in The Telegraph, 24 June 2019. Continue reading Cricket powder for malnutrition

Last chance saloon for Madagascar biodiversity

Last chance saloon for Madagascar biodiversity Madagascar’s exceptional biodiversity is on the wane. The country’s new president should seize the opportunity to save it. The men lie perfectly still. Their beige and khaki gear do a good job of blending with the dusty ground; only their black, oversized cameras and lenses stick out. Every few seconds, salvos of shutter clicks reverberate around the camp, each … Continue reading Last chance saloon for Madagascar biodiversity

Illegal corn farming drives deforestation in Menabe, Madagascar

Deforestation within Menabe Antimena Protected Area, a large swath of unique dry forest ecosystem on Madagascar’s west coast, has increased dramatically in recent years. Slash-and-burn agriculture is the primary driver. Unlike in most places in Madagascar, it isn’t done for subsistence farming but to plant corn, a cash crop traded by a powerful local elite. Conservation groups have teamed up to organize raids that have … Continue reading Illegal corn farming drives deforestation in Menabe, Madagascar

Climate adaptation proves the bees’ knees for fishermen in Madagascar

In Kivalo, where cyclones, overfishing and rising seas threaten livelihoods, beekeeping offers an unlikely alternative to fishing. Read the full story here. Published in The Observer and Guardian Global Development, December 2018.   Photo ©Emilie Filou, mangrove reforestation in Kivalo. Continue reading Climate adaptation proves the bees’ knees for fishermen in Madagascar

Madagascar: many candidates, little real choice

If the health of a democracy were measured only by the number of candidates contesting a presidential election, Madagascar’s would be flourishing: a total of 36 were on the island state’s ballot on November 7th. Yet politics in Madagascar, beset by corruption, is far from healthy. Voters hoping for a change from the old elite may be sorely disappointed by the outcome of a race … Continue reading Madagascar: many candidates, little real choice