UNESCO vocational training helps communities build livelihoods while protecting Madagascar’s forests

Another opportunity is emerging from the region’s water resources: fish farming.

Simons Bevazaha, a fish-fry producer with more than 30 years of experience, worked with UNESCO and BIOCOM to provide training and fish fry to communities in the Ala Fady sacred area of Marojejy.

“The training enabled local communities to acquire good practices for feeding and caring for fish fry, and it generated strong motivation to continue this activity,” he says.

With vanilla prices declining, aquaculture is becoming an increasingly important economic alternative. But challenges remain.

“With the decline in the price of vanilla, fish farming has become an important economic alternative,” says Bevazaha. “But our main challenge today is access to fish feed. Although we have a grinder, we lack the raw materials and need support in this area.”

For Bevazaha, the connection between livelihoods and conservation is clear.

“For me, Ala Fady is a sacred place and a precious heritage for future generations. If we destroy it, what will we leave to our children?”

The forest also provides the water essential to local livelihoods. “This forest provides us with the water that is essential for producing fish and rice,” he says. “So let us protect our forest and our environment.”

Adams Rajaonah, a fish farmer, trainer and president of a fish-farming cooperative in Andapa District, has also seen how aquaculture can create new opportunities.

As part of BIOCOM, Rajaonah trained beneficiaries in improving fish growth and reproduction, focusing on carp and tilapia.

“We need to repeat the training so that the knowledge is fully absorbed,” he explains. “If our beneficiaries are supported and encouraged, they will put what they have learned into practice.”

Beneficiaries have also been organized into a group encouraged to join the Federation of Fish Farmers of Sambava and local cooperatives, strengthening links among producers across Andapa District and the wider Sava region.

“We are trying to bring together all the fish farmers in Andapa District and across the Sava region,” says Rajaonah.

He also calls for stronger protection for fish farmers and the water resources that sustain their activities. “We call for the support of BIOCOM and UNESCO in establishing a clear legal framework to protect fish farmers,” he says. “Without concrete measures, many fish farmers risk losing their production and becoming discouraged.”

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