Youths training in permaculture
Besaonjo region

The project is taking place in an extremely poor and remote region situated in north west Madagascar where Scintillae is active since 2014, striving to provide basic infrastructure in primary education.

Twenty years ago this region was covered by various trees and vegetation, today trees are rare, the soils largely barren and the heat during the dry season unbearable.

To give the younger generation of this region new perspective for the future, we are providing support to Lukas Uhlm, founder of the ONG “Verein Tany”, to train youths and primary students on permanent sustainable agriculture. Lukas – who speaks Malagasy fluently – has an engineering background and is specialized in permaculture. He has over 8 years’ experience in Madagascar where he set up several successful projects in the Central Highlands part of the country.

The training in permaculture is aimed at youths between 14 and 22 years as well as primary students and focuses on sustainable organic farming techniques, water management, restoration of landscape, erosion control to provide solution to problems of local resource degradation. This is a practical vocational training which will enable the younger generation to manage their parents’ farms with a whole new perspective for the future of the region.

Workshops took place in 2018 and 2019 in the region and in the Central Highlands of Madagascar.

In 2019 Lukas started a project on our schools’ grounds with the participation of youths and farmers and created the first school garden. This is an ongoing project which will accompany education in the future.

All the world’s problems can be resolved in a garden.
Geoff Lawton

The first beds are built to permit water retention.

Building the garden.

Digging swiales.

Lukas Ulm with students.