Difference between revisions of "Vohitrarivo farmland"

Revision as of 12:03, 22 December 2019

Vohitrarivo farmland is a 40ha land area next to the village of Vohitrarivo in the SAVA region of north east of Madagascar. Perhaps located in one of the cleanest areas on the planet, the land has been sparsely used for small-scale farming and always without use of unnatural fertilisers, pesticides or fossil-fueled farming machinery throughout its history. With a natural river running through the middle of the land, the soil is especially rich in alluvial soil which receives seasonal deposits of fertile sediment providing ideal conditions for almost any type of low-altitude tropical crops.

The land, which is in its third generation of Malagasy ownership, has been utilised for farming for two generations. With the exception of some small-scale cultivation for personal needs of land caretakers from Vohitrarivo village, regular farming has been inactive since about year 2000, which has left vegetation grow wild as nature designs it.

Crops and plants, some wild, include corn, sugarcane, pinapple, mango, lychee, cococut, banana, pepper, bamboo, breadfruit, vanilla, cassava, coffee, papaya, cocoa, chilli, cinammon, rice and more. In organic farming terminology by so-called companion-planting, this provides a natural habitat for flora and fauna whereby the use of unnatural pesticides as in single-crop farming situations becomes unnecessary.

The site is located about 25km from the coast of the Indian Ocean and 20km inland about half-way between Antalaha and Sambava.

From the crossing at Ambodipont Isahana, a village of about 300 inhabitants, take the road inland, passing Tananabaovao after 4.6km, a village of about 100 inhabitants. 7.6km after is the village of Ambinanifaho with about 2,000 inhabitants. 8km further is the village of Ambodilalona with about 800 inhabitants and 3km thereafter is Lanjarivo with about 1,000 inhabits and finally 2km from there is Vohitrarivo with about 500 inhabitants. Vohitrarivo is the nearest village to the land starting at 1km further inland from the village.

The river Farariana runs through the land. There are no inhabited villages further upstream between the land area and the source of the river, making the water water perfectly safe to drink. Downstream, Farariana joins the Tananbao river and leads into the Indian Ocean.

The land is a family owned by Pierre Ndrevelo (pictured above) who is a lecturer at the University of Antalaha. As he did not continue the family tradition of farming, the land is for sale. He hopes to find a buyers who will manage to property in a good way that will contribute to the local community of the village where he grew up.

The above area is an approximately measure of the 40ha area and 4.3 circumvent. Mimimum elevation above sea level is 12m and maximum 51m.