Using Traditions to Meet New Challenges

	This young mother ate a complete diet that included sorghum while breastfeeding her newborn.
	Southern Madagascar is plagued by nearly year-round food difficulty. Re introducing sorghum is a sustainable solution made possible by the USAID office of foreign disaster assistance (OFDA).

The experience of generations is reflected in the farming techniques of communities in southern Madagascar. Farms in this arid region are exceptionally diverse in order to spread risk and maximize unpredictable and limited rainfall. But three consecutive years of drought and meager harvests have undermined the food security of tens of thousands living in this region. When faced with relentless drought, farmers need all the benefits of their experience. A recent USAID agricultural project re-introduced a key traditional crop to improve the diet and outlook for these most vulnerable communities in Madagascar.

For centuries, sorghum was the staple food for southern Madagascar. However, during the great famine that ravaged this region in the early 1990s, the population was forced to eat their supply of sorghum seed, which led to its extinction.

Sorghum is ideal for regional conditions. It is highly resistant to drought; has a sturdy grain which protects it from pests; is wind-resistant; and is ready for harvest three months after planting, which allows farmers to have two harvests in a year. In addition, sorghum cultivation enriches the soil, improving the quality of other crops planted in the same field. The sorghum grain is high in micronutrients. A small amount is enough to meet daily caloric requirements. It is an exceptional ingredient for fighting food insecurity and malnu- trition. Its value is also evident in local customs and it is believed to bring blessings to the population.

Farmers and their families have expressed this belief that blessings returned with the har vest. One proud farmer in Anjeba fed his entire family during the lean season and provided for the birth of a new baby, which coincided with the sorghum harvest. Thanks to theharvest, the breastfeeding mother was able to eat a more varied diet and the family has money for new child expenses.

In 2008, USAID provided 40 metric tons of sorghum seed for 13,796 farming households. Given that sorghum farming was given up decades ago, farmers were trained on techniques to store seeds, cultivate crops, and to prepare the grain itself. The first harvest produced just under 5,000 tons for household consumption and sale.

The reintroduction of sorghum was popular with the population and the demand for sorghum seeds remains high. USAID funded expansion of a seed multiplication center which provides a supply of seeds to local markets. The center will make four to five metric tons of sorghum seed available this September.