Greening the Great South of Madagascar: How Communities are Fighting Drought and Restoring Hope

“I want my region to be green. I don't want my children, or any future generation, to suffer the way we have from droughts,” says Ralahy Fidèle, a resident of Iritsoka, a village in the Betroka district of Madagascar’s Atsimo-Andrefana region. This is one of the three regions that form the Great South of Madagascar, a part of the country known for its stark beauty, but also for its harsh realities.

Life in southern Madagascar is tough. Over 90% of the population lives in poverty, relying on farming and fishing to survive while climate change is putting these livelihoods at risk. The region faces repeated droughts and water scarcity, which affect families in their daily lives. Because of climate change, extreme weather is becoming more common. When the droughts end, the rains that follow are often too strong, causing heavy floods like those that happened just a few months ago. Violent southern winds, called Tiokatimo have also become more frequent and intense. These winds sweep red sand across the land, covering fields and homes. As desertification advances and sand dunes spread, families are left struggling to grow food or remain on their ancestral lands.

In response, the Malagasy government, with support from the World Bank, launched the Support for Resilient Livelihoods in the South of Madagascar project, or MIONJO, in 2020. It’s a large-scale, multi-sectoral initiative designed to build resilience in the Great South. The MIONJO project, which aims to foster environmental resilience in southern Madagascar, serves around 1.4 million people in 235 rural communes across Atsimo-Andrefana, Androy, and Anosy.

One of MIONJO’s core pillars is environmental restoration, including protecting farmland, strengthening ecosystems, halting desertification, and improving daily life. Through partnerships with local and international organizations including Tany Meva Foundation and Catholic Relief Services, the project is implementing practical solutions such as stabilizing sand dunes with sisal and climbing plants, planting windbreaks, promoting agroforestry and reforestation, and establishing plant nurseries with resilient species.

So far, over 1,500 hectares of dunes have been stabilized, 330 hectares reforested, and 24 nurseries established, producing thousands of seedlings to help revive the land.

Nasta, a young single mother, works in one of these nurseries. She tends to the seedlings daily, watering and caring for them. “I see the changes caused by deforestation. That’s why I chose to help restore our forests for a better life. This job also gave me income to raise my child, buy livestock, and pay for school,” she says with pride.

Nearby, Ralahy Fidèle donated 5,000 square meters of his own land to build a nursery. He now leads a team of villagers, training them in planting and land restoration. “I want to bring our environment back to life, like it used to be,” he says.

Nurseries and tree planning play a key role, especially in restoring the degraded landscapes of the southern part of Madagascar. Nasta and Ralahy Fidèle understand this well. That’s why they’re calling on others to join a long-term effort to bring the southern landscape back to life.

“This isn’t work that takes just a few months,” says Ralahy. “We’re committed for the long haul, bringing our skills, our resources, and our solidarity to restore, protect, and care for these lands for years to come. The future of our children and our region is at stake.”

New funding will help strengthen local structures, ensuring communities can maintain nurseries, manage windbreaks, and monitor restored land. These efforts protect livelihoods while reducing greenhouse gas emissions and boosting carbon storage, thus contributing to the global fight against climate change.

The MIONJO Project, an effort to restore the environment in southern Madagascar, embodies a powerful truth: protecting the environment means protecting lives. By restoring nature, empowering communities, and supporting the most vulnerable, southern Madagascar is paving the way for a greener, stronger, and more hopeful future.