Fanamby marks its first participation in the FIER MADA, to showcase products from its protected areas and their communities.

This is part of an initiative to support local communities in order to guarantee the sustainability of their sources of income, which in turn leads to community autonomy by enabling them to open up to a nationwide market.

Each of the protected areas was proudly represented at its first appearance at the fair, with products from each of its areas of intervention:

• Anjozorobe and its red rice
• Loky Manambato with its honey from the mangroves and antsary Tsôha (sour lemon achard with or without chilli, often used as a condiment), not forgetting the Malagasy arts
• Andrafiamena-Andavakoera with its Zahana honey, a medicinal plant endemic to northern Madagascar. With three different varieties of rice (black rice, fragrant black rice and fragrant white rice or Madame Rose rice) - seeds with high added value
• and Menabe with its baobab wood sculptures and Jujube honey.

Supporting Communities: A Fanamby Mission

Working closely with local communities, Fanamby is committed to promoting and strengthening income-generating activities such as rice-growing, bee-keeping, handicrafts and woodcarving.

These initiatives not only improve people’s living conditions, but also help to preserve the environment.

Providing essential support to communities is at the heart of this initiative so that they can responsibly exploit the resources available in our protected areas, ensuring a balance between economic development and environmental conservation.

FIER MADA, a fair promoting rural agriculture

The Foire Internationale de l’Économie Rurale de MADAgascar, also known as FIER MADA, began in 1997 under the sponsorship of the Ministère de l’Agriculture et de l’Elevage (Ministry of Agriculture link).

Each year, FIER MADA takes place on the first Wednesday in August and lasts five days.

During this period, we will have the opportunity to take part in sales exhibitions or cultural exchanges with the vendors and local communities.

It’s a time to share and exchange our perspectives, but above all, to change our perception of local Malagasy products.

Its aim is to promote Madagascan products and farming activities such as agriculture, livestock farming, beekeeping, fish farming and agro-forestry.

A program rich in culture and sharing

During FIER MADA, visitors can discover a wide range of products from the Fanamby communities. It is also an opportunity to discover new cultural treasures.

This event is not only a showcase for Madagascan know-how, but also an opportunity to support local craftspeople by enabling them to seek out both national and international markets.

A positive balance sheet for the Communities

The results of this year’s FIER MADA are very encouraging.
Although at the start of FIER MADA, the communities were apprehensive about the fair, their shyness about approaching visitors quickly dissipated in the face of the public’s interest in their products.

FIER MADA also enabled them to arouse their curiosity about the sales approaches of fellow stands. Thanks to this event, they were able to understand how to tell the story of their product and their region. The local communities not only developed their sales skills, but also demonstrated their ingenuity in talking to stand visitors about their products.

This success testifies to the effectiveness of the supportive and collaborative approach that is rooted in Fanamby’s vision.

Towards an even more promising 26th edition

On the strength of this success, Fanamby and the local communities are already looking ahead to the 26th edition of FIER MADA. See you next year for an even more rewarding event!