Seeds4Soils – Improving climate resilience in Madagascar by regenerating soils with agrobiodiversity

The new three-year project (2024-2027) aims to regenerate agricultural soils and increase climate resilience of vulnerable farming communities in Madagascar by exploiting the potential of traditional African vegetables, their wild relatives, and associated soil microorganisms. Funded by the Darwin Initiative of the UK’s Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, it will be implemented by WorldVeg in partnership with the National Center for Applied Research and Rural Development (FOFIFA), the University of Antananarivo (UA), and the Conseil Expérimentation Formation en Fruits et Légumes (CEFFEL). Specifically, it will rescue soil and crop biodiversity, unravel the adaptive potential for climate-resilient agriculture, increase farming system productivity and resilience through participatory restoration of soil health, and generate livelihood opportunities through new markets for vegetables and co-production of regenerative seed kits.

The project has big goals. Regarding the conservation of biodiversity, at least 400 new accessions of traditional African vegetables, crop wild relatives and associated soil microorganisms will be collected, regenerated, characterized and conserved in national and regional genebanks. As well as this ex-situ conservation, more than 40 prioritized landraces and crop wild relatives from at least 10 vegetable species will also be conserved in-situ by custodian farmers.

More than 2,000 smallholder farmers will receive seed kits and training in regenerative agriculture, and at least 50 champion farmers and extension workers will be selected to actively promoting these practices in their respective communities. In the target areas, it is expected that there will be a 20% increase in land area under improved regenerative agricultural practices, and that enhanced soil health will result in a 30% increase in productivity. This should lead to at least half of the targeted households reporting an increase in income, and two thirds should see reduced food insecurity by at least one category on the Household Food Insecurity Access Scale.