HOME movie by Yann Arthtus-Bertrand review from Madagascar

2009-06-20T07:04:00Z

On the occasion of World Environment Day, the MEGASEEDS team decided to watch the environmental movie "HOME" by Yann Arthus-Bertrand. Within the context of global warming and resource depletion, we thought essential to remind ourselves as responsible citizens that we must acknowledge that the carrying capacity of our dear planet Earth is insufficient, knowing that by 2050 we will reach a population of 9 billion.
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MEGASEEDS™ meets with the Japanese rice expert.

2009-06-01T06:59:00Z

After spending two weeks in the field, identifying the current problems of traditional rice farming in the southeast region part of Madagascar, Mr Yasuhiro Tsujimoto the “rice expert” finally met up with Andriakoto Ratozamanana in the Malagasy capital.

Mr Tsujimoto is a japanese rice specialist affiliated with the Graduate School of Agriculture at Kyoto University. He is doing research in Madagascar, five year now for his post-doc, specialized in the System of Rice Intensification: and has been going back and forth to Madagascar since and his fluency in the Malagasy language is quite remarkable. After breaking the ice, Mr Tsujimoto shared his ideas and views regarding MEGASEEDS™:. Particularly, he advocates our initiatives defined through the agricultural franchise and thinks that it is essential to outspread the SRI technique. He also discussed about the various opportunities of mechanizing our production when farming at a larger scales and mentioned about the possibilities of planting `japanese rice crops such as “japonica” crops. However, he also emphasized on the challenges that we must face while using this specific technique especially in terms of water management.

Solving the current food crisis is one of the driving forces has pushed MEGASEEDS™ to invest into the agribusiness industry. 70% of the population does not have enough to eat under current international standards. Madagascar figures among the countries who have a very high level of rice consumption per capita, yet rice production has not been able to keep up with the ever-growing population. Current low levels of output are due to inefficient agricultural input supply system, inadequate weed control, heavy reliance on variable rainfall, and inefficient irrigation systems. In addition, Madagascar suffers from low soil fertility. Other socieoeconomic constraints are lack of credit, high input prices relative to rice prices, scarcity of simple agricultural machines, poor roads and other rural infrastructure, lack of irrigation maintenance and erosion control, high transportation costs, high cost of land preparation and labor shortage at critical periods.” Current rice yields average 2.5 tons per hectar.

Madagascar has become a net importer of rice since 1972. According to FAO in Madagascar, the gap in rice imports reached 270, 000 tons in 2008 when international prices rose 70% higher than local prices. Several comprehensive studies have been made of this sector. This is how MEGASEEDS™ intervenes: rice is the main staple food, rice farming involves about 60% of the total workforce, yet its productivity is deficient. One of our goals is that Madagascar becomes self-sufficient in rice production. We intend to increase the average yield of rice produced and sell it on the domestic market at a lower price than the current one. MEGASEEDS™ is a for-profit business which addresses this critical gap in a sustainable, socially relevant way. MEGASEEDS™ goal is to create new incentives and introduce innovations throughout the production chain to increase average nation-wide rice yields to 8tons/ha.

The traditional slash and burn approach to rice farming will be incrementally phased out as a nation-wide franchise service is created, offering small scale farmers innovations in rice production and marketing learned from around the world. This traditional method used for rice farming locally known as tavy is threatening the country’s unique biodiversity. Every year, Madagascar loses about 100, 000 hectares of rainforest via this agricultural practice. At MEGASEEDS™ in addition to boosting the overall rice production, we hope to reduce the rate of deforestation and preserve the remaining national treasure.

We have selected the region Atsimo-Atsinana region where per capita in rice consumption is about 0.316kg of rice per day.To meet commonly accepted consumption benchmarks there is a need for a daily consumption of 1.5kg of rice per inhabitant, which means that the current rice consumption in this region needs to be increased fivefold.

After exchanging ideas on various aspects of rice farming such as crop choices and the importance of climatic conditions, Andriankoto thought of this meeting as something very insightful for MEGASEEDS™ . To sum up, we still have a long way to go before we can reach our objectives but opportunities are out there and Madagascar has a lot of potentials. We have the land, the people, the knowledge and above all the determination.

MEGASEEDS™ Genesis.

2009-02-22T06:00:00Z

MEGASEEDS™ venture began few days after TED (Technology Entertainment and Design) Global 2007 conference: “Africa the next Chapter” in Arusha Tanzania. There we had a chance to meet Asian attendees who believe in Africa and on Africans. We were aware in global climate crisis and particularly with the “Slash and burn” practice in Madagascar, and decided to take action.

At MEGASEEDS™, we hail from very diverse backgrounds and experiences. We are also originally from different continent but we have decided to build a bridge with our each over culture to help reduce poverty in one of the poorest countries in the world and to protect one of the highest rate of biodiversity endemism with mixed Asian and African products that will offer a potential stepping out of poverty by providing income and a starting point for asset accumulation… to protect Madagascar unique biodivesity.

Our strenght on this challenge are our innovative Ideas, new techniques and advanced technology, free from genetic modifications and human rights respectful: “our Culture of agriCulture”.

MEGASEEDS™ Inc. | the weblog - Misc

HOME movie by Yann Arthtus-Bertrand review from Madagascar

MEGASEEDS™ meets with the Japanese rice expert.

MEGASEEDS™ Genesis.